Hm... maybe we could base it around cards, then? A "deck building" game, one where each player starts out with a set deck of cards, which they can add to and cut from as the game progresses.

It also adds an excellent element of bluffing and fakeouts into the game, since you can't know what your opponent has in hand at any given time. In my opinion, even beyond luck and skill, the most important aspect of a game is how well getting into an opponent's head will serve you.

[By rights, the game of red truth would've been easily won by the detective's side had Beatrice not worked so hard to "turn the chessboard around" on Battler himself, hitting all of his weak points at once. That sort of gameplay still thrilled Sayo.]