Battle of the Bards
(Originally posted on BoardGameGeek. Became Battle of the Bards.)
For #UntestedThursday, a two player “I cut, you choose” game for the Decktet.
I wanted to design something that felt like a bardic contest – you know, like they have in the movies.
Setup
Use the basic Decktet (36 cards). Each player starts with one card of their choice face-up in front of them - this is the beginning of their first “tale”.
Play
Shuffle the deck. The more experienced player (or most recent winner) goes first. A turn is as follows:
- Draw five cards and split them into two piles, one face-up, the other face-down. (If less than five cards remain, the game ends. Both players may score their tales, highest total score wins.)
- Have your opponent choose who gets each pile (without seeing the face-down cards).
- Simultaneously play all the cards in your pile as best as you can. (See below.)
- Pass the turn to your opponent.
Telling Tales
To play a card to a tale, they must have a suit in common.
For example, you could play the Betrayal (8 of Wyrms and Knots) on the Ace of Knots, but not on the Diplomat (8 of Moons and Suns). If you can’t play a card, score one of your tales and play the card to the empty spot.
Scoring Tales
The number of cards in the tale multiplied by the highest numeric rank in it is its score. Keep score on a separate piece of paper, adding each tale to it as you score.
For example, a tale with the Betrayal (8) and the Ace of Knots would score 16 points. Add the Watchman and it scores 24. Add the Pact (9) and it scores 36.
The Extended Deck
The game should work just fine with the extended deck. The pawns and the courts make it easier to continue a tale, but won’t score by themselves. The excuse forces a score, which is nicely dangerous.