21 Cards

Board & Cards 0.0 ★ (0) Total Ratings: 0 3 plays

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#blackjack #cards #numbers #columns #score #puzzle #single-player #planning #2d

Description

21 Cards borrows one rule from blackjack and builds a puzzle around it. You draw a card, you put it in a column, and a column that reaches exactly twenty-one clears and pays. A column that goes past it does not.

Because you choose the column rather than the card, the game is entirely about where things go. A three is harmless anywhere; a ten is a commitment. The columns that are already high are the ones you cannot feed, which means the space you have left shrinks faster than the cards do.

Planning ahead is possible and rarely enough. You can see the column totals and work out what each one still needs, but you cannot see what is coming, so most decisions are about limiting the damage of a card you did not want rather than making the perfect placement.

The presentation is warm rather than casino-like, which suits a game that is really about arithmetic. Rounds are short, the scoring is clear, and it works as something to open for five minutes and close again.