Gates is a card game designed to introduce the idea of logic gates and circuits to the next generations. Learn some digital logic through play!
print this deck and you're good to go!
Kids love it!*
*I mean my kids. Mileage may vary.
Components
- Coins: Double-sided tokens with 0 on one side, 1 on the other.
- Gate Cards: Logic gates and components.
- Action Cards: "Free Electron" cards with immediate effects.
- Player count: 2-4 players.
Setup
- Each player starts with 4 coins, two flipped to the 1 (true) side and two flipped to 0 (false) side, in their personal reserve.
- Shuffle the deck (gates + actions) and deal 3 cards to each player.
- Place remaining deck face-down as the draw pile.
- Clear as much space as possible in the middle for the circuit board.
- Player with the shortest full name goes first.
Gate Cards in the Deck
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 A | Input B | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | 1 | 1 |
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 A | Input B | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1 | 1 | 1 |
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 A | Input B | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1 | 1 | 0 |
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.
| Input | Output |
|---|---|
| 0 | 1 |
| 1 | 0 |
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 A | Input B | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1 | 1 | 0 |
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 A | Input B | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | 1 | 0 |
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 A | Data B | Selector | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
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.
| Input | Output 1 | Output 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | 1 | 1 |
Free Electron Action Cards
Flip any one coin on the table.
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.
Swap any two coins on the table.
Move one of your coins to any position on the table.
Flip all coins on a single gate (inputs and outputs).
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
- Draw 1 card from the deck
- Maximum hand size: 5 cards. If you exceed this, discard down to 5 immediately.
2. Play Gate
- Place 1 gate card face-up on the circuit board. It must be connected to at least one existing input or output on the board.
- Each gate has a specified number of inputs and outputs to be connected. Players cannot put more than one gate to a single input or output line.
3. Place Coin
- Take one coin from your reserve and place it on a free input only.
- Free inputs are gate inputs that are NOT connected to any other gate's output
- You CANNOT place coins directly on inputs that are already fed by another gate's output.
- Automatic Activation: Immediately after placing, check if that gate now has all required inputs filled:
- If yes: gate activates automatically right now (see below);
- If not: coin stays there waiting for other inputs.
4. Play Action Card
- Play 1 Free Electron card from your hand and resolve its effect immediately.
- Discard the action card after use.
Free Inputs vs. Connected Inputs
- Free input: A gate input with no wire/connection to another gate's output. These are "entry points" to the circuit.
- Connected input: A gate input that receives its coin from another gate's output during activation.
- Players can ONLY place coins on free inputs.
- Connected inputs are automatically filled during activation chains.
Automatic Gate Activation
When a gate has all its inputs filled, a gate activation is triggered immediately after its final input coin is placed.
- Process logic: Calculate the output based on the gate type (see the input/output reference tables).
- 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.
- 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:
- They can't play any cards.
- They can't play any coins.
- The deck is empty.
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!