BASICS

REQUIREMENTS

• 2 players. Supports 3 or 4 players (see Player Variations).
• A normal deck of 52 playing cards and 3 jokers (or at least 2 jokers).
• 2 tokens (eg. small stones).

BASIC IDEA (the game in a nutshell)

Two rivalling tribes - the black vs. the red - try to build up their godly towers to fulfill an old legend (of the Wind of Fortune).

• The layout is divided into the earthly (2 - 10) and godly world (J, Q, K, A and jokers), and the godly deck is a holy pedestal that connects these two worlds.
  • On the godly side, the game is about suits and the hierarchy of godly symbols: each tower has its own suit and is built from lowest to highest (J < Q < K < A).
  • On the earthly side, it's all about the battle of colours in order to elevate or destroy specific godly symbols.
• From time to time, a pair of godly symbols (J, Q, K, A, joker) appear on the earth and are fought for / against with the battle cards (2 - 10) one by one.
  • After each battle, the respective symbol is either raised on the holy pedestal (if the same colour won the battle) or discarded (to be recycled back).
  • If both symbols are raised on the pedestal, they fight each other (according to the hierarchy of godly symbols) and the lower one is kicked down (or both if equal).
  • Finally, if there's only one godly symbol on the pedestal (after the pair of battles), it's transferred to the godly tower of the same suit.
• The tribe that fully builds up both their towers and gets a joker (to connect them together) fulfills the legend and wins the game.

LAYOUT & START UP

The deck is divided into three parts: the aces (A x 4), other godly symbols (J, Q, K x 4 and jokers) and the earthly deck (cards 2 - 10).

• The initial colours are decided randomly by drawing an ace (one offers, the other picks). For any consequent rounds, the colours are kept the same.
  • TOWER BASES: The aces are then dealt according to the colours and define the location of each tower. However, they are turned face down (= not yet fitting).
• The black side takes the heavy stone (token) and shuffles and deals the earthly deck into 4 piles, 2 piles on each side (each with 9 cards).
  • DUMMY PILE: With 1 player per side, the player chooses which pile is for the dummy (without looking) and draws 1 card face up next to it.
• The red side takes the fortune stone (token), shuffles the godly deck and draws the first 2 godly symbols face up in front of it.
  • DELAYED JOKERS: Alternatively jokers can be separated and included into the godly deck one at a time each time it's shuffled (for the first 3 times).
• When the hand cards run out (= every 9 turns) or the godly deck (= variable turns), they are reshuffled by the opposite side who then takes the respective stone. The token indicates which side had last dealt which deck (kept on the battle or tower side respectively).

PLAYING

FORTUNATE COLOUR

The fortune stone does not just indicate which side last dealt the godly deck, but has two special meanings (as fortunate colour):

• JOKER COLOUR: The colour of the free jokers is always the fortunate colour. (So they change colour every time the godly deck is reshuffled.)
• WINNING DRAWS: Any earthly battles that end in a draw are won by the fortunate colour.

BATTLE SETUP

Two godly symbols are drawn face up in front of the godly deck.

• The symbols are fought for (or against) one by one - first for the topmost, and then for the bottom one.
• If the battle is won by the same colour as the symbol, it's raised on the holy pedestal (= the godly deck) - otherwise dumped face down behind it.
  • In case both were accepted, they fight each other (regardless of colour) and the lower number (joker < J < Q < K < A) is kicked out, or both if equal in hierarchy.
  • If there's only one godly symbol left on the pedestal, it's moved to the tower of the same suit as the symbol (with jokers can choose to which tower).
• After the pair of battles, 2 new symbols are drawn. In case the godly deck runs out before drawing the 2nd card, only a single battle is fought instead.

PLAYING THE BATTLE

In each battle both sides play 2 cards (= 4 in total): first the side whose colour the current godly symbol is starts, then the other side responds.

• Each side plays 1 hand card (face down) and 1 dummy card: either the open card (face up) or the topmost card in the dummy pile (face down).
  • If playing an open card, the next one is drawn from the dummy pile before the next battle starts (but not earlier).
• After all have played, the cards are turned face up. The battle is won by the colour whose sum is higher, or in a draw by the fortunate colour.
  • For example with ♥7, ♤8, ♤6, ♦9 played, the reds win (7 + 9 vs. 8 + 6  =  16 > 14).
• After the battle the played cards are discarded, and after playing all the 9 cards the earthly deck is reshuffled (and the heavy stone switches side).
  • Traditionally the last cards are all played face up (and even before the next godly symbols appear) as the choices were all already made before.

TOWERS

TOWER LAYERS

The towers are built layer by layer starting from the lowest symbol: J < Q < K < A.

• Each suit has its own tower, and only cards of that suit (and jokers) are welcome in the tower. The fitting card is collected face up.
• If you collect a card that's too high for the tower, it's collected face down to indicate it's out. (So first J's, then Q's, K's and finally Aces.)
• The face down cards in the tower are cleared away (into the godly dump) once a fitting non-joker symbol is collected into the tower.
  • For example, with joker + Q + face down card (A), the face down card is cleared when the J or K arrives. (But not if another joker arrives.)

JOKERS IN THE TOWERS

Jokers can be used as flexible building blocks for any layer in the towers. (You can gain them only when holding the fortune stone.)

• After winning a joker, the player can choose which tower to take it to. However, if a tower is already full (= 4 layers), jokers are no longer welcome there.
• Jokers are always collected face up as the fitting layer (eg. with J + joker, it's Q), and thus unlock collecting the next symbol layer (eg. K after J + joker).
• Jokers can be replaced by collecting the respective card: the joker and any face down cards in the tower are discarded into the godly dump.
  • For example, with J + joker, you can collect the next layer K - but also Q to replace the joker. (Either way, face down cards are discarded away.)

ENDINGS

The game ends when one tribe has completed both towers and collects a joker in-between to seal the godly structure and gain eternal fortune.

• GRAND FINALE: However, if all 4 towers are completed with non-joker godly symbols (= only jokers left in the deck), the game escalates to a Grand Finale.
  • One joker is put face up as and it's played for until one side wins it. The fortune stone is moved after each trial (beginning at where it was).

DUMMY MODS

EXTENDED DUMMY VISION

The dummy players can alternatively have 2 open cards (instead of just 1).

NAKED DUMMY

The dummy player can also be played with all 9 cards turned face up. (This is mostly meant for the 3-player-game - with a taste of Bridge.)

• After dealing hand cards, the player can look at both piles and choose which one to play open: turn it face up and place the cards overlappingly.

PLAYER VARIATIONS

HUMAN DUMMY LEADERS (for 3 or 4 players)

This is just like the normal game, except the dummy (on one or both sides) is played by a human.

• The teamed side(s) choose their initial leader. The role will be swapped to the other teammate when they next shuffle the earthly deck (= every 18 turns).
• After receiving hand cards, the leader puts 1 card face up on the table. He then plays as if the dummy in the normal game.

REAL HUMANS (for 3 or 4 players)

The dummies can be replaced by real human players (= with 9 hand cards), either on both sides (4 players) or on just one side (3 players).

• The game is still played in turns (first one side, then the other) though with 4 players it has less meaning as all cards are played face down.
• Note. Even though playing in sync is crucial, there should be no communication during the gameplay. Sit silently and absorb the situation.

STRATEGY

THE 4 PHASES

The phases of the game can be divided into 4 main phases.

• In the early game, the aim is all about getting jokers and jacks (and then queens on them), and preventing the opponent from gaining theirs.
• In the middle game, the tribes are looking to gain a dominant position and get into a good rhythm with the jokers.
• In the early end game, it's all about the dominant side building their opportunity for victory (and for the other to prevent it).
• In the late end game, the opportunities are abundant for both but so is the end. Sometimes it all escalates to a Grand Finale.

SCALE ANALYSIS

The dynamics of the game can be understood as a composition of a few overlapping rhythms in different scales. To master the game you must master the dance of these rhythms:

• EARTHLY BATTLES (x 1): Knowing how to play the individual battles: how much resources to use, when to trash (high numbers of the other colour).
• COUPLED SYMBOLS (x 2): Knowing how to play the two coupled symbols together - including their order and relation to your hand cards.
• EARTHLY DECK (x 9): Knowing how to play your hand cards (and dummy piles) as a whole to make the best use of poor / good set of cards.
• GODLY DECK (x 3-15): Keeping track of which symbols are yet to come and syncing it with your tower planning. Learning to make jokers worse for the other side (by making them collect low but too high symbols). And learning the fortune rhythm - after all, you can only win when you have the fortune stone.

QUICK GUIDES

Tower building

The godly symbols have a clear hierarchy in terms of strategical benefit. In order of preciousness:

• Always try to gain a joker. See below for the many reasons.
• The next best is an actual godly symbol that fits in your tower raising its height (= not replacing a joker).
• The next best is likewise a fitting symbol, but one that replaces a joker. Use these moves for blocking or when your opponent has the fortune.
• Don't collect cards that are way too high. They are better off in the battlefield - so use these moves for blocking the opponent.
• Actively avoid collecting symbols that are low but too high (= non-fitting). For example, collecting K when you have J - it makes jokers less precious.

About jokers

The jokers hold both the actual as well as strategical keys to victory - they are the real fortune of the game.

• Firstly, winning a joker can never do you harm and it always raises the height of your towers. Another way to look at it is that one card that could be beneficial for either side is now on your side (good), and not on the other side (good).
• Filling your towers with jokers (instead of actual godly symbols) means that it's easier for you to collect fitting cards - because there are more of them. On the other hand, collecting a card that replaces a joker will not increase the tower height (but you need them as well).
• Having jokers in the towers also means that your actual godly symbols are in the battlefield, which in turn helps to block your opponent's symbols. They can be used to block you as well but less so - and especially with jokers in the towers, the hierarchy might even work to your advantage.
• The best way to play the joker game in the large scale is to:
  • Always fight to gain them, and fight against your opponent gaining them.
  • Once you have jokers, prefer not to replace them but to collect the next missing layer instead.
  • The best time to replace a joker (in your own or opponent's tower) is when your opponent holds the fortune stone. This way when the joker reappears from the deck, it'll be on your side and at best you'll collect it again (until you win the game).
• The jokers become less appealing when you have a lot of face down cards in the tower (although still appealing). Especially if the very next layer card is face down collecting a joker won't really help to build the tower further.
  • For example, say you have J face up, and K face down. If you now collect a joker (as Q), the face down card(s) will remain in the tower. But because the next layer (K) is locked there, you can't really progress further until you collect the fitting Q to pull the plug (or another joker and then A).
  • Because of this, the worst cards to collect into a tower are the ones just above what would fit there (eg. collecting Q before getting a J or a joker).

Hand cards

• The high number cards (8, 9, 10) of your colour are your most important weapons - and of course, playing them in sync with your dummy / teammate.
• The high cards of the other colour are also very useful at times but usually you don't need them as many as your own colour high cards.
  • They are useful in cases where the two forthcoming symbols are your colour and you want to get one but not the other, eg. get J but avoid Q.
  • They are also useful when you want to avoid gaining a card that would replace a joker. (You want to only do it when your opponent has the fortune.)
• With only low (or no) battle cards of your colour, it's very unlikely to win the most important battles. However, the other battles may come easier.
• Because resources are limited, it's generally best to win the battles by a very low number difference, and when losing them, lose them big.
  • For example winning 15 vs. 14 is very nice, but winning 35 vs. 0 means you have wasted a lot of valuable resources.
  • As a mathematical analysis, the battle deck holds 108 battle points for each side (= (2 + 3 + … + 9 + 10) * 2). Because 9 battles are played from each deck shuffle, each tribe has on average of 12 battle points (= 108 / 9) per battle.
  • It helps to learn to bluff your opponent to play high, when you are actually just going to trash high cards of the opponent's colour.
• In the beginning the godly deck has 15 cards (with 3 jokers), and so you'll get a new set of 9 battle cards before all of the godly symbols are played for.
  • However, because the size of the godly deck varies (from 15 down to 3 cards), you might sometimes (especially near the end) end up playing many times for the same symbols with the same set of battle cards.

HISTORY

v4.x - Wind of Fortune (2021, 2022, 2024)

• v4.10 (2024-03-15): Reorganized the tower mechanics (simpler with better strategical dynamics), Grand Finale and player variations, and rewrote the story.
• v4.9 (2022-12-17): Refined that jokers appear gradually (making the earlier game an extension). Rewrote the story and simplified explanation of some rules.
• v4.8 (2021):
  • Adjusted that cannot choose a god from the godly pair (of the same colour), but higher is forced. Also rewrote the story.
  • Refined Grand Final. There are two advantages: 1. by fortune stone (wins draws) and 2. who gets both towers solid first (gets to play last).
  • Adjusted player variations. (Suits don't matter, no starting turns for 4, and 2 open cards mode for 2 players.)

v4.x - One Nation / Über Empire / City of Gods (2016 - 2019)

• v4.7 (2019): One Nation: Refined the scoring, so that it's just about winning the single round (as the game is quite long).
• v4.6 (2018): One Nation: Rewrote the story (main idea by Antti Mannila). Removed 'play modes' (single, EP, LP), and changed limit to 2 wins (+ instant win).
• v4.5 (2017): Über Empire
  • The idea was to combine the good sides of earlier 4.x versions (mostly 4.3 and 4.4) into one whole. Also refined that 2-player-game is the main game.
  • One of the key changes was to have 2 cards instead of 3 (in v4.3) or 1 (in v4.4). This change to 2 slots, also introduced a way to handle joker special case easily - together with the player sides -concept from v4.4.
• v4.4 (2017): Über Empire
  • Introduced team sides (instead of teammates at opposite corners), and that cards are collected to the team (= not to player), with respective layout simplifications.
  • Introduced a switch-sides type of logic for jokers, so each time the deck is reshuffled, jokers swap their colour (with a marker for fortune).
  • This version also had a "tape-reverse" type of deck for face cards, instead of reshuffling the deck.
• v4.0 (2016): City of Gods: A complete rewrite - still playing with the self-balancing dynamic, but making the game actually / much more playable.

v3 - Rise-n-Fall (2016)

• Main idea was to play around with a strong self-balancing dynamic, and on the other hand with some clear rhythms that actually ‘compose’ the game (exactly like in music).
• Unfortunately, the game turned out to have an amazingly steep learning curve. And very unintuitive in many parts (always take a break). Although the actual rules could be told relatively simply (but understandable explanations of them, not so simply).

v2 - Under the Bridge (2015)

• Reorganized to gameplay idea from the first version. Also included the idea of having hand & table cards (especially with 3 players in Bridge-style).

v1 - Hidden Pairs (2013 - 2014)

• There were 8 pairs of cards in the layout, and players could buy to look at them and do something in teams of two.
• The background idea was to explore the concept of compartmentalized information vs. knowledge of the whole: so that you don't know the whole, but your teammate and opponents know complementary things - as a whole, all details are known, but not by anyone alone.

THANKS

SPECIAL THANKS TO

• Antti Mannila for participation in the development of v4 (game mechanical ideas, analyses, testing, story ideas).
• Ville Viitala for helping refine the game and thourough testing.
• Matti Lehtinen for one of the original inspirational ideas: one card away each ‘round’.

FOR IDEAS, HELP WITH DEVELOPMENT & PLAYING ALONG THE YEARS

Antti Mannila, Ville Viitala, Tomi Laine, Akseli Leinonen, Johannes Aho, Piia Tamminen, Emmi Viitala, Matias Saresvuo and Piia Rautiainen.