Last Laugh: A Dangerously Silly Card Game
Created by Adam M. Forrest
Last Laugh is a silly party game sort of like Apples to Apples, only it’s inspired by Edgar Allan Poe and one player is trying to kill the rest.
That player takes on the role of a VILLAIN. The rest of the players are HEROES who play as a team to outwit the Villain.
A black card prompts everyone to respond to it with a white card from their hand. The funniest card wins. But the Villain has unique ability cards and advantages that keep him dangerous the whole game. This is a fresh take on what players can do in a card-judging game.
Below you’ll find:
- An intro to the game’s setting and theme
- An overview of the rules for Heroes and Villain
- Informational downloads for game publishers
Setting the Scene
So, Heroes! You’re attending a costume party in the Middle Ages, hosted at the gloomy mansion of your mutual friend, Montresor.
Montresor believes you (his party guests) have insulted him behind his back. He is obsessed with his honor, and he has vowed revenge.
Tonight he will try to fool you Heroes into his wine cellar. If all goes to plan, he will entomb you behind a fresh wall of mortar and stone, like this:
It’s the Heroes’ goal to outwit Montresor. The progress of the Heroes against the Villain is measured in points.
As the Montresor player gains points, he grows closer to springing his trap. If Montresor wins enough points faster than the team of Heroes, all of the Heroes are entombed.
Heroes team up to outwit Montresor. They share points. If they gain enough before Montresor, they foil his plot!
Easier said than done. Montresor is supremely witty, charismatic, and cunning. His advantages are summarized below in the Villain section.
The Rules
Each player chooses a role. One plays Montresor and the others team up as Heroes.
Hero Rules
- Your hand size is 7 Jest cards.
- Players take turns being the Judge. The Judge flips a Gambit card on their turn.
- Other Heroes respond by playing 1 Jest card from their hand. The Judge shuffles the cards before reading them aloud.
- The Judge picks the funniest Jest. Whoever played it takes the black Gambit card. It’s worth 1 point.
Villain Rules (Playing Montresor)
- Your hand size is larger than a Hero’s: it’s 9 Jest cards.
- You play more than one Jest card each turn. The more Heroes you face, the more Jest cards you play. Find the guide on the back of your portrait card.
- You also play one additional Jest card whenever you possess fewer Gambits than the team of Heroes.
- Draw Mood cards at the beginning of the game, and whenever the role of Judge falls to you. (Refer to the guide on the back of your portrait card.) You do not flip a Gambit when you’re the Judge. Just draw your Mood cards, then the role of Judge rotates to the next Hero.
How to Win
The game ends when either the Villain or the team of Heroes wins enough Gambit points:
3 or 4 players = 6 points
5 players = 7 points
6 players = 8 points
7 or 8 players = 9 points
Are you a game publisher?
I would love to discuss whether Last Laugh could be a good fit for your company. Here are some downloads for you, and I can send you the full rules upon request. You can email me at forrest.adam@gmail.com.
Credits
- 400 Jest cards are quotations from the works of Edgar Allan Poe
- Game design, 100 Gambit cards, and all other cards by Adam M. Forrest
- Art and graphic design by Elena J Roberts (robertselenaj@gmail.com)
- Montresor bust and Fool’s Cap illustrations by Mark Sheeres (instagram.com/illustratorgeek)
- Last Laugh‘s theme is inspired by Poe’s tale “The Cask of Amontillado”
Want to know if the game gets published?
“The thousand injuries of my friends I had borne the best I could, but when they ventured upon insult I vowed revenge.”
—Montresor
A super-evil dude in Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”
Adam M. Forrest 