Under Pressure

Under Pressure is a card game about a Diver trying to reach the surface while the Kraken tries to catch him. The cards represent progression stages from the abyss at #0 to the surface at #42.

Diver and Kraken

The Diver starts at card #0 and wants to reach the surface. Each turn, he can advance up to 3 stages. He can also sacrifice a card to gain a boost that extends his step by 2 stages per card, helping him reach farther cards or mislead the Kraken.

The Kraken tries to catch the Diver by guessing the cards he has played. It can guess up to 3 cards per turn, but if any guess is wrong, the entire guess fails. Guessing multiple cards can help catch the Diver faster, but carries that risk.

Card decks

Cards are divided into three decks by value: 1–14, 15–28 and 29–41. Under Pressure is an adaptation of Tim Fowers's card game Fugitive.