Consent Architecture
Consent is a game structure, not a side conversation.
Cordel Play treats consent and pacing as mechanics built into the board and the decks — not something the group has to negotiate outside the game.
When the Consent Cup Is Used
The Consent Cup is brought out only when a player lands on an activity that requires another participating player. It is not used on every turn and is not a general pause or session-ending device.
Voluntary Consent Entry
Any player who is comfortable participating in that specific activity with the player who landed on the space may place their Consent Sphere into the cup. Players who do not wish to participate simply do not enter a sphere. No explanation, public refusal, or justification is required.
This naturally respects each player's sexuality, gender preferences, attraction, familiarity, boundaries, and current comfort level.
Consent and Selection Resolved Together
After all interested players have had the opportunity to enter their Consent Spheres, the cup selects one sphere to determine the participating player.
If nobody enters a sphere, that is a complete and valid resolution: the activity has no participating partner, and play continues according to the card or space instructions. Some "landmine" activities may intentionally create this possibility, making an empty cup an ordinary gameplay outcome rather than an awkward rejection.
Why the Consent Cup Exists
Cordel Play may include players of different genders, sexualities, relationship types, attraction preferences, familiarity levels, and personal boundaries. A player may be comfortable performing an activity with one person but not another, or may simply need more time before participating with someone.
The Consent Cup resolves these situations through the normal mechanics of the game.
When an activity requires another participant, interested players voluntarily place their Consent Spheres into the cup. The cup then selects from only those players who consented to that specific activity with that specific player.
Anyone who does not enter a sphere remains outside the activity without being required to publicly decline or explain why. A player may also respond naturally with something such as, “I’m still getting to know you—maybe next time.”
If no Consent Spheres are entered, the empty cup is itself the resolution. Nobody is pressured, nobody is singled out, and the game continues.
The Consent Cup therefore performs two functions simultaneously:
- It confirms who is willing to participate.
- It neutrally determines which consenting player is selected.
That is the actual consent architecture: consent, compatibility, selection, and non-participation are all resolved inside the ordinary gameplay system rather than through forced negotiation or public rejection.