Countermand
noun – an order revoking a previous one.
- Objective: flip all of the cards on the table to show your side facing up
- Required materials: a standard deck of playing cards and a coin/poker chip/etc
- Setup:
- Half of the cards (26 for a full deck) are placed face down on the table, the other half are placed face up
- None of the cards should be touching each other
- The shortest player will go first
- The other player may select which orientation they wish to work towards
- Half of the cards (26 for a full deck) are placed face down on the table, the other half are placed face up
- On a player’s turn:
- Spin the coin
- As long as the coin remains spinning, the player may pick up and flip cards.
- Only one card may be flipped with each hand at any time.
- The coin is deemed to have stopped moving when it is completely still and making no noise.
- If a player is in the act of changing the state of a card when the coin finishes moving, they are penalized by flipping 2 of their cards to their opponents orientation
- Spin the coin
- Winning:
- A player wins when all of the cards on the table are facing in the orientation that they were working towards
playtest for Countermand
tester Aaron
1 turns only last as long as you can spin the coin, size of play area affects play
2 game of risk
3 not at the moment
4 maybe add a 5th row with half the card face up and half face down
5 N/A
6 yes easy to play/interesting concept
Play test for Countermand
Tester: River
Most frustrating moment?
It was really frustrating when the coin stopped abruptly, but you were still touching the cards. This gave your opponent two for their side.
It was also frustrating to try and reach for the furthest cards. This was largely impacted by my physical ability.
Favorite moment?
Aaron forgot the orientation he was playing, so I got some bonus cards that helped me win 😀
Anything you wanted to do but couldn’t?
I did not realize at first that you could use two hands to flip cards.
Magic wand?
Have a set orientation or several orientations to choose from in the beginning so players do not expend brain power trying to figure out how the cards ‘should’ go.
Maybe figure a way to make it more accessible?
How has the experience changed since first play test?
N/A 1st play test
Would you play again?
Yes! This game combined chance and a touch of skill for a really fun experience.