Experimental Game Design

Appropriation 1st Iteration – Lucky Chess

by | Oct 13, 2017 | Artwork #2: Appropriate

# of players : 16

Overview: “Lucky Chess” takes the components of traditional chess and adds a touch of randomness to spice things up. The game aims to be a commentary on the class structure of our society.

Materials:

  • 2 decks of playing cards

Class Structure [chess]:

  • King
  • Major pieces (queen and rook)
  • Minor pieces (bishop and knight)
  • Pawns

Setup:

  • There should be 8 players on each team [1 king, 1 queen, 1 rook, 5 pawns]
  • The roles correspond to the cards as follows:
    • King = K
    • Queen = Q
    • Rook = J
    • Pawns = any numbered card

Rules:

  • Remove any card that is not used in “Lucky Chess” from the playing decks
  • Shuffle the remaining cards and deal them to each player on the team face down. When everyone is dealt a card, players should check their cards and reveal their roles to their team only.
  • Both teams face each other from opposite sides of the room. Whoever is the king and queen MUST sit in chairs. Everyone else should stand away from them
  • The winning conditions are:
    • Beat the opposing king OR
    • Beat all of the other players on the opposing team

Turns:

  • Every turn, the king will pick someone who will represent their team
  • The players who are picked must step forward and reveal their roles to each other.
  • Whoever loses “Rock, Paper, Scissors” will be eliminated from the game.
  • The structure for ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors” differs depending on who is going against each other.
    • King = If facing a King, then it best 2 out of 3. Everyone else, he only needs to win once.
    • Queen / Rook = If facing a King, Queen, or Rook, then it best 2 out of 3. Everyone else, they only need to win once.
    • Pawns = If facing a King, Queen, or Rook, then it best 3 out of 5. Against pawns, then it is 2 out of 3.
  • At any point,  a player can challenge the current King on their team for their position.  When this happens, that player and the king must step forward. If the player wins, they become the new king and the old one becomes a pawn. If the king wins, they remain king and the player is killed. The rules for going against different classes still apply.