Where can I buy ASAP or order a custom deck?

The retail edition is launching soon online. Companies can also order custom branded decks of ASAP: yes, your firm logo on the Sabotage cards. Get in touch for corporate orders.

Consultant Life Edition

ASAP As Stressed As Possible

Q: How many players can play?

ASAP plays with 2 to 5 players.

Q: Do I need to work in consulting to enjoy it?

No. If you have ever had a deadline, a manager or a quick call, you are qualified. Consultants just get the extra pleasure of recognising themselves in every card.

A Day in a Consultant's Life. A fast, satirical card game about deadlines, sabotage, support decks and the sacred ritual of pretending everything is under control.

Learn to play Discover the cards

2-5

players

career grades

∞

meetings

Real cards. Real panic. Unfortunately, the emails are fictional.

“It’s just a small change.”“Can we align offline?”“The client loved the old version.”“Let’s add AI.”“No pressure, but production is on fire.”“Can we launch tomorrow?”“Who owns this?”“It’s just a small change.”“Can we align offline?”“The client loved the old version.”“Let’s add AI.”“No pressure, but production is on fire.”“Can we launch tomorrow?”“Who owns this?”

Learn to play

Your first turn starts here.

Set up the table, follow the turn, then open the details when you need them.

00Set up the table

PROJECTSmall · Medium · Large / Stress

MAIN DECK73 / Task · Support · Sabotage

Discard pile↙

GRADE1 / Player

STRESS0 / Start

Cards in hand

01
Choose the mode
Competitive: race to finish. Cooperative: work toward the shared objective.
02
Reveal a Project
Shuffle the Projects and reveal one. Read the objective for your mode, Stress limit and special rule.
03
Deal the Grades
Shuffle the Grades. Deal one face up to each player and apply its starting ability.
04
Prepare the table
Shuffle the Main Deck face down. Leave room for discards, Completed Tasks and Shields. Set personal and shared Stress to 0.
05
Draw your hand
Each player draws to their hand limit: normally 5 cards. Keep your Grade visible.
06
Choose who starts
Pick a first player at random. Keep the Project and shared Stress visible to everyone.

This guide uses the personal Stress Trackers. Increase or decrease your personal total when a rule adds or removes Stress; the shared tracker records the sum of all players’ Stress. The Stress Deck is the alternative tracking system.

01–05Your turn

01
Draw
Refill to your current hand limit. Normally 5 in Healthy/Stressed, 3 in Overburn/Burnout. Apply any draw modifiers.
02
Play
Play one card allowed by your state. Your Grade or Project may change this. Coffee Break and Wellness Check replace the action; pass if you cannot play.
03
Resolve
Apply the card and relevant abilities. Keep Completed Tasks in front of you; resolve Stress changes immediately.
04
Check
Check the Project objective. Reaching or exceeding the shared Stress limit ends the game immediately; do not wait for the next turn.
05
Close
If the game continues, discard down to your current hand limit and pass the turn. You choose what to discard unless an effect says otherwise.

One turn. No meeting required.

Example: Consultant, 2 Stress, 3 cards in hand. No additional Project effects. The objective is not yet complete and total Stress stays below the Project limit.

Cards in hand5

Stress2

Hand limit5

Stressed

Need the details?

Stress	State	Playable	Hand limit
0–1	Healthy	Everything	5
2–3	Stressed	Small, Medium Task · Support · Sabotage	5
4–5	Overburn	Small Task · Support	3
6+	Burnout	Support only	3

Grade exceptions: Junior Analyst always keeps a hand limit of 5. Director draws 1 extra card after refilling. Manager may play 2 cards of different types; state restrictions still apply.

Small+1Stress

Medium+2Stress

Large+3Stress

Try the stress meter

Live stress meter

From calm to corporate extinction.

Move the slider and watch your consultant become a pastel diagram of professional despair. The rules change as stress rises.

Calm Consultant

You still believe the timeline. Adorable.

0–1 HealthyStill says “happy to help”.

2-3 StressedCalendar looks like a QR code.

4-5 OverburnAnswers emails with breathing noises.

6+ BurnoutOnly communicates via resignation drafts.

Discover the cards

Three card types. One shared trauma.

Switch between Task, Support and Sabotage to see how each card type changes the emotional weather of the table.

TASK

Monolith Decommissioning

Complete big work, score progress, and draw enough stress to hear the legacy system whisper your name.

GoalCounts toward project objective.

CostDraw 3 Stress after completion.

MoodTurn it off without turning off the company.

Choose your grade

Every career level has a coping mechanism.

Pick a corporate persona and receive one questionable advantage.

A typical consultant day

One day. Six meetings. Zero healing.

A tiny preview of how a session feels: time passes, scope grows, sanity decreases.