Discussion September 2009 - 1000 Blank White Cards

This month, we're going to do an analog game - 1000 Blank White Cards (or 1KBWC). 

This is a public domain game that you can try out for the low cost of a pack of blank index cards (or any other cards that are blank on at least one side that a library might happen to have thousands of just lying around...) and some markers.

Give each player 15 cards or so, and ask them to make cards for the game.  Cards should have a name, a picture, and then, optionally, an effect.  These effects can be things that players have seen in other games, or they can be creative.  For example, cards could be worth 10 points, could make someone miss a turn, could be used in combination with another card, could cancel someone's play, could make someone draw cards, etc.  Cards can also change the rules of play - change directions, add or remove a goal to win the game, make people trade hands, or other zany effects.  You can put on limits, such as the most number of points the card can affect or not allow new goal cards.

Then, shuffle in another 5 blank cards per player and deal everyone a hand of 5 cards.  On your turn, you play a card, then draw your hand back up to 5 cards.  Players with a blank card may create a new card when one is needed, although it is usually bad form to create a goal card once the game has started.  Play goes until all cards are played, or until a goal is reached.

Then, you keep the deck, and for the next game, give everyone 5 blank cards and then add another 10 cards per player from the existing deck.  This deck can live on between library programs, although it may need a good weeding every so often.

More about this game can be found at http://1kbwc.gemini6ice.com/

Try it out, and talk about what happened here!