Harbinger 13

Harbinger 13 is a persuasive/social game that aims to challenge the hegemonic default of utilitarian consequentialism and how through it we quickly allow ourselves to judge the value of human life. This is accomplished by placing players in a situation analogous to the “lifeboat dilemma.” Players are assigned a secret character background that comes with a pre-determined rank determining how their shared employer has determined who is the most valuable and worthy of survival. By forcing players to approach the lifeboat dilemma from the perspective of the “judged.” By doing so, they are forced to confront the system that would leave them to die. Adding to this conflict is the presence of the titular Harbinger whose survival means the death of every other player. To survive, players must quickly determine who they can trust within a system that they cannot. 

This page contains the in-development print and play version along with the playing cards.io digital prototype. 

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