Thricewise
Thricewise Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
About the Decktet
The Decktet is a collection of cards with suits, ranks, and named images. It is the kind of tarot deck they use in the alternate universe where Charlemagne was a badger, if you can imagine such a thing.
The Basic Deck contains 36 cards in ten ranks. There is one Ace and one Crown for each of six suits. There are also numbered ranks 2 through 9; each number card has two suits per card, making three cards of each rank. The 3s, for example, are the Journey (AcC), the Painter (BfF), and the Savage (DeE).
The Extended Deck adds the Excuse (a card with no rank and no suit), three-suited Pawns, and three-suited Courts. These are a bit like the Jokers in a mundane deck of cards. They aren't used in games unless the rules specifically say otherwise.
Suits
- Moons
- Suns
- Waves
- Leaves
- Wyrms
- Knots
Ranks
- Aces
- 2-9: number ranks
- Pawns
- Courts
- Crowns
Game Setup
Deal three cards to each player. If there are 2 or 4 players, deal four cards face up to form a 2x2 grid; if there are 3 or 5 players, deal six cards face up to form a 2x3 grid.
Game Play
At the beginning of each turn, players each select one card from their hand and place it face down in front of them. Once everyone has made a selection, cards are revealed.
Provided all the cards are of different ranks, players may place their cards in order of increasing rank. A player with an Ace would go first, then a player with a 2, and so on; a player with a Crown would place last.
If two or more players play cards of the same rank, their cards are deferred. Leave deferred cards face up on the table; they may be placed during a later turn. If your card this turn is deferred and you have deferred cards left over from previous turns, they all remain deferred until you get a normal play. Any players who have cards that are not deferred play normally, lowest rank first.
When adding a card to the tableau, place it adjacent to any card in the grid (orthogonally or diagonally). Cards may not be played on top of other cards.
Scoring
If you play a card that makes three in a row (either orthogonally or diagonally) then you score points. The three cards may be a flush (three cards that share a suit symbol), a set (three cards of the same rank), or a straight (three cards in rank order). You may score multiple times with one card if it makes threesomes in different directions or of different kinds.
The cards for a straight must be in order. For example: 5-6-7 is a straight, but 5-7-6 is not.
Each trio is worth the rank of the lowest number card of the three: as few as 2 or as many as 9 points.
A and Crown are not numbers, and Aces and Crowns do not effect [sic: affect] to scoring. A set of three Crowns or three Aces is not worth any points, but a straight A-2-3 is worth 2 points.
Hitting the Edge
If the grid of cards is already six cards wide, then cards may not be played to make it any wider. Similarly, if the grid is six cards tall, then cards may not be played to make it taller. Until the grid reaches six cards in a direction, cards may be played to extend it on either side. As a result, the starting cards may ultimately be anywhere in the grid: in the center, on a side, or in a corner.
Deferred Cards
If players have deferred cards on the table and are able to play in a later turn, they play the deferred cards along with their new card. Although only the new card determines when they are allowed to play, they may play the new card and deferred cards in any order they please.
If players do not get a chance to play their deferred cards before the game ends, then the cards are simply set aside.
Drawing Cards
After everyone has played their card — or set it aside because it was deferred — each player draws a card. After the deck is depleted or if there are not enough cards left for everyone to get one, then nobody draws. But keep playing until players empty their hands.
Game End
The game ends after the turn in which players play the last cards from their hands. If players have deferred cards in the final turns or if the cards do not deal out evenly, then there will be gaps left in the tableau at the end.
Example
You play the 5eEfF with the other cards as shown. You score 4 for the eE flush, 4 for the fF flush, and 5 for the set of 5s; a total of 13 points. Note that both flushes use the same cards (the 4-5-8) but they make flushes in two suits.