The Basic Game
Description:
The Pairs deck contains 55 cards numbered 1 to 10. Each card appears a number of times equal to its rank. In other words, there is one card numbered 1, two cards numbered 2, and so on, up to ten cards numbered 10. You can easily build your own, using the cards from three poker decks.
To begin each round, deal each player one card face up. The lowest card will go first.
On your turn, you must decide whether to take a card, or to fold. If you take a card, you are hoping not to get a pair. If you don’t, you are safe. If you do get a pair, you lose the round, and you must keep one of those cards for points (points are bad). So for example, if you get a pair of 8s, you keep one of those 8 cards.
If you fold, you also gets you points, but you can take the lowest card on the table. This is often better than drawing to a hand of high cards.
The game has just one loser, which is the first player to reach a target score. For example, with four players, the losing score is 16. The loser must pay some kind of penalty, like telling a joke or making a silly noise. And then you can shuffle up and play again.
A push-your-luck pub game. Play many different games using the same cards.
Description:
Pairs is a “New Classic Pub Game” designed by James Ernest and Paul Peterson. It’s a simple press-your luck card game with no winner, just one loser. The deck is 55 cards, numbered 1 through 10, with 1×1, 2×2, 3×3, and so on up to 10×10. It’s simple, fast, and fun. The Shallow Ones deck contains cartoons of various adorable little Cthulhu monsters, illustrated by cartoonist John Kovalic (Munchkin, Apples to Apples). The deck also contains the rules to Monster, a gambling game for 4 to 8 players.
Monster is a gambling game in which the best hand must defeat the Monster, a hand made from everyone's discards.
--description from the publisher
Pairs: The Princess and Mr. Whiffle
Description:
Pairs is a “New Classic Pub Game” designed by James Ernest and Paul Peterson. It’s a simple press-your luck card game with no winner, just one loser. The deck is 55 cards, numbered 1 through 10, with 1×1, 2×2, 3×3, and so on up to 10×10. It’s simple, fast, and fun. “The Princess and Mr. Whiffle” is a book that looks like a children’s book, but certainly isn’t, created by Patrick Rothfuss and Nate Taylor. This deck contains some spooky kid’s book illustrations by fantasy artist Nate Taylor.
It also contains the rules for “Kitty,” a simple bidding game for four players with variations for 3 to 6 players.
--description from the publisher
Pairs: The Name of the Wind - Faen Deck
Description:
Pairs is a "New Classic Pub Game" designed by James Ernest and Paul Peterson. It's a simple press-your luck card game with no winner, just one loser. The deck is 55 cards, numbered 1 through 10, with 1x1, 2x2, 3x3, and so on up to 10x10. It's simple, fast, and fun. The Faen Deck is based on "The Name of the Wind," by fantasy author Patrick Rothfuss, and contains many characters from that universe, illustrated by fantasy artist Nate Taylor. The deck also contains the rules for a bonus game, Hawthorn, a strategic Pairs variant for 2 to 6 players.
Hawthorn plays a little like Pairs, but with a hand of cards. Players take turns playing cards from their hand, and taking cards from the deck, in an effort to last the longest without drawing a pair. Also, rather than paying the penalty in points, players keep score with chips.
--description from the publisher
Pairs: The Name of the Wind - Commonwealth Deck
Description:
Pairs is a "New Classic Pub Game" designed by James Ernest and Paul Peterson. It's a simple press-your luck card game with no winner, just one loser. The deck is 55 cards, numbered 1 through 10, with 1x1, 2x2, 3x3, and so on up to 10x10. It's simple, fast, and fun. The Commonwealth Deck is based on Patrick Rothfuss' "Name of the Wind" book series, and contains archetypes from that world illustrated by Shane Tyree.
The deck also contains the rules for the variant game "Sweep," a bidding game for 3 to 6 players. Sweep is a bidding game similar to Kitty in which players play cards from their hands to pick up cards from the table. The goal is to collect the most cards in every rank.
--description from the publisher
| Time to play: | # of players: | Recommended Age: |
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| 15 minutes | 2 to 8 | Not provided |
| Complexity: | Player Dynamic | Skill: |
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| 1.14 / 5 | Light Competition, Single Loser | Card Game, Risk Taking |
Community Building
Please refer to the books and articles listed on the Board Game: Home page for general readings regarding board game play and psychology.
Link to the Library Catalog
Stop by the library to check this game out!
Library hours can be found no the library website
