HELLO HUMAN 

This is a game, not a joke. The COVID-19 pandemic has been killing people, straining our health 
services and challenging our social fabric, so you might question how appropriate it is to turn this 
tragedy into a game. Call it a simulation, an open-ended reflection, or a rule-based conversation if it 
makes more sense. However you call it, I hope playing it helps you consider these things:  

1. COVID-19 is dangerous because the virus is invisible. It spreads through people who show no 
obvious symptoms. We have no cure for it, yet. That’s why social distancing is the only 
effective measure to contain it. We can all play our part in that.   
2. But we are not all equal. Some of us can afford to self-isolate and keep working. Some of us 
cannot. While each of us has their own needs, we can only win this if we coordinate our 
actions. Which is easier said than done. 

🤔 BUT A CARD GAME IS NOT SOCIAL DISTANCING... 

I know. Card games are best played with other humans IRL. 

But please don’t invite people over to play this with you! Don’t risk your and their health. 

Play it with those you already live with, and keep good hygiene as you handle the game objects. 
Wash your hands with water + soap before and after playing. Try and avoid touching your face with 
your hands at all times. 

📱 CAN WE PLAY THIS REMOTELY THEN? 

Yes, in the spirit of social distancing we should play this (and more games) over videocall. 

I have the feeling it would work with just a few tweaks. But I haven’t tested that scenario yet. 
Please get in touch if you have suggestions for that. 

🗣 QUESTIONS? SUGGESTIONS? 
💬 You can write your comments in the dev document → bit.ly/briscorona 
📨 If you prefer to reach out in private, email me → m@tteo.me 
 

ma.tteo.me  gumroad.com/baddeo 
BRISCORONA   😷 v0.1 

4 PLAYERS 15-20 MINUTES  

This is a game about the corona virus COVID-19 and how it spreads invisibly among asymptomatic 
people. This is not a game about scientists defeating the virus but rather the rest of us surviving it, 
containing its spread and trying to get on with our precarious lives in these strange times. 

Each round represents a day and a choice for you to make. Will you decide to wash your hands, stay 
home, or venture out? What will you do on the day you’re about to run out of supplies? What if you 
contract the virus? Do you even know if you have it already? 

While each of us has their own needs, we lose or win this all together. We win if more than half the 
players are still alive at the end of a game. We lose if half the players are eliminated by the virus.  

What’s with the title? It’s loosely inspired by Briscola, a card game I learned from my nonna. 

WHAT YOU WILL NEED  

For 4 players you will need: 

❏ 🎲 4 dice (6D) 
VIRUS INFECTION CARDS → print & cut page 5 

❏ 🦠 8 positive cards 
❏ 😌 8 negative cards 
PLAYER ACTIONS CARDS → print & cut pages 6-8 

❏ 😬 12 stay inside cards 

❏ 😷 12 venture out cards 
❏ 🧼 12 sanitise cards 
HOW TO SET UP 
😬 😷 🧼 Shuffle the inside, out and sanitise cards into the actions deck. Deal each player 3 cards. 
🦠 😌 Shuffle 7 negative infection cards and 1 positive infection card into the clean-ish deck. 
Shuffle the other cards into the virulent deck. From the clean-ish deck, deal each player one card 
and keep it face-down in front of them. 

🎲 Give each player one die, which they will roll and place in front of them. That number will be 
their initial level of resources (food, money, emotional support…) 

ma.tteo.me  gumroad.com/baddeo 
HOW TO PLAY 
💡 You can play with your hands covered (more realistic, decisions tend to be taken individually 
without consulting others) or open (easier, decisions can be taken collectively to optimise your 
survival strategy). 

Players play 1 action card per round at the same time as everyone else. 
Start by deciding which of your 3 action cards you will play this round. 

1. 😬 stay inside means you want to stay at home (if you’re privileged enough to have one) and 
consume 1 resource. Decrease your die 🎲 by 1, eg: from 5 to 4. You won’t be at risk of 
infection.  
2. 🧼 sanitise means you’re washing your hands thoroughly and rinsing 🚿 your infection card 
(see how to rinse below). If you had caught the virus before, then you cleaned it away, but 
there’s also a small chance you have been infected. 
3. 😷 venture out means you want (or are forced to) replenish your resources. Roll your die 🎲  
You will be at risk of infection if other players also decide to venture out (more on this below). 

Place your chosen action card in front of you. If you’re playing with covered hands, then place it 
face-down in front of you, and reveal it once all players have made their choice. 

Perform the action of each chosen card. 

Then discard the action cards used this round. Each player draws one card from the action deck 
and the game continues until you have played all the action cards. 

🚿 Rinsing your infection card 

Put your infection card at the bottom of the clean-ish deck (or 🦠 virulent deck, if so instructed) 
and draw the first card from it, placing it face-down in front of you. 

⚠ 😷🦠😷 Catching the virus 

When 2+ players choose 😷 venture out they must reveal their infection cards. Two scenarios: 
A. 😌 😌 Everyone negative. Phew, no infection. Rinse 🚿 your card from the clean-ish deck. 
B. 🦠 😌 Some positive. If you are positive, keep your virus card open in front of you and draw a 
card from the clean-ish deck. If you are negative, rinse 🚿 🦠 your card from the virulent deck.  

⚠ ⚠ 🦠🦠 =💀 Being eliminated 
If you catch 🦠 🦠 2 positive infection cards, you’re out.  
ma.tteo.me  gumroad.com/baddeo 
🛒 📉 Running out of resources 
If you reach zero resources 🎲 you become more vulnerable. Rinse 🚿 🦠 your card from the 
virulent deck. Then roll your die 🎲  

HOW IT CAN END 

The game continues until you have played all the action cards.  

Our goal is SURVIVAL 

A. We all win if more than half the players are still alive at the end of the last round.  

B. We all lose immediately if half the players are eliminated (they caught 🦠 🦠 2 virus cards). 

VARIANTS 
💡 Try and mix in more 🦠 🦠 positive infection cards in the starting clean-ish deck, and see how 
that impacts your chances of survival. This way you can experience scenarios with more or less 
positive cases, and understand the role of early containment. 

💡 After you played a whole game (aka a fictional week) try and play another week by going 
through the action deck again, but without resetting resources and infection cards. 

💡 Try and change the proportions between 😬 😷 🧼 in the actions deck. For example, you could 
ask “how many consecutive days have you been in self-isolation?” and the lowest answer among 
players will be your initial number of 😬 stay inside cards. Or you could ask “how many times did 
you wash your hands yesterday?” and the lowest answer among players will be your initial number 
of 🧼 sanitise cards. 
   

ma.tteo.me  gumroad.com/baddeo 
 🦠   🦠  😌
Print these on thick paper, so that you won’t be able to identify them when they’re face-down. 

😌 
       
       
   

🦠   🦠  😌
   
POSITIVE  POSITIVE  NEGATIVE  NEGATIVE 

  😌 
       
       
   

🦠   🦠  😌
   
POSITIVE  POSITIVE  NEGATIVE  NEGATIVE 

  😌 
       
       
   

🦠   🦠  😌
   
POSITIVE  POSITIVE  NEGATIVE  NEGATIVE 

  😌 
       
       
   

   
POSITIVE  POSITIVE  NEGATIVE  NEGATIVE 

ma.tteo.me  gumroad.com/baddeo 
The rest of the cards don’t strictly need to be printed on thick paper... 

😬   😬  😬  😬 
       
       
       

       
STAY INSIDE  STAY INSIDE  STAY INSIDE  STAY INSIDE 

😬   😬  😬  😬 
       
       
       

       
STAY INSIDE  STAY INSIDE  STAY INSIDE  STAY INSIDE 

😬   😬  😬  😬 
       
       
       

       
STAY INSIDE  STAY INSIDE  STAY INSIDE  STAY INSIDE 

😬   😬  😬  😬 
       
       
       

       
STAY INSIDE  STAY INSIDE  STAY INSIDE  STAY INSIDE 

ma.tteo.me  gumroad.com/baddeo 
 

😷 😷 😷 😷
       
       
       

       

       
VENTURE OUT  VENTURE OUT  VENTURE OUT  VENTURE OUT 

😷 😷 😷 😷
       
       
       

       

       
VENTURE OUT  VENTURE OUT  VENTURE OUT  VENTURE OUT 

😷 😷 😷 😷
       
       
       

       

       
VENTURE OUT  VENTURE OUT  VENTURE OUT  VENTURE OUT 

😷 😷 😷 😷
       
       
       

       

       
VENTURE OUT  VENTURE OUT  VENTURE OUT  VENTURE OUT 

ma.tteo.me  gumroad.com/baddeo 
 

🧼   🧼  🧼  🧼 
       
       
       

       
SANITISE  SANITISE  SANITISE  SANITISE 

🧼   🧼  🧼  🧼 
       
       
       

       
SANITISE  SANITISE  SANITISE  SANITISE 

🧼   🧼  🧼  🧼 
       
       
       

       
SANITISE  SANITISE  SANITISE  SANITISE 

🧼   🧼  🧼  🧼 
       
       
       

       
SANITISE  SANITISE  SANITISE  SANITISE 

ma.tteo.me  gumroad.com/baddeo 
OPTIONAL 

     
     
     
     
      
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
😬 😷 🧼  😌 😌 😌 😌 😌 😌 😌 🦠  🦠 🦠 🦠 🦠 🦠 🦠 🦠 😌 
ACTIONS DECK  CLEAN-ISH DECK  VIRULENT DECK 
 

ma.tteo.me  gumroad.com/baddeo