Family Court - THE CARD GAME: The Game of High Stakes and Low Blows

Family Court the Card Game is an idea and concept we came up with during a light conversation about family law, during which one of our friends likened family court to a sick strategy game, where the parents are brutal, and the attorneys are unaffected by the serious outcomes the game can produce. Ever played high stakes Magic the Gathering or Pokemon, where the penalty for losing could include jail time? We're getting there!

Tagline: "A funhouse mirror of family court: where nothing is fair, but everything is strategic."

Game Type: Card Game (similar to UNO with strategic play and unexpected twists) Players: 2 to 6 Age: 16+ Goal: Be the first player to achieve "Equal Custody" or force all others into "Reunification Therapy."

Card Types:

1. Parent Cards (Colored suits)

   • Mom (Red)

   • Dad (Blue)

   • GAL (Green)

   • Therapist (Purple)

   • Judge (Gray, wildcard equivalent)

   • 
     

2. Action Cards

   • Discovery Request (Skip next player)

   • Motion to Compel (Force a player to draw 2 cards)

   • Emergency Hearing (Reverse turn order)

   • GAL Report (Look at opponent's hand)

   • Court-Appointed Therapist (Trade hands with another player)

   • Continuance (Skip your own turn to avoid damage)

   • 
     

3. Special Cards

   • False Allegation (2 total in deck)

     • Causes all opponents to draw 4 cards

     • Can only be played on your turn with a matching Parent Card

     • May be countered by a Body Cam Footage card (1 in deck)

   • Supervised Visitation

     • Player can only play 1 card per turn for next 3 rounds

   • Reunification Therapy

     • Forces targeted player to discard all but 3 cards

   • Pro Se Gambit

     • Take another turn immediately (but draw 1 penalty card at end)

   • Guardian’s Favor

     • Play this to ignore effects of one negative card

   
   

How to Play:

• Each player is dealt 7 cards.

• Cards must be played by matching suit (Parent role) or action type.

• On each turn, a player may:

  1. Play a card

  2. Draw a card if no playable card is available

  3. Slam down a False Allegation for max chaos if rules permit

• If a player is left with 1 card, they must declare: "Status Quo!" or draw 2 cards.

• First player to empty their hand by playing an Equal Custody card wins.

Optional Expansions:

• State Statute Pack (Add real law-based modifiers per state)

• Professional Fees Deck (Drain cards from opponents by billing them)

• Mental Health Evaluator Pack (Introduce random delays and reversals)

... It’s the third round. Dad in blue just played GAL Report and smugly peeks at Mom’s red hand. Gasps all around, she’s hiding a dreaded False Allegation card. The Therapist (purple) tries to mediate with a Continuance, skipping their own turn to avoid getting slapped with drama. Then, BAM - Mom drops the False Allegation on her ex, sending every opponent scrambling to draw 4 cards. But wait! Out of nowhere, Judge (gray) slams down Body Cam Footage, nullifying the chaos. Players groan, laughter erupts, and the GAL quietly plots revenge with a Motion to Compel next round. Just when you think you’re winning, one wild card can turn your case upside down. Sound familiar?

We know this whole process is no fun, but hopefully you laughed as hard as we did at this. Family court is a big joke a lot of the time, and if reading this gave you even a few seconds of relief, it was worth it. Have a great day and keep going, you've got this!