What is Yap Royale?
Argue history's sharpest minds, and get scored
Yap Royale is a historical debate game. You pick a historical or public figure — Socrates, Machiavelli, Marx, Gandhi, Freud, Camus, and more — set a topic, and argue it out. The figure fires back in their own voice, grounded in what they actually wrote, while a live AI judge reads every line, scores the round, and names the fallacies you slip into as they happen. It is built to make thinking feel like a match, not a lecture.
How a round works
01Pick a mode
Chat one-on-one, debate a figure head-to-head, or watch two figures argue a topic you set.
02Set the cast
Use one figure for chat or debate, and two for watch. Every figure is grounded in their real writing, speeches, and correspondence.
03Add a topic
Use a suggested prompt or write the question you actually care about.
04Play, and get judged
The figure argues back in their own voice while a live AI judge scores the round and flags your fallacies as you type.
The roster
A growing cast of historical and public figures, each grounded in their real writing and speeches. On the roster today:
- Theodore Roosevelt — 26th President of the United States (Progressive Era (1858–1919))
- Cleopatra VII — Last Pharaoh of Egypt (69–30 BCE)
- Karl Marx — Critic of Political Economy (1818–1883)
- Joan of Arc — The Maid of Orléans (c. 1412–1431)
- Confucius — Teacher of the Hundred Generations (551–479 BCE)
- Nikola Tesla — Inventor of the Alternating Current (1856–1943)
- John D. Rockefeller — Founder of Standard Oil (1839–1937)
- Genghis Khan — Khan of the Mongol Empire (c. 1162–1227)
- Mohandas Gandhi — Leader of the Indian Independence Movement (1869–1948)
- Frederick Douglass — Abolitionist and Statesman (1818–1895)
- Marcus Aurelius — Emperor and Stoic (121–180 CE)
- Socrates — Philosopher of Athens (470–399 BC)
- Friedrich Nietzsche — Genealogy of Morals (1844-1900)
Frequently asked questions
- Is Yap Royale free?
- Yes to start. The Daily needs no account and costs nothing. Paid plans add voice minutes and the full roster — free to try first.
- Which figures can I argue with?
- Historical thinkers like Socrates, Machiavelli, Marx, Gandhi, Freud, and Camus, alongside modern public figures. Each one is grounded in their actual writing and speeches, not internet scraps.
- How does the AI judge work?
- A judge reads every line in real time. It scores the round, tracks momentum, names the key points each side lands, and flags fallacies — ad hominem, straw man, appeal to authority, false dichotomy — the moment they happen.
- Do I need an account?
- Not for the Daily. The full product — chat, judged debates, and deeper collections including Columbia Core classrooms — asks you to sign in.
- Is this a real debate or just a chatbot?
- The figures argue from their real positions and sources, and a judge scores the exchange against you. It is a game with stakes, not a freeform chatbot.
The Daily needs no account — a new matchup every day, scored on the spot. The full product, including chat, judged debates, and deeper collections (Columbia Core classrooms among them, unlocked with a code), opens once you sign in. Read more about how it works or see pricing.
