Card Game and Method Therefor

Abstract

A multi-player card game is provided, with the goal being the last one left with a positive health point score. The game employs a deck of cards, including attack cards, where attacking players try to reduce the health point score of attacked players. Defense cards included in the deck allow the attacked player to lower or eliminate the reduction in health point score of an attack card. The player who manages to have the last health point score above zero is the winner.

Claims

1. A method of playing a multi-player card game comprising the steps of: a) utilizing a deck of cards having attack cards having a numerical value for lowering a health point score of another player, defense cards for reducing the numerical value of a said attack card, and health point cards having a numerical value for increasing a current health point score of a player; b) for each of a plurality of players, assigning a respective health point score above zero to each player; c) dealing a hand of five cards to each player from said deck of cards; d) having a player become an attacking player and play one or a plurality of said attack cards against an attacked player chosen by said attacking player, where said numerical value of said attack cards will reduce a respective said health point score of said attacked player; e) allowing said attacked player to counterplay a said defense card for reducing the numerical value of said attack card played by said attacking player to a deduction value; f) reducing said health point score of said attacked player by said deduction value; g) continuing play sequentially, allowing each of said plurality of players to act as a said attacking player against another attacked player chosen thereby; h) continuing to allow each said attacked player to counterplay a said defense card for reducing the numerical value of a said attack card played against them to said deduction value; and i) continuing to reduce said health point score of said attacked players by said deduction value until all but one player has a said health score point score of zero; j) declaring the one player with a said health point score which is above zero, the winner.

2. The method of playing a multi-player card game of claim 1, comprising the additional steps of: allowing players who have health point cards in their hand to play such on their turn and thereby increase their respective health point score by a numerical value of said health point card played.

3. The method of playing a multi-player card game of claim 1, comprising the additional steps of: including blocking cards in said defense cards, said blocking cards acting for an attacked player to block the attack card played against them by an attacking player, thereby reducing said deduction value to zero.

4. The method of playing a multi-player card game of claim 2, comprising the additional steps of: including blocking cards in said defense cards, said blocking cards acting for an attacked player to block the attack card played against them by an attacking player, thereby reducing said deduction value to zero.

5. The method of playing a multi-player card game of claim 1, comprising the additional steps of: including reverse cards in said defense cards, said reverse cards acting for an attacked player to reverse the attack by an attacking player, where said numerical value of said attack card will reduce a respective said health point score of said attacking player.

6. The method of playing a multi-player card game of claim 2, comprising the additional steps of: including reverse cards in said defense cards, said reverse cards acting for an attacked player to reverse the attack by an attacking player, where said numerical value of said attack card will reduce a respective said health point score of said attacking player.

7. The method of playing a multi-player card game of claim 3, comprising the additional steps of: including reverse cards in said defense cards, said reverse cards acting for an attacked player to reverse the attack by an attacking player, where said numerical value of said attack card will reduce a respective said health point score of said attacking player.

8. The method of playing a multi-player card game of claim 4, comprising the additional steps of: including reverse cards in said defense cards, said reverse cards acting for an attacked player to reverse the attack by an attacking player, where said numerical value of said attack card will reduce a respective said health point score of said attacking player.

9. The method of playing a multi-player card game of claim 1, comprising the additional steps of: including a max-up card in said health point cards; allowing players who have a max-up card in their hand to play such on their turn and thereby increase their respective health point score back to twenty.

10. The method of playing a multi-player card game of claim 3, comprising the additional steps of: including a max-up card in said health point cards; allowing players who have a max-up card in their hand to play such on their turn and thereby increase their respective health point score back to twenty.

11. The method of playing a multi-player card game of claim 5, comprising the additional steps of: including a max-up card in said health point cards; allowing players who have a max-up card in their hand to play such on their turn and thereby increase their respective health point score back to twenty.

12. The method of playing a multi-player card game of claim 7, comprising the additional steps of: including a max-up card in said health point cards; allowing players who have a max-up card in their hand to play such on their turn and thereby increase their respective health point score back to twenty.

13. The method of playing a multi-player card game of claim 1, comprising the additional steps of: employing a processor, and a non-transitory, computer-readable medium communicably coupled to the processor and storing software instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform steps a through j; and to depict on one or a plurality of video display screens the current health point scores of players during the game.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING FIGURES

[0042] FIG. 1 shows a front view of the deck of cards provided to the players to play the game, The Last One Standing.

[0043] FIG. 2 shows a front view of an attack card, which is one type of the cards provided in the deck of FIG. 1 in the form of an attack card.

[0044] FIG. 3 depicts an optional special type of health point card of FIG. 4, playable to revive a current health point of a player using it to get back to twenty or full strength.

[0045] FIG. 4 shows a view of a health point card, which is another of the cards provided in the deck of FIG. 1 for user play.

[0046] FIG. 5 depicts the three types of defense cards from the deck of FIG. 1, that the players may use for defensive moves during the game.

[0047] FIG. 6 shows the score tracker provided to keep track of the current health point of each player.

[0048] FIG. 7 depicts another mode of a score tracker card which is includes characters for each player.

[0049] FIG. 8 shows a mode of the game herein which is digital and operates with computer software running to the task of generating the steps of the game and scoring and depicting such on a digital display.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0050] Now referring to drawings in FIGS. 1-8, wherein similar components are identified by like reference numerals. There is seen in FIG. 1, the deck of cards 12 provided for play of the game currently entitled, The Last One Standing. The title infers the goal of the game, which is in order to win, a player must be the final player who has a positive health point score when others have none.

[0051] As noted above, there are provided four types of playing cards in the playing deck 12. The deck 12 is sized for play of the game by 2-4 players.

[0052] At the beginning of the game, each player is provided a starting health point score of twenty, which the dealer, or each player, where electronic, the computer software will note on the score tracker sheet 14 correlating to each respective player. Thereafter, each player may track on their own respective score tracker sheet 14, a current health point score.

[0053] An example of such is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, where such is shown by positioning a player token 15 associated with each player on their current health point score. In a digital version software operating to the task may depict the token 15 on a computer display 19. As attacks from other players reduce the health point score of any player, the attacked player's token 15 will be physically moved on the score tracker sheet 14 accordingly to depict their current health point score 21 between one and twenty. In the absence of the score tracker sheet 14, a pencil or pen and paper may be used to do the mathematical additions and subtractions.

[0054] Also, at the start of the game, one player acting as the dealer will deal a beginning hand consisting of five cards from the deck 12 which has been shuffled. Randomly, in each hand, each player receives any number of the three types of cards from the deck 12 in their beginning hand of five cards.

[0055] A first type of such cards from the deck 12 may be an attack card 16. The player having such attack cards 16 in their hand, upon their turn of play, may employ them to attack the health point score of another player. The numerical value of the attack cards 16 may be from one to nine, and the numerical value on the attack card 16 played by a first or an attacking player, will be deducted from the health point score 21 of the second or the attacked player against whom the attack card 16 is played.

[0056] Also included in the deck 12 are health point cards 18. The health point cards 18 in the deck 12 have values running between one and five. There is also a max-up version of the health point card 18, which essentially has a value of twenty, as it will move any player playing it to a health point score 21 of twenty.

[0057] A player possessing a health point card 18 may play it during a turn, to increase their current health point score 21 by the numerical value of the health point card 18 they choose to play from the cards in their hand. Upon play of a health point card 18, such will increase the current health point score of the player playing it, on the health point score tracker sheet 14.

[0058] The maximum health point 21 of any player is twenty, irrespective of the point score of a health point card 18 they play. For example, playing a health point card 18 with a value of eight, where the current health point of a player using it is fifteen, will only raise their health point back to twenty.

[0059] Additionally, included in the deck 12 in the cards that may be dealt to a player, are a group of defense cards. Defense or protection cards 20 may be played by any player under attack by another player. This occurs as noted above, where a first player plays an attack card 16 directed against a second player. On such an occurrence, the second player may reduce the damage to their respective health point score 21 caused by a numerical value of the attack card 16 played by the first player, by the value of the defense card 20 countered by the second player. Thus, the health point score 21 of the second player will only be reduced by the value of the attack card 16 minus the value of the defense protection card 20.

[0060] As an example, and in no way to be considered limiting, if the attacking player uses an attack card 18, the second or attacked player can use a defense card 20 to reduce the attack point value. But the second player cannot gain points, nor would the first player be reduced by any points in that interaction. For example, the second player is attacked by the first player with an attack card 16 with a value of three, and the second player plays a defense card 20 with a value of five; both players'health points remain unchanged.

[0061] Another set of defense cards included in the deck 12 are defense block cards 22. The defense block card 22 may be played by an attacked player when being attacked by a first or attacking player who is using an attack card 16. When played by the player being attacked, the numerical value of the attack card 16 played by a first, or attacking player, is blocked. Thus, the effective loss of health point score 21 of the second player being attacked is zero.

[0062] The deck of cards 12 also includes a plurality of defense cards, which are defense reverse cards 24. During play, when an attacking player directs an attack card 16 against an attacked player, the attacked player may counter by playing a defense reverse card 24. Upon such an occurrence, the health point score 21 of the attacking player who played the attack card 16 against the attacked player deploying the defense reverse card 24, has their health point score 21 reduced by the numerical value of the attack card 16 that they played.

[0063] During play of the game, the players will play the cards from their hand sequentially around the play table. During such play, the object will be to play will be to be the last player left with a positive health point score 21. Players will thus, during their turn, employ the attack cards 16 from their hand to attempt to reduce the health point score 21 of any other player in the game. Each player will have their health point score 21 constantly updated on the health point score sheet 14, depending upon the outcome of an attack card 16 played against them, and any defense card they were able to play, or any health point card 18 they played.

[0064] During gameplay, each player may play or discard up to three cards during their turn. Also, during a turn of each player, they may choose to take two more cards from the deck 12 if they still have cards not yet played in their hand. Alternatively, if they have no cards in their hand, they may draw five cards from the deck 12.

[0065] The maximum number of cards in the hand of each player is ten. Once a player reaches this maximum, they may either start playing the cards without picking cards from the deck 12, or drop two cards first before picking new cards from the deck. For example, if a player has nine cards in their hand, they may only pick one card from the deck 12, before playing their cards on their turn.

[0066] Players may play a defense card 20-24 at any given time when an attack card 16 is played against them by another player. If all cards in the discard pile are used, the dealer will shuffle the discarded/used cards for reuse as the deck 12. The max level of HP for every player is 20.

[0067] The end of the game is reached when only one player has a positive health point score 21 on the score sheet 14, and the other players'health point scores have been rendered to zero. Finally, optionally, the deck 12 may also include a revive card 25, which may be played by a player to revive their health point score to the maximum of 20.

[0068] Shown in FIG. 7 is another mode of a score tracker card 14, which includes characters for each player. The health point score 21 markers are shown from one to twenty. During play, the token 15 would be moved to the number equating to the current health point score 21 of that player after each turn.

[0069] As noted, the game herein may be electronic using software operating in electronic memory accessible by a computing device such as a computer or server. The software will operate to perform all the steps and tasks of the game herein noted above, and may display the score tracker cards 14 for the players on one or a plurality of displays, such as those shown in FIG. 1 wherein a smartphone 30 or similar portable computing device may depict such to each individual player. Where played at the same venue for multiple players, the digital or electronic version may also perform all the steps and tasks herein and may, for example, depict the score tracker cards 14 of all the players on a video display 32.

[0070] While all of the fundamental characteristics and features of the invention have been shown and described herein, with reference to particular embodiments thereof, a latitude of modification, various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosure and it will be apparent that in some instances, some features of the invention may be employed without a corresponding use of other features without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth. It should also be understood that various substitutions, modifications, and variations may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Consequently, all such modifications and variations, and substitutions are included within the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.