Survive! Card Game
This is a card game for a regular 52 card deck. The idea for the game comes from "survival of the fittest" competition for resources. Whether it seems related to that or not, the idea was a starting point into what seems to be a very playable game.
Setup
Each player is dealt 5 cards to hold in their hand. There is a common "resource pool" that may hold up to 4 cards showing face up. Initially, no cards are in the resource pool. Each player has an individual resource pool that is initially empty.
Play
On each turn, a card is drawn. From the 6 cards in your hand you may either play into the common resource pool, into your resource pool, or discard one card. At the end of the turn, no player may hold more than 5 cards in their hand.
Pools
The common resource pool is a "high water mark" for each resource (suit of cards). There are no restrictions on which cards may be in the common pool or where they may be placed in the 4 available positions. Each card in the common pool defines a limit on the cards in the players' pools. At any time, a new card may be played over the top of any card already in the common pool. The new card replaces the old card and the effects of the change must be handled at the end of the turn.
Players have their own pool for accumulating resources towards winning the game.
No player may keep a card in their pool unless it is of the same suit and smaller than a card showing in the common pool. When a resource in the common pool is removed or reduced by being covered, every player must examine their own resource pool and discard any cards no longer supported by the common pool. A player may have as many cards in their pool as they wish subject to the requirement of support from the common pool.
Objective
To win the game, be the player with the highest total points in your resource pool when no cards remain to be played by any player. Points are counted at the face value of the cards where face cards are Jack=11, Queen=12, and King=13. Aces are low and equal 1 point.
Special rules
You can choose to allow only 1 card to be played on any given turn. You can choose to require 2 cards to be played in order to change the common pool - the greater card goes to the common pool and the lesser card to the player's pool. You can choose to only allow 1 of each suit in the common pool and/or only allow playing over cards of the same suit in the common pool.
Feedback
If you play the game or any of the variants under Special Rules please send feedback to support At summergrand DOT com (adjusted to be an actual email address.)