A New Kind of Game: Six Card Parade

Six Card Parade is a game invented by Christian Martinez and Travis Schilling. It takes inspiration from Gin Rummy & Magic: The Gathering.

The Deck

One standard deck of 52 cards is used. Cards have no inherent point value, but as a general

The Deal & Set Up of the Game

The first dealer is chosen randomly, and the turn to deal alternates between the players. Each player is dealt six cards, one at a time. After all players are dealt six cards a final card is dealt to start the stable, the rest of the deck is turned face down and set next to the stable to form the library. The players look at and sort their cards; the players must clear a space in front of them to serve as their field where they play sets from their hand onto. There must also be a space cleared on the other end of the library to serve as the discard pile.

Object of the Game

The object of the game is to play a number of sets down onto your field, each set worth a given number of points. The goal of playing sets is to amass the largest number of points on your field.

Play

A normal turn consists of five parts:

The First Draw. You must begin each turn by drawing either a card from the library or from the stable.

Playing Face Cards. In Six Card parade Aces, Kings, Queens and Jacks are not played in sets (Except for the King of Hearts and the Ace of Spades when it is played in conjunction with it.) Instead they are played as Royals, each Royal has a specific use inside the game...these will be detailed later. A player may play Royals at any point during their turn. Only the Ace of Clubs may be played on another player's turn.

Playing Sets. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 cards are all used inside of sets. Sets must be played before the Draw to Seven phase of a player's turn. When a set is played it is set down onto the field of the player that played it. At the end of the game The sets on a player's field are counted and each player collects their points according to the sets that they owned.

Draw to Seven. After a player is done with playing any sets that they would play during their turn. They draw any number of cards into their hand to bring their total number of cards in hand to seven.

Discard to Six To complete your turn, one card must be discarded from your hand and placed in the stable. This act ends your turn and will bring your total number of cards in hand to six.

The Royals Parade

As stated above each of the Royals can be used to a given effect. These effects are listed below. Royals (Except the King of Hearts and in one case the Ace of Spades) cannot be played as part of a set. Royals (Except for the Ace of Clubs) must be played during your turn.

Ace of Spades: Steal another player's set and place it on your field, you now own this set and collect points for it at the end of the game. May also be played with the King of Hearts as a set worth 100 points.

Ace of Clubs: Played as another player plays a set. Instead of going to that player's field, the set is put into the discard pile. That player cannot collect points for that set.

Ace of Hearts: Search the library for any card and put it into your hand.

Ace of Diamonds: Retrieve a card from the discard pile and put it into your hand.

King of Spades: May play additional cards on to a set that has already been played.

King of Clubs: One set is only worth half the points that would normally be collected from it.

King of Hearts: Wild Card...and may be played with the Ace of Spades as a set worth 100 points.

King of Diamonds: One set is worth twice as many points than would normally be collected from it.

Queen of Spades: Two Players each exchange a card at random from their hand.

Queen of Clubs: You choose a card from your hand and give it to another player, they choose a card at random from their hand and give it to you.

Queen of Hearts: Two players exchange cards from their hand of their choice with each other. Eac player may see the other's hand.

Queen of Diamonds: Two players exchange hands with each other.

Jack of Spades: Draw two cards from the top of the library.

Jack of Clubs: Draw two cards from the bottom of the library.

Jack of Hearts: Draw two cards from the stable.

Jack of Diamonds: Draw two cards randomly from anywhere in the library.

Sets

As stated previously, each set is worth a given number of points. Listed below are the sets allowed in Six Card Parade and the number of points that each set is worth.

Pair: 5 points

3 of a Kind: 15 Points

Two Pair: 15 Points

Unique Two Pair: 25 Points

3 Pair: 25 Points

4 of a Kind: 30 Points

5 of a Kind: 40 Points

Straight: 25 Points

Suited Straight: 35 Points

Unique Straight: 50 Points

Ace of Spades & King of Hearts: 100 Points

*Unique sets consist of one card from each suit. Suited sets consist entirely of cards from the same suit.

The End of the Game

When the last card is drawn from the library during the turn of a player the game enters it's end phase. Following the turn in which the last card was drawn each player takes a final turn. After that last player has taken their final turn, each player tallies the points that their sets grant them. The player with the most points wins.