Cards is a short-form game in which performers draw playing cards that assign them secret emotions, character traits, or scene constraints they must incorporate into the scene. The random assignment prevents pre-planning and forces genuine in-the-moment adaptation. The game rewards the ability to make any given constraint appear natural.
Structure
Setup
- Before the scene begins, each performer draws one or more playing cards from a standard deck.
- Each card value corresponds to a preset assignment: emotions, character traits, secret agendas, physical attributes, or scene constraints.
- The assignment key is established in advance by the director or host and may be shown to the audience.
Assignment Examples
- Numbered cards (2-10): emotion levels on a scale, physical states, or energy levels.
- Face cards: character archetypes (Jack = trickster, Queen = authority figure, King = someone hiding something).
- Suits: relationship dynamics (hearts = warmth, spades = conflict, clubs = competition, diamonds = ambition).
- Aces: wildcard assignments drawn randomly from a prepared list.
How the Scene Works
- Performers play the scene incorporating their card assignment, which functions as a secret constraint they must honor without announcing.
- The audience may or may not know what the cards assigned. Both approaches work, but keeping the assignments secret invites the audience to guess what each performer drew.
- The assignments should shape behavior rather than announce themselves directly.
Variations
- Cards are revealed mid-scene when the host calls "reveal."
- Performers can swap cards mid-scene on a signal, forcing real-time adjustment.
How to Teach It
How to Explain It
"Each of you has drawn a card. Your card tells you something about your character that no one else knows: an emotion you're carrying, a hidden agenda, a physical state. Play your scene normally : your card is coloring everything you do from underneath. Don't announce your card. Make us feel it."
Common Notes
- The card assignment should inform character choices rather than be performed as a label. A card assigning jealousy should produce jealous behavior, not constant references to jealousy.
- Assignments should be specific enough to give performers something to play but open enough to fit most scenes.
- Testing the assignment key before performance is useful. Assignments that are too similar or too vague produce indistinguishable performances.
Common Pitfalls
- Performers ignore their card once the scene is underway. The assignment should remain active throughout, not just at the start.
- The assignment is too literal and the performer acts as a caricature rather than a character. The card provides a subtext, not a costume.
- The assignment key is too complex for performers to remember during a scene.
How to Perform It
Audience Intro
"Each performer has drawn a card from this deck. Their card gives them a secret assignment : an emotion, a trait, a hidden agenda : that will shape everything they do in this scene. You can try to figure out what each person drew. Give us a suggestion to start."
Cast Size
- Ideal: Two to four performers.
- With more performers, the game can become difficult to track.
Staging
- The card draw can be performed visibly in front of the audience, which adds anticipation and investment.
- Cards should be kept face-down or held private until a reveal moment if that variation is used.
Wrap Logic
- The host ends the scene at a strong moment and may invite the audience to guess what each performer's card assigned before the performers reveal.
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How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Cards. Retrieved September 28, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/games/cards
The Improv Archive. "Cards." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/games/cards.
The Improv Archive. "Cards." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/games/cards. Accessed September 28, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.