People complain that "War" is futile, because as soon as you've cut the deck - the outcome is predetermined! Locked in. No element of choice or chance. Well.
My little variant solves THAT little problem.
I'm going to assume you know the rules. It's pretty much a classic card game. If you don't know the rules of War - you're basically a pussy.
Anyway, the crux of the upshot of my variant is, when you each pull up the same rank card, there is a "WAR." Now normally in a War, you put down 1, 2, 3 cards - face down, in a vertical line. And then you draw one card up, and the up card fights that war for you. It's all riding on the up card.
But it's still all locked in, right? The up card is just the 4th drawn after we have War. Some say this is unsatisfying. They're missing the point that real war is pretty much exactly this way.
But regardless. To address these bullshit concerns, in my variant, whenever there's a war, you lay out 1, 2, 3, FOUR cards face down. Going across.
And then, each player chooses ONE of their four face-down cards to flip up. To be the up card. To fight the war.
Now that's sight unseen, mind you! These cards are all drawn face down - you don't get to peek. In fact, safety variant (if you're playing with a CHEATER): you can also play so that each player in a war picks the other person's upcard. This keeps cheaters and peekers at bay. You can hardly sneak a peek at your cards as you draw and hope to gain advantage thereby if the other person's picking which one of your cards fights! But for God's sake, I hope it shouldn't have to come to that. People should be able to trust each other in a war. Otherwise the whole saying that all is fair in a war kind of loses its meaning.
But whether you're playing my regular variant or the safety variant, you will note: there's your element of chance for you. There's your element of choice. Suddenly, the outcome becomes totally dependent on the pick you make!
So much for the "big knock" on my FAVORITE CARD GAME!!!!
I invented a Scrabble variant as well. The 'K' tile moves like a Knight.
8 comments:
Talking of war, you know, the only winning move is not to play?
:)
Scabble...I assume that is also a variant on Scrabble in that there are no Rs in the game whatsoever.
I find no other explanation for this variation is spelling. :)
NICE catch! Thank you, Jujube. I tell you, sometimes I'll click the 'random post' thing and come across some 2008 post, and there's a big ol' typo in there. And nobody ever noticed. It's like - people, where's our collective attention to detail?
Here it is. Jujube has brought it to the party.
My rule is, any typo caught out in a comment stays up for one week minimum after being caught. As a PENANCE.
Actually I just made that rule up. But it's a good rule!
You know what, I'm sure I would have had to think of that rule earlier if it had come up. I think this is my first comment catch typo. I know Mel has occasionally caught me, with an e-mail tipoff! But this may be the first comment catch.
New rule. Got to like it!
Attention to detail is like my middle name, well names.
I point it out because I just about never see typos from you, and figure you would appreciate rather than resent the catch.
Do I win anything?!
I definitely DO appreciate - and I definitely don't resent! :-D I hate it when I come across one of those way later, and I am forced to conclude I'm a DORK.
Thank you, Jujube!
Um, win anything. Win anything. Well, you get the public recognition of having your typo-beating comment right here for all to see. I don't know if there's a prize per se. WAIT! Of course there is!
I hereby award you the Prize Per Se.
You are so thereby awarded. Be it known!
Holy shit, Vegesass. Is that a reference to War Games?
I think I just got that. Matthew Broderick was so disappointing in that. I was like, "I wish Ferris Beuller were the one facing this challenge."
That's only an apparent time paradox! I didn't see War Games until well after, on television.
Wow, I'm kind of surprised, though. I always thought War Games and Ladyhawke were post-Ferris efforts, with Broderick cast in these fairly high-profile vehicles on the strength of that breakout role.
You know what though? You don't have to hate ape test pilots to think Project X SUCKED.
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