Game Rules | How to Play Rush Q Cards

The Core Loop

Every turn, every quarter, repeats this cycle.

Recruit

Play Talent cards to grow your team

→

Deliver

Assign people to projects before deadlines

→

Boost

Play Skill cards for tactical advantages

→

Survive

Weather Events and Rush Q crises

→

Win

Highest reputation after Q8 earns the promotion

It's like… (pick your frame)

For PMs & Tech Leads

Think of it as sprint planning meets OKRs. Projects are your OKRs — you need headcount (people), effort (quarters), and skills. Rush Q events are the surprise Jira tickets that blow up your roadmap.

For Engineers & ICs

Think of it as resource allocation with a deck-builder twist. Talent = engineers on your squad. Projects = tickets with deadlines and slot requirements. Skill cards = PRs that unblock blockers.

For Everyone Else

Think of it as managing a small consultancy. Hire people, put them on projects, keep the lights on when things go wrong, and bill more than your rivals by Q8.

Setup (once per game)

1

Starter Project — Every player gets one project with 2 slots and a 4-quarter deadline. Worth 3 rep when completed.

2

Starter Team — Each player gets 2 Talent cards to begin building their team.

3

Opening Hand — Draw 6 cards from the main deck (Talent, Projects, Skills, Events, Rush Q — all shuffled).

4

Markets — Place the Talent and Project market decks face-down to the side. Both unlock in Q1.

Your Turn (each quarter)

You have 3 actions per turn — playing a card, trading at a market, or moving an already-assigned person each cost one. Drawing and assigning idle people are free. A cracking or crumbling foundation costs you an action from Q3 on (board pressure). Do them in any order, then end your turn.

A Play Cards optional

Play Talent, Projects, or Skill cards from your hand onto your board. Talent joins your team. Projects enter your pipeline. Skills apply effects immediately.

B Assign People optional

Move available team members into open project slots. Each person fills one slot. A fully-staffed project makes steady progress each quarter — keep it staffed until it has put in the quarters of work its deadline calls for, then it completes. Piling on extra people does not finish it faster.

C Trade at Markets optional

Discard cards from your hand totaling the market card's cost, then take it. Talent Market and Project Market both open from Q1. You can buy from one, both, or neither.

D Draw a Card required

Draw 1 card from the main deck to end your turn. On your very first turn (Q1 only) draw 2 cards instead.

Card Types

Seven types — each color-coded the same way in the game UI.

Talent

Team members you recruit. Each has a specialty that can grant bonuses on matching projects. Your most valuable long-term asset.

Project

Need N people to count as staffed, and roughly `deadline` quarters of sustained staffing to finish. Complete them to earn reputation; leave one unfinished too long and you pay a penalty.

Soft Skill

Boost morale, protect against events, or improve team efficiency. Attach to a person or apply globally to your board.

Hard Skill

Technical abilities that reduce project slot requirements or add bonus reputation on completion. Permanent board improvements.

Power Skill

Rare, high-impact cards. Steal talent, block events, double rewards, or bend core rules. Play carefully — there are few in the deck.

Rush Q / Event

Disruptive corporate happenings. Events affect one or all players. Rush Q cards trigger at quarter-end and hit the whole table.

Layoff

Starting Q5, the lowest-rep player each quarter must release one team member. Build reputation early to stay safe.

Things That Will Surprise You

Read these before your first game.

Q1 is your grace period. No events, no Rush Q. Use it to recruit aggressively and start a project immediately.

Events start Q2. Event and Rush Q cards get shuffled in. Rush Q triggers immediately for everyone at quarter end — there's no opting out.

Layoffs begin Q5. Every quarter from Q5, the player with the least reputation faces a layoff with an escalating severance cost (10 → 25 rep). Pay it, or lose a team member and a project — and with almost no reputation, you're eliminated. Don't fall behind.

Missed deadline = reputation penalty. If your project's slots aren't filled by its deadline quarter, you lose rep equal to its penalty. Plan your people two quarters ahead.

Innovation Tax. If you go 3 consecutive quarters without completing any project, you lose 5 reputation. Keep your pipeline moving — don't just hoard talent.

Quick Reference

Concept	What it means	When it matters
Reputation (REP)	Your score. Gained by completing projects and playing certain skills.	Every quarter
Project Slot	An open space on a project that needs a team member assigned.	Every turn
Deadline	How many quarters of full staffing a project needs to finish. Leave it unfinished too long = penalty.	Q2 onward
Rush Q	End-of-quarter cards that hit all players simultaneously.	Q2 onward
Innovation Tax	−5 REP if you complete no project for 3 consecutive quarters.	Q4 onward
Layoffs	Lowest-rep player pays an escalating severance (10→25 rep) or loses a person and a project.	Q5 onward
Market	Spend cards from hand to acquire Talent or Projects directly.	Q1 onward