The Why
Philosophy of the Journey
Players begin at Love Bomb Lake. This location is named after the Love Bombing phase that a narcissist uses to initiate romantic attachments.
Players start at Love Bomb Lake though it's at a midpoint in this narcitecture. This placement illustrates how love relationships with narcissists often leave Empaths worse off than they began.
The counterclockwise path represents the disorienting, dysfunctional, and often defeating quest to get a narcissist to meet one's needs.
In the game, traps represent the tactics or punishments used by narcissists. Just as people can sometimes turn a narcissist's punishment into an opportunity for growth and/or escape, players can use traps to their own advantage, helping them eventually escape the narcitecture or go supernova.
The cards all recreate various emotional impacts of life with a narcissist.
Gray Rock allows an empath player to neutralize a narcissist's manipulation by refusing to engage. When using this technique, the player becomes emotionally unresponsive—about as exciting as an actual gray rock.
Important: Gray Rock is a temporary survival strategy used while you plan your exit from the narcissistic circus—not a long-term lifestyle choice.
In the game, abuse represents the narcissist's preferred communication style. Instead of normal conversation, they tend to use criticism, manipulation, or emotional attacks. These actions keep empath players defensive, confused, and emotionally drained, making it harder to play strategically or escape.
Blank cards represent moments when abuse temporarily stops. Players may feel confusion or relief during these turns.
However, remember the key rule: The absence of abuse does not equal kindness. It simply means the attack phase has paused.
Leaving a narcissistic relationship often requires support from others. When this card is played, a player may exit the game with the help of another player or a support card.
Sometimes survival—and victory—needs a hand.
Each empath character has only one space on the board where they may go Supernova. Why only one? Because supernovas are very rare.
In the universe, a supernova occurs when a star burns hotter and brighter until it reaches a breaking point. It explodes, and for a time it seems as though the star has died. Yet from that destruction, something new can eventually emerge.
In this game, the Supernova represents an empath reaching their breaking point: the moment when they stop absorbing harm and begin fighting back. The old way of existing burns out. After time and healing, the empath returns transformed—no longer who they once were, but renewed, stronger, and wiser.
A Supernova player may use their cards to help other players, but they are not required to do so. Sometimes survival means choosing not to get involved. Some players may remain within their narcissistic situationship — what we call a narcitecture, instead of leaving that dynamic behind. A Supernova may decide that their energy is better spent elsewhere, instead of revisiting cycles to assist someone who may not really want to leave it.
Once an empath becomes a Supernova, they are changed forever.
How to Play
Instructions
Download the full rulebook PDF or press play to have the instructions read aloud.
The Language
Terminology
- Narcitecture
- The term applies to any scenario that exists purely to subjugate an individual through manipulation and/or abuse.
- Hoovering
- When the narcissist tries to draw an Empath back into their sphere.
- Victim-Playing
- When a narcissist plays the wronged party to avoid accountability or gain the Empath's sympathy.
- BS-ing
- When a narcissist is challenged and uses various tactics to obscure or avoid accountability: word-salad, deflection, projection, gaslighting, etc.
- Ghosting
- When a narcissist suddenly and inexplicably becomes unavailable.
- Gaslighting
- When a narcissist psychologically manipulates an Empath to question or deny reality.
- Detraumatization
- A process to help an Empath recover from the narcissist and retraumatization.
- Devaluation
- When a narcissist is done Idealizing an Empath and begins to diminish and belittle them.
- Discard
- Occurs when a narcissist ends their relationship with an Empath either as a form of punishment or because the Empath has been replaced with another source of narcissistic supply.
- Nuclear Meltdown
- Emotional explosions, real or fabricated, to get the Empath to back off or back down so the narcissist can get their way.
- Stonewalling
- When a narcissist uses silence to maintain control of the narrative, the Empath, or both.
- Flying Monkeys
- People used by a narcissist to validate their pettiness toward the Empath.
- Forward
- Sometimes the Empath goes forward — at a price.
- Backward
- Sometimes the Empath gets set back.
- Abuse
- Empath's just stay there and take it.
- Euphoric Recall
- When the Empath feels nostalgia or yearns for "the good old days."
- Escape
- When the Empath gets out of a narcissist's trap.
- Empathica Immigration
- The Empath's life free of the narcitecture.
- The Supernova
- An Empath who has become self-aware and empowered, exhibiting strong boundaries and self-confidence.
- Gray Rock
- When an empath avoids a narcissist's abusive and provocative statements, or behavior, without arguing or defending themselves.
- Lack of Abuse
- Gives an Empath relief, or can be mistaken for kindness. In reality it's the narcissist's indifference or manipulation.
- Empowerment
- When the empath chooses themself over the constant and self-serving demands of the narcissist.