Cult Classic

Cult Classic is a humorous card game in which each player takes on the role of an aspiring cult leader just getting started. Players compete to grow their cults from scratch and to lure followers. The game can be played by 2-6 players and can take between 30 and 60 minutes.

The game is designed around 6 cult-types, and there is a leader card for each of these types: Corporate, Psycho-Therapeutic, UFO, Eastern Mystical, Nature and Satirical. Each player is given a leader card at the beginning of the game and a hand of cards from the play deck which consists of Belief cards (which mix and match these 6 cult types), Asset cards (material possessions that either give points towards a win or help you in other ways) Action cards (which are played during the game for various effects such as stealing other players' followers, or making your beliefs more powerful) and finally Cultivation cards, which are played to help attract followers. The game also has a deck of Follower cards which are set aside. The game play is split between player turns when players draw and play cards from their hands building their cults in the table area in front of them, and cultivation rounds where players engage in a bid/bluff competition to win followers, which are the main source of points towards a win.

Download Updated Rulebook Here

Rule Clarifications

  • The discard pile is meant to be face-up.
  • If a player owns an asset with requirements (e.g. 3 Followers) and he later loses cards so that he does not meet the requirements, he does NOT lose the asset.
  • If played during the same cultivation round, the following card effects happen in this order: (1)"Take My Wives, Please!", (2) "Arms Cache", (3) "Big Ol' Bribe" and (4) "Indecision".
  • The cult-type symbols on a follower are primarily used to determine which cult they join. Once a follower is in your cult, these symbols do not help attract new followers. From now on they are only used to break a tie - if two or more players have equal attraction for a new follower during cultivation, you use the symbols on each cult's followers that match the new follower's interests. "x2" and "-1" apply during these tie-breaks.
  • You may not play Asset modifiers on Temples. You may not discard a Temple from your cult when using "Big Ol' Bribe". You may only have 1 Temple and it is permanent.
  • If three cards all contradict each other, posession of all three in a cult will count as three contradictions for the Satirical Cult leader (each pair of cards is a contradiction).

Addle Brain Games are made by Adele and Brian Powers.

Please contact us at email@addlebraingames.com