Riot is a card game inspired by the historical events of the Stonewall Inn riots in 1967, which is a significant event in civil rights history. The idea stems from what happened in a night club on that night when homosexuality was illegal. There were three different groups at play: The mafia was notorious for owning bars and lounges that allowed members of society that were not accepted, The Police were known to be paid off to bust gay gatherings and make arrests, and The (drag) Queens who decided enough was enough and fought back.

 

This is a game of hierarchy and chance that display the relationships between these three different groups. The game play is comparable to a combination of rock paper scissors and the card game war. Each player chooses to be one of the three trumps: The Boss, The Chief, or The Queen and also receives a dice that is used for random even or ‘Riot’ cards. The players all draw a card from their decks without viewing them, and throw down and determine who wins the trick based off of the hierarchical system.

 

Riot includes 67 individually illustrated cards, handmade dice, and just a stroke of luck.