Customs for Dreams: a free document checklist game

What is Customs for Dreams?

Dreams queue at the border of the waking world. Read each one, spot what it contains (flying, falling, talking animals, a repeat visit, a nightmare) and attach exactly the documents the rulebook asks for.

Customs for Dreams is a free satire game: dreams queue at the border of the waking world. Some fly, some fall, some have a goose explaining taxes, and nightmares need extra documents.

Read each dream, work out what it contains and attach exactly the documents the rulebook asks for: nothing missing, nothing extra.

At a glance

Category

Absurd Bureaucracy

Difficulty

Medium

Play time

8 min

Price

Free, in your browser, sign-up optional

How to play

Attach

+100 for exactly the right set of documents.

Nightmares

Scream-o-meter 6 or more: Nightmare Declaration and Nightlight Permit.

Three levels

Beginner, Intermediate or Expert, picked before you play: the content and the clock change, and each level keeps its own best score.

Satire

Absurd and warm: every country, office, planet and form is made up, and every run ends on a real admin skill.

Scoring

+100 for exactly the right set of documents; otherwise 10 per right document and 10 for trying.

Win by clearing 70% of the dreams with exactly the right papers.

What it trains

Checklists

Turning a case into the documents it needs.

Exceptions

Applying amendments that override a rule.

Strategy and tips

List first

Note each thing in the dream (flying, falling, animals, a repeat, the scream-o-meter) before you pick papers.

Every dream needs a passport

It's the one document that's always required.

Expert amendments

Exam dreams count as nightmares, and flying plus falling needs only the soft landing certificate.

Why play Customs for Dreams?

Visa, benefit and permit applications work the same way: list what applies to your case, match each item to its document, and check the exceptions before you send.

Frequently asked questions