The Games to the Rescue Book

This page is a collaborative work environment for people working on the rulebook for GamesToTheRescue. (If you are not familiar with that project, please click the previous link.)

You can collaborate on the book by proposing games in the list below, or fleshing out entries that are already there. (Remember, this is a WikiWikiWeb?, so you can edit this page yourself.) Be sure to follow the general format of the list entries below, including the name of the game (e.g. Focus), author's name where relevant, a brief description, where to find the rules of the game (either on the Web or in a rulebook; the more sources of information, the better), and a link to a page where collaborators can begin writing the rules to the game in their own words (this should be in the form NonexistentExampleRules?, e.g. FocusRules). Please sign your suggestion so we know who suggested it.

The usual criteria for including a game in the list are as follows:

• It can be played with ordinary equipment
• It is easy to learn, yet possibly deep
• It is novel; "something different", not the "same old same old"

If you're really ambitious, you can write the rules to some of the games. For a list of all rules for the book that have already been started (but that might need editing), see CategoryGatherRules. ("Gather" is an acronym for GamesToTheRescue.)

--Ron_Hale-Evans?

Key

This is a guide to the terms used in the Type section of the games below. They are meant to help people decide what kind of game they would like to play. A game can have more than one type; for example, the game Solitaire Dice is both a Solo Game and a Dice Game.

Eventually we will have icons to represent each of the terms below.

Board Game: Most of these games only need one or two Checkers sets.

Card Game: Most of these games only need a single StandardDeckOfCards.

Chess Variant: Most of these games require only a single standard Chess set. Some require a Checkers set as well.

Dice Game: Most of these games need only a handful of standard six-sided dice.

Kid-Friendly: These are games that kids can play.

Pen & Paper Game: These games mostly require just a pencil and paper.

Solo Game: These games can be played by a single person. We're avoiding calling them "solitaire games" because in the U.S., most people associate that term only with card games.

Word Game: These are games played with words. Some require pencil and paper, while others are spoken aloud.

The Games in the Book

10,000

Author: Traditional

Type: Dice Game

Description: ???

Requires: 6 standard six-sided dice

Sources:

• http://www.gamecabinet.com/rules/TenThousand.html
• https://web.archive.org/web/20080625025104/http://members.aol.com:80/dicetalk/rules/10000.txt
• https://web.archive.org/web/20080625025104/http://members.aol.com:80/dicetalk/rules/farkle.txt
• https://web.archive.org/web/20080625025104/http://members.aol.com:80/dicetalk/rules/greed.txt

Suggested by: Ron_Hale-Evans?

Write/edit the 10000Rules.

Arithmetical Croquet

Author: Lewis Carroll

Type: Math Game, Spoken Game

Description: ???

Requires: No equipment required

Sources:

• New Rules for Classic Games, by R. Wayne Schmittberger
• https://web.archive.org/web/20160610164735/http://www.mauicroquetclub.org/ArithmeticalCroquet.htm (simplified version)

Suggested by: Ron_Hale-Evans?

Write/edit the ArithmeticalCroquetRules.

Bleeding Hearts

Author: David Parlett.

Type: Card Game, Hearts, Medium Strategy

Description: Also known as Bugami or Trigami. Like Hearts, but each player is trying to avoid taking cards of a different suit.

Number of Players: 3 to 7

Requires: 1 StandardDeckOfCards

Sources:

• http://www.parlettgames.uk/oricards/bugami.html
• http://www.parlettgames.uk/oricards/trigami.html (three-player variant)

Suggested by: Ron_Hale-Evans?

Write/edit the BleedingHeartsRules?.

Botticelli

Author: Traditional

Type: Word Game, Spoken Game

Description: ???

Requires: No equipment needed

Sources:

• Botticelli and Beyond, David Parlett
• The New Games Treasury, by Merilyn Simonds Mohr
• https://web.archive.org/web/20041207084358/http://setiathome.berkeley.edu:80/davea/games.html

Suggested by: Ron_Hale-Evans?

Write/edit the BotticelliRules.

Breakthrough

Author: Dan Troyka.

Type: Boardgame, Checkers-like, (Deep or Medium?) Strategy

Description: See our Breakthrough page. Two rules, one goal: Get a piece to your opponent's back row.

Number of Players: 2

Requires: 1 Checkers set (16 checkers per side as opposed to the usual 12)

Sources:

• https://web.archive.org/web/20040912091941/http://boardgames.about.com/library/games/on/bl-8x8-breakthrough.htm

Suggested by: Ron_Hale-Evans?

Write/edit the BreakthroughRules.

Card Stock Market

Author: Sid Sackson.

Type: Card Game, Economic, Medium Strategy

Description: A small stock market simulation.

Number of Players: 2-6

Requires: 2 StandardDeckOfCards with 2 jokers, two sets of 3-color poker chips or one large set of 4-color poker chips (harder to find), some paper for the information strip.

Sources:

• Card Games Around the World, Sid Sackson

Suggested by: Ron_Hale-Evans?

Write/edit the CardStockMarketRules?.

Change Change

Author: Sid Sackson.

Type: Coin Game, Solo Game

Description: A sort of sliding block puzzle like the 15_Puzzle? or Easy_Slider?.

Requires: handful of pocket change.

Sources:

• A Gamut of Games by Sid Sackson

Suggested by: Ron_Hale-Evans?

Write/edit the ChangeChangeRules.

Chess

Author: Traditional

Type: Boardgame, Chess Variant, Brain Burner

Description: The rules to vanilla Chess; not everyone knows all the rules, and some of the variants below assume you do.

Requires: 1 Chess set

Sources:

• http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/countermoves/CountermovesZineVolume1Issue3.txt?download (public domain rules)
• http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rules_of_chess (GNU FDLed; better?)

Suggested by: Ron_Hale-Evans?

Write/edit the ChessRules.

Cheskers

Author: Solomon W. Golomb

Type: Boardgame, Chess Variant, Checkers-Like

Description: Probably the best-known cross between Chess and Checkers.

Requires: 1 Chess set

Sources:

• http://www.chessvariants.com/crossover.dir/cheskers.html

Suggested by: Ron_Hale-Evans?

Write/edit the CheskersRules.

Duck Soup

Author: David Parlett.

Type: Card Game, Trick-taking, Humorous, Light Strategy

Description: A silly card game for two. "It'll drive two of you quackers."

Number of Players: 2

Requires: 1 StandardDeckOfCards

Sources:

• http://www.parlettgames.uk/oricards/ducksoup.html

Suggested by: Ron_Hale-Evans?

Write/edit the DuckSoupRules?.

Extinction Chess

Author: R. Wayne Schmittberger

Type: Board Game, Chess Variant

Description: Avoid the extinction of any of your "species" of chess piece.

Requires: 1 Chess set

Sources:

• New Rules for Classic Games
• http://www.chessvariants.com/winning.dir/extinction.html

Suggested by: Ava_Jarvis?

Write/edit the ExtinctionChessRules?.

Play Extinction Chess online at itsyourturn.com.

Fischer Random Chess

Author: Bobby Fischer

Type: Boardgame, Chess Variant

Description: ???

Requires: 1 Chess set and 1 die (for manual random placement)

Sources:

• http://www.chessvariants.com/diffsetup.dir/fischer.html
• http://www.dwheeler.com/essays/Fischer_Random_Chess.html

Suggested by: Ron_Hale-Evans?

Write/edit the FischerRandomChessRules?.

Focus

Author: Sid Sackson.

Type: Boardgame, Checkers-like, Deep Strategy

Description: Also known as Domination. See our Focus page for details. Build up stacks of pieces. Control every stack on the board to win.

Number of Players: 2 (I'm keeping it at 2 here because it's hard to find cheap checker sets in colors other than red and black)

Requires: 2 Checkers sets

Sources:

• A Gamut of Games by Sid Sackson
• http://www.di.fc.ul.pt/~jpn/gv/focus.htm
• http://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/Domination.PDF (poor quality scan)

Suggested by: Ron_Hale-Evans?

Write/edit the FocusRules. (Two-player version only?)

Ghost

Author: Traditional

Type: Word Game, Spoken Game

Description: Players take turns naming letters, trying not to end a word. Variants include Superghost, Superduperghost, Anaghost...

Requires: No equipment needed

Sources:

• https://web.archive.org/web/20170920132705/http://www.kith.org/logos/words/lower/g.html (Ghost, Superghost, Superduperghost)
• Botticelli and Beyond, David Parlett (Anaghost)

Suggested by: Ron_Hale-Evans?

Write/edit the GhostRules.

Giveaway Chess

Author: Traditional

Type: Boardgame, Chess Variant

Description: ???

Requires: 1 Chess set

Sources:

• http://www.chessvariants.com/diffobjective.dir/giveaway.html

Suggested by: Ron_Hale-Evans?

Write/edit the GiveawayChessRules?.

Grasshopper Chess

Author: J. Boyer and T.R. Dawson

Type: Boardgame, Chess Variant

Description: ???

Requires: 1 Chess set and 1 Checkers set

Sources:

• http://www.chessvariants.com/dpieces.dir/grashopper.html

Suggested by: Ron_Hale-Evans?

Write/edit the GrasshopperChessRules?.

Guggenheim

Author: Traditional

Type: Word Game, Pen & Paper Game

Description: The folk original for Scattergories and Facts in Five.

Requires: Paper and pencil

Sources:

• The New Games Treasury, by Merilyn Simonds Mohr
• https://www.gamerulesguru.com/guggenheim.shtml

Suggested by: Ron_Hale-Evans?

Write/edit the GuggenheimRules.

Hostage Chess

Author: John Leslie.

Type: Boardgame, Chess Variant

Description: ???

Requires: 1 Chess set

Sources:

• http://www.chessvariants.com/difftaking.dir/hostage.html

Suggested by: Ron_Hale-Evans?

Write/edit the HostageChessRules?.

I Doubt It

Author: Traditional

Type: Card Game

Description: ???

Requires: 1 StandardDeckOfCards

Sources:

• The New Games Treasury, by Merilyn Simonds Mohr
• http://www.pagat.com/beating/cheat.html
• http://www.pagat.com/beating/doubt.html

Suggested by: Ron_Hale-Evans?

Write/edit the IDoubtItRules.

Kolodny's Game

Author: David Greene Kolodny

Type: Word Game, Spoken Game

Description: Sort of like Eleusis? or Zendo, but with sentences.

Requires: No equipment needed

Sources:

• Botticelli and Beyond, by David Parlett
• Adult on Board: Travel Games for Grown-Ups, by Jeffrey and Judy Wuorio
• Games for the Superintelligent, by James F. Fixx

Suggested by: Ron_Hale-Evans?

Write/edit the KolodnysGameRules.

Lasca (a.k.a. Laskers)

Author: Emanuel Lasker

Type: Boardgame, Checkers, Medium Strategy

Description: An interesting variant of Checkers where captured pieces are stacked underneath their capturer and may be released later!

Number of Players: 2

Requires: 1 Checkers set

Sources:

• New Rules for Classic Games, by R. Wayne Schmittberger
• http://www.lasca.org/
• http://www.di.fc.ul.pt/~jpn/gv/lasca.htm

Suggested by: Ava_Jarvis?

Write/edit the LascaRules?.

Lines of Action

Author: Claude Soucie.

Type: Boardgame, Position, Medium Strategy

Description: See our Lines of Action page.

Number of Players: 2

Requires: 1 Checkers set

Sources:

• http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lines_of_Action (under the GNU FDL; maybe we can just copy these)
• https://web.archive.org/web/20160310113439/http://www.andromeda.com/people/ddyer/loa/loa.html (requires Java)

Suggested by: Ron_Hale-Evans?

Write/edit the LinesOfActionRules.

Neo-Crossings

Author: Robert Abbott and R. Wayne Schmittberger.

Type: Boardgame, Checkers, Position, ? Strategy

Description: A simplified version of Epaminondas and an expanded version of Crossings. Phalanxes of pieces battle head to head on the board in an attempt to cross to the other side.

Number of Players: 2

Requires: 16 checkers for each side

Sources:

• New Rules for Classic Games, by R. Wayne Schmittberger

Suggested by: Ron_Hale-Evans?

Write/edit the NeoCrossingsRules.

Property

Author: Sid Sackson

Type: Boardgame, Economic, Medium Strategy

Description: Buy property and charge rent to other players in the pursuit of money and more money.

Number of Players: 2-6

Requires: some way to keep track of squares owned by 2-6 players, poker chips or play money (chips would be much easier to get), and a StandardDeckOfCards

Sources:

• A Gamut of Games by Sid Sackson

Suggested by: Ron_Hale-Evans?

Write/edit the PropertyRules.

Score Five

Author: Sid Sackson

Type: Pen & Paper Game

Description: Circle numbers in a grid, adding each number to a running total.

Requires: Pen and paper

Sources:

• Games Magazine Presents the Giant Book of Games, edited by Will Shortz

Suggested by: James_Vipond?

Write/edit the ScoreFiveRules.

Solitaire Dice

(a.k.a. Choice, Einstein)

Author: Sid Sackson.

Type: Dice Game, Solo Game

Description: Also known as Choice and Einstein.

Requires: 5 standard six-sided dice, pencil and paper

Sources:

• https://web.archive.org/web/20080106210221/http://saftsack.fs.uni-bayreuth.de/~carador/choice/
• https://web.archive.org/web/20070208154128/http://members.bellatlantic.net/~devjoe/solowuerfeln.html

Suggested by: Ron_Hale-Evans?

Write/edit the SolitaireDiceRules.

Sprouts

Author: John Conway and Michael S. Paterson

Type: Pen & Paper Game

Description: Connect dots by drawing curved lines, placing a dot on each new line.

Requires: Pen and paper

Sources:

• http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprouts_%28game%29
• Games for the Superintelligent, by James F. Fixx

Suggested by: Ron_Hale-Evans?

Write/edit the SproutsRules.

Trip-Wire

Authors: Steve Ryan and Amy Goldstein

Type: Pen & Paper Game

Description: Take turns stringing wires between unused posts on the board.

Number of Players: 2

Requires: Pen and paper

Sources:

• Games Magazine Presents the Second Giant Book of Games, edited by R. Wayne Schmittberger

Suggested by: James_Vipond?

Write/edit the TripWireRules.

Ultima

Author: Robert Abbott

Type: Boardgame, Chess Variant

Description: In regular Chess, all the pieces move differently but capture the same way. In Ultima, most of the pieces move the same way, but they all capture differently. Mind-blowing!

Requires: 1 Chess set

Sources:

• http://www.chessvariants.com/other.dir/ultima.html

Suggested by: Ron_Hale-Evans?

Write/edit the UltimaRules?.

Verbal Tennis

Author: Tom Stoppard

Type: Word Game, Spoken Game

Description: Also known as the Game of Questions. It is a game which consists in each party responding to the other's question with a question. It takes 3 points to win a game, and a player may claim points by catching the other player in a foul.

Number of Players: 2

Requires: No equipment needed.

Sources:

• http://unseelie.org/rpg/question.html

Suggested by: Alex_Swavely?

Write/edit the VerbalTennisRules?.

Werewolf

Author: Unknown

Type: Card Game, Party Game

Description: Also known as Mafia. See our Werewolf page.

Number of Players: 7 or more

Requires: 1 StandardDeckOfCards

Sources:

• https://www.playwerewolf.co/rules
• https://web.archive.org/web/20071003021602/http://www.princeton.edu:80/~mafia/oldmafia/rules.htm

Suggested by: Ron_Hale-Evans?

Write/edit the WerewolfRules.

Word Golf

Author: Lewis Carroll

Type: Word Game, Pen & Paper Game

Description: Also known as Doublets. Turn one word into another. Example: HATE, HAVE, HOVE, LOVE.

Requires: Paper and pen

Sources:

• Puzzlecraft, by Mike Selinker & Thomas Snyder

Suggested by: Ron_Hale-Evans?

Write/edit the WordGolfRules.