The Very Clever Pipe Game
Encyclopedia
The Very Clever Pipe Game is a card game produced by Cheapass Games
. It can be played by 2-4 people, or more in teams. Like other pipe games, the objective can be to create a closed circuit in pipes of your color by playing cards from your hand. When you accomplish this, you pick up the cards
. Whoever has the most cards at the end wins. However, what makes this game unique (and thus, according to the maker, Very Clever) is that you can also choose to close off fields of light or dark backgrounds. If you have four players, for instance, each has a different goal: light pipes, dark pipes, light backgrounds, or dark backgrounds. With so many competing goals, the game becomes quite complicated.
There are two basic strategies to this game. Some players prefer to make small circuits of only two or three cards, and others attempt to build up their circuit to pick up many cards at a time. Either strategy
can win, although the former is more safe and the latter more of a gamble. Often, the strategy players choose depends on the cards they hold in their hands. In addition, an important part of the strategy in this game is blocking opponents before they can gather cards.
Cheapass Games
Cheapass Games is a game company founded and run by game designer James Ernest, based in Seattle, Washington. Cheapass Games operates on the philosophy that most game owners have plenty of dice, counters, play money, etc., so there is no need to bundle all of these components with every game that...
. It can be played by 2-4 people, or more in teams. Like other pipe games, the objective can be to create a closed circuit in pipes of your color by playing cards from your hand. When you accomplish this, you pick up the cards
Playing card
A playing card is a piece of specially prepared heavy paper, thin cardboard, plastic-coated paper, cotton-paper blend, or thin plastic, marked with distinguishing motifs and used as one of a set for playing card games...
. Whoever has the most cards at the end wins. However, what makes this game unique (and thus, according to the maker, Very Clever) is that you can also choose to close off fields of light or dark backgrounds. If you have four players, for instance, each has a different goal: light pipes, dark pipes, light backgrounds, or dark backgrounds. With so many competing goals, the game becomes quite complicated.
There are two basic strategies to this game. Some players prefer to make small circuits of only two or three cards, and others attempt to build up their circuit to pick up many cards at a time. Either strategy
Strategy
Strategy, a word of military origin, refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. In military usage strategy is distinct from tactics, which are concerned with the conduct of an engagement, while strategy is concerned with how different engagements are linked...
can win, although the former is more safe and the latter more of a gamble. Often, the strategy players choose depends on the cards they hold in their hands. In addition, an important part of the strategy in this game is blocking opponents before they can gather cards.