Usurp
by Noby Nobriga and Rusty Spell, 20 Feb 2002

Definitions

Beaters: Or, “Beater Cards.” The Crown card and the Plow card.
Bluffing: see Uprising.
Challenge: Also known as “Impugning” or to “Step on the habit.” When a Player has played an Uprising card, the Opponent may announce that he challenges the Rise. Believing the Player is bluffing.
Challenge Bonus Points: Points awarded for winning a Challenge during an Uprising.
Common: To win points, a player must play a card ranked lower than the Upcard. Also known as “Low-ball.”
Crown: The “Ace” card. When the Order is Regal, only a Plow can beat a Crown.
Discard: The pile of cards that players place their cards on when playing.
Downcard: The card face-down on top of the Discard pile that is being used during an Uprising. Also known as “the Devil card,” “Robber,” or “Liar.”
Game Points: Points accumulated during the course of an entire game. Winning a Hand awards a player/team 1 Game Point.
Give In: To not Challenge an Uprising and awarding the points of the Upcard to the player playing the Downcard.
Hand Points: Points accumulated during the course of the play of a Hand.
Lead: In a 2-player game, the top card from the Stock that starts the game. In a 4-player game, the first card played in the game by the Leader.
Leader: The player to dealer’s left who begins playing the hand.
Leading Order: The initial Order as the hand begins. Decided by the Dealer in a 2-player game.
Order: Indication of current rank order. Can be either Regal or Common
Plow: The “2” card. When the Order is Common, only a Crown can beat a Plow
Regal: To win points, a player must play a card ranked higher than the Upcard. Also known as “High-ball.”
Reneg Points: Points awarded to the Opponent when a Player Renegs during his play.
Sluff Off: To play a card of a suit different from the Upcard when player has no cards of the Upcard suit
Stock: The face-down pile of cards left-over after dealing (2 players), and set aside out-of-play after the Upcard is played
Upcard: The topmost, faceup card on the Discard worth points. A Downcard may be the topmost card of the Discard, but it is never the Upcard.
Uprising: Also known as “Bluffing,” “Rising.” Playing a card as a Downcard, in an attempt to either win the points of the Upcard or to entice the opponent to Challenge so to win the points of the Upcard plus “challenge bonus points.”
Usurp: To play a card of the same rank as the Upcard, changing the leading suit to the same of the usurping card. The player may change the current Order if he wishes.When playing with multiple Decks, and a card Usurps a card of the same suit, the suit remains the same.

Setup

2 players. (4-player individual and 4-player partnership rules coming soon).
One Pack of poker cards.
Winning: Best 3 out of 5 Game Points (standard).

Startup

Deal 13 cards from the Deck to each player, one card at a time, clockwise, beginning with the Leader.
The remaining cards of the Deck are placed in a face-down pile known as the Stock.
The Dealer turns the top card from the Stock over and lays it face up forming a new pile known as the Discard, where all plays during the hand will be played. The Stock is then set aside out-of-play for the rest of the hand.
All players/teams begin each hand with zero Hand Points.
The Dealer looks at his own cards and the Upcard of the Discard, then decides and announces the Leading Order for the hand: Regal or Common.
The Leader begins play.

Sequence of Play

Player must choose from the following options, while abiding by the rules of Following Suit:
Score
Uprise
Sluff Off
Usurp
Turn continues to the left.
The hand ends once all players have played all of their cards.
See section End of the Hand/Game.

Score:

Player must play a card of any rank but of the same suit as the Upcard.
If Player’s card wins against the Upcard according to the Rules of Order, the Player scores the point value of the Upcard.
If Player’s card loses against the Upcard according to the Rules of Order, the Player’s Opponent scores the point value of the Upcard.
Player’s card is played on the Discard aligned with the current Upcard.

Sluff Off:

Player must play a card of any suit and of any rank other than a rank equal to the Upcard.
The Player’s Opponent scores the value of the Upcard.
Since the Player has Sluffed Off, the next Player, on his turn, will be able to play a card of any suit. And, will automaticly be awarded the points of the Sluffed Off card without worrying about the rank or Order of the cards.

Usurp:

Player must play a card of any suit but of the same rank as the current Upcard.
The Player scores the value of the Upcard.

Uprise:

Player plays a card of any suit and of any rank.
The card is turned perpendicular to the Discard, face-down, and placed half-on/half-off of the Upcard on the edge nearest to the Player, which allows all players to see the rank and suit of the Upcard.
Opponent must choose from the following options:
Give In
Challenge

Give In:

Opponent chooses to allow the Player to take the points of the Upcard.

Player scores the point value of the Upcard.

Challenge:

Opponent announces Challenge.

Player turns over his Uprising card, revealing its rank and suit and plays the card as if it was played normally, resolving the turn by the rules outlined in Sequence of Play.

Usurping rules apply.

Uprising rules do not apply.

If during the resolution the Player scores the point value of the Upcard, he also scores the Challenge Bonus Points.

If during the resolution the Opponent scores the point value of the Upcard, he also scores the Bonus Points.Challenge

End of the Hand/Game

A Hand ends once all players have no more cards left.
The Player/Team with the highest Hand Points at the end of a Hand is awarded 1 Game Point.
The first Player/Team to win the majority Game Points is the winner.

Following Suit and Reneging

When playing a card, the Player must play a card of the same suit as the current Upcard, except when Usurping. Usurping is the only instance where you are not obligated to follow suit.
If the Player does not have a card of the same suit as the Upcard, then the Player is allowed to Sluff Off, Uprise, or Usurp.
If the Player has in his hand a card of the same suit as the Upcard and he plays a card of a different suit and rank instead, this is a Reneg. If play has continued, and the next Player has already played his card for his turn, the Reneging Player/Team must be penalized. Reneging Points is awarded to the Reneging Player/Team’s Opponent.

Rules of Order: Regal and Common, Crown and Plow

In Regal Order: Cards rank with the Crown being the most winning card and the Plow being the most losing card: A (Crown), K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 (Plow). The exception to this rule is that the Plow may win against the Crown.
In Common Order: Cards rank with the Plow being the most winning card and the Crown being the most losing card: 2 (Plow), 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A (Crown). The exception to this rule is that the Crown may win against the Plow.

Ye Olde Hand Point Values

Cards carry the point values as follows:
Crown = 15 points
K = 13 points
Q = 12 points
J = 11 points
10 through 3 are worth the value of their rank. (e.g. 7 = 7 points)
Plow = 2 points
Beater Point Values:
If a Crown is beaten by a Plow, the point value of the Crown is 20 points.
If a Plow is beaten by a Crown, the point value of the Plow is 20 points.
Reneg Points:
20 points.
Challenge Bonus Points:
10 points.

Alternative Hand Point Values

Cards carry the point values as follows:
Crown = 15 points
K through 10 = 10 points
9 through 3 = 5 points
Plow = 5 points
Beater Point Values:
If a Crown is beaten by a Plow, the point value of the Crown is 25 points.
If a Plow is beaten by a Crown, the point value of the Plow is 25 points.
Reneg Points:
25 points.
Challenge Bonus Points:
20 points.

Additional 2-Player Rules

Here are Rule modifications that are not officially a part of the game yet.

Reveal Pile:

For 2-player games, after each Player’s turn, a card is removed from the Stock and placed in a special Reveal pile. The Reveal pile cannot be played on. Its purpose is simply to show cards that are not in the Players’ hands. This allows Players to refine their strategy as the game goes along as they try to figure-out what cards their Opponent may hold and how to play against them.

Usurp by Noby Nobriga and Rusty Spell, 20 Feb 2002