Trial by Trolley

Place the game board with the train tracks in the center of the table, ensuring the single track points towards the chosen conductor. Separate the 500 cards into three distinct decks: innocent, guilty, and modifier cards. Shuffle each deck individually and place them face down on the table. Select the first player to be the conductor; this can be done by having the last person who thought about killing someone be the conductor, or by choosing randomly. The remaining players divide into two teams and sit opposite each other, on either side of the conductor.

The objective of the game is for each team to strategically play cards to convince the conductor that the characters on their track are worth saving, while the characters on the opposing team's track deserve to be sacrificed. The conductor's goal is to make a difficult moral decision, choosing which track the runaway trolley will hit.

The game proceeds in multiple rounds, following a clockwise direction. Each round consists of several stages: first, one player from each team draws three innocent cards, another player from each team draws three guilty cards, and a third player from each team draws three modifier cards. If there are more than three players per team, each additional player draws three modifier cards. Second, each team plays one innocent card from their hand onto their own track, extending the railway line. Third, each team plays one guilty card onto the opposing team's track, continuing the railway line. Fourth, each team plays modifier cards on any character on either track to alter their perceived value. After these stages, each team argues their case to the conductor, explaining why their track should be spared and the other track should be hit. The conductor then makes a decision, sending the trolley down one of the tracks.

After the conductor decides which track the trolley will hit, all characters on that chosen track are considered 'killed'. Each player who had characters on the 'killed' track receives one death token for each of their characters on that track. All played cards are then discarded.

The game concludes when every player at the table has had the opportunity to be the conductor at least once (or twice, if agreed upon). The winner is the player who has accumulated the fewest death tokens throughout the game. In case of a tie, the tied players share the victory.