G4A: Spite & Malice

Spite and Malice: A Two-Player Card Game of Strategic Patience

Spite and Malice is a thrilling two-player card game demanding strategic patience. Each player begins with a five-card hand, a 20-card payoff pile, and four empty side stacks. Three empty center stacks and a stock pile containing the remaining cards sit in the middle.

The goal? Empty your payoff pile first!

Center stacks are built sequentially from Ace to King, regardless of suit. Kings are wild; placing a King on any stack transforms it into the next card in the sequence (e.g., a King on a Ten becomes a Queen). Completed center stacks (King or Queen on a Jack) are shuffled back into the stock.

Side stacks accept any card, but only the top card is playable.

At the start of your turn, replenish your hand to five cards from the stock. Possible moves include:

• Playing the top card of your payoff pile onto a center stack.
• Playing the top card of a side stack onto a center stack.
• Playing a card from your hand onto a center stack.
• Playing a card from your hand onto a side stack (ending your turn).

Game end conditions:

• A player empties their payoff pile, winning the game and scoring points equal to the cards remaining in their opponent's payoff pile.
• The stock pile is depleted, resulting in a tie.

The first player to reach 50 points wins the match!