h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi PSG!

I read your mail at the UoL Egroup this morning. I know several card games - German ones - and might contribute to your project!

Germans usually play with a French Set of cards, but there is a German Set as well (I think French people play with that preferrably). Some favourite games in Germany (at least for me) are:

Skat,
Doppelkopf,
Maumau,
Blumendraht or Stachedraht.

I can also tell something about

Rommé
Cannasta and
different Solitaire or Patience games.

I do not know anything about

Bridge

and only little about

Poker,
17+4 and
31.

There are also several card games with special cards. Like

11er-raus,
Bohnanza,
Pirat,
Uno,
Rage,
etc...

There is a lot to tell...

CU
HP
»--.

I have been looking for some keywords in the guide and found an entry about card games with bad names at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A266168

May or may not be referred...

HP
»--.

Hello HP
I would be very glad of some help if you have time to spare, I am particularly interested by the German games you mention as I can easily find out about English/American ones[I have a book of them] but I don't know anything about card games in Germany and the like.

So if you would like to help and have the time, just select some card games from the ones you mentioned and do some entrys.
And if you need any help just ask [Although you probably know more on your subject than I do ].

Researcher PSG

p.s. I will look at the guide entry you mentioned.
p.p.s. Is the German deck different from the English?

Hi PSG,

the "French Deck" (Französisches Blatt) has the suits Kreuz, Pik, Herz, Karo (Clubs, Spades, Hearts, Diamonds) and the values 2 to 10, Bube, Dame, König, Ass (Jack, Queen, King, Ace). The translations though would better be Boy or Farmer, Lady, King and Ace. Of course there are Jokers, too.

The "German Deck" (Deutsches Blatt) has Herz, Gras/Schüppen, Eichel und Schellen (Hearts, Grass (or Leaves)/Spades, Acorn (or Clubs) and Bells (Diamonds)). The colors are not only red and black, but also green and yellow.

The values of the "German Deck" besides the numbers are Unter, Ober, König, Ass/Sau (Lower, Upper, King, Ace/Sow). There aren't any Jokers in the German Deck.

I think I can (and want to) first write something about "Skat". I will probably need your help for some translations. I know words like deck, suits and their names, Jack, etc. You deal cards, you play a card. But for the German words
"bedienen", "Stich", "stechen", "Trumpf", "Reizen", "Ansagen",
"Schneider", "Schwarz", "A...h gespalten", "Ramsch", "Contra",
"Re", "(Doppel-)Bock", "Spitze", "Ouvert", "Hand" and probably some more I cannot think of the appropriate English translations. I have to explain them to you, to see, if there is a word or we have to invent or use a simple one, explaining the meaning...

CU,

HP
»--.

P.S.: Did you know that the characters displayed on a French Deck are taken from the 30-year-war (?)(1618-1648) (?) and that they are meant to be a transmogrification of Jesus Christ, Virgin Mary, God Father and The Holy Spirit? The German Deck is more neutral in that sense.

ups, the "1648)" is meant to be a "1648 )".

HP
»--.

Hello again!
Thanks for the info on the French and German deck I will write it into the introduction page.

I will be more than happy to help you translate the concepts into English. To start with if you give me the most essential set of words with a brief description. I will then go away and scratch my head, open my dictionary and hopefully come up with a good alternative. After that as words occur to you drop a description and I will either ask a question or make suggestion of a word.

Right just as a point of note for everyone, the introduction page that I have up is a framework so after I have all the entrys to be included I can tailor it to cover what it needs to.

Researcher PSG

p.s. Is that really where the french decks images come from? [runs off to quickly write section in intro page] I wonder where the English comes from?

p.p.s I am very intrigued by the game "Skat" (I hope I have typed it right) I look forward to reading an entry on it, thats a hint by the way.

Hello again,

I have started with my entry on Skat at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A600445 !!!

Still lots to say, though...

Your comments please.

HP
»--.

Right I have just finished looking at thje first 2 sections and here is some suggestions. To start with it will be mainly structural, it will make it easier for me to comment more on content later.

For the beginning of the introduction I think it would be better to list the facts to make them clearer, to be helpful I have written it so you can cut and paste.


3 to 4 Players
32 Card Deck
4 Suites: Clubs, Spades, Hearts, Diamonds
Cards in suit used:
7 to 10
Jack
Queen
King
Ace




Section 1 the deal I think the title should be in and then the less than 4 and 4 players should be in


3 cards to each player
2 cards to each players stock
4 cards to each player
3 cards to each player


I think you should try these and then we can tinker with the way the content is set up.

Researcher PSG

Hello again!
I have looked at the bit on bidding and I VERY strongly feel we have to cover counting before bidding. This is simply because people won't know what they are bidding for, and it makes it more confusing than it needs to be.

Researcher PSG

Oh by the way I have a copy of your list of words and shall use my English-German dictionary to try and come up with a good set of English words for you.

Researcher PSG

Right here is what I have found so far word wise:
stick = trick
strechen= to take (took, taken)
trumpf=trump
Reizen = 3 possible meanings to appeal to, to annoy, to irritate
schneider - to cut (I think)
schwarz - Black
spitze = top (I think)
Hand = Hand

I will try and find the rest, but I hope this is a good enough start to be going on with.

Researcher PSG

Thanks for your comments! The list things are a good thing. We can discuss about the (position of the) counting section after I will have added that (probably on wednesday).

The translations are a bit tricky, I think. "Reizen", for example, is what I already tried to translated with bidding. "Schwarz" in this speacial case means that the looser/s got no trick at all. The nown "Schneider" ("taylor") is used, when the looser/s got less than 30 points.

The other translations you gave sound convenient to me. I didn't know that "trump" is such a - well - easy translation of "Trumpf"...

I'll be back on wednesday!

CU
HP
»--.

Hello!
I have put a link to your entry on the project page with an Under Development marker, just so people can keep track of what we are working on.

Oh and as to the translations, although I agree some of them where very convenient it was very hard to find things on some of them and impossible for others. For the ones I have missed if you could give me a brief description and I will do my best to come up with a translation.

Well until Wednesday.

Researcher PSG

Hi there,

entry is done! At least there is everything in it that I wanted to say. Now I leave it to you to comment things. As you can see, i have used several lists...

HP
»--.

Hello!
Yes the lists break it up nicely.

Now I have to put my new player hat on and say I still have a problem with section 2, it is just a bit too complex to understand.

I have a suggestion about changing the format to see if it makes it any clearer:

"The 3 players consider their set of cards, calculating a maximum value to bid. Bidding is always between two players at a time working around the table. The player with the highest bid at the end of the bidding becomes "The Player". The other two, as a team, together try to defend his play or even beat him.
We will now look at the process of bidding, if it seems a bit complex don't worry the meaning of the values of the bid, and how to calculate them is explained in the section on calculation below."

After this you explain the process of bidding step by step

This is just a suggestion, but I strongly feel the section at the moment gives a new player problems.

I will go back and look at the rest.

Researcher PSG

The rest seems very good.

I just have a couple of comments:

1) I think we need to be able to keep better track of "The Player", it in places gets a bit tangled up and I can't seem to follow the position of "The Player" within the game.

2) And I think the significance of the bidding needs to be mentioned nearer the start as in, what happens if "The Player" meets there bet?
what happens if the other players stop "The Player" meeting the bet? It's just people need to clearly know what they are playing for near the start, even in explainations as it encourages them to read on.

I hope you don't think I am being over critical I'm just trying to show you where I am having trouble with my understanding and so where others might.

Oh and one last thing tomorrow or Friday I hope to post the prototype for my entry on Poker and I would like comments on it if you wouldn't mind.

Researcher PSG

Thanks for your remarks. I edited the entry accordingly. I also added a typical bidding dialogue. What do you think of that? "The Player" is now always "The Player".

Please continue with your comments ! You are absolutely correct with your remark about making people curious to read on. If you are used to play Skat, you consider things to be already known that are in fact not self-evident.

I'm looking forward to read your Poker-entry.


HP
»--.

Hello again!

Well I have not quite finished my poker entry, but I put up what I have so far to be commented on at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A604423
Just tell me what you think of it so far, I hope to have the rest done soon.

I will now have a good look at your Skat entry and see how the changes work.

Researcher PSG

Hello!

Well I just have one comment at present I feel you need to be clearer on what chooses the type of play, as it is one of the things I'm not clear on. I can understand what they are just not how they are decided on within the game.

If you can make that a bit clearer I would be grateful.

Researcher PSG