traditional deck

i love card games, and learning a new one is something is a really fun experience. while i love the uniqueness of different card games, and their design, art, packaging, etc (see hanafuda or stelle-scopa) - there is a special place for the games that you can play with the traditional 52-card deck. while there are so many well known games that use the traditional deck, there are many other ones that are lesser known. in particular, in [[game design]], it’s a common design challenge to retrofit an existing game to work within the context/cards of the traditional deck, or, invent a new game with those constraints.

recently, i started an attempt at this with semiosphere, and in the process, came across a lot of other inspirations for different games that work with a traditional deck.

• donsol - designed by john eternal, donsol is an incredible one player “dungeon solitaire”. the way that donsol reinterprets the suits of the cards is a huge inspiration, as it make new something so familiar. while i don’t really like classical solitaire so much, i feel that the simplicity and faster paced play of donsol lends itself to a more enjoyable experience. you really feel like “get on a roll” and then are crushed by an unsuspecting enemy, rather than just feeling stupid for having reached a “stalemate” of sorts in traditional solitaire.
• femtitva by scott huntington - femtitva is a collection of games that all take mechanics and ideas from existing commericial games and reinterprets, remixes, or otherwise repurposes those mechanics into games that work with a standard deck of cards. i like this anticapitalist approach and also think it is cool that there was so many references to the influences involved in deciding how to make a particular game the way it is.
• last dispatch by symbolic city - i was asking on the fediverse for inspiration for this game and @SymbolicCity@dice.camp generously gave me a free copy of their game, which also only uses a standard deck of cards. it is more of a role playing type of game, but is interesting as it is also single player (for the most part) like donsol. i appreciate the creative re-imagining of suits and the versatility of the game
• isaludo, designed by wil wu, is another collection of games similar to femtitva, however, these are not remakes of well known games, rather, new creations (though i am sure they are still heavily influenced by other games, like any work). wil su also compiled an interesting list here.
  • list of games

    - skyway: a city builder about making convoluted overpasses for cars, with elements of drafting and tile-laying. - the sandwich guy: a light hand management game where you discard cards to make sandwiches. - area 52: a game where you manage a team of expendable defenders to efficiently take down deadly aliens. - dead center: you’re trapped in a cabin and surrounded by zombies! strategically plan your movement and kill them all before time runs out. - the first boba tea shop in london: a push-your luck game about managing irate british people lining up outside your milk tea shop. - foursquare: a tile-laying game about building restaurants without having too many closed down at the same time. - loot the loop: raid a temple, grab jewels, and avoid traps. a dungeon-delving game played in your hand, similar to maiden’s quest. - syndicate: a brain-burning puzzle about gaining the mafia’s trust. slowly move your agents up the ranks to take out the syndicate from within. - hide and seek: a deduction/risk management game about efficiently finding your friends' hiding places within the playground. - the emissary: a solo trick-taking game where you try to gather support from neighboring kingdoms using rhetoric suave.
• cuttle - a combat card game, often compared to magic the gathering. the wikipedia page suggests that it has been around since the 1970’s, though the exact designer is unknown. many cards have the ability to be playd for points, or as “one-off” effect. this creates a dynamic game that allows you to destroy the opponet’s cards, see their hand, protect your own cards, and many others. alo see cuttle.cards to play online (and has a nice tutorial).
• regicide - a 2+ player cooperative, that reminds of donsol, except the focus is more on the cooperative element since you all win or lose together.

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