Spite & Malice is an engaging competitive patience game designed for two players. Each player begins with a hand of 5 cards, a pay-off pile containing 20 cards, and 4 empty side stacks. At the center of the table, you'll find 3 empty center stacks and the stock pile, which holds the remaining cards.
The ultimate goal is to be the first player to completely empty your pay-off pile. The center stacks are built up sequentially from an ace, regardless of suit. For example, you might start with the ace of diamonds, followed by the two of spades, then the three of hearts, and so on. Kings are wild cards; you can play a king on any center stack, and it will transform into the next card needed on that stack. For instance, if you place the king of spades on top of a ten of clubs, the king will act as a queen.
Once a center stack is completed by playing a queen or king on a jack, it is shuffled back into the stock pile. Side stacks allow you to place any card, regardless of the cards already there, but only the top card of each side stack is accessible for play.
At the beginning of your turn, you draw cards from the stock pile to replenish your hand to 5 cards. During your turn, you can make several possible moves:
- Play the top card from your pay-off pile onto one of the center stacks.
- Play the top card from one of your side stacks onto one of the center stacks.
- Play a card from your hand onto one of the center stacks.
- Play a card from your hand onto one of your side stacks, which ends your turn.
The game concludes when one player successfully plays their last card from the pay-off pile onto a center stack, winning the game and scoring points equal to the number of cards left in the opponent's pay-off pile. Alternatively, if the stock pile runs out, the game ends in a tie, with no points awarded to either player. The first player to accumulate 50 points wins the match!
Tags : Card
