What is Play the Hand?

Play the Hand is a portable, easy to play and easy to learn role playing game which uses a
standard deck of cards to simulate everything from characters to the scenarios which they find themselves
in.
What is a role playing game?
A role playing game or RPG is a game where people pretend to be who they’re not.
Using pencils, paper or in this case, cards, a number of people build a world to play in and
characters to play that can be of any genre. A role playing game allows people to play an elven
marksman, a spaceship captain or possibly both. One person, known as the game master or GM,
doesn’t play a single character, but instead controls everything in the world besides the
characters. It’s his or her job to create an entertaining story for the players, those who are only
playing a single character.

How to Play
Overview
All of the players in Play the Hand have a deck of 20 cards which represents their
character. Players begin Play the Hand by building their deck. This deck is used when
determining if a character overcomes a single obstacle, this is called a check, or when one or
more characters become involved in a complex scenario, this is called an encounter.
The Suits
Any action preformed by a player is categorized into one of the four suits. Players build
their decks with these suits in mind to create characters that are better at some suits and worse at
others. In general players want to draw cards with a suit that corresponds with the current check
or encounter.
♣: Clubs represent physical strength, endurance and athletic ability.
♦: Diamonds represent intellect, wisdom and willpower.
♥: Hearts represent diplomacy, empathy and social maneuvering.
♠: Spades represent agility, stealth and acrobatic ability.
Deckbuilding
A Deck must have twenty cards, four of which are power cards. To begin building a
deck, start with three cards of each suit. These cards must be 2 through 10; aces and face cards
have their own specific use. Now there are twelve cards in the deck; add eight more cards, but no
suit can have more than seven cards and again no aces or face cards. The number of cards in a
suit shows how accomplished that character is in that suit; three cards is just below average and
seven cards is highly skillful. To finish the deck simply replace four cards with power cards.
Power Cards
Power card are the ace and the face cards. Every deck must have one and only one ace
and then three more power cards among the jacks, queens and kings. Each power card has a
special ability it has when it is played.
Ace: Aces can count as any suit, but they count as double if they remain the same suit.
Jack: Jacks allow you to draw another card.
Queen: Queens swap suits by their shape [♥↔♣] [♦↔♠]
King: Kings swap suits by their color [♥↔♦] [♣↔♠]
Character Creation
Once a deck has been created a player may use the deck to generate a random character
to go along with the deck. The player draws one card for the character’s youth, adulthood and
personality. The suit of the card gives a general idea of the youth, adulthood and personality of
the character.
♣: Clubs imply harsh, difficult or stressful.
♦: Diamonds imply educational, mentally taxing or emotionally detached.
♥: Hearts imply happy, comfortable or social.
♠: Spades imply exciting, mischievous or high energy.
In addition a player also draws cards to determine the character’s relationship and
connection with two other characters, usually the character to the left and right of the player.
Like the previous half of character creation the suit of the card changes the relationship.
♣: Clubs imply a strained or hostile relationship.
♦: Diamonds imply a utilitarian or professional relationship.
♥: Hearts imply a friendly or romantic relationship.
♠: Spades imply a secretive relationship; either the relationship is a secret or involves one
or both of the characters knowing secrets about each other
Checks
 When one or more players are presented with an obstacle where it is uncertain whether
the character will succeed or fail a check is performed. To make a check simply draw two cards
from the deck. If one of the cards has a suit that covers the situation of the check the character
succeeds. If none of the cards have the correct suit the character fails. If two or more of the cards
have the right suit the character succeeds exceptionally well. When the cards are drawn if any are
power cards the player may use the power of the card to help pass the check.