Bleven

Bleven (from Middle English: beleven, meaning "to believe") is a strategic card game for two or four players (in teams), played with a French deck of 40 cards (the 8s, 9s, and 10s are excluded; or J, Q and K can be replaced by these). White stones (1 point) and black stones (5 points) are used for bidding. Definitions: The field is the set of three cards held by each player. The showroom is the set of discarded cards from each player, placed face up. A trick is a pair of cards faced off during the trick phase. A crown is a unit of victory equivalent to 300 stones. The declarer (D) is the player who initiates the active bid and the trick prediction. The reviewer (R) is the opponent to the left of the declarer, responsible for responding to bids and predictions. If the reviewer renounces, the opponent to the right of the declarer becomes the new reviewer. Card values: J, Q and K are worth 8, 9 and 10 respectively (only if you want to play with those cards instead of the 8s, 9s and 10s). Ace is worth 1. Other cards retain their nominal value. Initial distribution: The dealer and cutter are chosen randomly. The cutter starts the round. Each player receives three cards, forming their initial field. The remaining deck is placed as the draw pile. At the end of a round (either due to a player's victory or a draw), the role of cutter automatically passes to the player on the left to begin preparing for the next round. Game structure: The cutter begins first and then they alternate. The round is organized into three sequential phases: Preparation, Bidding, and Duel. 1. Preparation phase: On your turn, you must draw a card from the deck (moving to have four cards in hand) and then discard a card face up into your showroom, returning to have exactly three cards in your field. This phase is repeated cyclically until the bidding phase is activated by the conditions of the showroom. 2. Bidding phase (bids and predictions): When a player reaches exactly three cards in their showroom, the normal cycle of the preparation phase expands. The player on turn must obligatorily choose between two options: Draw: The player ignores the opportunity to bid and continues with the normal flow of the preparation phase (draws and discards). Declare: The player stops the drawing cycle to assume the role of declarer (D), making a prediction of tricks and a bid of stones. Bidding conditions: 2.1. Trick prediction: The declarer predicts how many tricks they will win in the duel phase (0, 1, 2, or 3), by saying "I bid X to Y tricks". 2.2. Position declaration: The declarer can choose whether to make their prediction Without Position or With Position: Without position: Only predicts the amount of tricks (0, 1, 2, or 3). With position: In addition to the tricks, specifies exactly which tricks they will win chronologically (e.g., "2 tricks in the 1st and the 3rd"). If they predict 0 tricks, they cannot choose position. If they predict 1, 2, or 3 tricks, they can choose up to the same number of positions respectively. 2.3. Bid value: The bid of stones must strictly be a multiple number of 3, with a maximum limit of 30 stones (for example: 3, 6, 9... up to 30). Reviewer options: Upon receiving an «I bid», the opponent must respond with one of the following actions: Ignore: Available solely if the reviewer has fewer than five cards in their showroom. Rejects the bid without penalty and the round continues normally. I believe you: Accepts the prediction of the declarer maintaining the current value of the bid of stones. Finalizes the Bidding Phase and passes to the Duel. I don't believe you: Challenges the prediction of the declarer maintaining the current value of the bid of stones. Finalizes the bidding phase and passes to the duel. I believe you with X more: Accepts the prediction of tricks, but increases the value of the bid of stones (maintaining multiples of 3, maximum 30). The turn of reply returns to the declarer. I don't believe you with X more: Challenges the prediction of tricks, but increases the value of the bid of stones (maintaining multiples of 3, maximum 30). The turn of reply returns to the declarer. Hijack the role (counter-declaration): The reviewer becomes the new declarer by raising the bet or prediction to a strictly higher number of stones or tricks respectively (e.g., if D predicted 1 trick, R takes the role by predicting 2 or 3 tricks; or if D bet 0 stones, R takes the role by betting 3 stones to the same number of tricks). I confirm: Accepts the declared increase. The total bid is updated and proceeds directly to the duel phase. 3. Duel phase: Both players show their cards face up in ascending order (from lowest to highest). The declarer places their lowest card. The checker responds with their lowest card. The winner of the trick leads the next one. In case of a tie, the initiative to open the next trick is maintained by the player who would have had the normal turn in the round. Three tricks are played in total. Scoring and round resolution: At the end of the round, both players calculate the total value in points of the three cards they played during the duel. If the field of a player sums to fewer than 15 points, that player automatically loses the round and the bid stones go to the rival. If neither of the two players reaches 15 points, the round is completely annulled and proceeds to the next one. If the condition of the 15 points is met, the winner of the bid and the stones is calculated using the following matrix: Multiplier matrix: D hits and R believed them: D obtains x2; R obtains x1. D hits and R did not believe them: D obtains x3; R obtains x0. D does not hit and R believed them: D obtains x0; R obtains x1. D does not hit and R did not believe them: D obtains x0; R obtains x3. Additional bonus for trick position: If the declarer makes a prediction with position, they can add additional multipliers to their base value from the matrix under the following rules: The bonus adds +1 to the multiplier for each position declared, as long as the declarer hits each and every one of the positions perfectly along with the total number of tricks. Example: If D declares 2 tricks specifying the 1st and the 3rd trick, and R responds «I do not believe you», the base multiplier of D is x3. If D wins exactly the 1st and the 3rd trick, they fulfill their prediction perfectly and the multiplier of D passes from x3 to x5 (3 + 2). Failure penalty: If the declarer fails even a single one of the declared positions (or the total number of tricks), the bonus is completely annulled. If R had said «I do not believe you», D obtains x0 and R takes the full x3 for having discovered the failure in the prediction. Base score formula: Base score (X) = (Prediction x prediction) + Bidding bet Final score of the round: Final score = X * Multiplier obtained Example: A player declares a bid of 12 stones predicting 2 tricks (I bid 12 to 2 tricks). The base score is (2 * 2) + 12 = 16. If the declarer hits and the reviewer did not believe them, the declarer wins 16 * 3 = 48 stones, and the reviewer obtains 0. End of the game: The game ends when one of the players accumulates the number of crowns agreed at the beginning (1, 2, or 3). The winner is whoever reaches said amount first. —description from the designer