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Hello from Curt (occasional game inventor...more often musician, venue owner, historic preservation guy)!
Two Crowns is a two (or more) player game, conceived around 2010 when I was headed out on a camping trip with friends and family, and I wanted to play a strategy card game with a standard playing card deck. I had hoped to find a game that was not sets or runs based, but more in the attack/defend, turn- and phase-based realm, that anyone can play with cards they likely already own. I poked around and couldn't find a game that fit the bill, so I made my own. My wife Suzanne and I tweaked the gameplay for several months following to get it streamlined and attempt to encounter all potential eccentricities. The more I've played it through the years, along with my friends who have history with Magic: The Gathering and Pokemon and other Trading Card Games in that domain, I've noticed that those familiar with the mechanics of Magic and the like are quick to take to it and easily wrap their heads around the various strategies. Conversely, those who get into my game as a starting point are eager to search out those more advanced games in the same arena. It acts as a nice gateway if you wanna delve into that style of gaming but the complexity and vastness have hindered you from doing so.
All that is required to play is a standard playing card deck with Jokers (4 regular six-sided dice are helpful to track damage, but not necessary as pen and paper work too). The goal of the game is to finish off your opponent's Kings by purchasing and playing Knight and Cavalry Cards, represented by Jacks and Aces. The attacking cards are procured using Coin Cards (5 through 10) from players' Banks, which are deposited into each turn. The other cards are various Effects and Instantaneous Use items that sway the game.
Enjoy! -- Curt
RULES OF THE GAME
Start by grabbing the game guide at this link. As it says in the guide, the best way to learn Two Crowns is to simply set up and start going, learning as you get through a couple slow games.
VIDEO OVERVIEW & WALKTHROUGH
If you need some extra help getting it down, or want to better understand some of the game's nuances, you can watch me play through a full round and explain what is happening while I go...
PLAY ONLINE
Wanna play Two Crowns online against a pal? You can! (It's web-based, so even works great on mobile devices!) Here's how...
First, download this two-crowns.pcio file.
Then, navigate over to playingcards.io.
Click this icon in the upper right-hand corner...
Then upload that two-crowns.pcio file you downloaded...
Next, send your buddy the invite code and tap the "Enter" button...
Hit the red player's "Draw" button and you're off...
Note that though it's not a necessity, I recommend that you and your competitor are connected by voice while you play, to make declarations of Instantaneous Cards and Attacks and what not less confusing.
OPTIONAL VARIATIONS ON THE STANDARD GAME RULES
After you're familiar with the basic play of Two Crowns, you may want to add in these variations to spice the game up a bit.
MULLIGAN VARIATION
This variation is simple...
If any player is dissatisfied with their initial 3-card draw, they may reshuffle those cards into their deck and draw a new opening hand. Each player may only do this one time.
All players must agree to this variation before the game is started.
DICE BATTLE VARIATION
This variation requires the use of a couple extra standard 6-sided dice.
In the Dice Battle Variation, all attacking cards also become defending cards. During each Attack Phase, if the player being attacked has Knight and/or Cavalry Cards in play, those cards become defending cards. A Knight (Jack) may only defend against another Knight, whereas a Cavalry (Ace) may defend against a Knight or Cavalry. Each defending card may only defend one attacking card (for example, if a player is attacking with two cards, and the defending player only has one Knight or Cavalry in play, then they may only block one of the attacking cards). Here is how the Dice Battle Variation plays out:
1) As in standard play, the attacking player declares which attacking card is attacking which King.
2) The defending player then declares which defending card(s) will be defending each attacking card (remember, each defending card may only block a single attacker, and Knight Cards may only block other Knight Cards, not Cavalry Cards, whereas Cavalry Cards may block either Knight Cards or Cavalry Cards).
3) For every battle, the attacking and defending player will each roll one die. If the attacking player rolls a number equal to or higher than the defending player, the attack is successful and usual damage (2 from a Cavalry Card, 1 from a Knight Card) is dealt to the targeted King. If the defending player rolls a higher number than the attacking player, the attack fails to deal any damage. Should the defending player have more defending cards than attacking player has attacking cards, battles remain one defender per attacker. For instance, if defending player has two Knights in play, while attacking player has a single Knight in play, damage is assessed after one roll off, not two (defending player may not attempt to block the attacker with both Knights). Attacking and defending Knight and Cavalry Cards stay in play after battle, meaning those cards are not "killed" as a result of losing the dice roll.
Note that in this variation, an attacking card with a Witch played upon it may still defend.
To edit the table in order to play the Dice Battle Variation on the playingcards.io online system, follow the "play online" instructions above to get a standard game going, then click the "Edit Table" button (little briefcase) in the upper left corner...
In table edit mode, scroll down through the available widgets and drag two Standard 6 Pip Dice onto the playing field. Exit edit mode, and enjoy this variation...
GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN!
