While we use the term “pack leader” in this episode as part of the game’s theme, you should know that “pack theory” has been thoroughly debunked. Read more on the Positively® website.
It’s Ellen’s 100th episode as a Nice Games Club host! And there’s no better way to celebrate a big day than with a Nice Games Jam. Dale gave us a prompt and you’ll never guess the theme. Can your Nice Hosts come up with a playable prototype in “ruffly” an hour? Enjoy live edits, goofs, special cubes, and piles of dogs taken to the logical extreme!
Two standard 52-card decks
First, some additional prompt information.
The objective is to get your dog pack to exactly 100 members (no more, no less) in 100 units of time. You decide how many dogs you start with, how you add or lose members, and what a "time unit" is. Because this is the special for Ellen, bonus points if the game has a dog or multiple dogs in it.
Now, on to the setup:
- Shuffle both decks of playing cards together
- Deal X cards to each player
- Set the remaining cards aside; this is the draft deck
- For the first round, assign the "Pack Leader" indicator to the person who most recently played with a dog
Terms
- Turn: One player's action
- Round: Once around the table (each player takes an action)
- Draft Deck: The pile of dog cards you draw from each round
- Dogpile: This is where the dogs that you're able to recruit into your pack will end up
- Pack Leader: An outdated term we're using to describe the First Player in each round
- First Player: The first player to lay their cards face-down next to the Pack Leader card in each round. The First Player status is indicated with a First Player token that rotates clockwise at the start of each round.
- Strays: The discard pile.
Objective: Get 100 dogs in 100 units of time!
How to play
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Draw a card from the draft deck and place it face-up in the center of the table. This is the Pack Leader card.
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Without talking about what’s in their hands or what cards they’re playing, all players select cards to lay face-down around the Pack Leader. Each player lays their cards face-down in clockwise order, starting with the First Player.
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Players can lay down any number of cards up to the full complement of their hand.
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If a player decides to not lay down any cards (skipping their turn, essentially), then skip to Step 3 below. Remaining players’ turns are forfeit.
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After all players have put their selected cards face-down, all players reveal their face-down cards at the same time.
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Once all cards are revealed, determine whether the group of dogs join the Dogpile or if they become Strays. To join the Dogpile, the cards on the table, which include all players’ face-up cards and the Pack Leader, must not breach any compatibility constraints. As of the episode 272 recording, these constraints include:
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The cards taken together as a whole must form an uninterrupted sequence of numbers.
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Clear the table by placing the group of dogs in the Dogpile or in the Strays. Then, begin the next round.
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At the start of each subsequent round, players refresh their hands with newly-drawn cards. Draw until your hand reaches X cards.
Continue steps 1-6 above until the timer rings. Did you get 100 dogs in your Dogpile? If so, you win!