Happy Birthday Margot!

Warfare Tactics(TM), Andrew Merchant, 2012c Game is for two players
for any appropriate age, with at least one deck of playing cards to
play. The average time of play is 30 minutes or an hour. In this game
each player is the leader of an army that is trying to recruit
monsters. Some monsters retreat when confronted and these armies must
chase after them. When attacking an opponent’s monster to recruit them
those monsters also have the option to surrender or counter attack
with another monster. The player that has collected and defeated the
most powerful of many monsters at the end of the game wins. Shuffle
the one deck, or two combined, of playing cards for both players. Each
player has their own discard pile. Each player is dealt seven cards.
Dealer, who does not deal cards for rest of game, takes the first
turn. Aces are worth 1, jacks are worth 11, queens are worth 12, kings
are worth 13 and Jokers should not be included. Turns: Each turn
player may draw three cards, pass turn or return two monsters to their
battlefield from their discard pile. Of three cards drawn during
player turn, any may be discarded as a move and must be used in an
attack and/or be taken as result of retreat or they are removed to
discard pile at end of opponent turn (unless otherwise noted in
rules). During each turn and after the draw, player may either play a
card onto their battlefield or attack a monster in the opponent’s
battlefield. To attack during their turn players play a card from
their hand into a pile next to the monster of opponent’s being
attacked or move a card in their battlefield next to the opponent’s
monster they attack. After a monster is attacked the opponent has
three options. The opponent may choose to retreat, surrender or
attack. Player with least number of cards in battlefield at start of
their turn may draw one card that need not be discarded at end of
their turn but can be discarded as a move to draw card if player has
least cards in discard pile. Retreat: When an opponent retreats, that
player places the monsters in their side of the attack pile that they
played into their discard pile. Then that opponent reveals their hand
to the other player who chooses one card and places it into their
hand. Or, if the retreating opponent wants to and they have most
number of cards in discard piles, they may instead place one card from
their battlefield on the bottom of the deck for every monster of
theirs that retreated in that battle. Surrender: When an opponent
surrenders, cards that were moved or played this turn for attack go to
the opponent into their battlefield. Surrendered cards cannot be used
for anything until the next turn. Attack: When the opponent attacks,
they play one card from their hand or battlefield onto the pile next
to the other player’s monster and their opponent continues the turn
with the same three options. Attacks without surrender or retreat:
When a player runs out of cards in his hand, the attack ends unless
they attack with a card already on their battlefield. The players add
up the totals on either side with the higher one being the winner,
unless that player places a monster not attacking or being attacked
into the bottom of the deck to draw one card to attack with. When a
player completely runs out of monsters on the battlefield in attack
plus hand, total up sides of monsters in attack and player with the
higher total takes all attacking monsters to place into their
battlefield. In event of tie the player that had attacked first in
this turn loses. The other player who lost the attack draws one card
for every monster card they lost from their hand during that turn.Game
move: During opponent’s turn player may either discard the two highest
cards in their battlefield of theirs among battlefield and hand to
switch discard piles with opponent, or, draw seven cards. If player
does either in same turn of opponent the other player may use the
other during own turn unless they had already done one in a previous
turn. These special moves can only be made once total per game. N.B.
When a player makes a move, unless stated otherwise, they must wait
for other player to respond until they can act again. The exception is
during a battle when no other not attack related moves may be played,
and, special moves that may be done anytime except for during attacks.
End of game: When one player runs out of cards in hand after the deck
ran out, both players total the numbers on monsters on their
battlefield plus the number of cards in the opponent’s discard pile.
Once the deck is down to zero cards players cannot move any card into
the deck. The player with the highest score wins. Optionally, for
constructing your own decks to be used instead of a standard shared
one no more than two of any card may be used and decks must be at
least 45 cards. Sample of Game Play (uses less than full deck since it
is an example): Mike deals both players seven cards. Mike draws three
cards (a 2, 4 and 3) and discards the three he drew. He plays one
monster card (an ace which equals 1) into his battlefield. Mary skips
drawing and places one monster card (a king which equals 13) into her
battlefield. Since she has the least amount of monster cards on
battlefield she may draw one card, which is a 2. Mike chooses to move
his 4 and 3 to his battlefield from his discard pile. Then he places
one monster card (his second ace) into his battlefield. Mike moves his
4 to attack Mary’s king. Mary plays a second king from her hand to add
to the attack. Mike moves his 3 into the attack. Mary plays a jack
(which equals 11) from her hand and her total becomes 37. Mike plays a
jack from his hand into his attack. Mary plays a 9 from her hand into
the attack. Mike plays a queen (which equals 12) from his hand into
the attack and his total becomes 28. Mary plays an 8 from her hand
into the attack. Mike plays a 3 into the battlefield from his hand
into the attack. Mary plays a 7 from her hand into the attack. Mike
has realized that he cannot win the attack (since he knows from
putting together this sample deck that no cards out of two he could
draw would beat Mary’s remaining cards in hand) but he plays his last
card anyway because the only other things he could do are surrender
(thus losing all of his cards to his opponent Mary) or retreat and let
Mary take his last card in hand. Mary discards her two kings to draw
seven cards before Mike makes his move. Mary discards her 2 and draws
a queen. There are now zero cards in deck. Since Mary won the attack,
all of Mike’s cards that attacked go into his discard pile. Mike
cannot draw because there are no cards left, but he decides to discard
his two aces that did not attack to switch discard piles with Mary.
Mary wins the game because her discard pile has less value than the
sum of Mary’s battlefield and Mike’s discard pile.