Goofspiel
Rules — Goofspiel
- You and your rival each hold the same hand of cards: 1, 2, …, n.
- In the middle there is a third deck — the prizes — shuffled face down.
- Each round a prize is flipped face up. Knowing the prize, both of you secretly pick one card from your hand and reveal them at the same time.
- The higher card wins the prize's points. Played cards are discarded — you cannot reuse them.
- Tie (same card): nobody wins the prize and it carries over, added to next round's prize. A tie on the last round is discarded.
- When the hands run out, whoever has more points wins. Equal points = draw.
The catch
You both choose at the same time and in secret, so you must guess what your rival values. Spend a high card to win a big prize, and you have only low cards left for the prizes still to come.
A worked example (level 1: cards 1·2·3, prizes 2·3·4)
Watch how a tie makes a small prize suddenly huge. Prizes happen to come up in the order 4 2 3
Round 1 — the prize is the 4 (the best!). You both want it, so you both play your 3. Tie! Nobody wins; the 4 points carry over. You 3 · Rival 3
Round 2 — the prize is only the 2, but the carried 4 is added: the pot is now 6 points. You play your 2, your rival plays the 1. You win 6! You 2 · Rival 1
Round 3 — the last prize, the 3. Only your 1 is left versus their 2. They win 3. You 1 · Rival 2
Final score: you 6 — rival 3. You win — because you read that the cheap-looking round was actually worth 6.
Lessons: spending your top card too early can leave you defenceless; a tie hands the points to a later round; the real value of a prize includes whatever has carried over.