Rules

Tonight · One Night Only

How to Play

Everything a first-timer needs, in about thirty seconds.

  1. 1Build a setlist of six songs.
  2. 2Each round tests one stat — Hype, Soul, or Craft.
  3. 3Highest score takes the round.
  4. 4Win the most rounds to win the match.

That's the whole game. Everything below is how to win it.

What's on a card

Every card is a real song. Read it top to bottom.

3 the three stats

  1. 1 Genre — its spot on the Type Wheel below.
  2. 2 ⚡ Energy cost (2–5) — what it costs to perform, set by its stat total. Can't afford it? It plays Winded −2.
  3. 3 The three stats — Hype, Soul, Craft, each 1–10.
  4. 4 The move — a named bit of showbiz flavor.
  5. 5 Themes — three identity words, for arena fit and segues.
  6. 6 Era · format · tier — its decade, the VINYL mark (1980 or older), and a crate-digger rarity tier (0–III).

The three stats

Each arena tests exactly one of them. That's the stat that scores your round.

HypeEnergy, aggression, the crowd catching fire.
SoulEmotional resonance — the song that lands in the chest.
CraftMusicianship and timelessness — the pros' pick.

The Type Wheel

Genre gives a small edge. When your genre beats your opponent's, you get +1 to your round score; when theirs beats yours, they get +1. A mirror match or an unrelated pairing is neutral — and the odd judge tilts the wheel further for a genre they favor.

Rock Electronic Soul/R&B Metal Pop Folk Hip-Hop Country BEATS THE 2 CLOCKWISE ↻

↻ Beats the two genres clockwise

↺ Loses to the two counter-clockwise

GenreBeatsLoses to
Rock Electronic, Soul/R&B Country, Hip-Hop
Electronic Soul/R&B, Metal Rock, Country
Soul/R&B Metal, Pop Electronic, Rock
Metal Pop, Folk Soul/R&B, Electronic
Pop Folk, Hip-Hop Metal, Soul/R&B
Folk Hip-Hop, Country Pop, Metal
Hip-Hop Country, Rock Folk, Pop
Country Rock, Electronic Hip-Hop, Folk

Card Abilities

The rarer a card — the higher its crate tier — the more likely it carries a special ability: a named keyword that bends a round your way. Most are a small, conditional edge; the rarest cards (tier III) pull off something bigger.

  • Anthem — +2 in a Hype arena. A conditional bonus that only fires when the round suits it.
  • Second Wind — Once per match (not in sudden death), a would-be loss becomes a tie. A tier-III marquee move.

You can field up to 3 ability songs in a single setlist — pick your specials.

Going deeper

  • A round's real score is the tested stat plus small bonuses — arena fit (0–3), the wheel's +1, a segue for sharing a theme with your last card, venue and vinyl nudges. Every bonus is small and shown; the math is always auditable.
  • The main set is three rounds, one per stat, revealed up front so you can plan your whole show.
  • Bans, Encore & the Objection are the advanced levers — ban an arena you can't win, raise the stakes on a round, or argue a close ruling once per match.
  • The judge settles ties and awards the fit bonus, in character — and some even boost a favored genre's wheel edge or cap a stat. Read their biases before you pick.