Voteless

A game that tries to be a little too clever about numbers and colors on cards both in your hand and on the table. Might work amazingly well, might just be boring.

Setup

You play with one deck of cards, both in your hand and on the table (shared map).

Each card has a color and a number. (There should probably be 3 or 4 colors.)

Deal each player X cards. Use the remaining cards for a 3x3 grid on the table.

Gameplay

On your turn, pick one of two actions.

Play a card from your hand, add it to the map
Take a card from the map, add it to your hand.

If this splits the map, you must take the smaller part that came loose into your hand.

If you are now certain your candidate has the most votes, say “stop the game!” => Everybody counts votes and highest score wins.

@TODO: To prevent very quick endings, or abuse, this can only be called after X turns or after some condition is met?

Score/Voting

Check which color appears most on the map: that’s the map candidate. They receive as many votes as the total number in your hand.

Check which color appears most in your hand: that’s your hand candidate. They receive as many votes as the total number on the map.

(Candidate = majority rules, barring exceptions. Votes = summed numbers.)

Your score is the highest of the two. (Or combined, if it’s the same candidate.)

For example:

Your hand gathers 11 votes. The map has a majority blue: that’s 11 blue votes
The map has 6 votes. Your hand has majority red: that’s 6 red votes

Currently, your score is 11. If the colors were the same, you’d score 17.

@TODO: Alternative scoring => you win if you have more votes than anybody else for every candidate you have. In other words,

You need more blue votes than anyone else
And you need more red votes than anyone else

This doesn’t work, as the map number is equal for all.

@TODO: Alternative scoring => each player gets a candidate/color at the start. When counting votes, all votes (for all colors, for all players) are summed. You only win if your color comes out on top.

@TODO: A much better way, would be to only count matching numbers.

The map has majority blue. Sum the numbers of blue cards in your hand for the “map score”
Your hand has majority red. Sum the numbers of red cards on the map for your “hand score”
(Any unused colors are negative points for your score??)

Sum the two for your final score.

Ideas/Variations

IDEA: To prevent insta-win and add some sense of progression. Anytime somebody calls “stop the game”, it’s like a mid-term election. You check the scores, do something based on who wins/loses, but continue playing. Only the third time is the final election.

IDEA: To prevent insta-win. A card with an action that says: “If somebody stops the game, play this card. All players must throw away 1 card, and the game continues. (You throw away this card.)”

IDEA: Your second (“lower”) color scores half its points, rounded down? => Maybe there are random modifiers per round or game that do something like this.

IDEA: A way to merge colors. Specific actions or cards that would allow the idea I wrote above, for example. (Or votes that can count for two at once.)

IDEA: Similarly, there are votes that will never swap colors, or are only non-zero in specific circumstances.

Notes / Verdict

ISSUES:

A strong rule to prevent somebody winning in the first few rounds, with luck of the draw.
Otherwise, this should be quite nice if I create a nice set of cards for it.

This game should be a constant tug-of-war between two things:

Collect as many votes as you can muster
But also make sure they go to the right candidate

A game that tries to be a little too clever about numbers and colors on cards both in your hand and on the table. Might work amazingly well, might just be boring. ## Setup You play with one deck of cards, both *in your hand* and *on the table* (shared map). Each card has a **color** and a **number**. (There should probably be 3 or 4 colors.) Deal each player X cards. Use the remaining cards for a 3x3 grid on the table. ## Gameplay On your turn, pick one of two actions. - **Play** a card from your hand, add it to the map - **Take** a card from the map, add it to your hand. > If this splits the map, you *must* take the smaller part that came loose into your hand. If you are now **certain your candidate has the most votes**, say **"stop the game!"** => Everybody counts votes and highest score wins. **@TODO:** To prevent very quick endings, or abuse, this can only be called after X turns or after some condition is met? ## Score/Voting Check which **color** appears most on the **map:** that's the map candidate. They receive as many votes as the **total number in your hand.** Check which **color** appears most in your **hand:** that's your hand candidate. They receive as many votes as the **total number on the map.** (Candidate = majority rules, barring exceptions. Votes = summed numbers.) Your score is the highest of the two. (Or combined, if it's the same candidate.) For example: - Your hand gathers 11 votes. The map has a majority *blue*: that's 11 blue votes - The map has 6 votes. Your hand has majority *red*: that's 6 red votes Currently, your score is 11. If the colors were the same, you'd score 17. **@TODO:** Alternative scoring => you win if you have *more votes than anybody else* for *every candidate you have.* In other words, - You need more blue votes than anyone else - And you need more red votes than anyone else **This doesn't work**, as the map number is equal for all. **@TODO:** Alternative scoring => each player gets a candidate/color at the start. When counting votes, *all* votes (for all colors, for all players) are summed. You only win if your color comes out on top. **@TODO: A much better way, would be to only count matching numbers**. - The map has majority *blue*. Sum the numbers of *blue* cards in your hand for the "map score" - Your hand has majority *red.* Sum the numbers of *red* cards on the map for your "hand score" - (Any unused colors are *negative* points for your score??) Sum the two for your final score. ## Ideas/Variations **IDEA:** To prevent insta-win and add some sense of progression. Anytime somebody calls "stop the game", it's like a mid-term election. You check the scores, do something based on who wins/loses, but continue playing. Only the *third* time is the final election. **IDEA:** To prevent insta-win. A card with an action that says: "If somebody stops the game, play this card. All players must throw away 1 card, and the game continues. (You throw away *this* card.)" **IDEA:** Your second ("lower") color scores *half* its points, rounded down? => Maybe there are random *modifiers* per round or game that do something like this. **IDEA:** A way to merge colors. Specific actions or cards that would allow the idea I wrote above, for example. (Or votes that can count for two at once.) **IDEA:** Similarly, there are votes that will *never* swap colors, or are only non-zero in specific circumstances. ## Notes / Verdict ISSUES: - A strong rule to prevent somebody winning in the first few rounds, with luck of the draw. - Otherwise, this should be quite nice if I create a nice set of cards for it. This game should be a constant tug-of-war between two things: - Collect as many votes as you can muster - But also make sure they go to the right candidate