Overview

Falling is a real-time card game from James Ernest and Cheapass Games in which all players are simultaneously falling from the sky. There are no turns — one player acts as the dealer, continuously dealing cards to all other players, while those players frantically play cards to delay their inevitable impact. The object is to be the last player to receive a Ground card. Games last about 90 seconds, making this one of the fastest card games ever published.

Components

• Deck of cards including:
  • Ground cards (one per player)
  • Rider cards (Skip, Split, Push, Stop, Hit, etc.)
  • Action cards

Setup

1. Choose one player to be the dealer (the dealer does not fall and does not win or lose).
2. The dealer separates the Ground cards from the deck (one Ground card per non-dealer player).
3. The dealer shuffles the remaining cards thoroughly.
4. The dealer places the Ground cards at the bottom of the deck.

Turn Structure

There are no turns. The game is played in real time:

Dealer Actions (Continuous)

• The dealer deals cards face-up into separate stacks, one for each player.
• Cards are dealt one at a time, rotating between players.
• The dealer manages the effects of cards played by players.

Player Actions (Simultaneous, Any Time)

• At any time, a player may take the top card from any of their stacks.
• The player must play the card immediately before doing anything else.
• Cards are played on yourself, on another player, or into a shared area depending on the card type.

Game End

• When a player receives a Ground card (dealt from the bottom of the deck after all other cards are dealt), that player is out — they have hit the ground.
• The last player to receive a Ground card wins.

Actions

Card Types

• Rider cards: These are placed on another player’s stack and modify what happens when cards are dealt to them.
  • Skip: The player’s stack is skipped on the next deal (buys time).
  • Split: The player’s stack splits into two; the dealer must deal to both.
  • Push: Sends cards to another player.
  • Stop: Blocks the next card dealt to this player.
  • Hit: Forces the dealer to deal an extra card to the target player immediately.
• Action cards: Played immediately for their effect.
  • Remove or rearrange rider cards.
  • Steal or discard cards.
  • Various disruptive effects.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

The last player standing (the last to receive a Ground card) wins. All other players lose. The dealer neither wins nor loses. In the event of a tie (extremely rare), tied players share the victory.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Dealer neutrality: The dealer does not participate as a player and cannot win or lose. Rotate the dealer role between games.
• Card play is mandatory: Once you pick up a card, you must play it immediately — you cannot hold cards.
• Stack management: A player may have multiple stacks (due to Split cards). All stacks belong to that player, and they receive Ground cards for each active stack.
• Speed matters: Since the game is real-time, faster players have an advantage in managing their stacks and disrupting opponents.
• Ground card timing: Ground cards are at the bottom of the deck, so they come out after all other cards have been dealt. The order they emerge depends on which stacks are active.
• No table talk rules: Players may communicate however they wish (or not at all) during the frantic gameplay.

Player Reference

Item	Details
Players	4-8 (1 dealer + 3-7 fallers)
Play time	~90 seconds per game
Turns	None (real-time)
Dealer	Non-playing card distributor
Win condition	Last to hit the Ground
Key mechanic	Real-time card play
Designer	James Ernest
Publisher	Cheapass Games