Objective
The goal of War is to win all the cards and be the last remaining player with cards.
Materials
You need a standard 52-card deck to play War. It is a two-player game.
Setup
- All the cards are evenly divided between the two players. Each player gets 26 cards.
- Players hold their stack face down, so they cannot see the order of the cards.
Game Play
The game proceeds as follows: 1. Showing Cards: Both players simultaneously reveal the top card of their deck and place it face up in the center. 2. Comparing Cards: The cards are compared. The player with the higher card (Ace being the highest, followed by King, Queen, Jack, and then descending from Ten to Two) wins the round and takes both cards (their own and the opponent's) and places them at the bottom of their stack. 3. Tie - "War": If the revealed cards are of equal value, a "war" is initiated: - Each player places three cards face down on the card they just placed. - Then, each player places another card face up. - The higher face-up card wins the "war," and that player takes all the cards (a total of ten – the two initial cards and the face-down cards). - If the new cards are still of equal value, the "war" process repeats.
End of Game
The game ends when a player has no more cards left. The player who collects all the cards wins the game.
Strategic Notes
War is entirely luck-based, with no strategic moves players can make. However, it is easy and quick to understand, making it particularly suitable for children and beginners. Endurance and patience are beneficial as the game can take a long time to conclude, especially without shuffling the stacks at some points.
