A high-tension high-transformation hunt for two

By Liliana “Ophiuca” Starfield and Fleur Elise

Disclaimer: Prey 4 Mercy is a game about unhealthy relationship dynamics, coerced

To play you will need

Roles
This game is centered around two distinct character Roles, a Prey and a Hunter. As players, you
will be playing out the relationship between these two. The Prey is being actively pursued by the
Hunter, and has found a Shelter, a place that keeps them safe but is slightly unmoored from re-
ality, even if it appears otherwise. The Hunter knows they are hiding in the Shelter, but is unable
to easily follow the Prey inside it.

Play the Prey as a desperate, repressed, Play the Hunter as a devious, sadistic,
skittish, and resourceful character. opportunistic, and patient character.
Remember that they will be pushed to Remember that they will be pushed to
become more FEMME over the course become more DOMME over the course
of the game. of the game.

The game is played out over a series of Hunt Phases, where the Hunter will try to use whatever
they can to get what they want from the Prey, and the Prey will go to any length to escape the
Hunter for good. Neither Prey nor Hunter will make it out of this game unchanged— physically,
mentally, or emotionally.
 Setup
Use one of the counters as a way to represent the game’s Intensity, starting at 1. Decide which
player is the Prey and which player is the Hunter. Give the Prey the Heart and Diamond cards to
make up their deck, and give the Hunter the Spade and Club cards to make up their deck. Each
player also adds one joker to their decks. Shuffle both. Each player should take counters to rep-
resent both collected and spent FEMME/DOMME points.

The Prey describes their relationship to The Hunter then describes their relationship
femininity and their gender, and what scares to power and their gender, and what excites
them about this relationship. The Prey also them about this relationship. The Hunter also
describes what the Shelter is, and the Hunter describes the biggest threat they pose to the
adds the detail of how it protects their Prey Prey, and the Prey adds the detail of how the
from them. Hunter taught them to fear that threat.
Together, decide how and why the relationship became this way.

The Prey and Hunter start with 2 FEMME and 2 DOMME Points respectively. These can be spent
during the Preparation Phases to get an advantage during the Hunt Phases, and will change your
character over the course of the game.

Each player draws 3 cards from their deck to begin the first Hunt Phase.

To play
This game is played in two phases. A Hunt Phase and a Preparation Phase. Play a Preparation
Phase between each Hunt Phase, and play a total of either three or five Hunt Phases, not count-
ing any tiebreakers.

Hunt Phase
To play a Hunt Phase, starting with the Prey and alternating one card per player, each player
plays one card face up, and one card face down. Add up the value of all your cards. The player
with the highest total value without going over 21 wins the Hunt Phase. If your total is over 21,
you Bust. All Face Cards (K, Q, J) count as 10 towards the total value, and Aces always count as
11. All other numbered cards count as the number on the card.

Before revealing the face down cards, each player can choose to Hit as in traditional Blackjack.
To Hit, say ”Hit me”, and the other player will deal you a card off the top of their deck face up (if
both parties explicitly and enthusiastically agree to it, feel free to actually hit them as well. It’s
normal for girls). The player that Hits will receive a FEMME/DOMME point as they lean into their
Role to push their luck. Describe how they do this before interpreting that card.
Alternate turns until each player is satisfied with their total or Busts. Starting with the Prey and
alternating, each player interprets one card at a time. Interpret all revealed cards before reveal-
ing any face down cards, and then interpret them. Interpret any cards received through Hitting
from the perspective of something the other character tries to use against you (or a way you
change them) that ends up helping you instead.

After determining a win or tie, the winning player describes how their character comes out on
top in the aftermath, what they about or take from the losing character, how the dynamic chang-
es, and any change in plans they would like to make for the next hunt, knowing that playing to
their Role gets results.

The player who loses the Hunt Phase should describe how their character manages to slip away
at the last moment, how they lick their wounds, how the dynamic changes, and any change in
plans they would like to make for the next hunt, knowing that they will have to lean harder into
their Role to win next time. If a player busts, they also describe what the fatal flaw in their plan
was that they didn’t notice until it was too late.

The winning player receives 2 FEMME/DOMME Points and the losing player receives 1. Discard
all played cards and cards still held in players hands face up next to their respective decks. Each
player describes how their character’s actions change them.

For a tie, act as if both players lost. Intensity increases by an extra 1.

Intensity
When both players tie, a player Busts, or their total value is exactly 21, the intensity of the situ-
ation increases. Tension between the Prey and the Hunter gets stronger, sexually or otherwise.
The higher the intensity, the more each character should want to fulfill their goals, and they
should be more willing to go to lengths they may not have considered before.

As intensity increases, the Shelter changes to reflect the mounting tension. Things become more
surreal, and new options reveal themselves. (Ex: the Shelter is a department store. As intensity
increases, first the kinds of clothes displayed become more elegant, revealing, or otherwise a
different style than they were before. with further intensity, the mannequins may become ani-
mated and either help, “help”, or impede either player. Escalating even further could cause the
area to shift constantly to the characters’ desires, unwanted or not).

Every time Intensity increases, the players describe what changes, both interpersonally and en-
vironmentally, to escalate the tension.
 Interpreting the cards
The cards that you play are a representation of how you act during the Hunt. They are interpret-
ed by a combination of suit and number. The card suits (Spades, Clubs, Hearts, and Diamonds)
represent the way each character approaches the hunt.

For the Prey, Hearts represent a Distracting For the Hunter, Spades represent a Deceptive
approach, and Diamonds represent a Defensive approach, and Clubs represent a Dangerous
approach. approach.

The face cards represent what emotions your actions are trying to get out of the other character.
Kings are Anger, Queens are Desire, and Jacks are Fear.

The remaining cards, aside from the Joker, are split between the Even and Odd numbers.

Odd cards represent objects or ways your character has transformed during this Hunt.
(Ex: Sharp claws and teeth, a low-cut dress, a collar and leash, obviously larger breasts, a fully
stocked vanity, an attitude adjustment, stilettos, dazzling wings).

Even cards represent the environment and people within and surrounding the Shelter.
(Ex: Thorny bushes, ravenous admirers, a thunderstorm, a moody restaurant, hall of mirrors, the
head maid, magical fog, a shooting range).

Let the value of the cards color how you interpret them. Higher value cards should be interpret-
ed with escalating dream logic.

Jokers
When a player draws a Joker, they play it between both players and draw a new card. When de-
scribing the next Hunt Phase, the power dynamic gets twisted. The Shelter opens itself up to the
Hunter, turning against the Prey, or the Prey decides to take a more direct approach to dealing
with the Hunter and goes on a hunt for them instead. After the Hunt Phase, the Joker is set aside
and cannot be returned to the deck. The dynamic returns to normal, but neither character can
forget the feeling of everything turning on its head.
 Preparation Phase
During the Preparation Phase, each player describes how the previous Hunt Phase influences
their plans. Have they changed their strategy or do they feel more urgency now? Draw 3 cards
each. Either player may spend their collected FEMME Points or DOMME Points during this phase
to do one of the following actions.

• Spend 1 FEMME/DOMME Point to add +2 to the value of your hand played in the next Hunt
Phase, and describe how your character gives in to the passions of their Role.
• Spend 2 FEMME/DOMME Points to remove two cards from the other player’s deck, then
shuffle it. Jokers are off limits.
• Spend 2 FEMME/DOMME Points to shuffle one card from your discard pile back into your
own deck. Decide what that card represents, it is now a part of who you are forever.
• Spend 3 FEMME/DOMME Points to ask the other player’s character a question, which they
will answer truthfully. (Ex: “How can I exploit your desire/shame?”, “How can I make you vul-
nerable to me?”) The next time that player draws cards for a Hunt Phase, they will draw one
fewer card.

Keep track of how much FEMME/DOMME you have spent, as it decides tiebreakers. When you
spend FEMME/DOMME, describe how your character changes to become closer to their truth
of that Role.
Ending the game
For the final Hunt Phase, (either the 3rd or 5th), the defenses of the Shelter should be noticeably
weaker, and the Hunter and Prey should both act knowing that this is the end of their relation-
ship as they know it. after this phase, the player who won the most hunt phases, or, if there is a
tie, the player who has spent the most FEMME/DOMME Points wins. If there is still a tie, each
player draws three cards, and plays one more Hunt Phase. Together, narrate an ending to the
two characters’ story, keeping in mind the Intensity at the end of the game should be an
influence on what happens.
If the Prey wins, the Hunter is made powerless If the Hunter wins, the Shelter can no longer
by their efforts, and they are at the Prey’s mer- hold them off. They are able to put the Prey at
cy. The Prey can choose to their mercy, and can choose to
• Deal with the Hunter, lethally or otherwise, • Exact your revenge on the Prey, lethally or
and make a new life for who you are now, otherwise, and tie up the last loose ends of
beyond the protection of the shelter who you used to be.
Or Or
• Take control of the Hunter’s fate, and have • Accept that the person you were hunting
the Shelter change them the way it has no longer exists, and claim the Prey as your
changed you. new pet, or toy.
Enjoy the afterglow of a successful hunt, or switch Roles and go another round.