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- TOMMY'S ECARTE (C) COPYRIGHT 1994 BY TOMMY'S TOYS
- P. O. BOX 11261, DENVER, CO 80211 USA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
- CATALOG #TM-150-1A
-
- INSTRUCTIONS:
-
- ECARTE (AY-KAR-TAY) IS A FUN FAST-MOVING CASINO CARD GAME. THE NAME ECARTE
- MEANS "DISCARDED" IN FRENCH, BECAUSE THE GAME IS CHARACTERISED BY A LOT OF
- CHANGING OF CARDS PREPARATORY TO ACTUALLY PLAYING THE TRICKS. THE REAL THRILL
- OF THE GAME IS IN MAKING SIDE-BETS ON THE 2 PLAYERS WHILE SOCIALIZING FROM THE
- GALLERY, BUT IN TOMMY'S ECARTE WE'LL JUST PLAY FOR FUN.
-
- PLAYERS:
- 2 PLAYERS, YOU VS. THE COMPUTER.
-
- THE DECK:
- THE 32-CARD DECK CONSISTING OF THE 7S THRU ACES IS USED. NOTE THAT THE RANKS
- ARE KQJAT987, WITH THE ACE RANKING BETWEEN THE TEN AND JACK.
-
- DEALER:
- THE FIRST DEALER IS CHOSEN RANDOMLY BY THE COMPUTER. AFTER THAT, DEAL
- ALTERNATES.
-
- DEALING:
- FIVE CARDS ARE DEALT TO EACH PLAYER. THE REMAINDER ARE PLACED ON THE TABLE
- FACE-DOWN TO FORM THE STOCK. THE TOP CARD OF THE STOCK IS TURNED FACE UP
- AND PLACED TO ONE SIDE; THE SUIT OF THIS CARD IS THE TRUMP SUIT FOR THE DEAL.
- IF THE TURN-UP IS A KING, DEALER SCORES 1 POINT.
-
- THE OBJECT OF PLAY:
- IS TO BE THE FIRST TO WIN 5 POINTS. 5 TRICKS ARE PLAYED, AND A PLAYER SCORES
- 1 POINT FOR TAKING 3-4 TRICKS, AND 2 POINTS FOR RUNNING THE VOLE (ALL 5 TRICKS).
-
- CALLING FOR CARDS:
- NON-DEALER MAY START THE PLAY BY LEADING TO THE FIRST TRICK, BUT HE WILL BE
- PENALIZED IF HE DOES NOT WIN; ELSE HE MAY CALL FOR CARDS (PROPOSE). IF HE
- PROPOSES, DEALER MAY EITHER REFUSE, INSISTING THAT THE HANDS BE PLAYED OUT
- AS THEY STAND (IN WHICH CASE HE TOO WILL BE PENALIZED IF HE DOES NOT WIN), OR
- ACCEPT, CALLING FOR MORE CARDS, BUT FIRST BOTH PLAYERS MUST CHANGE AT LEAST
- 1 CARD.
-
- CHANGING:
- NON-DEALER DISCARDS 1-5 CARDS FACE DOWN AND IS DEALT A LIKE NUMBER FROM THE
- TOP OF THE STOCK; THEN DEALER THEN DISCARDS 0-5 CARDS. THE TRUMP TURN-UP
- REMAINS UNTOUCHED.
-
- AFTER THE CHANGE:
- NON-DEALER MAY LEAD OR PROPOSE AND DEALER MAY ACCEPT OR REFUSE. THIS CONTINUES
- UNTIL NON-DEALER DECIDES TO LEAD, OR DEALER REFUSES A PROPOSAL, OR THE STOCK IS
- EXHAUSTED. WHEN NO MORE CARDS REMAIN IN THE STOCK NON-DEALER HAS TO START PLAY.
-
- MARKING THE KING: AFTER THE CHANGE BUT BEFORE PLAY EITHER PLAYER HOLDING
- THE KING OF TRUMPS MAY DECLARE IT AND SCORE 1 POINT. THIS PRIVILEGE CEASES
- AS SOON AS ITS HOLDER PLAYS SOME OTHER CARD TO THE FIRST TRICK.
-
- PLAY:
- THIS CARD GAME HAS UNUSUAL 'STRICT' RULES OF TRICK-TAKING, REQUIRING A PLAYER
- TO WIN THE TRICK IF POSSIBLE. NON-DEALER LEADS TO THE FIRST TRICK. THE 2ND
- PLAYER TO EACH TRICK MUST NOT ONLY FOLLOW SUIT BUT ALSO WIN THE TRICK IF HE
- CAN. IF UNABLE TO FOLLOW HE MUST TRUMP IF HE CAN, AND ONLY IF UNABLE TO DO SO
- MAY HE RENOUNCE. THE TRICK IS CAPTURED BY THE HIGHEST CARD OF THE SUIT LED,
- OR THE HIGHEST TRUMP IF ANY ARE PLAYED, AND THE WINNER OF ONE TRICK LEADS TO
- THE NEXT.
-
- SCORING:
- IF THE FIRST PROPOSAL IS ACCEPTED, THE WINNING OF 3-4 TRICKS SCORES 1 FOR THE
- 'POINT', AND THE WINNING OF 5 SCORES 2 FOR THE 'VOLE'. BUT IF NON-DEALER
- LOSES AFTER FAILING TO PROPOSE, OR DEALER LOSES AFTER REFUSING THE FIRST
- PROPOSAL, THEN THE WINNER SCORES 2 POINTS REGARDLESS OF THE NUMBER OF TRICKS
- TAKEN.
-
- GAME POINT:
- GAME POINT IS 5. THE GAME IS WON DOUBLY IF THE LOSER ONLY HAS 1-2 POINTS,
- AND TREBLY IF THE LOSER IS SKUNKED (0 POINTS).
-
- ***GAME OPTIONS****
- OPEN HANDS OPTION:
- FOR DEMONSTRATION AND LEARNING PURPOSES, THE COMPUTER WILL SHOW YOU ITS HAND.
- IT STILL CANNOT SEE YOURS.
-
- REPLAY HAND OPTION:
- AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH HAND, YOU HAVE THE OPTION OF REPLAYING THE LAST HAND;
- THE DECK IS RESTORED TO WHAT IT WAS AFTER THE SHUFFLE & CUT DURING THE LAST
- HAND. OF COURSE YOU CAN USE THIS TO GAIN AN UNFAIR ADVANTAGE ON THE COMPUTER,
- BUT THIS IS A TOY AFTER ALL, AND YOU ARE BOSS.
-
- FUNCTION KEYS: THESE ARE HOT KEYS, MEANING THEY CAN BE PRESSED AT ANY TIME.
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
- F1 * SOUND EFFECTS TOGGLE
- F2 * DEMO MODE TOGGLE. IN DEMO MODE THE COMPUTER PLAYS BOTH HANDS
- WHILE YOU WATCH.
- F3 POP-UP THE OPTIONS MENU
- F4 REPLAY MODE TOGGLE. IN REPLAY MODE YOU ASKED IF YOU WANT TO
- REPLAY THE LAST DEAL.
- F5 DISPLAY THESE INSTRUCTIONS
- F7 QUIT THE PROGRAM
- F9 (COLOR MONITORS ONLY) CHANGE THE SCREEN BACKGROUND COLOR
- F10 (COLOR MONITORS ONLY) CHANGE THE SCREEN BORDER COLOR
-
- *NOTE: THE LEGEND FOR A TOGGLE SWITCH INDICATES THE MODE THAT WILL BE ENTERED
- BY PRESSING THE KEY, WHICH IS THE OPPOSITE OF THE MODE IN EFFECT AT THE TIME.
-
- COMMAND LINE PARAMETERS:
- S START UP WITH SOUND OFF
- M FORCE MONO DISPLAY MODE
- C FORCE COLOR DISPLAY MODE
- * SKIP STARTUP SHOW
-
- EXAMPLE: >ECARTE MS
-
- TERMS TO KNOW:
- -------------
- VOID SUIT: A SUIT IN WHICH ONE HAS NO CARDS.
- SINGLETON: A SUIT IN WHICH ONE HAS ONLY 1 CARD.
- DOUBLETON: A SUIT IN WHICH ONE HAS ONLY 2 CARDS.
-
- NOTES ON STRATEGY:
- NON-DEALER HAS 2 ADVANTAGES: THE LEAD, AND GREATER LIKELIHOOD OF HOLDING
- MORE TRUMPS. CERTAIN HANDS ARE KNOWN TO BE AT LEAST TWICE AS LIKELY TO
- WIN AS TO BE BEATEN, AND SHOULD THEREFORE BE PLAYED WITHOUT PROPOSING: THESE
- ARE CALLED JEUX DE REGLE (OBLIGATORY HANDS). HERE IS A SUMMARY OF THEM:
-
- TRUMPS HELD NON-TRUMPS INCLUDE:
- 3+ ANY
- 2 KING AND VOID SUIT
- QUEEN AND ONE CARD OF SAME SUIT
- ANY 3 OF A SUIT
- 1 KQJ OF ONE SUIT
- QUEEN AND TWO CARDS OF SAME SUIT
- QUEEN AND ANOTHER IN 2 SUITS
- 0 ANY FOUR COURT CARDS BETTER THAN 4 JACKS
-
- POWER CARDS: TRUMPS AND KINGS. HOLDING 3 OR MORE POWER CARDS YOU SHOULD
- PLAY WITHOUT PROPOSING.
- +
- FOR JEUX DE REGLE HANDS, LEAD THE TOP CARD OF THE LONGEST SUIT AND PRESS IT
- UNTIL TRUMPED. BUT IF YOU HOLD THE KING OF TRUMPS (QUEEN IF KING WAS TURNED),
- IT IS SAFE TO PROPOSE AS OFTEN AS YOU FEEL UNCERTAIN ABOUT THE STRENGTH OF
- YOUR HAND AND ARE PERMITTED TO DO SO, SINCE THE DEALER CANNOT THEN WIN THE
- VOLE, AND YOU CAN KEEP BUILDING UP POWER CARDS UNTIL YOU ARE IN A POSITION
- TO VOLE YOURSELF. SINCE YOU MUST CHANGE AT LEAST 1 CARD IF YOUR PROPOSAL
- IS ACCEPTED, DON'T FALL INTO THE BEGINNER'S TRAP OF BLUFFING ON A GOOD HAND
- MORE LIKELY TO BE WEAKENED THAN STRENGTHENED BY ANY EXCHANGE.
- IF DEALER IS IN THE LEAD WITH 3 POINTS IT IS DANGEROUS TO PLAY WITHOUT
- PROPOSING, FOR IF YOU LOSE THE DEAL HE WILL SCORE 2 FOR THE GAME. YOU
- THEREFORE NEED A STRONGER THAN AVERAGE JEU DE REGLE. BUT IF HE STANDS AT
- FOUR YOU SHOULD PREFER TO HOLD TO A WEAK HAND UNLESS YOU HOLD THE KING OF
- TRUMPS OR IT IS TURNED, FOR IF YOU INVITE A CHANGE OF CARDS HE NEED ONLY
- DRAW THE KING AND MARK IT TO WIN IMMEDIATELY.
- AS DEALER YOU MAY USUALLY ASSUME THAT A PROPOSAL IS MADE ON THE BASIS
- OF A WEAK HAND, AND ACCORDINGLY REFUSE ON ANY HOLDING THAT WOULD BE A JEU
- DE REGLE IN THE OTHER POSITION, OR MARGINALLY WEAKER. IN EFFECT YOU SHOULD
- CERTAINLY REFUSE ON A HOLDING OF 3 OR MORE TRUMPS, AND NEARLY ALWAYS ON A
- 2-TRUMP HOLDING BACKED BY TWO OR MORE CARDS IN ANOTHER SUIT. IF YOU ARE
- HOLDING THE KING (QUEEN IF KING IS TURNED) OF TRUMPS, IT MAY BE WORTH
- ACCEPTING PROPOSALS WITH A VIEW TO THE VOLE.
-
- ----------------------
- DID YOU LIKE THIS TOY?
- DON'T FORGET TO TRY OUR GOBS OF OTHER NEAT LOW-PRICED GAMES AND TOYS FOR THE
- IBM PC AND COMPATIBLES. WE ARE WAITING TO SEND YOU OUR 5.25 INCH (360KB) OR
- 3.5 INCH (720KB) DEMO DISK, CONTAINING AN ELECTRONIC CATALOG PLUS OTHER
- GOODIES, FOR ONLY $2 SHIPPING/HANDLING TO ANY U.S. ADDRESS, $3 OUTSIDE U.S.
- (U.S. DOLLARS ONLY).
-
- HAVE FUN!
- TOMMY'S TOYS, P.O. BOX 11261, DENVER, CO 80211 USA.
-