Do rounds of Round Table Poker take too long? Is Zenco just too good at his own game? Well, do we have the competitive card game for you. It's Cheat!, where deception is the order of the day, and anything goes...just try not to get caught!
Ya gotta have a good poker face!
How to Play
In Cheat!, each round begins with a deck of fifty-two cards split evenly between the four players (you and three computer opponents), giving each thirteen random cards. The number of cards each player currently has is displayed under their name.
To play, click on up to four of the cards in your hand, then select a card value from the drop-down menu. On the first turn of the game (and when someone has been accused of cheating on the turn before yours), you will be able to select any value from the drop-down. At any other time, you will have only three choices: the same value as the last card played, and the values above and below it.
The cheating aspect lies in the fact that the cards and value you select don't have to be the same. When cards are played, they're placed face-down in a pile, with the other players only aware of the value that you claim to have played. The goal of the game is to discard your entire hand, and since the cards you must play are dictated by what was played on the turn before yours, you will often have to cheat to win. You can also cheat simply to reduce the number of cards in your hand more quickly...just don't be obvious about it.
For example, playing four of a card that you don't have even one of.
Every turn, players have the option to accuse the one who made the last move of cheating. If the accusation is correct, the cheater will have the entire pile of cards added to their hand; if not, the accuser will be given the pile. When a turn ends without an accusation being made, a cheater will officially have gotten away with it. Once a player has gotten rid of their entire hand of cards, they will win the round. Don't be too worried about losing at any given round; you'll always be able to start at the last round you reached, and there's no penalty for losing.
The game consists of seven rounds, with the least skilled player being switched out for a superior one each round. While the game does gradually become more difficult, the main difference is that accusations of cheating will begin to fly more frequently, making it almost impossible to successfully cheat in later rounds. In addition to this, each round also increases the amount of NP you'll receive both for catching a cheater and winning.
After completing a round, you will sometimes receive a battlecard depicting one of the opponents you played against. The colour of the battlecard you get is completely random, though red is more likely than silver, and silver is more likely than gold. If you manage to catch Capara cheating and are particularly lucky, you may receive the Cheat! avatar upon winning in the first round. After rounds three, five, and seven, you will be awarded the bronze, silver, and gold trophies, respectively.
Round 1
Catch Reward: 8 NP
Round Rewards: 100 NP, a Battlecard, Cheat! Avatar
Round 2
Catch Reward: 12 NP
Round Rewards: 150 NP, a Battlecard
Round 3
Catch Reward: 16 NP
Round Rewards: 200 NP, a Battlecard, Bronze Trophy
Round 4
Catch Reward: 20 NP
Round Rewards: 250 NP, a Battlecard
Round 5
Catch Reward: 24 NP
Round Rewards: 300 NP, a Battlecard, Silver Trophy
Round 6
Catch Reward: 28 NP
Round Rewards: 350 NP, a Battlecard
Round 7
Catch Reward: 32 NP
Round Rewards: 400 NP, a Battlecard, Gold Trophy
Strategy
While the objective of the game is to place all of your cards in the pile, cheating as needed, neither of these is necessarily the fastest route to victory. If you have three or four cards of the same value in your hand, it's significantly easier to spot the other players trying to cheat with that value, allowing you to force the pile on them. When you do play a majority of one type of card, keep track of who ends up with that pile, so that you'll be able to spot cheaters in future rounds.
Additionally, you want to maintain as many playable numbers as possible. For example, let's say your hand has cards with value 3, 4, 5, and 6 in it. This means you could legally lay down cards for cards with value 2 through 7. If you play the 3's or 6's, you restrict this range, but if you play the 4's or 5's, you can still legally lay cards for 2 through 7! So, if you have a choice, choose the cards that keep your options open.
When starting a new pile, feel free to cheat to quickly get rid of several cards that you have only one of. While it's possible that you'll be called out for cheating, the only penalty will be taking back the cards you already had. There are also situations in which you may want to avoid accusing a known cheater, such as when the cards currently being played are of a similar value to the ones in your hand, allowing you to play them without having to cheat. The opposite is also true; if you'll be forced to cheat, and are reasonably sure that someone is cheating, you should accuse them to create an opportunity to make an honest play.
Me? Cheat? Perish the thought!
It's also a good idea to avoid accusing a cheater when they have a large number of cards in their hand, and it would be more beneficial to force the pile onto someone with a smaller number. Similarly, when an opponent is playing their last card, even if they make a completely reasonable claim, always accuse them of cheating. If you're wrong, you'll receive the pile, but you'll lose the round on that turn anyway. If you're right, they'll take the pile, and you'll still have a chance to win.
Occasionally, a little Faerie will fly by, claiming that she thinks someone has just cheated. While Faeries are generally trustworthy, nobody's quite sure how accurate her claims are!
I tell everyone when YOU cheat, too!
Quick Tips
- Try to force the pile on the player with the smallest number of cards.
- Keep track of which players end up with a large number of any particular card.
- Only accuse other players if you're fairly sure they're cheating, or if you're on the verge of losing.
- Avoid cheating whenever possible in the later rounds, as your opponents are more likely to make random accusations.
