No.02 — Ballot Box
Everyone ranks in secret, then the ballots are read aloud
Ballot Box is the mode that feels like an actual election, right down to the part where someone’s ballot makes the whole room gasp. Every hand ranks the list privately on their own phone — no peeking, no lobbying, no idea what anyone else did. Then, one at a time, the ballots are read into the log, and the crew watches the consensus build vote by vote before the final tally lands.
How it plays
- The full list appears on every phone. Each hand drags it into their own true order and files the ballot. Nobody sees anyone else’s until the reveal.
- Once the ballots are in, the captain reads them into the log one by one. This is the theatre: "Ballot three ranked pineapple pizza first?"
- The crew consensus is tallied by Borda count — a points-for-position system that rewards being ranked highly by lots of people, not just adored by one.
- The results expose the Most Divisive pick — the item the crew disagreed about hardest — and any Hot Takes lurking in the ballots.
Eight people rank ten Halloween candies in secret. Reese’s cruises to No.1 on almost every ballot. But candy corn lands at both No.1 and dead last depending on who you ask — so it takes the Most Divisive banner, and the argument about it outlasts the game.
Ideal crew size
Four to twelve. You want enough ballots that the reveal has suspense and the Borda tally means something, but not so many that reading them aloud drags. Around six is the sweet spot: every ballot still gets its moment on stage.
Read the ballots slowly and let the crew react to each one before you move on. The tally is just math; the reading is the game. Save the most unhinged-looking ballot for last if you can spot it coming.
Cast the first ballot: start a crew and choose No.02, or see all eleven modes.