Why Shrinking Saved the Game
Every great game has a "skeleton in the closet"—a version that was too big, too long, and too chaotic to survive. A Life In Purgatory is no different. While the game you play today is a streamlined battle of wits, its evolution from the very first "napkin sketch" to the final print was a journey of aggressive change and careful balancing.
Here is the story of how we trimmed the afterlife down to size.
The "Behemoth" Version: 360 Cards and Endless Lives
When the first prototype was laid out, it was more than double the size of the current game. We initially envisioned a massive experience for up to 6 players, featuring a deck of over 360 cards. Characters didn't just have a few lives—they had up to seven lives each.
The result? Total gridlock.
Playtesting revealed that games were averaging 30 minutes on the low end, which sounds fine on paper, but in practice, the momentum would stall. In several sessions, players actually ran out of cards before the game was even close to ending! We realized that to keep the tension high, we needed to make every card and every life token feel precious. Instead of one long game we wanted something that could be played a few times in one sitting or just pulled out for a quick play.
The Great Balancing Act
To fix the "marathon" problem, we began an intensive period of playtesting and balancing. We made the hard decision to cut the player count to a tight 2-4 players for the core set (saving that 6-8 player chaos for our future Extended Edition! (click here to learn more)) and slashed the health pools. This turned the game from a slow crawl into a fast-paced, high-stakes skirmish where every lie could be your last. On top of all this we also created the advanced play rules, these rules allow for an even faster pace of game for those who want to live on the edge.
Perfecting the Bluff: Randomization is Key
One of the biggest breakthroughs during development involved the Fact or Lie cards. Originally, the truth and the lie were always in the same spot on the card. We quickly noticed a problem: savvy players could track an opponent’s eye movement. If you were looking at the top of the card, they knew you were telling the truth; if you looked at the bottom, they knew you were lying.
To fix this, we randomized the positions. Now, the text is positioned so that no matter which part of the card you are reading, your opponents are kept in total darkness. Small adjustments like this were implemented throughout the game in an effort to keep things fresh and fun while making it harder for some players to take easy wins.
Adding Variety: Beyond Fact or Lie
Originally, the game relied entirely on the standard "Fact or Lie" Purgatory cards. While fun, we realized that for a truly "infinite" replay experience, we needed more ways to trick your friends. This led to the creation of our two additional Purgatory card types:
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Headline Quotes: Where a single swapped word can change everything.
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Fact or Lie About: Where the topic is known, but the content is entirely up to your poker face.
The Result: A Lean, Mean, Deceptive Machine
Through many months of removing cards, adding rules to prevent collusion, and refining character abilities like the Imp’s thievery, we arrived at the version you see today.
We traded 360 cards of "too much" for a perfectly balanced deck where every draw matters. The "napkin sketch" was a dream of a massive world; the final print is a polished, strategic nightmare that we couldn't be prouder of.
Do you prefer the fast-paced 4-player battles, or are you waiting for the return of the 6-8 player chaos in our 2026 Extended Edition? Let us know in the comments!