Exquisite Corpse: The Card Game

Social Game Constraints: 2-players; evoke a sense of regret.

Goal:

One of you is the watchman at an out-of-the-way cemetery once popular with Victorian Era elites that now serves the working class. The other is the town undertaker. The police have been on the tail of a band of grave robbers that have, in these hard economic times, taken to pillaging riches while leaving behind bones and other unwanted detritus from their excavations. Out of respect for the dead and self-interest, you partner to put things back in place before the community sends their business elsewhere.

Mix and match cards to create an exquisite corpse. Up to four corpses are created during each round. For every corpse you complete, you take the points from cards that can be tracked back to you.

Wining Conditions:

The first player to reach 25 points during multiple rounds wins.

Set-up:

1. From a conventional deck of cards, place all four deuces face up at the side of the play space.
2. Extract the aces, threes, fours, fives, sixes, sevens, nines and kings from all four suits. Shuffle the stack. Place each individual card face down in a grid.

The Start:

1. Player order: Winner of a round of Rock-Paper-Scissors goes first.
2. First player’s color corresponds to the color of the first card s/he turns over from the grid.

The Play

1. A Turn: Each player selects a card from the grid. The player has three options:
1. Replace it face down in the same spot after showing the card to the other player.
2. Keep it and up to 2 others in your hand. (Maximum 3 cards in hand at any time.)
3. Play the card on one of the corpses.
2. If you play a card on a corpse, you may take another turn.

2	3	4
9	A	5
8	7	6

3. To recreate a corpse, place cards of your color only in the pattern shown. Your card must be either adjacent or diagonal to an existing card. Aces cannot be placed except to complete a corpse. Kings may be used for Aces.
4. Once a corpse is completed, it is returned to its grave (Stack your corpses to the side) and play returns to the other player.
5. Round ends when either:
1. The last corpse is complete; or
2. Only options open to both players would both help the other and only hurt himself.

Scoring:

1. After each round, claim one point from each card of your color in the corpses you completed.
2. First player to reach 25 points wins the game.

Additional Considerations

Tips and Strategy:

1. To the degree possible, avoid contributing to corpses you are unlikely to complete.
2. You may use cards held for offensive and/or defensive purposes.
3. …………
   
   

Inspirations / Precedents:

1. Exquisite Corpse
2. Jenka, House of Cards (cooperative games)
3. Jigsaw Puzzles
4. The card game, Memory or Concentration
5. Apples-to-Apples
6. Solitaire
7. Rummy
8. Bullshit

Regret

Difficulties arose while trying to distinguish the game form of regret from ordinary forms of regret typically experienced in any game requiring decision-making and skill. We did discuss using the idea of No Regret as an alternative approach. We went through at least four other game ideas before calling the third version of this game done. If you don’t feel regret after failing to complete the corpses (for the sake of the business and community’s welfare) or letting your opponent do so instead, then maybe you’ll agree that the entire circumstance at the cemetery is regrettable.

Further enhancements

Jake did some additional play testing with a friend in the 11^th hour, the results of which the design team was not able to discuss. He added/edited some rules. One of them is about a swapping situation to address a stalemate condition that can happen at the conclusion of the game. He edited the story a little bit for more competition, setting the players up as a watchman and an undertaker. The undertaker, as it turns out, is an accomplice to the band of grave robbers. He proposed a final game name: Graveyard. The first draft of revised rules is attached as November 11, 2008 Rev. 1.