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Pips: Original Playing Card and Dice Games

By Samuel and Jacob H. Stoddard

Tired of the same old card and dice games? This site features rules for a wide selection of original playing card, dice, and domino games. Most of them are quick to learn, simple to play, but allow for fun strategizing.

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The Rules

Game Players Estimated Time Equipment Description
Apple Jack* 2 20 minutes Dice A variant of Cheerio and Yacht in which two players roll together but take turns choosing the scoring category.
Diamond 2-3 15 minutes Cards A game in which you play cards to a diamond-shaped board in such a way that your opponent cannot.
Dominion 2+ 60-120 minutes (adjustable) Cards, Dice A strategy game in which you maneuver your armies and try to capture enemy territories.
Finish Line* 2+ 35-40 minutes (with 2 players) Cards, Dice A card game that feels like a board game, in which players race along an obstacle-laden path of playing cards to the finish line.
Horseshoe* 2 40-50 minutes Cards A trick-taking game in which not all cards are known at the outset, and pairs trump all else.
Jungle 2 15-20 minutes Cards An exploration game, where players explore a jungle of playing cards, compete over treasures, and have a showdown at the end.
Milk Run 2+ 10 minutes per player Cards A card game where you must deliver chocolate and strawberry milk, while encumbering your opponents' ability to do so.
Monastery 2+ 40-75 minutes (with 2 players) Cards A game in which each player must complete each of nine different missions (e.g., sets, runs, cards in a suit, and so on).
Pickle 2-5 25-30 minutes (with 2 players) Cards A trick-taking game where points are earned by taking tricks as well as by taking key cards within tricks.
Savannah 2+ 5-8 minutes per player Cards, Dice A game in which players build up shared foundation piles and try to exhaust their reserve and discard piles.
Scoundrel 2 15-20 minutes Cards, Dice A game in which you must build columns of cards and wipe out the columns of your opponent.
Serpent 2 30 minutes Cards A game in which cards are played in a serpent pattern; one player tries to connect pairs and runs, while the other tries to stop him.
Shanghai 2+ 20-25 minutes per player Dominos, Dice A game in which chains of dominos are constructed such that the ends match dice rolls.
Skyscraper 2-3 20 minutes Dominos A game in which dominos are stacked up to build a skyscraper. If you can't legally build on the skyscraper, you lose.
Snag* 2 20-30 minutes Cards A trick-taking game in which players have their own hands, plus a shared board. Players try to capture many cards of a single suit.
Wichita* 2+ 25-35 minutes (adjustable) Cards, Dice A game where cards are added and subtracted to match dice rolls.
Wolf Pack* 2+ 5-10 minutes per player Dice A dice game where different rolls require different challenges to be performed.
 

*Favorites of the authors.


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Pips is Copyright © 2004 by Samuel and Jacob H. Stoddard. All rights reserved. No part of this feature may be copied, in whole or in part, without written permission. This includes, but is not limited to, the rules texts, by Samuel Stoddard, and the playing card images, by Jacob H. Stoddard.