Last night, whilst enduring an evening of cut-throat card-playing amongst a group of sharps whose competitive instincts restore one's faith in Darwinism, I was reminded of just why I like solitaire. No aggression, no retributions, no stress, just cards. However, a hermitically sealed evening of solitaire is not too conducive to the fun and frivolity that genial company can offer.
My compromise: a modified version of solitaire, designed for multiple players cooperating towards a common goal. Although a little fuzzy on the details, I imagine it to be more complex than simple solitaire, with multiple "hands" of cards, and a great deal of information sharing and cooperation required to achieve a solution. Everyone gets a good mental woik-out and, without the braggadocio of victory or the stigma of defeat.
There would also, I imagine, be potential for internet versions of this, given the preponderance of solitaire screens I see in my woikplace.-- whimsickle, Feb 19 2003 Two handed solitaire http://www.pcgamewo...details.php/id/691/Shareware computer game [half, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004] Jenga http://www.centralc...om/GAMES/jenga.htmlAn amusing game [8th of 7, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004] Chivalry and Sorcery http://www.britgamedesigns.co.uk/An example of a role-playing game. [Aristotle, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004] Halma http://www.tradgame....uk/games/Halma.htmA competitive game that can be played co-operatively. [Ludwig, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004] [half] My understanding is that two handed solitaire is a competitive game.-- whimsickle, Feb 19 2003 Team-building card houses is good - like Jenga in reverse.-- 8th of 7, Feb 19 2003 Gaming that collaborative, complex and involved sounds to me like a role-playing game.-- Aristotle, Feb 19 2003 Excellent idea [whim]. Croissant.-- snarfyguy, Feb 19 2003 Many years ago I was taught Nerts - basically each player has their own pack of cards and plays a modified solitaire with them, taking a few cards out to make their Nerts pile. All aces go into the middle, and anybody can build on anything that's in the middle. The first player to get rid of their Nerts pile shouts "Nerts" and wins that round.
It should be noted that (a) this game needs to be played on a large and sturdy table, and (b) it's not really that relaxing!-- PeterSilly, Feb 19 2003 [whimsickle]: true, it is competitive.
I find that anyone who stands over my shoulder while I'm playing solitaire sees plays that I miss. Perhaps just electronically sharing the game you are playing (streamed to a website?) and accepting incoming instant messages/chat could achieve your goal of a cooperative venture.-- half, Feb 19 2003 "Dawinism"?-- XSarenkaX, Feb 19 2003 Ahem. Yes - Chales Dawin, 19th C Natualist. Corrected.-- whimsickle, Feb 20 2003 All your base r belong to us.-- thumbwax, Feb 20 2003 I love co-operative games and there are never enough of them so + for you. Maybe it could work a bit like a modified Halma (see link); all players are trying to reunite a royal family starting with only one member each. Everyone uses each other's peons freely.-- Ludwig, Feb 20 2003 DaRwin - Ahh, now I understand. ;)
I think something like this game just kinda happens when people are together and both become interested in what one person is playing. I am frequently assisted by my fiance with word games and other online games when he wanders over to my area in the computer room at home, to see what I'm up to. The other day we completed a crossword together.
Making duplitaire an official game, though, might be a fun way to team up with others online, as well, to work toward a common goal. +-- XSarenkaX, Feb 20 2003 I'm sorry but to my mind the whole point of playing a game with someone else is that it is a competition. Take the competition away and it becomes meaningless. Sorry, just the way I am I guess - but to me it would be like playing football with only one goal.-- goff, Feb 20 2003 [XSX] - that's the idea. Maybe a duplitaire crossword would involve each person only having partial clues.
[goff] - football with only one goal... Intriguing. If you could make it sufficiently difficult (moving goalposts/ blindfolded players/ one touch only...) it might just work!-- whimsickle, Feb 20 2003 Football is a competitive team sport. We're turning Solitaire into a two-person effort here. It's still competitive, but you have two heads working together to beat, I dunno, luck or something, right [whimsickle]?-- XSarenkaX, Feb 20 2003 Ahem, I repeat. No-one "wins". If you score a goal/ get the cards out then everyone feels warm and fuzzy. If not, you try again.
Insofar as you are competing against anything, then, yes, it is luck/ the world.-- whimsickle, Feb 20 2003 The idea here is that you compete, but not against the other player. You both compete together to defeat the game. I like the idea.-- snarfyguy, Feb 20 2003 I thought Blackjack = Pontoon = 21s...
Maybe that is why I always seem to lose.-- whimsickle, Feb 20 2003 random, halfbakery