Conspire is meant to simulate tense meetings between powerful people. Every scene has extremely high stakes. The decisions of the group lead to disenfranchisement, subjugation, or death for individuals or factions. Regardless of how silly or absurd the universe becomes, the inhabitants of a Conspire game have everything to lose. Players start with little knowledge of others’ goals, leaving them feeling alone, clueless, and desperate. The stakes force them to act with confidence and build uneasy alliances. As the game progresses, the mysteriousness of the scene is replaced with politics and more-or-less earnest negotiation. To both improve these alliances and retain the scene’s intrigue, Conspire has a mechanic called “sidebars”. This is the ability to physically walk to another room with other players and have a private conversation.