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Ludic (2-card)
Players: 3-5 (3 optimal)
Equipment: 1 deck, a coin or other token, pencil, paper
Object: To guess the dealer's secret rule first, or, as dealer, to devise a secret rule that vexes the other players without frustrating them.
Summary: Each round, the dealer, known as the Vexer, deals out two groups of cards, known as sets. The Vexer writes down a rule which one set obeys and the other set breaks. The other players, known as Seekers, attempt to discover this rule by building their own sets, using these to gain more information and/or an opportunity to guess the rule. If a Seeker guesses the rule correctly, he or she become the Vexer for the next round, and the current Vexer scores points based on the number of sets in play. If none of the players can guess the rule, the Vexer scores no points, and whomever possesses the token becomes the new Vexer. When one player reaches 15 points and then becomes Vexer again, he or she wins the game.
Setup: Before
play begins, remove the Aces from the deck, and then separate the deck into
two face-down piles: 
/
and 
/
.
Shuffle the / pile,
which is known simply as the deck. Each
player cuts; low card is the initial Vexer. The token is given to the player
to the initial Vexer's immediate left.
The Vexer deals a hand of 4 cards face-down from the deck, to each of the Seekers.
At the beginning
of a round, the Vexer takes the A and
the A and
arranges them as shown in the diagram above, placing the A and
A underneath
them and out of play. The Vexer places the / pile
of cards face down in between the Aces. This will be the hintbook,
as explained below. The
Vexer
deals out a group of two overlapping cards below the black Ace, and then
a similar group below the red Ace. These
will be the initial sets.
After dealing, the Vexer keeps control of the deck until it runs out.
Sets: Sets contain two cards, and building a set from one's hand is the only way that cards may be played. The position of cards in a set is relevant and cannot be altered once played; the two positions are referred to as ‘top’ and ‘bottom’.
Sets are played face-up and oriented away from the Vexer, as shown in the diagram above. The only exceptions are the initial sets, which the Vexer may play facing themselves, re-orienting the sets after the rule has been devised.
Columns: All
sets are played in one of the two columns created by the Aces.
The column created by the A is
known as the 'obey' column, and the column created by the A is
known as the 'break' column. These cards have no other effect on the
game.
Rule: The Vexer now devises and writes down a secret rule. The rule must be obeyed by the initial set in the 'yes' column, and broken by the initial set in the 'no' column. The rule may only refer to the intrinsic identities and relationships of the cards within each set, (i.e., color, rank, numerical value, and position,) and may not refer to external relationships (e.g., the time the set was played, its values relative to other sets, the letters in its name in any particular language, etc.)
In 2-card Ludic, there is no reference to suit, only color. Pip cards have numerical values equal to their ranks. Jacks, Queens and Kings are called face cards, and have numerical values of 11, 12, and 13 respectively. If the two cards are of equal rank, neither can be considered 'lowest' or 'highest'.
Here are a few possible rules, given only the initial sets in the diagram above: The bottom card is black; the top card is red; the top card is even; the bottom card is even; both cards are even; The total is 15 or more; The total is a multiple of 4; the total is not 14; The top card is divisible by the bottom card; A red card outranks a black card; neither card is prime.
Here are a few rules that wouldn't work: The top card is a face card [the 'break' column obeys]; The difference between the cards is 6 [the 'obey' column breaks]; The bottom card is red ['obey' breaks, 'breaks' obeys]; The top card in the 'obey' column is greater than the top card in the 'break' column [external relationship].
Communication: There are three circumstances in which a Vexer or Seeker may speak during a round:
• The Vexer is indicating whether a Seeker's play is correct or incorrect.
• A Seeker is guessing the rule.
• A Seeker's guess is ambiguous, and the Vexer is asking for clarification.
Otherwise, all communication (including speech, body signals, written notes, etc.) is prohibited until after the round ends. If the players all agree, this rule may be relaxed to allow for training (i.e., game-related advice) and/or casual play (i.e., non-game-related chatter).
Play: Play starts to the Vexer’s left and continues counterclockwise, skipping the Vexer.
While there are still cards in the deck, a Seeker's turn comprises one of the three following actions:
• He or she may build a set and give it to the Vexer. This is known as a query. The Vexer plays the set in the appropriate column, and then deals the current Seeker two cards.
• He or she may build a set and play it in either column:
• If the Seeker is incorrect, the Seeker moves the set to the correct column, and receives no cards.
• If the Seeker is correct, the Vexer deals the Seeker two cards. The Seeker must either guess the rule promptly or pass:
• If the Seeker’s guess is incorrect, the Vexer must provide a hint, as defined below.
• If the Seeker’s guess is correct, the round ends and the Seeker is now the new Vexer.
• If the Seeker has fewer than 4 cards, he or she may pass and draw two cards.
Guesses: A guess is correct when it is isomorphic (i.e., logically equivalent) to the rule. It may or may not be worded in a similar way.
Hintbook: The hintbook is the
Hint: A hint is a set that proves a Seeker’s guess wrong; i.e., a set that either obeys the guessed rule but breaks the Vexer's rule, or a set that breaks the guessed rule but obeys the Vexer's rule. If one or more hints are present and visible in either column, the Vexer simply points to one and the current Seeker’s turn ends.
If not, the Vexer builds a hint from the hintbook and hands it face-down to the current Seeker. If a hint cannot be built from the cards currently in the hintbook, the Vexer may write it on a slip of paper; the Vexer must be careful to label the positions of the cards, and each card may be used only once per hint. If building a hint proves impossible, the guess must be logically equivalent to the rule and hence correct.
Hints should be kept separate and on the table in front of the Seeker; it may be helpful to keep hints that obey the rule on the Seeker's left, and hints that break the rule on the Seeker's right. Hints made from the hintbook are strictly informational, may never be played to a column, do not count as part of the Seeker's hand, and may be looked at by their owner at any time.
Maximum Size: There can be a maximum of 5 sets in either column at any time. When a set is correctly placed in a column that already contains 5 sets, the Vexer must flip a set in that column face-down, placing the new set on top. The initial set may not be flipped. So long as a set is covered by another set, it is out of play and may not be looked at.
After the deck has been exhausted, queries are no longer allowed, and all sets must be played to a column:
• If the Seeker is incorrect, he or she places the set in the correct column, and the turn ends.
• If the Seeker is correct, he or she may now guess, as per above.
If a Seeker has no cards remaining but other Seekers do, his or her turn is skipped.
If all Seekers have no cards, then each Seeker, in turn, may either guess or pass:
• If the guess is correct, the round ends and the Seeker is the new Vexer.
• If the guess is incorrect, or if the Seeker passes, the Vexer must flip one set in each column face-down. The Vexer then provides a hint to the current Seeker, and the Seeker's turn ends.
If an initial set is flipped, however, the round immediately ends. The Vexer reveals the rule and flips up all face-down sets for inspection. The player who possesses the token becomes the new Vexer, and gives the token to the player to his or her immediate left.
Scoring: Seekers score no points. The Vexer scores points equal to the number of face-up sets in play. The maximum possible score is thus 10. However, the Vexer scores 0 points if any of the following occur:
1) One of the initial sets is flipped.
2) At the end of the round, one of the columns contains nothing, either face-up or face-down, other than its initial set.
3) At the end of the round, the rule is found to be ambiguous, not logically identical to the final guess, contradicted by an existing set or hint, or otherwise illegal.
Winning: When a player scores 15 points (11 for a short game,) he or she becomes ludic. A ludic player who becomes Vexer again wins.
1) Play does not require an authority figure.
2) Play does not require any specialized equipment.
3) Play must always be voluntary.
4) The primary interest of the Vexer is to devise a rule that is challenging, feasible, and satisfying to discover; the primary interest of a Seeker is to discover this rule as quickly as possible. These interests should not be overshadowed by insular strategies or talents.
5) Play should not drag unduly.
by Jesse Fuchs
