Post by frums on Nov 8, 2016 16:22:50 GMT
For reference, these are the base rules of Egyptian Ratscrew we used for prototyping:
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Egyptianer Ratscrew
Play like Egyptian Ratscrew, but using all 128 main cards of the deck. Aces are no longer face cards - they act as Ones, and you receive one, two, three, and four chances from Beasts, Jacks, Kings, and Queens, respectively.
Play now ends when a pile is cleared and only two players have cards left. They win jointly.
(In the initial playtest, one winner was required - the game was cut off after about an hour of back and forth with no real changes in standing. With this large a deck, requiring a single winner stretches out the game immensely.)
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Babylonian Ratscrew
Play with the rules of Egyptianer Ratscrew, but add the rest of the deck back into the game, with the following effects for the new cards:
Jokers: In accordance with tradition, Jokers provide an instant opportunity for a slap!
Arrows: If an Arrow is played, the next player's turn is skipped. If an Arrow is played during a challenge, the challenged player is "broken out" of the challenge, and play resumes as normal with the next player.
Hunters: Hunters are face cards that combine the effects of an Arrow and a Jack - the player-after-next is challenged with two chances, no matter if the Hunter is played inside or outside of a challenge.
Talismans: If a Talisman is played, the direction of play reverses - clockwise to counterclockwise, or counterclockwise to clockwise. If a Talisman is played during a challenge, the challenge continues, but the direction of play after the challenge remains reversed; additionally, if the challenge is lost, the pile goes to the preceding player - in the NEW order! (the following player in the old order)
(Additional "fun" errata: if the challenge is by hunter, the player-before-last in the new order gets the pile - player-after-next in the old. Generally, imagine the card recipient as a pivot that flips around the challenged player.)
Travellers: Travellers are face cards that combine the effects of a Talisman and a Jack - the direction of play is reversed, and the new following player is challenged with two chances, no matter if the Traveller is played inside or outside of a challenge.
Omnihedron: As long as the Omnihedron is in the pile - whether it is played normally or burned - all rules for slaps that rely on card ranks also apply to card suits. For example, if two consecutive cards of the same rank can be slapped, so can two consecutive cards of the same suit; if sequences of three cards of ascending or descending rank can be slapped, so can sequences of three cards of ascending or descending suit.
Crone: The Crone, by analogy with the Queen, acts like a face card with unlimited chances - the following player plays cards until they reach the next face card in their deck, unless they hit an Arrow or the challenge is otherwise disrupted. If that player runs out of cards, the challenge carries over to the next player like any other face card.
Darkness: As long as Darkness is in the pile, it cannot be claimed by slapping. This overrides the effect of the Omnihedron.
Watcher: The Watcher is identical to the crone, with one exception - the target is the player of the Watcher! Again, if that player runs out of cards, the challenge carries over to the next player like any other face card.
If you want to make things really interesting, add in the non-deck cards too:
Info Card: The player of the Info Card must add a rule to the game - don't be boring! This can be a slap combination, but it definitely doesn't have to be - maybe you have to call out the name of the bottom card of the deck when a 5 is played or burn a card, for instance.
Whatever You Want: If a player plays Whatever You Want, they have the option to reset the rules added by the Info Card and return the game to its base state. However, you are welcome and encouraged to leave the new rules in place. Note that this is all-or-nothing - you can't remove just one rule.
#destroythiscard: Destroy that card. Were the instructions not clear enough?
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Anecdote: lately this has become the usual closing game at my local university board game night, stretching far out into the wee hours of the morning. With the right players devising additional rules, it has often become a profoundly surreal experience.
play clockwise, flipping cards from a face-down deck forward onto a pile.
if a jack/queen/king/ace is played, the next player has one/two/three/four chances to play a face card of their own. (this is a "challenge".)
if they do, repeat the previous process. if they don't, the player of the last face card takes the entire pile.
if a player runs out of cards during a challenge, "responsibility" shifts to the next player.
piles can also be taken by slapping them upon fulfillment of certain conditions.
these conditions vary significantly between groups of players.
the most popular, and the two we played with, are
- slap on a pair of consecutive cards with the same rank
- slap on a pair of cards with the same rank separated by one other card
the player with their hand at the bottom of the inevitable stack of hands takes the pile.
when a pile is taken, the slappee places it face down at the bottom of their deck, and they start the next pile.
players who have run out of cards are not considered in normal game flow, with one exception: they can slap piles to take cards and reenter the game.
if you slap incorrectly (e.g. when a card has already been played over the eligible set), "burn" the top card of your deck face-up on the bottom of the pile.
if a pile is cleared and only one player is left with cards, they win the game.
---
Egyptianer Ratscrew
Play like Egyptian Ratscrew, but using all 128 main cards of the deck. Aces are no longer face cards - they act as Ones, and you receive one, two, three, and four chances from Beasts, Jacks, Kings, and Queens, respectively.
Play now ends when a pile is cleared and only two players have cards left. They win jointly.
(In the initial playtest, one winner was required - the game was cut off after about an hour of back and forth with no real changes in standing. With this large a deck, requiring a single winner stretches out the game immensely.)
---
Babylonian Ratscrew
Play with the rules of Egyptianer Ratscrew, but add the rest of the deck back into the game, with the following effects for the new cards:
Jokers: In accordance with tradition, Jokers provide an instant opportunity for a slap!
Arrows: If an Arrow is played, the next player's turn is skipped. If an Arrow is played during a challenge, the challenged player is "broken out" of the challenge, and play resumes as normal with the next player.
Hunters: Hunters are face cards that combine the effects of an Arrow and a Jack - the player-after-next is challenged with two chances, no matter if the Hunter is played inside or outside of a challenge.
Talismans: If a Talisman is played, the direction of play reverses - clockwise to counterclockwise, or counterclockwise to clockwise. If a Talisman is played during a challenge, the challenge continues, but the direction of play after the challenge remains reversed; additionally, if the challenge is lost, the pile goes to the preceding player - in the NEW order! (the following player in the old order)
(Additional "fun" errata: if the challenge is by hunter, the player-before-last in the new order gets the pile - player-after-next in the old. Generally, imagine the card recipient as a pivot that flips around the challenged player.)
Travellers: Travellers are face cards that combine the effects of a Talisman and a Jack - the direction of play is reversed, and the new following player is challenged with two chances, no matter if the Traveller is played inside or outside of a challenge.
Omnihedron: As long as the Omnihedron is in the pile - whether it is played normally or burned - all rules for slaps that rely on card ranks also apply to card suits. For example, if two consecutive cards of the same rank can be slapped, so can two consecutive cards of the same suit; if sequences of three cards of ascending or descending rank can be slapped, so can sequences of three cards of ascending or descending suit.
Crone: The Crone, by analogy with the Queen, acts like a face card with unlimited chances - the following player plays cards until they reach the next face card in their deck, unless they hit an Arrow or the challenge is otherwise disrupted. If that player runs out of cards, the challenge carries over to the next player like any other face card.
Darkness: As long as Darkness is in the pile, it cannot be claimed by slapping. This overrides the effect of the Omnihedron.
Watcher: The Watcher is identical to the crone, with one exception - the target is the player of the Watcher! Again, if that player runs out of cards, the challenge carries over to the next player like any other face card.
If you want to make things really interesting, add in the non-deck cards too:
Info Card: The player of the Info Card must add a rule to the game - don't be boring! This can be a slap combination, but it definitely doesn't have to be - maybe you have to call out the name of the bottom card of the deck when a 5 is played or burn a card, for instance.
Whatever You Want: If a player plays Whatever You Want, they have the option to reset the rules added by the Info Card and return the game to its base state. However, you are welcome and encouraged to leave the new rules in place. Note that this is all-or-nothing - you can't remove just one rule.
#destroythiscard: Destroy that card. Were the instructions not clear enough?
---
Anecdote: lately this has become the usual closing game at my local university board game night, stretching far out into the wee hours of the morning. With the right players devising additional rules, it has often become a profoundly surreal experience.