Thirty-Five Cent Rummy rules

Thirty-Five Cent rummy

Thirty-Five Cent rummy is a card game, based on Shanghai rummy, Liverpool rummy, and Ten Pennies that 3 to 6 players can play.

Play

Betting

Traditionally, each player places 35 cents into the pot, or collective holding, at the beginning of each game.  The winner of each round collects 10 cents, with the remainder of the pot going to the overall winner of the game.  While it’s not a necessary element to the game, it does add to the enjoyment.

Basics

Thirty-Five cent rummy is played with multiple decks of 54 standard playing cards, including the Joker (playing card) Wilds.  Aces can be high (above a King) or low (valued as a 1), and Jokers are wild.  The number of decks varies from 2 to 3, and is based on the number of players (see chart).  Each game is based on 7 hands, and the rules for each hand are unique.  One person begins as dealer for the first hand, and then the person to the dealer's left becomes dealer for the next hand, and so on. Each player is dealt cards based on the current round of play (see chart).  The rest of the deck is then placed face down in the middle of the players; this is referred to as the stock.  One card is taken from the top of the stock and placed face up next to it.  This card is called the upcard and becomes the beginning of the discard pile.

The first player to play is the player to the dealer's left.  Play always progresses in this clockwise direction.  Each player has a choice at the beginning of their turn.  They can either pick up one new card from the top of the stock, or they can take the upcard.  Also, the other players in the game have the ability to buy the upcard (see "Buying").  After the player draws his card, either from the stock or the upcard, he must then choose any card in his hand to discard, and he then places this card face up on the discard pile.  That card then becomes the new upcard, which the next player in turn can take or other players can buy.

Buying

To buy a card, a player says "Buy it," and they take the upcard plus one new card from the top of the stock, which serves as the cost for buying the card.  Thus, each time a player buys a card, they end up with two additional cards in their hand.  If multiple players want to buy the same card, the person seated in closest order to the left of the current player gets priority.  The current player cannot buy a card.  However, the current player has precedence over the other players, so he can take the upcard even if other players want to buy it.  If a card is bought, the discard pile becomes "dead" and the current player cannot take the next card in the discard pile until a new card is discarded.  Similarly, other players cannot continue buying the other cards in the discard pile.

Melding

The object of each hand is to come up with the correct combination of cards to be able to melds, or "lay out."  The combination for each hand is different (see chart), and they become more difficult with each subsequent hand.  The combinations for each hand are either sets or runs or a combination of both.  A set is a combination of a specific number of cards of the same rank, and the suit is not important.  An example of a "set of 3" is three cards that are all 8's, and the 8's can all be of different suits.  A run is a combination of a specific number of cards of the same suit that have consecutive ranks.  An example of a "run of 4" is the 2 of clubs, 3 of clubs, 4 of clubs, and the 5 of clubs.  An example of a combination for a hand is for hand #2, "1 set of 3 and 1 run of 4."  This means that a player must have both a set of 3 cards and a run of 4 cards in his hand before he can meld.  Additionally, the player may not play more then the requirement of the round.  They may add as many cards to the sets or runs as they like, but they can not add additional sets or runs.  The cards in the set and the run must be unique, meaning that you can't use the same card in both the set and the run. Joker's are wild and can be used in place of any card. 

A player can meld only when it is his turn.  As always, they must start their hand by drawing a card, then when they have the correct sequence of cards, they can meld, or "go down."  They do so by laying their meld cards face up on the table in their correct sequence.  After melding, a player must then discard.  If the player has no more cards in their hand after melding or discarding, they’re declared the winner.  Usually, however, the player still has cards in his hand, and play continues.

Play for the player who has gone down

When a player is "down" (meaning he has already melded), they still take their turn in turn with the other players, and they still must draw a card and discard. However, a player who is down cannot buy a card, nor can they stop a player from buying the upcard when it is his turn. A player who is down can play their cards on the melds that have been completed either by themselves or by other players. For example, if a player has lain down a set of 3 8's, and on a subsequent turn they then draws another 8, they can play this 8 on their set of 8's. They do this by placing the 8 with the set of 8's. If they have a card that they would like to play on a run, they must be sure to keep the order of the run. For example, if there is a run of 5 consisting of 4-5-6-7-8 of clubs, the player can play a 3 of clubs or a 9 of clubs. 

Winning the game

Play progresses until one of the players "goes out," meaning they’re able to discard the last card in his hand. That player is then the winner of that hand, and the hand is then over. The winner for the hand gets zero points, and the other players count their cards to determine their score for the hand.

After all seven hands are played, the winner is the player with the lowest score.

Sequence of Hands

Number of decks required

2 decks: up to 4 people 

3 decks: 5-6 people 

Can increase the number of decks beyond 4 to allow more than 6 players, but it is not recommended.

Points

Introversion in an Extroverted World

Note:  This is a piece that I wrote for my Speech class.  I quote heavily from the cited websites at the bottom.  The reason why I didn't use quotation marks and citations within the text is because it's for a speech class, and thus wasn't necessary.  I am sharing this information in my blog because I think it's useful information for both introverts and extroverts to have.  It is by no means new information, but it's nice to have it collected in one place.

INTRODUCTION: 

Attention Grabber:  I am an introvert.  It may not seem it, but I struggle in a society that seems to be built for extroverts.  I never really liked going out and doing the same things as my extroverted friends, but when I was younger I could easily bounce back from the drain.  It wasn't until a year ago, when I went to Las Vegas for my then brother-in-law's wedding, that I realized that, for introverts, being overstimulated is like dealing with a hangover.  It wasn't until I started doing research for this speech that I discovered that there is a physiological reason why we introverts have a tendency to recluse ourselves.

Topic:  Today I will explain to you what it's like for an introvert to live in an extrovert's world.

Preview of the Main Points:  First, I will give you some insight into the introvert's brain, in context as opposed to the extrovert's brain.  Second, I will explain how those differences in the introvert's brain affects how we perceive the world.  Third, I will show that Western society is geared towards extroversion, and discuss how that affects the introvert.

**1st Transition:  Before I show you what it's like to live in an extroverted world, you first need to understand the biology of the introvert's brain.

BODY:

First Point:  There are physiological differences between introverts and extroverts.

1.  The cerebral cortex is the outer covering of gray matter over the hemispheres.  These include areas directly receiving sensory input.  The association cortices are important in more complex cortical functions including memory, language, abstraction, creativity, judgement, emotion and attention.  The neocortex are the more primitive areas are involved with olfaction and survival functions such as visceral and emotional reactions.  The primary visual cortex projects to areas surrounding it, called the visual association areas, where signals are interpreted and form is recognized.  There are additional aspects of visual function that are represented in other regions of adjacent cortex, which is necessary for color recognition and recognizing movement.  There are auditory association areas surrounding the primary auditory cortex.  These areas are involved in the interpretation of sound.  In the dominant hemisphere the cortex surrounding the auditory cortex is required for understanding language. 

2.  According to German psychologist, Hans Eysenck, the behaviors of introverts and extroverts are due to differences in cortical arousal, which is the speed and amount of the brain's activity.  Compared with extroverts, introverts have naturally high cortical arousal, and may process more information per second.  Additionally, scientists obtained behavioral and psychophysiological measures as participants, consisting of 16 introverts and 16 extroverts, performed a visual go/no-go task. Although no extroversion-related differences in reaction time emerged, introverts showed faster premotor processing but slower central and peripheral motor processing--as indicated by latencies of the lateralized readiness potential (LRP) and electromyographic (EMG) data, respectively--than extroverts did.

3.  Research has also shown that introverts have more activity than extroverts in brain regions associated with vigilance control.  Vigilance is sustained concentration, defined by the ability to maintain concentrated attention over prolonged periods of time.  During this time, the person attempts to detect the appearance of a particular target stimulus.  Research has linked increases in mental workload and allocation of attentional resources with increased activity in the prefrontal cortex.  As such, subcortical brain regions associated with arousal play as a critical role in performance of vigilance tasks.

4.  The premotor cortex is immediately anterior to the motor cortex and has many of the same connections as the motor cortex.  This region receives input from the sensory association cortex as well as feedback from the basal ganglia.  Electrical stimulation of this area tends to produce more complex movements and a higher stimulus intensity than the simple movements.  Introverts' premotor cortexes process external stimuli more quickly.

5.  The reticular activating system ignites brain activity, which has a higher basal activity for introverts than for extroverts.  Basal is the minimal level of activity.  The reticular activating system emanates from the brainstem and projects upward to the cerebral cortex via the thalamus.  The influence of this system can be described in behavioral terms, such as the ability to think and also the kind of thoughts we have, or it can be described in terms of brain wave activity.  The reticular activating system can be described as the ignition system of the brain.  It is the system, for example, that helps get your brain geared up to a higher level of activity so you can get out of bed and start your day.

**2nd Transition:  Now that you understand how the introvert's brain takes in information, I will explain how these differences cascade in an extroverted setting.

Second Point:  Those physiological differences affect how introverts and extroverts experience social situations.

1.  Because introverts process more information per second, if you put introverts into an environment with a lot of stimulation, such as a loud restaurant, they will become overwhelmed or overloaded, causing a sort of shut down to stop the influx of information.  Because of this fact, introverts tend to avoid such active environments.  Extroverts, on the other hand, are only minimally aroused, so they seek out highly stimulating environments to augment their arousal levels.

2.  Increased vigilance from introverts means that introverts have heightened awareness of actions around them, thus increasing the overwhelming sensations.  More recent studies indicate that vigilance is hard work, requiring the allocation of significant cognitive resources, and inducing significant levels of stress.  Since an introvert is naturally taking in an overwhelming amount of sensory data coupled with an increased amount of vigilance, compared to extroverts, that overload becomes significantly more stressful.

3.  The ability to process stimuli faster in the premotor cortex means that that overwhelming information that is being heightened is processed quickly.  While it's true that the premotor cortex is linked to the motor cortex, and is used largely as a means to react to instruction and planning of action, it is easy to see how a overwhelming environment that is heightened by increased vigilance that causes stress would be a burden at the part of the brain that wants to act.

4.  This higher basal activity for the reticular activating system means that introverts are naturally more stimulated than extroverts.  Simply put, introverts naturally have a higher idle engine than extroverts.  Coupled with an engine that wants to react quickly to an overwhelming amount of sensory data that is enhanced by increased vigilance which is causing a lot of stress, it's no wonder that introverts prefer a quiet night in than a bright, flashing, loud, and intrusive club.

**3rd Transition:  Knowing what it's like is only a small part of the picture.

Third Point:  There is a natural bias towards extroverts, which creates problems for introverts

1.  Researchers estimate that extroverts make up 50%-74% of the population.  There is no definitive data to support any percentage, and any number would be an estimation at best.  It was originally postulated that extroverts outnumbered introverts 3:1, but it wan't until recently that number has been challenged.

2.  Western culture, especially American culture, is biased towards extroverted ideals, which an extroverted ideal dominates and introversion is viewed as inferior or even pathological.  As a whole, it is the omnipresent belief that the ideal self is gregarious, alpha, and comfortable in the spotlight.  Western societies ideal praises oratory strength and favors the man of action over the man of contemplation.  In a culture that is biased against them, introverts are pressured to at like extroverts instead of embracing their serious, often quiet, and reflective style.

3.  Since social environments are geared toward extroverts, they are overwhelming to introverts.  Western culture is built towards extroverted ideals.  This has bled into all facets of life, to include places of entertainment and relaxation.  Bars are a great example of this simple fact, which often play imposingly loud music and have all sorts of games and distractions, all accompanied by bright lights.  Music at concerts are played at deafening levels, which all too often come with an even wider assortment of flashing lights, lasers, and set pieces.  These things that draw extroverts like a moth to a flame, because they require the extra external stimulation that introverts get at rest, are painful for introverts who must endure them to enjoy any piece of Western civilization.

**4th Transition:  Now that we have a better understanding what it's like to live as an introvert in an extrovert's world, let's review what we have discussed so far.

CONCLUSION:

Review:  Today I shared with you the biology of an introvert's brain, how an introvert's brain processes sensory inputs, and a world that is seemingly overwhelmingly extroverted for introverts.

Ending:  Now that you have a better understanding of what it's like to be an introvert, you have a better understanding of the living hell that the Las Vegas game floor was for me.  I was only on the floor when I absolutely had to be, but when I was, the flashing lights, loud sounds, and pervasive hum of conversation was simply unbearable.  If I had gone when I was younger, and had the energy to withstand such a sensory onslaught, I might have enjoyed myself, even a little, but the older you get the longer it takes to recoup from attacks on the body and the brain, and the more you want to avoid things that hurt you.

Citations:

http://io9.com/the-science-behind-extroversion-and-introversion-1282059791

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premotor_cortex

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jennagoudreau/2012/01/30/quiet-revolution-of-the-50-percent-introverts-susan-cain/

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~rswenson/NeuroSci/chapter_11.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vigilance_(psychology)

http://faculty.etsu.edu/currie/ras.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basal_(medicine)

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/thrive/201205/are-extroverts-happier-introverts

Shotgun Rules

Calling Shotgun

1.  All Passengers must be outside and in clear a line of sight on the way to the car in order for a Shotgun to be called.  The Driver only needs to be outside.  This rule can only be overruled if a Passenger has already touched the Shotgun door handle or is already sitting in the Shotgun position before it has been called.

2.  If you are the first person to be picked up by the Driver, you are automatically given Shotgun.  Courtesy would dictate that the last person to be dropped off should take Shotgun so there is no need for a re-roll, but that is not a requirement.

3.  When Shotgun is simultaneously called, the Driver will decide the tie-breaker.  The Driver retains the right to not to consistently choose the same tie-breaker.

4.  Once Shotgun has been called, and there are four Passengers, the other three must perform a “Not It” to ensure they do not ride the Bitch position.  The remaining Passengers take the seat behind the Driver and Shotgunner based on who is on the left and who is on the right between the two of them.

5.  If a Passenger is in a romantic relationship with the Driver, they automatically gain the rights to the Shotgun.  If they choose to waive their rights, they must declare so, and a Shotgun competition will commence.

6.  If the Shotgunner goes inside for any reason other than by the request of the Driver, then Shotgun is reset and all Passengers will need to re-call Shotgun.

7.  If there are Passengers, then one WILL have Shotgun.  No exceptions.

Shotgunner Responsibilities

1.  The Shotgunner is essentially the co-pilot.  They are responsible for navigation.  They must point out streets, exits, shortcuts, buildings, gas stations, and anything else the Driver may need to navigate their way to their destination.

2.  It is the responsibility of the Shotgunner to ensure the Driver is as distraction free as possible.  They choose the music based on the Driver’s CD collection and radio presets, ensure any glove box information is readily available to the Driver, take the Driver’s food and ensure they have what they want to eat, or anything else that would otherwise cause a distraction.

3.  The Shotgunner is responsible for extra-vehicular activities.  They open gates, retrieve new Passengers, close the trunk or gas cap if left open, and anything else that requires someone to go outside of the vehicle.

4.  The Shotgunner is the enforcer of the rules of the vehicle.  They are responsible for the good order of the vehicle and should ensure that the Driver does not get distracted by the Passengers and does not get involved in any disputes.  If necessary, the Shotgunner is the exacter of any punishments.

Rules for the Driver

1.  If the Driver is drunk or otherwise incapacitated, and not in need of medical attention that can be supplied by rear Passengers, then they get automatic rights to Shotgun.

2.  The Driver may veto a Shotgunner based on past performance, but it must be made known before Shotgun has been called.  The Driver does not have to call it every time, but they must inform the Passenger if they are allowed to call Shotgun every time their status has changed.

3.  The Driver must ensure that the rules are enforced fairly.  They must hear all disputes and judge them without personal discrimination.  All decisions by the Driver are final.

4.  In the case of long trips lasting an hour or longer, the Driver may override Shotgun and give it to the Passenger who has proven to be the best Shotgunner to ensure the smoothest possible ride.

Rules for Surviving a Zombie Apocalypse

Survival groups should be between three to five people.  Any smaller and you're too exposed to danger.  If you have only one person watching your back, and they die, then you're alone, which is the worst position to be in.  Any larger and you get too comfortable.  People make stupid mistakes when they feel safe.  Larger groups are also less maneuverable, and require a lot more coordination.  If there are six or more people in a group, it's time to splinter off into groups of three to five people, when it's a safe and appropriate time to do so.

Motorcycles are perfect for a zombie apocalypse.  They have exceptionally good gas mileage, have excellent acceleration, are very maneuverable, and can slip through abandoned traffic.  Being on a motorcycle also makes the rider inherently more aware of their surroundings.  Being on a motorcycle makes you more exposed, however.  This is a good thing and a bad thing.  On the negative side, this means that you are more open to being attacked.  On the positive side, you are less likely to take unnecessary risks.

Avoid guns at all costs.  Guns seem like a good idea because they're easy to use, they're easy to reload, and you can carry a lot of clips on you at once.  The problem with guns is that they're very loud.  A shot is the equivalent of a thunder clap.  A silencer reduces the volume to the decibels of a rock concert.  Zombies are attracted to sounds, so your hundred rounds are not enough to take care of the hundreds of zombies that you've just attracted, even if you can manage to have a 100% kill rate with every single bullet.  Furthermore, once a bullet has been discharged, it's useless.  Spears, blades, arrows, bolts, and traps are are reusable, and don't attract that much attention to you.

Charity will get you killed.  Anyone who can't survive on their own will make a mistake that will get you all killed.  If someone decides to do something that puts themselves and the group at risk, then they can act on their decision without your support.  If they survive their decision, you can let them back in only when it doesn't put the group at risk.  If they make a habit of risky decisions, then they can make them on their own.  Better they get themselves killed than the whole group.

A zombie is no longer a person.  They may look like the person they once were, but they ceased to be once they turned.  Do not hesitate to kill a zombie, because they will not hesitate to kill you.

Always scout ahead.  Take the extra time to scout your next path.  Take your time.  You don't get more than one opportunity to do something.  Make sure you know what dangers, obstacles, alternative routes, and potential safe zones there are.  Furthermore, don't go further than you can scout.  If you can't find the next staging area in your path, look for an alternative route.  It's better to take the long way around than to risk your life on impatience.

Fortify your safe houses.  This is more than boarding up the windows and doors.  Set traps, dig ditches with spikes in them, reinforce the walls, create a sound buffer out of blankets, place lots of weapons at easy to access locations, and anything else that will allow you easily defend yourself.  Remember that your fortifications need to be able to withstand a large number of zombies, not a few very strong ones.

Always have an exit strategy.  Every plan is lost on first contact.  A good plan will help you survive, but you simply can't guarantee that your plan will work.  Ensuring that you have a means of escape is critical.  This isn't just for situations you're going into.  You need several exit plans for your safe houses, too.  Survival depends on your ability to escape danger as much as it does on avoiding it.

Grow your own food.  Long term survival depends on being able to draw on renewable resources.  None are more important than food.  If you aren't in a safe house that has the capability to farm, find or build locations nearby that you can use to grow food.  Zombies aren't interested in fruits, nuts, and vegetables, so you don't have to worry about losing your crops to them.  You will still need to fortify your farms, however, and make sure that the paths to them stay safe.

Stay hydrated.  In a zombie apocalypse, you may not always have access to clean, fresh water, but your body can go without food longer than it can water.  Furthermore, if you're dehydrated, your reaction time will slow, you won't be able to think as clearly, and you'll wear out quicker.  Make sure you have ways of collecting water, and boiling and filtering it, if necessary.

Build up your endurance.  While ensuring that you have a strong cardio workout is exceptionally important, you mustn't forget to build your muscles for endurance, as well.  There is a seemingly endless supply of zombies in a zombie apocalypse, and they do not seem to ever stop.  You need to be able climb fences, trees, buildings, etc, after running for several miles.  Being able to run really fast for 400 meters and lift heavy objects isn't going to carry you very far in a zombie apocalypse.  Focus on push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, isometric exercises, and long distance running, when it's safe to do so.

When it's practical, kill as many zombies as you can.  This may seem like needless danger, but for every zombie you kill, that's one less that you have to deal with later.  It's best to kill them when you have the upper hand, before they notice you.  To that end, while you can, focus on stealth killings, making sure to strike only when it's safe.  Once you've killed as many zombies as are practical, you are a little more free to complete the mission you set out to do.

Never underestimate a medical condition.  More people died from infection in the American Civil War than from bullet wounds.  Blood loss, punctures, infection, fevers, internal bleeding, choking, and broken bones will kill you as effectively as a zombie, if left untreated.  Make sure that you stockpile on medical supplies as much as possible.  Also make sure that everyone in the group has at least a basic understanding of first aid.  It could save your life one day.

Stay dry and warm.  This is more than just a creature comfort, it's a necessity for human survival.  Being cold and wet will get you sick at best, and could kill you at worst.  Don't think that goes just for your body.  If your hands, feet, or head are wet, then it can cause severe problems, especially the feet.  Make sure that you keep your feet dry, and change your socks regularly, especially if they get wet.  Keep extra pairs of dry socks and boots on you at all times.

Travel as lightly as you can.  It's going to be impossible to survive off what you can carry in a small backpack, but you can't have any room for things that you don't need for survival.  Don't keep things for entertainment or of sentimental value.  If you have things that you emotionally feel that you can't leave behind, you are much more likely to get yourself killed trying to hold onto it.  Since most people are zombies, they won't care if you read their books, play their games, or use their stuff to entertain you with, so there is no point in adding weight to your pack.

Arguments will get you killed.  While it's best to travel only with like minded people, you don't always have that luxury in a zombie apocalypse.  There is always room for healthy debate, but everyone needs to agree in the end. If you disagree with someone, or everyone, then you or they might make a decision that'll get everyone killed.  If you can't agree on a fundamental level, then it's better to go your separate ways than have that conflict come to a head at a critical moment.

Take the time to train.  It may not seem like it, but there is always room for improvement.  Train with the weapons that you have.  Train in hand-to-hand combat.  Practice field medicine techniques.  Don't let important skills degrade, and always look to improve them all.  The ability to kill zombies more quickly, perform field repairs, or place a tourniquet may save someone's life, or your own.

Be a good neighbor.  Don't do it at the expense of your own safety, but the life you save may be the one that saves your life.  It's also a good idea and try to stay in contact with your fellow survivors as much as you can.  Everyone has useful skills, and you never know when someone's will come in handy.  Some actions may require the use of more than what you have in the group, but the rewards are worth the alliance.

Avoid aggressive or territorial humans.  Beyond being a threat to your safety, they usually draw a lot of attention to themselves.  The more attention they bring to themselves the more zombies that are attracted to them, which they usually use guns to dispatch the zombies with, which draws more attention to them.  Keeping a wide distance from these people will keep you from the larger concentration of zombies.

No pets.  They may be your furry little family member, but having a pet along is one of the quickest ways to get yourself killed.  To start, they can survive without you.  Dogs and cats lived in the wild before humans domesticated them, and will be just fine after we're gone.  Pets require specific transportation requirements, and can't be relied upon to keep themselves out of danger, no matter how smart you think your pet is.  Furthermore, pets take much needed food and water without being able to properly contribute to the group.  Pets can even actively get you killed by making noises at inopportune moments.  Finally, people make bad decisions about their safety, and the safety of the group, when it comes to pets.  If you can't live without your pet, don't travel with them.  Find a place that can be heavily fortified, and only leave on supply runs.

Zombies are like cockroaches. For every one that you see, there are five that you don't. Never assume that you're walking into a handful of zombies. Zombies travel in hordes, and are never far from other zombies. One might straggle off to investigate a noise for a moment, but the rest will follow if there is a big enough disturbance. Approach every zombie as if they are a horde, because the rest may be just out of sight.

My Asynchronous Collectable Card Game Rules

Types of Cards

• Hero - Basically a creature card, designed to be the basis of the game.  Each Hero has an Attack Strength and a Defend Strength.  Attacking Heroes use their Attacking Strength determine the outcome, and Defending Heroes use their Defending Strength to determine the outcome.
• Equipment - Enhances Heroes is some way.  Equipment is attached directly to the Hero, and goes to the graveyard when the Hero does.
• Artifact - Enhances the board in some way.  Can affect Players, Heroes, or any other card.  Unless they are destroyed and sent to the graveyard, they stay on the field.
• Trap - Laid out in advance, Trap cards activate based on a trigger.  Traps can be activated during an opponent’s turn, or they can be a reaction to another Trap.
• Spell - Spells are abilities the player casts during their turn only.  They can affect anything, but are discarded after use.
• Mana - Mana cards are used when summoning Heroes, laying Traps, casting Spells, equipping Heroes, using Abilities, or placing Artifacts.  Players must use the right kind of Mana to utilize any card or ability.

Realms of the Board

• Hero Realm - This is where the Heroes sit when not in direct combat.
• Trap Realm - This is where the Traps are set, face down.
• Artifact Realm - This is where the Artifacts are set.
• Mana Realm - This is where the Mana cards are set.
• Combat Realm - This is where Heroes, Traps,  and Spells are set when in action.
• Library - This is where the player’s deck sits, with all cards face down.
• Graveyard - This is where used or destroyed cards go, with all cards face up.

Phases

• Beginning Phase - This is where any residual effects are applied or removed, where Mana is regenerated, and where the player starts their turn.
• Draw Phase - This is where the player draws their card.
• First Main Phase - This is where Heroes are summoned or switched between Attacking and Defending, Spells are cast, Traps are laid, Equipment is applied, and Artifacts are established.
• Combat Phase - This is where Heroes attack defending Heroes, Spells are cast, and Traps are activated.
• Second Main Phase - This is where Heroes are summoned or switched between Attacking and Defending, Spells are cast, Traps are laid, Equipment is applied, and Artifacts are established.
• Ending Phase - This is where any residual effects are applied or removed, and where the player ends their turn.
• Submitting Phase - This is where the player submits their turn to their opponent.

Each round, the player has a very specific number of Moves afforded to them.  Each action they take during the First Main Phase, Combat Phase, or Second Main Phase constitutes a Move, which includes summoning Heroes, Equipment, and Artifacts, activating Abilities, setting Mana, laying Traps, and casting Spells.  Ranked Matches will have 5 Moves, but Private Matches are open to the Host’s rule set.  The Host may choose to apply a handicap to themselves, but the Host will never have more Moves or health than the Guest.

At the beginning of the match, both players draw 6 cards.  If a player has more than 6 cards in their hand during the End Phase, they must discard as many cards of their choice into the Graveyard as it takes to reach 6 cards.  The player who starts first does not draw a card during their first round, nor are they allowed to attack during their first round.  There is no restriction to attacking after the first round.

Heroes may be set to either an Attacking Position or a Defending Position during either Main Phase.  Attacking Heroes are not required to attack during the Combat Phase, but all Defending Heroes are subject to attack by their opponent’s Heroes.  During the Combat Phase, players must attack any Defending Hero on the field with their Attacking Heroes before attacking the player directly.  Both the Attack Level and the Defense Level of each Hero will play a factor into each engagement.  If the Attack Level is higher than the Defense Level of the opposing Hero, then that opposing Hero dies and goes to the Graveyard.  If the Hero survives the encounter, they maintain the damage taken to their Defense Level until the End Phase, where all Attack Levels and Defense Levels of remaining Heroes gets reset.  Any changes made to the Attack Level or the Defense Level from Equipment or Artifacts attached to the Hero are unaffected by the End Phase.  The Attacking Position is indicated by the card being positioned normally on the board, with the Defending Position being indicated by the card being positioned perpendicular to the player.

Traps are automatically triggered by the conditions established on the card.  Once a Trap is triggered, and its effects activated, the Trap goes to the Graveyard.  Not all Traps have to be negative in nature.  Trap cards can also include effects like reviving a Hero if they’re killed during the Combat Phase.

Hero Abilities can be activated at any point during the player’s turn.  If the ability requires Mana, then it will be tapped as needed.  No Ability can be activated during the opponent’s turn.  Using Abilities will not induce any other action, unless otherwise noted.  Heroes don’t get tapped, so they won’t get tapped.  Activating Abilities uses a Move.  No Hero will have any kind of attribute.  There will be no flying, bypassing defenders, or any other kind of attribute.  Some Heroes may have Abilities that give them special privileges, but they aren’t natural to the card, and they must use a Move in order to activate it.

Each Faction has a specific type of Mana that it draws upon for its various functions.  Players are allowed to mix and match cards from the various Factions, but they must use the prescribed Mana that is indicated on the card.  While there is no neutral Mana, some cards can have requirements to utilize more than one Faction’s Mana type.  Mana must be tapped in order to utilize for any requirement, but any unused tapped Mana that is still there during the End Phase will burn.  Turn the Mana card perpendicularly to indicate it has been tapped.  New cards may be added to Factions at any point, and entirely new Factions can be added at any point.

Each Deck must have a minimum card count of 40 cards, with no upwards limit.  The recommended Deck size is 40-60 cards, but that is a suggestion, and not a rule.  The reason why 40 cards is the minimum deck size is to allow a more simplified deck capability, and so players can access the cards they want at a faster pace if they’d like.

A Legendary Hero is a card that is abnormally powerful, and the card will indicate it as a Legendary Hero card.  They usually have a larger Mana requirement, will have very unique abilities, and have higher Attack and Defense Levels.

Unless otherwise dictated on the card itself, there will be no more than the below listed number of cards with the same name in the player’s Library.

• 3 Hero cards
• 1 Legendary Hero card
• 3 Equipment cards
• 4 Trap cards
• 2 Artifact cards
• 4 Spell cards
• Unlimited Mana cards

There are only two ways to win the game.  Either by reducing the opponent’s health to 0 points, or if the opponent runs out of cards in their library.  The player’s life is set at 20 during Ranked Matches.  Hosts can change the amount of life available at the start of the match in Private Matches.


Here is a rough sketch of what the board would look like:

The Ages of Video Games

After a lot of thought and a little bit of research, I have divided video game history not by generation, but by era.  Each Age represents not only a technological step, but also a cultural one.  I am establishing this for referential purposes, so I'm not going to expand much further.  Below is the breakdown of each of the Ages.


The Discovery Age is anything that existed up until The Video Game Crash of 1977.  This covers the widest period in video game history, starting in 1947, with the Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device.  This period is where engineers developed and experimented with the concepts of electronic entertainment.

The Golden Age is from 1977-1994.  This period is marked by the time after The Video Game Crash of 1977 up until the release of Sony's Playstation home console.  During this period, early gaming culture was being developed.  Games were mostly reserved for children, outcasts, and nerds (sometimes all three).  As the newest toy on the market, some kids used video games as a status symbol, only really delving into the most well known games.  The outcasts and the nerds of all ages developed their love affair with interactive escapism, growing the first communities both at home and over the Internet.

The Silver Age is from 1995-2003.  This period starts with the release of the Playstation up until the release of the Nintendo DS and the PSP.  Video Games were becoming commercial successes, the casual gaming market was introduced, and the expanded gaming culture was forming.  Hardcore titles like the Final Fantasy series were becoming household names.  Online gaming started becoming a mainstay in the industry, and people started paying thousands of dollars for initial release console.

The Current Age starts with the release of the Nintendo DS and the Playstation Portable (PSP) in 2004.  Social games, mobile games, fully connected platforms, and franchises that rival  movies sales mark the Current Age.  Video Games have started being accepted as legitimate forms of entertainment, and for once gaming culture is heavily influencing pop culture and the technology boom.  Facebook, Apple iOS, and Google Android OS are as much gaming platforms as Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony home and handheld consoles.



On a side note, I found this graph of Internet service providers.  If you compare this to my Ages, it has an interesting correlation.  The Internet and Video Games grew up hand and hand with each other, which is probably why they're so closely interconnected.

Romancing the Game: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Video game romance has been around for a very long time in many different forms.  They've ranged anywhere from the teenage drama of Final Fantasy VIII to Mass Effect's attempt at courtship to Catharine's complex focus of fidelity.  While adding relationships to an industry as young as electronic interactive entertainment (read: video games) is a noble pursuit in an effort to bring a mature subject so early in the development cycle, it's not being handled in a way that provides social progress.

This isn't a problem that's limited to romantic entanglements.  Video games have always been very awkward with any kind of interpersonal relationship.  The two best examples that come to mind are Dragon Age and Gears of War.

In Dragon Age, when players make decisions their companions can agree or disagree.  Making the decision that you prefer without making anyone mad at you requires you to bring the right group along.  This can be frustrating, because you may need to bring Leliana so you can pick locks, but your decisions to go against the church make her hate you.  Don't worry, though, give her a flower or  some random momento and she'll forget that you disturbed Andraste's ashes (well, not in that case, but you get the idea).  The idea that friendship can be so easily manipulated is preposterous.  Relationships are complicated.  They require time to cultivate, not just a convenience of situation and bobbles.

In Gears of War, the relationship between Marcus and Dom seem to defy the situation they're in, not to mention their relationships with anyone else in proximity.  The writers don't seem to understand the ideas that people grow, both together and apart, based on the decisions that they make.  Marcus and Dom are supposed to be brothers, but they only express any kind of connection during Bro moments.  There is no wax or wane of how they connect with each other.  The death of Dom's wife doesn't have any kind of impact on how he interacts with those around him.  I can say with all certainty that if my wife were to die, especially in such an impactful way, that it would definitely rock the foundation of every relationship I have.  Things would be tense for me, and I would test everyone with my attitude.  I would mourn for a little while but things would ultimately not change much.

These are two examples of how the video game industry can't seem to establish themselves with things as simple as friendships.  There are moments that shine, but they're even weighed down by preposterous situations.  That's why whenever romantic relationships come up, they often ring hollow.  How can an industry that can't seem to grasp friendship be ready to grasp something as complicated and intricate as intimacy.  It gets treated in a vacuum.  Romance is put in a bubble, with very little interaction, and it blossoms itself.

A prime example is in Mass Effect.  If a player goes and talks to their subject of interest, says everything they want to hear, but otherwise don't develop the relationship, they will fall deeply in love, which apparently means having sex and not acknowledging it until it randomly comes up.  This is the equivalent of the romantic comedy where the geeky guy who always listens to the girl ends up being the love of her life, and they live happily ever after (of course, that assumes that they have no real conflict other than something that can be fixed in like 3 minutes).  This is not how things work.  Romantic relationships are hard.  They require a lot of work, understanding, compromise, growth, attention, and connection.  It's all more than worth it when you found the right person, but it's either always there or it's not there at all.  You have to be apart of each other's lives, and you have to grow together, not just talk occasionally and hook up when it's convenient (that's called a booty call).

In the end, it's nice to see an attempt to see relationships become a bigger part of the gaming industry.  The only thing that needs to change is that relationships, be it romantic or platonic, need to ring throughout the narrative, not just be some random plot points that occasionally arise.

Old games aren't harder, they just suck

I'm well aware that the title of this post is going to insight more anger than it will thought, but you're going to have to hear me out on this one.

To start, I've been a gamer since the summer of 1986.  For those that can't do the math, I've been gaming for 25 years as of this post.  My first gaming experience was Castle Wolfenstein, which I played on my aunt's Apple II.  That is one of my earliest memories.  I talked to my mom, and she thinks I played some Pong before then, but I don't consider it in the equation since neither of us know for certain if I first played that before or after the summer of 1986.  My first console gaming experience was The Legend of Zelda in the fall of 1987.  I've been a hardcore gamer since.  I've played games ranging from Mr. Do! and Cops'n'Robbers on the Atari to Road Rash and Advanced Dungeons and Dragons: Slayer on the 3DO to The Death and Return of Superman and Maximum Carnage on the Genesis to Final Fantasy VII and Metal Gear Solid on the Playstation to Full Throttle and Diablo on the computer to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Mass Effect on the Xbox 360.  I've played on almost every console ever created (I never could find a Pippen), but I'm not here to list out my full gaming references.  I shared a sampling of my range of gaming experience to show the breadth of my experience.  I want you to understand that what I have to say comes from an experienced gamer who played most of the classics when they were originally released.

There is a common misconception that older games are harder, that today's developers have gone soft on the gaming community.  The idea actually stems from the idea that frustration is indicative of difficulty.  The measuring stick should actually be based on the level of challenge that the game provides.

Older games are naturally limited by the technology that they were designed to be played on.  Wolfenstein 3D couldn't have been played on the Atari 2600 because of the capabilities of the system at the time.  Developers used what capabilities that were available at the time.  I'm sure that the developers of Adventure wanted to make a game that was more like Skyrim, but it just wasn't technically feasible at the time.  In the same way that technical capabilities are a barrier, accepted gameplay mechanics have changed the landscape of gaming.  Time Crisis introduced the cover system utilized in Gears of War.  Customization and RPG elements weren't new to First Person Shooters when Modern Warfare came out, but the inclusion of so many features and Prestiging to extend the online life of a shooter was revolutionary.  Halo 2 popularized the Regenerative Health system, which had a major impact on the online experience, and completely flew in the face of the Health Pack system, the accepted norm.

With technological improvements and gameplay techniques constantly evolving, game designers haven't changed their mindset as to how to provide a better challenge to the gamer.  The previous mentality was to increase difficulty by increasing the health of enemies, decreasing the player's defensive or offensive capabilities, or to increase the number of enemies the player has to fight.  Those are simple solutions due to technical limitations brought on by older generations of gaming machines.

Clunky controls, old gaming mentalities, and limited AI capabilities formed into the best way to simulate difficulty:  Make difficulties based on how frustrated a gamer is, so they think that it's more challenging.  In short, old games suck, but gamers would challenge themselves to get better so the game would be less frustrating.  That is a significantly different viewpoint than the games being more challenging themselves.

I'm not without solutions.  Highlighting a problem without offering a solution is nothing more than complaining.  They may not be easy, but gaming is a multi-Billion Dollar Industry.  It seems to reason that investing some money into developing a better challenging experience, as opposed to just making things harder, would only serve to improve sales.

I'm not going to write a 60 page thesis on ways that game designers could improve the challenge of their games, but I will list a few solutions as examples to show how possible it is to come up with innovative ways to challenge a gamer and not frustrate them.

Solution #1:  Build the game around the hardest difficulty and offer more options for easier levels.  This can be the hardest or easiest way to improving the challenge for a gamer, depending on the type of game.  For puzzle games, it means that a level has to be designed with a whole lot of flexibility in mind.  For a game like Sudoku, this option is easy.  Sudoku puzzles are rated on difficulty based on the numbers given to a player.  For a game like Portal, however, each level is designed to be inherently at a specific challenge level, and adding or subtracting creates a significantly more complex problem for the designer than the player.  In a platformer, the hardest difficulty could have one very complex way to scale a building, with the player being forced  to rely on leaps of faith and extreme three dimensional spatial awareness to figure out how to progress.  The easier difficulties could add more and more shortcuts that require less complex thought in order to traverse.

Solution #2:  Adjust the enemy AI to account for more or less complex actions.  This is going to be the hardest of all of my solutions.  AI is a very tricky subject.  It's already something hard to program, then when you try to work with easier or harder difficulties, it becomes very easy to make too hard or too easy.  My suggestion would be to create a baseline AI that all enemies work on, and include more advanced tactics as the difficulty increases.  As an example, on Normal, the enemies are not stupid by any means, but they don't work in concert with their teammates to try to kill the player.  On Hard, they work as a team much more, and will cover each other to limit the player's actions.  On Expert, they utilize choreographed actions, like Breach and Clear tactics instead of just filling in to the room.  And on Master, they have a series of tactical techniques that they use in succession or in concert to outmaneuver the player.  In this example, the individual enemy isn't dumbed down for easier difficulties, so they can still provide a challenge, but the enemies have more complex tools at their disposal to increase the challenge.

Solution #3:  Adjust the enemy's range of tools.  This idea is very similar to Solution #2, but is much easier to program for.  Also note that I didn't say to just add more tools, because that's no different than giving them more health or improving their attack strength.  The idea here is that each enemy has a specialty, but their choice in specialty grows with the difficulty.  This way, the player doesn't necessarily have to deal with stronger enemies, but has to know how to deal with a wider array of enemies.  It also creates more complex combinations of enemies, so the player has to be good enough to be able to adjust their tactics for each unique situation.  As an example, the easier difficulties could outfit basic Rogues, Warriors, Mages, and Hunters for the player try to figure out how to defend against.  In the harder difficulties, Rogue class enemies that trained in dual wielding with stealth based techniques could specialize in flanking tactics, disarming tactics, subduing tactics, or poisoning tactics could provide very specific challenges, especially when there are 256 different specifications of enemies that all with their own strengths and weaknesses.  It becomes 1024 different types enemies if there are Humans, Elves, Dwarves, or Lizardmen.  Mix and match races, classes, specializations, techniques, and tactics, with a wide variety in the number of enemies, and each fight challenges the player to constantly develop new techniques to deal with a wide variety of tactics.  It's also possible to cross-cue classes and create a large number of combinations without as much of a wide variance in skills.  Middle grade difficulties offer differences of Black Mages, White Mages, and Summoners, where harder difficulties have Black Mages that can heal or Warriors that can use stealth techniques.

It's easy to come up with one solution to a problem.  It's another thing all together when a game designer has to figure out how to implement multiple techniques to the problem of challenge.  Unfortunately, the best way is to make a unique blend, because the biggest challenge for a gamer is when they are challenged in different ways by different developers and different games.