The Goal
Working as a team, identify the hidden quantum number (0–255). Each player holds one secret clue. If you could see all clues at once, they would point to exactly one number. You cannot speak — only act.
Before You Start
The host is the team's Quantum Lead. They play the first gate card. At the end, they break any tie by choosing one of the tied values — never a value outside the tie.
Your Clue
Your private clue is a property of numbers 0–255. It is true for the target number, but also true for many others. Use the "All Possible Clues" reference to see example gate cards that match or don't match a clue, and reason about other players' YES/NO votes.
Gate Cards
You start with 3 gate cards in your hand. Each card shows a number (0–255) and its 8-bit binary form. No talking.
On Your Turn
- Choose a gate card from your hand and play it face-up.
- Place your token in YES if that number matches your clue, or NO if it doesn't. (This happens automatically in the digital version.)
- Every other player's token goes in YES or NO based on whether their own clue matches that number. The digital version works this out for you — you just confirm it.
- Your hand is discarded and refilled with 3 new cards from the deck.
The Central Board
The shared board's tokens start "locked" in their ? zone and unlock one at a time as gate cards are revealed, so your team builds up public evidence before committing to a signal:
- Number Estimate — unlocks after gate card #1. Narrow your guess from a range of 32 to an exact number. Moving your token here tells teammates what number you think is the target.
- Confidence — unlocks after gate card #3. ?, Low, Medium, High — signal how sure you are that your team knows the answer.
- Focus (on the Played Gate Cards) — unlocks after gate card #5. Point teammates at the played card you think is most worth their attention.
Once unlocked, you may move a token at any time for the rest of the game.
After 10 Rounds
The game enters the Measurement Phase. Each player votes for the exact number they believe is the target. The most-voted number is the team's answer. If there is a tie, the Quantum Lead chooses between the tied values only.
Correct: team wins. Wrong: team loses. Choose wisely.
Quantum Concept
This game models Grover's search algorithm — YES votes constructively interfere (reinforce the correct answer), NO votes destructively interfere (eliminate wrong ones), and the final measurement collapses all probability into a single guess, just as in a real quantum circuit.
