Criteria
A new paradigm shift has arrived, and it's time to
get on the bandwagon. We need a new browser / editor /
messenger / client, but which one? Buy from the big
software vendor with the 1-900 support number, or one
written by a bunch of high-school and college kids?
How about ease of use vs. security? Oh, the humanity...
Criteria is a turn-based parody of the
process of selecting a software solution. For 2 or
more players.
Setup
Print out 8 pages of cards (first 8 pages). Last
page is the card back artwork, which is optional.
This game has a box in color for no reason other than I
was tired of the grayscale. The cards are formatted for
10/sheet, but 2 cards per sheet are nulls - set them
aside until optional rules come out for them (or make
some of your own.)
Punch out the cards, shuffle them, find a flat surface
and a friend or three. Get a scorepad (or find the one from
last game to try to get even). Deal 6 cards per player.
Play.
The Game Story
You and all the other players at the table are on a
team facing a problem. The solution is not trivial, and
your team has better things to do than to either write
the software to solve it, or to contract out and manage
some other group to custom-roll a software solution.
Each time you play a card, you're proposing a product
for the problem. The criteria on the card is the most
important bullet item feature that product provides, and
what all further products must meet or beat in order to
be in contention. Whomever has plays the last card is
the person who suggested the product that best fits the
criteria, and gets credit for solving the problem.
This is a good thing.
Rules
Player to the dealer's left goes first on the first
round. Winner of the round goes first on the round.
Play proceeds to the left.
Each turn:
- Play A Card: that satsifies the criteria
already established that round. The card you play
will either echo an existing criteria or add one,
but never contradict an existing criteria.
Satisfying Criteria: A card satisfies the
criteria already established that round if it
has a gray or black box next to the requisite
specification.
For example, if the criteria already played were
Fast, Command Line and Reliable,
any cards played for the remainder of that round
must have gray or black boxes next to Fast,
Command Line and Reliable.
RESET: Playing a card labelled "RESET"
nullifies all criteria already in play.
The RESET card must still satisfy the criteria
already estabilished that round.
Playing a RESET ends the current round, but does
not count as a victory. Instead, the cards are
discarded and the player who played the RESET
starts a new round.
A RESET is when management walks in, takes one
look at what's been specified already and says,
"That's not acceptable, start over!"
Passing: If you cannot play a card that
satisfies the existing criteria, you must pass. You
may opt to pass even if you have a card that is a
legal play. Passing does not prevent you
from playing later that round.
- Draw A Card: at the end of your turn from
the draw pile if you now have less than 6 cards in
your hand. Draw so that you have 6 cards in your
hand once you discover you forgot to draw after
previous turn(s).
Winning
Winning The Round: If you played the last
card and every other player passes, you win the round.
Each player is to keep track of number of rounds
won. (Stack the cards from each victorious round
in a separate pile.)
When the draw pile is emptied, the game is over.
Each player counts the number of rounds s/he won.
Whomever won the most rounds wins the game.
Optional Rules
What's a game without optional rules?
Solitaryi Criteria: Thanks to Johnson
E., you can play Criteria with alternate solitary rules.
Tiebreaker: If two or more players
are tied at the end of the game, play what cards
remain in your hands. Whomever won the least
number of rounds starts, regardless who won the
round.
League Scoring: If you have a group
that plays this regularly, here is a simple point
system, called Devil Points, by Russ Williams.
Basically, at the end of the game, everyone
announce how many rounds you've won. You get 1
point for every person who won less rounds than
you. You lose 1 point for ever person who won
more rounds than you.
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Links
Disclaimer
Unfortunately, I do have some experience
with the nightmare that is deciding on specifications for
selecting software solutions, and I can assure you this
game has none of the emotional intensity of the real thing.
Author's Notes
Oh, the colored bars? 'Fill in the Blank' At times,
you see the grayed out boxes and can a name a product that
exactly matches those criteria.
So can I, but to put the name on this game would
be to beg legal trouble. So, write it in yourself!
The blank cards? The game formats so much easier with
only 8 cards to a sheet that I decided to leave the 16 cards
blank. Try them as a trump suit, or as a "me-too" card.
Or just leave them out and fill them in when you lose a card.
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