Discordian solataire is a game for two players. Each player needs a deck
of cards. (One deck will do, but it is easier if each player has hir own
deck.)
*Rank of Cards* The value of the cards (their _rank_) shall be as
follows, from lowest to highest: A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 J K Q
You will note that the ace counts as one and that the Queen is higher than
the King in honour of Our Lady of Perpetual Chaos, Eris. Suits do not
matter, because Eris is color-blind.
Each player takes a turn, alternating back and forth between the players.
The players may decide who goes first by any method they choose. (A roll of
dice, relative skill in pig-tossing, mud-wresting tournaments, etc.)
The rules, at least initially, are as follows:
On your turn, shuffle your deck and deal out a spread of face-up cards in
a pattern with 7 columns and 5 rows. Then deal a single card to the side as
your foundation.
You may place one of the cards from your 7 by 5 field on top of your
foundation if the card is one higher or lower in rank than your foundation
and if the card in question is at the bottom of a column. (For example, if
the cards at the bottom of your columns are A 2 Q J 2 3 5 and your
foundation is 4, you can put either the 3 or the 5 atop it, allowing a new
card in that column to come into play.) One cannot build down from a Queen,
however. The card so placed becomes the new foundation, which may be built upon
in the same manner. (Therefore, once a Queen is your foundation no cards may be
played on it, as the ace is NOT considered higher than the Queen and the Queen
is NOT lower than the Ace.) Once again, suits do not matter. You may continue
doing this until you run out of cards or until you cannot play on the current
foundation. When you cannot play on the current foundation, you must deal a
card from the undealt cards as a new foundation. This continues until you are
out of cards either on the playing field or in the deck.
When all is said and done, count the cards left on the field. This is
your score; add it to your previous score. (Players should agree on a
starting score. Starting score is usually -23 for no good reason.) The
first player with 230 points loses. If you lose at the end of your turn,
the other player must still take a turn before the game is over.
All "rules of politeness" are in effect as well. (Don't mess up the other
player's cards, don't spit on hir, etc.)
HOWEVER, once you have finished your turn, RULE CHANGES happen. Your
opponent (hereafter referred to as Player X) is allowed to CHANGE one of
the rules in any manner, but only in regards to you. This includes "rules
of politeness." (Legal rule changes include but are not limited to: "You cannot
build black on black." "You must do the Achy Breaky Dance before every deal."
"You do not have to shuffle before dealing." "You must deal a 5 by 5 field
instead of a 7 by 5.") Player X, optionally, may forgo this privledge and
REMOVE a rule YOU imposed on hir.
This game is an experiment with the hypothesis "Imposition of order =
escalation of chaos." It is also a game of trust; when one is Player X one
tends to be nasty only if one's opponent was nasty as Player X. I am always
willing to play a game; TELL DANKMYER on the Grinnell VAXen.
