Five-Card Trick

Final Match 1: Five Card Trick

In this game, players must aim to collect more chips than their opponent across 25 rounds.

Each round, players will select 2 of 5 action cards. Each action card has a different effect.

The action cards are as follows:

After both players have privately submitted their 2 action cards, they are revealed.

Unlike in the original game, you may choose to submit the same action card twice in a round.

If both players play exactly one copy of the same action card, those action cards do not resolve.

Those action cards that been played with a majority by 1 player resolve. (either 1v0 or 2v1 or 2v0)

In the case of 2v0, the action still only resolves once.

Their effects are as follows:

Score - Gain 1 Chip.

Grow - Add 1 Chip to the Pot.

Claim - Claim all the Chips from the Pot.

Block - Choose an action card. If your opponent uses that action card next round, its effect is negated.

Steal - If the other player claims, you gain the chips from the Pot instead.

The Pot starts at 1 Chip. Every time the Pot is emptied, 1 Chip is added to start the next Pot.

If you use Block, you must name the action card you wish to block in your submission.

Grow happens before Claim, so the added chip can be claimed in the same round.

There are some limits to the action cards players may submit:

You may not select the same action card 3 rounds in a row.

You may not select the same 2 action cards 2 rounds in a row.

If you select the same action card twice in a round, you may not use that action card for the next round.

In addition to this, there is one other way to gain chips. Once you play a card, it’s corresponding light will turn on. Once all 5 lights are turned on, you gain 1 chip and the lights are turned off. Each player has their own set of lights. If a submitted action card doesn’t resolve, its light still turns on.

Players have 90 seconds to submit an action each round.

The player with more chips after 25 rounds wins the DeathMatch. If players have an equal number of chips, 5 more rounds are played. Whoever has more chips after the 5 round extension wins. The 5 round extension repeats until either a player has more chips and is declared the winner, or after 50 rounds have been played. If it is still a tie after 50 rounds, the player who has more items specific to this game is declared the winner.

Final Game Items:

Overload:

Using this item during your submission allows you to play 3 cards in a round instead of 2.

All 3 cards may not be the same, but 2 of them may be.

It is not revealed when you used this item until the results of the round.

All of the normal restrictions apply to each selection of 2 of the cards.

Claim Priority:

If you and your opponent tie for the Claim action card, and your opponent didn’t resolve the steal action, you may use this item to take the Pot.

Use this after the results, but before the next round ends.

The scores will be updated and the timer for the next round will reset.

Limit Reset:

You ignore any restrictions you would have for placing action cards this round.

Next round your only restrictions are based on what you played this round.

It is not revealed when you used this item until the results of the round.

Item Results

Penzo Receives Overload

Jkitty Receives Claim Priority

Jkitty Receives Limit Reset

FIVE-CARD TRICK

Use five actions effectively to gain more chips than the opponent.

This game appeared in Zero's Gauntlet as Death Match 2, hosted by Zero.

GAME RULES

⚙️ Setup and terminology

The game uses five actions: Score, Grow, Claim, Steal, and Block. Both players have access to all these actions. An action might be blocked in a round.

Each player has five lights, corresponding to the five actions. Throughout the game, lights will be turned on and off. At the beginning of the game, all lights are off.

The game also uses chips to count the score, and a pot that contains unclaimed chips. At the beginning of the game, neither player has any chip, and the pot contains 1 chip. There is no way for players to lose chips.

The game is divided into 25 rounds. In case of a tie, the game is extended; look at the heading about winning below.

🧠 In a round

In each round, players submit moves at the same time.

Your move consists of up to two different actions among the five actions. There are two rules to make sure you cannot keep choosing the same thing:

• You may not choose the same action three rounds in a row.
• You may not choose the same two actions two rounds in a row. (If you didn't submit a full two actions the previous round, you can choose anything this round.)

In addition, if you decide to take the Block action, you also need to specify which action you're blocking, which is also among the five actions.

Once both players have decided their actions, they are revealed and resolved.

An action is cancelled if either of these applies:

• The action is also submitted by the opponent. (The opponent will also cancel this same action.)
• The action is blocked by the opponent for this round. (Note that it's allowed to submit a blocked action.)

Otherwise, the action resolves:

- Score. Gain 1 chip. This is awarded directly, not taken from the pot.

- Grow. Add 1 chip into the pot. Grow takes place before Claim and Steal.

- Claim. Take all chips from the pot; cancelled if the opponent plays a (non-cancelled) Steal.

- Steal. Take all chips from the pot; cancelled if the opponent does not play a (non-cancelled) Claim.

- Block. The named action is blocked for the opponent for the next round.

In addition, the lights for the actions you chose (whether cancelled or not) are turned on. If they are already on, nothing happens.

At the end of the round, two things happen.

• If a player has all five lights on, they gain 1 chip and their lights are turned off. (The opponent's lights are unaffected.)
• If the pot is now empty (because there was a successful Claim or Steal), the pot gets 1 chip.

💎 Winning

At the end of 25 rounds, the player with more chips wins.

In case of a tie, there is a game extension by 5 rounds. At the end of these 5 rounds, the player with more chips wins. If there is still a tie, the game is extended again by 5 rounds, and so on until the game reaches 50 rounds. If there is still a tie at the end of Round 50, the player that last claimed the pot (by Claim or Steal) wins.

ADMINISTRATION

🏷️ Writing your move

Your move must consist of your actions. You can choose to submit up to two actions. A Block action must be accompanied by which action you're blocking, otherwise it's disregarded. If you attempt to submit an action for the third turn in a row, it's disregarded. If you attempt to submit the same two actions for the second turn in a row, both are disregarded.

👁️ Available information

There is no hidden information other than the submissions. All information is public. But you should make your moves in your private submissions channel.

After each round, the current state of the game is posted: the actions submitted, the results of the actions, the current lights, the current chip counts, and the current pot size. Look at the examples in the clarifications section below to see how an update looks like.

⌛ Timing

You have the standard time controls. You have 1 minute per move. If you miss your move, you are treated as submitting no action.

CLARIFICATIONS

📌 Examples

The following is the start of an example game between Black and White.

In the first round, Black plays Score and Grow; White plays Score and Steal.

• The Score actions cancel.
• Black grows the pot by 1, to 2 chips.
• White attempts to steal, but the pot is not being claimed, so the steal attempt fails.

Both players remain at no chip. The pot is currently at 2 chips.

In the second round, Black plays Score and Steal; White plays Claim and Block (blocking Claim).

• Black scores 1 chip from Score.
• White attempts to claim the pot, but Black steals it for 2 chips.
• White blocks the Claim action for Black next round.

Black has 3 chips. The pot is empty after being claimed, so it gets replenished into 1 chip.

In the third round, Black attempts to play Score and Claim; White plays Grow and Claim.

• Black attempts to play Score for the third turn in a row, so it is completely disregarded.
• White grows the pot by 1, to 2 chips.
• Black's Claim is blocked. But it can still cancel White's Claim by collision, and it still turns on the light.
• White has turned on all the lights and so gets 1 chip. White's lights are turned off.

Black has 3 chips, White has 1 chip. The pot is at 2 chips.

In the fourth round, Black plays Score and Claim; White plays Grow and Block (blocking Score).

• The previous Score by Black is completely disregarded; it's as if Black didn't play Score at all (look at the previous actions section at the top). So Black's Score takes place, and Black's Score/Claim combo is not repeating the previous round.
• White grows the pot by 1, to 3 chips.
• Black claims the pot for 3 chips.
• White blocks the Score action for Black next round. Note that the block is for the next round, not this round.

Black has 7 chips, White has 1 chip. The pot is replenished to 1 chip.

📌 Rule change: Canceled Claims and Steals

A Claim is successful if the opponent does not play a non-canceled Steal. Likewise, a Steal is successful if the opponent does play a non-canceled Claim. (This is a change from the previous ruling where the opponent's Steal/Claim doesn't have to be non-canceled.)

For example, I play Claim and Steal, and you play Steal and something else (say Block). The Steal actions collide and cancel each other, so my Claim is successful.

You approach the tomb of Nefrekeptah, and are pretty convinced this will be an in-and-out job. These musings are quickly dispelled, however, as your first steps become your only steps. Your legs begin to sink into the sands until only your upper bodies remain above ground. The Ka of Nefrekeptah appears at the other side of the room, and it’s clear that he’s been expecting the two of you for a long, long time.

In Setna’s Curse, each player will have access to five different abilities: Score, Raise, Claim, Steal, and Block. Players will utilize these abilities (with some restrictions) to outwit their opponent in order to collect as many Gems as possible across 25 rounds.

Each player will also have five torches, one for each ability. All torches start the game extinguished.

In each round, players submit their moves at the same time in their private submissions channels. A move consists of up to two different abilities from the list of five. Once both players have submitted their moves, they are revealed and resolved.

Abilities can be canceled if either of the following occur:

• The ability is also submitted by the opponent. The opponent’s ability will be canceled as well.
• The ability is blocked by the opponent for this round. Note that you may still submit blocked abilities.

There are also two hard restrictions to prevent players from repeatedly using the same abilities:

• You may not choose the same ability three rounds in a row.
• You may not choose the same two abilities two rounds in a row. If you did not submit two abilities last round, this restriction does not apply.

If a submission violates either of these hard restrictions, it will be processed as if the violating ability/abilities were not submitted.

The five abilities are:

• Score: Gain 1 Gem. This Gem is awarded directly, not taken from the pot.
• Raise: Add 1 Gem to the pot. Occurs before Claim and Steal are resolved.
• Claim: Take all Gems from the pot. Canceled if the opponent plays a (non-canceled) Steal.
• Steal: Take all Gems from the pot. Canceled if the opponent does not play a (non-canceled) Claim.

-Block: When choosing this ability, name any of the 5 abilities. This ability is blocked for the opponent for the next round.

Additionally, when a player chooses abilities, their corresponding torches will be lit, even if the abilities were canceled. If an already lit torch is lit again, nothing happens.

At the end of each round, three things happen:

• If a player has lit all five of their torches, they will all be extinguished, and the player will be awarded 1 Gem.
• If the pot is empty (due to a successful Claim or Steal), 1 Gem will be added to it.
• The current game state will be posted (submitted actions for the last round, current torch and Gem statuses, pot size, etc.)

After 25 rounds, the player with more Gems will win the Death Match and be awarded the Book of Thoth. The other player will sink into the sands of the tomb, and be eliminated from the game.

If, after 25 rounds, the game is tied, the game will be extended for 5 rounds. The player with more Gems at the end of the extension will be declared the winner. The 5 round extension will repeat until either a winner is decided, or 40 rounds have elapsed. If at the end of the 40th round, the game is still tied, the Death Match Opponent will be declared the winner.

You will have one minute to make each of your moves, with no reserve time. If you run out of time on your turn, you will submit zero abilities.

The following is the start of an example game between Grunkle and Shaun.

In the first round, Grunkle plays Score and Raise; Shaun plays Score and Steal.

• The Score abilities cancel.
• Grunkle Raises the pot by 1, bringing it up to 2 Gems.
• Shaun attempts to Steal, but the pot is not being claimed, so the Steal attempt fails.

Both players remain at 0 Gems. The pot is currently at 2 Gems.

In the second round, Grunkle plays Score and Steal; Shaun plays Claim and Block (blocking Claim).

• Grunkle Scores 1 Gem from Score.
• Shaun attempts to Claim the pot, but Grunkle Steals it for 2 Gems.
• Shaun Blocks the Claim ability for Grunkle next round.

Grunkle has 3 Gems. The pot is empty after being claimed, so it gets replenished to 1 Gem.

In the third round, Grunkle attempts to play Score and Claim; Shaun plays Raise and Claim.

• Grunkle attempts to play Score for the third turn in a row, so it is completely disregarded.
• Shaun Raises the pot by 1, bringing it up to 2 Gems.
• Grunkle's Claim is blocked. But it can still cancel Shaun's Claim by collision, and it still lights his Claim torch.
• Shaun has lit all of his torches and so gets 1 Gem. Shaun's torches are extinguished.

Grunkle has 3 Gems, Shaun has 1 Gem. The pot is at 2 Gems.

In the fourth round, Grunkle plays Score and Claim; Shaun plays Raise and Block (blocking Score).

• The previous Score by Grunkle is completely disregarded; it's as if Grunkle didn't play Score at all (look at the previous actions section at the top). So Grunkle's Score takes place, and Grunkle's Score/Claim combo is not repeating the previous round.
• Shaun Raises the pot by 1, bringing it up to 3 Gems.
• Grunkle Claims the pot for 3 Gems.
• Shaun Blocks the Score action for Grunkle next round. Note that the Block is for the next round, not this round.

Grunkle has 7 Gems, Shaun has 1 Gem. The pot is replenished to 1 Gem.

For ease and quickness of updating, the "Previous Actions" boxes will be permanently labeled as "R-2" and "R-1" to make my life less painful.

Death Match 12: Five Card Trick

Use five actions effectively to gain more chips than the opponent.

This game appeared in Zero's Gauntlet as Death Match 2, hosted by Zero.

GAME RULES

Setup and terminology

The game uses five actions: Score, Grow, Claim, Steal, and Block. Both players have access to all these actions. An action might be blocked in a round.

Each player has five lights, corresponding to the five actions. Throughout the game, lights will be turned on and off. At the beginning of the game, all lights are off.

The game also uses chips to count the score, and a pot that contains unclaimed chips. At the beginning of the game, neither player has any chip, and the pot contains 1 chip. There is no way for players to lose chips.

The game is divided into 25 rounds. In case of a tie, the game is extended; look at the heading about winning below.

In a round

In each round, players submit moves at the same time.

Your move consists of up to two different actions among the five actions. There are two rules to make sure you cannot keep choosing the same thing:

• You may not choose the same action three rounds in a row.
• You may not choose the same two actions two rounds in a row. (If you didn't submit a full two actions the previous round, this restriction does not apply.)

In addition, if you decide to take the Block action, you also need to specify which action you're blocking, which is also among the five actions.

Once both players have decided their actions, they are revealed and resolved.

An action is canceled if either of these applies:

• The action is also submitted by the opponent. (The opponent will also cancel this same action.)
• The action is blocked by the opponent for this round. (Note that it's allowed to submit a blocked action.)

Otherwise, the action resolves:

• Score. Gain 1 chip. This is awarded directly, not taken from the pot.
• Grow. Add 1 chip into the pot. Grow takes place before Claim and Steal.
• Claim. Take all chips from the pot; canceled if the opponent plays a (non-canceled) Steal.
• Steal. Take all chips from the pot; canceled if the opponent does not play a (non-canceled) Claim.
• Block. The named action is blocked for the opponent for the next round.

In addition, the lights for the actions you chose are turned on. If they are already on, nothing happens. A disregarded action (due to an invalid submission) does not turn on the light, but a blocked or canceled action does.

At the end of the round, two things happen.

• If a player has all five lights on, they gain 1 chip and their lights are turned off. (The opponent's lights are unaffected.)
• If the pot is now empty (because there was a successful Claim or Steal), the pot gets 1 chip.

Endgame

At the end of 25 rounds, the player with more chips wins.

In case of a tie, there is a game extension by 5 rounds. At the end of these 5 rounds, the player with more chips wins. If there is still a tie, the game is extended by another five rounds, and so on, until 40 rounds have passed. If the game is still tied after 40 rounds, then the DMO is the winner of the DM.

ADMINISTRATION

Submissions

Submissions should be made in your private channel. Submit up to two actions. If you submit a block action, submit along with it which action you're blocking, otherwise the block action is disregarded. If you submit the same action a third turn in a row, it is disregarded; if you submit the same pair of actions for the second turn in a row, both actions are disregarded.

Available information

With the exception of the ongoing round's actions from each player, all information in this DM is public. After every round, the current gamestate is posted, including actions submitted, results, current lights, chip counts, and pot size.

Timing

You have 1 minute for each turn. If you exceed this, you submit no action. You may change your submission up to the deadline.

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Clarification: If your Block is cancelled for whatever reason, your opponent will not know what you attempted to Block.