Gates: A Printable Card Game

Components

Setup

  1. Each player starts with 4 coins, two flipped to the 1 (true) side and two flipped to 0 (false) side, in their personal reserve
  2. Shuffle the deck (gates + actions) and deal 3 cards to each player
  3. Place remaining deck face-down as the draw pile
  4. Clear as much space as possible in the middle for the circuit board
  5. Player with the shortest full name goes first

Gate Cards in the Deck

AND Gate AND Gate (6 cards)

The AND gate takes two inputs and produces a single output. It only outputs 1 when both inputs are 1; in all other cases, it outputs 0. This gate is fundamental for implementing logical conjunction operations in digital circuits.

Input AInput BOutput
000
010
100
111
OR Gate OR Gate (6 cards)

The OR gate accepts two inputs and generates one output. It outputs 1 if either input is 1, or if both inputs are 1. It only outputs 0 when both inputs are 0. This gate represents logical disjunction.

Input AInput BOutput
000
011
101
111
XOR Gate XOR Gate (5 cards)

The XOR (exclusive OR) gate takes two inputs and produces one output. It outputs 1 only when the inputs differ from each other. When both inputs are the same (both 0 or both 1), it outputs 0.

Input AInput BOutput
000
011
101
110
NOT Gate NOT Gate (6 cards)

The NOT gate is the simplest logic gate, taking a single input and producing one output. It inverts or flips the input bit, outputting 1 when the input is 0, and outputting 0 when the input is 1.

InputOutput
01
10
NAND Gate NAND Gate (3 cards)

The NAND gate operates on two inputs to produce one output. It functions as the opposite of the AND gate, outputting 0 only when both inputs are 1, and outputting 1 in all other cases.

Input AInput BOutput
001
011
101
110
NOR Gate NOR Gate (3 cards)

The NOR gate takes two inputs and produces one output. It is the inverse of the OR gate, outputting 1 only when both inputs are 0, and outputting 0 when either or both inputs are 1.

Input AInput BOutput
001
010
100
110
Multiplexer MULTIPLEXER (3 cards)

The MULTIPLEXER gate has three inputs: two data inputs and one selector input, producing a single output. The selector input determines which of the two data inputs is passed through to the output, effectively choosing between two signal paths.

Data AData BSelectorOutput
0000
0100
1001
1101
0010
0111
1010
1111
Splitter SPLITTER (3 cards)

The SPLITTER gate takes one input and produces two identical outputs. It duplicates the input value to both output channels, allowing a single signal to be distributed to multiple destinations.

InputOutput 1Output 2
000
111

Free Electron Action Cards

Bit Flip BIT FLIP (3 cards)

Flip any one coin on the table.

Electron Steal ELECTRON STEAL (2 cards)

Take one coin from an opponent's reserve and add it to yours. You can play this coin, but it still belongs to the original owner.

Quantum Swap QUANTUM SWAP (2 cards)

Swap any two coins on the table.

Quantum Jump QUANTUM JUMP (3 cards)

Move one of your coins to any position on the table.

Polarity Reversal POLARITY REVERSAL (2 cards)

Flip all coins on a single gate (inputs and outputs).

Interference INTERFERENCE (3 cards)

Remove one coin from any gate input and return it to its owner's reserve.

Turn Structure

On your turn, choose one action:

1. Draw

2. Play Gate

3. Place Coin

4. Play Action Card

Free Inputs vs. Connected Inputs

Automatic Gate Activation

When a gate has all its inputs filled, a gate activation is triggered immediately after its final input coin is placed.

  1. Process logic: Calculate the output based on the gate type (see the input/output reference tables).
  2. Place output: Put the output coins on the gate's output position according to the process logic. In case of gate activation, it is allowed to put multiple coins in a single output line.
  3. Chain reaction: If this output feeds into another gate's input and that gate now has all inputs complete, it activates immediately too!

MULTIPLEXER Explained

When activated, the selector input (middle) determines which data input (left = 0, right = 1) passes through. The selector is passed to the output line as is.

SPLITTER Explained

Splitter is a powerful card that duplicates your signal. When it's activated, use a coin from your reserve to place in its output. If no coins remain in your reserve, you have to move one of the coins from the circuit board to the splitter's output.

Coin Ownership

Coins do not change hands, even in the case of Quantum Swap action cards being played.

Game End

The game ends when all players pass consecutively (everyone chooses to pass instead of taking an action).

Players might pass when:

Scoring

Count all coins showing 1 anywhere on the circuit board.

Winner: Player with the most 1s.
Tie-breaker: Don't be overcompetitive, just acknowledge a shared win!

Strategy Tips