JEST

Hey there! I want to tell you about this awesome little card game called Jest. It was created by Brett Gilbert from Good Little Games, and let me tell you, it’s a blast! It’s super easy to learn and play, and you can even print and make your own cards right at home. Pretty cool, huh?

In Jest, your goal is to collect cards and create the best hand possible. It’s all about strategy and making smart choices. Oh, and there’s a twist! At the end of the game, two trophy cards are given out to players who meet certain goals. Sounds cool, right? But here’s the thing – trophies can either boost or hurt your final score, so you better be careful!

If you want to print the cards and the rules, just click here. Trust me, playing with the print and play cards is way better than using regular playing cards. Why? Well, the print and play version has extra information that makes the game a lot smoother. You don’t have to remember all the scoring rules, suit hierarchy, and trophy requirements – it’s all right there on the cards. Makes things much more fun and hassle-free!

Let’s Get Started: The Cards & The Deal

First things first, grab the reference card from the pack and put it in the center of the playing area, making sure it’s face up. This card is like our guiding star.

Now it’s time to shuffle the cards and deal out two of them right next to the reference card. These two cards are special – we call them trophy cards. Whoever accomplishes the objective shown at the bottom of a trophy card gets to keep it!

Okay, now we’re ready to deal out the rest of the cards. Give each player two cards, but make sure they stay face down. You can sneak a peek at your own cards, but let’s keep them a secret from our opponents. Don’t worry, it will make the game even more exciting!

After everyone has received their two cards, take the remaining cards and place them face down near the reference card. We’ll use these cards later on.

THE PLAY

When we play this game, we go through three different parts: the deal, the offer, and taking cards.

THE OFFER

Once the deal is done, I take a look at the two cards I received. Then, I have to make a decision. I choose one card to show face up, and the other card I keep face down. These two cards and how they are placed form what we call “the offer”.

TAKING CARDS

The person who has the highest-ranked card facing up in their offer goes first. If there are multiple cards with the same rank showing, the one with the highest suit goes first. For example, if there are two fives showing, the person with the highest-suited five gets to go first. And remember, if someone has a Joker facing up, it counts as zero. Aces, on the other hand, are worth one.

When you’re playing this game, you get to go first and look at all the cards your opponents have. You can choose any card you want, whether it’s face up or face down. That card becomes yours and you put it aside face down to start your collection. Then it’s the next player’s turn. They can choose one card from anyone else’s offering that still has two cards. They take that card and start their own collection. The third player only has one option left. They have to choose the remaining card, whether it’s face up or face down.

So, I picked a card for my collection, and now it’s time for a new round. We gather up all the remaining cards from the previous round, and then we add three more cards from the pack. The six cards get shuffled, and each player gets dealt two cards. We keep on making offers, building our collections, and dealing out cards until there are no more cards left to deal.

Just a reminder, we can’t peek at our opponent’s face-down cards. But, we can look at our own face-down offering cards, as well as the cards in our collection.

Ending the Game

Once all the cards have been dealt, and each player has chosen cards to add to their collection for one final time, we’ll each have one offering card left in front of us. That card automatically becomes part of our collection for scoring. And that’s when the game ends!

A GUIDE TO WINNING TROPHY CARDS

Down below, you’ll find the rules for claiming the two trophy cards. Both of these trophies are given out simultaneously, so once you get one, you can’t win the other. However, there are a few conditions that prevent both trophies from being awarded. This means that two players might end up winning one trophy each, or one of the trophies might go unclaimed. After the trophies are given out, it’s time to tally up the scores.

HOW TO SCORE

Spades and Clubs cards will increase your collection’s value by the card’s point worth. On the other hand, Diamonds will decrease your collection’s value by the same amount. As for Hearts, they usually don’t earn you any points unless you also have the Joker card.

If you have a collection that includes the Joker and doesn’t have any Heart cards, the Joker is worth 4 points. However, if you have the Joker along with 1, 2, or 3 Heart cards, the Joker’s value becomes zero and the value of the collection decreases by the value of each Heart card. On the other hand, if you manage to collect the Joker along with all four Heart cards, the Joker’s value also becomes zero, but the value of the collection increases due to the Hearts.

Aces are interesting because their value depends on the number of cards of the same suit in your collection. If you have only one Ace, it’s worth 5 points. But if you have more cards of the same suit, the Ace’s value drops to 1 point.

Now, here’s a cool trick: if you manage to collect a Spade and a Club of the same rank, that pair is worth the total value of their rank, plus you get an extra 2 bonus points! It’s like hitting the jackpot.

So, who wins the game?

The player with the collection that has the highest value wins the game!