Which Game First: A Board Game Podcast

Skyline

A quick push-your-luck dice game of erecting urban buildings

Designed by: David Short

Published By: Tasty Minstrel Games (2012)

Players: 1-4

Time: 15 min

Ages: 10+

Unearthed by: Celeste

Celeste found Skyline’s small box on Ed’s shelves. She liked the unique looking dice, making her eager to roll them instantly.  And was fascinated by its origin as a reward for the Kickstarter funding campaign for Ground Floor.

The Basics:

Skyline is simple: The dice faces represent different types of floors for urban buildings. Some dice show the lower floors, some the middle floors and some the upper floors.  You roll these dice and use them as the building blocks of your buildings. You start with a ground floor and build up, just like real construction. Taller buildings are worth more points, but they are also more difficult to complete. The player with the most points wins.

 

Grand Austria Hotel

Compete for customers to transform your café into a world famous hotel.

Designed by: Simone Luciani and Virginio Gigli

Published By: Mayfair Games (2015)

Players: 2 – 4

Time: ~ 90 min

Ages: 12+

Unearthed by: Joe

Joe was intrigued by the game’s box art and pictures of the staff and guests situated in the hotel’s luxury just made it look like a fun place to be!

The Basics:

You are a sharp, driven, and dangerously charismatic hotelier at the height of Austria’s glory days. You stake your name and fortune on your hotel becoming the favored stomping grounds of the richest, savviest, most stylish Central European elites, who rapaciously consume prodigious quantities of your delicious cake in the afternoons — sip your fine wine by night — and pour out your hot, tasty coffee in the morning to nurse their hangovers. To win, you must even attract the attention of the Imperial family, until every other vacation destination in the world is in your shadow! Make Paris aspire to be the Vienna of Western Europe!

 

For Sale

Bid and bluff as you purchase properties to become the richest real estate mogul!

Designed by: Stefan Dorra

Published By: Ravensburger (1997)

Edition Played: Überplay (2005)

Players: 3 – 6

Time: ~ 15 min

Ages: 8+

Unearthed by: Ed

Ed enjoys this bidding/bluffing game that offers interesting strategies in a short playing time, he finds it to be a good filler game.

The Basics:

In the first half of the game, players first bid to buy the best properties (numbered 1 – 30) with their starting cash. Then, the players sell those properties vying for the highest value checks. The player with the most money wins.

WGF went to Hartford, CT last weekend to check out ConnectiCon and the Connecticut Festival of Indie Games.

ConnectiCon‘s focus is on all things pop culture and does every genre of pop culture in as big a way as possible. The event attracts over 30,000 people to the city Hartford over the course of the event weekend, and plans to expand to other venues in downtown Hartford.

http://connecticon.org/

The Connecticut Festival of Indie Games (CT-FIG) celebrates independent game development in New England and neighboring regions. Our goal is to create an inclusive environment for everybody who enjoys and appreciates tabletop and digital games in whatever shape or form. The festival seeks to support and showcase the efforts of independent game developers. We encourage attendees of our annual festival to participate and play games with their designers throughout the event. The games featured at the annual festival are innovative and refreshing, demonstrating both the budding and the established talent of game makers in the American northeast. The Connecticut Festival of Indie Games is backed by Geek Fever Games, an independent game design company in central Connecticut. The Connecticut Festival of Indie Games strives to strengthen the game development industry of New England.

http://www.ct-fig.com/

The event this year had 26 showcase exhibitors and 4 sponsors.

CONNECTICON will return to Hartford next year, July 11-19, 2019

The Boston Festival of Indie Games will take place in Cambridge, MA, on Saturday, Sep 29, 2018

https://www.bostonfig.com/

CT-FIG Winners:

Best in Show & Best Presentation:

That’s Wizard by Matt Sorrentino

https://www.facebook.com/thatswizard/?ref=nf

Runner Up:

Life Siphon by Lay Waste Games

http://www.laywastegames.com/

Best Design in Progress:

Bloom by Stevo Torres and Yanaguana Games

http://www.yanaguanagames.com/

Most Innovative:

Patrol: A Coloring Card Game by Adam The Impaler

http://www.welcometotheawesome.com/patrol-a-coloring-card-game/

Other games discussed:

Someone Has Died by Gather Round Games LLC

https://www.someonehasdiedgame.com/

Clear the Deck by Crispy Games Co.   Kickstarter going on now until August 16

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1480427463/clear-the-decks

Fire Tower by Runaway Parade

https://runawayparade.squarespace.com/

Robots: Battle for the Coal Heart by Duncan Davis and Jackclyn Ngo

http://sherwoodgames.com/

Blinks by Move 38

https://move38.com/

The Meeple Machine by Copper Frog Games  Kickstarter going on now until July 31

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/copperfroggames/the-meeple-machine-artisan-crafted-hardwood-meeple

Brew Dice by FunWiz

https://www.brewdice.com/

 

 

WGF went to Hartford, CT last weekend to check out ConnectiCon and the Connecticut Festival of Indie Games.

ConnectiCon‘s focus is on all things pop culture and does every genre of pop culture in as big a way as possible. The event attracts over 30,000 people to the city Hartford over the course of the event weekend, and plans to expand to other venues in downtown Hartford.

http://connecticon.org/

The Connecticut Festival of Indie Games (CT-FIG) celebrates independent game development in New England and neighboring regions. Our goal is to create an inclusive environment for everybody who enjoys and appreciates tabletop and digital games in whatever shape or form. The festival seeks to support and showcase the efforts of independent game developers. We encourage attendees of our annual festival to participate and play games with their designers throughout the event. The games featured at the annual festival are innovative and refreshing, demonstrating both the budding and the established talent of game makers in the American northeast. The Connecticut Festival of Indie Games is backed by Geek Fever Games, an independent game design company in central Connecticut. The Connecticut Festival of Indie Games strives to strengthen the game development industry of New England.

http://www.ct-fig.com/

The event this year had 26 showcase exhibitors and 4 sponsors.

CONNECTICON will return to Hartford next year, July 11-19, 2019

The Boston Festival of Indie Games will take place in Cambridge, MA, on Saturday, Sep 29, 2018

https://www.bostonfig.com/

CT-FIG Winners:

Best in Show & Best Presentation:

That’s Wizard by Matt Sorrentino

https://www.facebook.com/thatswizard/?ref=nf

Runner Up:

Life Siphon by Lay Waste Games

http://www.laywastegames.com/

Best Design in Progress:

Bloom by Stevo Torres and Yanaguana Games

http://www.yanaguanagames.com/

Most Innovative:

Patrol: A Coloring Card Game by Adam The Impaler

http://www.welcometotheawesome.com/patrol-a-coloring-card-game/

Other games discussed:

Someone Has Died by Gather Round Games LLC

https://www.someonehasdiedgame.com/

Clear the Deck by Crispy Games Co.   Kickstarter going on now until August 16

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1480427463/clear-the-decks

Fire Tower by Runaway Parade

https://runawayparade.squarespace.com/

Robots: Battle for the Coal Heart by Duncan Davis and Jackclyn Ngo

http://sherwoodgames.com/

Blinks by Move 38

https://move38.com/

The Meeple Machine by Copper Frog Games  Kickstarter going on now until July 31

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/copperfroggames/the-meeple-machine-artisan-crafted-hardwood-meeple

Brew Dice by FunWiz

https://www.brewdice.com/

 

 

Spyfall 2

An easy-to-learn card game of bluffing, probing questions, clever answers, and suspicion.

Designed by: Alexandr Ushan

Published By: Cryptozoic (2017)

Players: 3-12

Time: 30 min

Ages: 13+

Unearthed by: Mike

Mike discovered Spyfall at a game designers convention in New Jersey called Metatopia, playing the game with fellow designers and was instantly hooked. He brought this to the WGF table to see how we do at a social deduction game.

The Basics (from rulebook):

At the start of each round, players receive a secret card letting them know where they are – a vineyard, jail, coal mine, gas station (20 unique locations!) – Except that one player receives the SPY card instead of the location. The Spy doesn’t know where he is, but wins the round if he can figure it out before he blows his cover!

Players then start asking each other questions during the intense 8-minute rounds. Non-Spy players want to ask questions and give answers that prove to the other players that they know where they are. But watch out! If your questions and answers are too specific, the Spy will easily guess the location and win, so you need to practice a bit of subtlety. But if your questions and answers are too generic, you might be accused of being the Spy. The Spy will also sometimes be asked questions (just like any other player would) and have to come up with questions of his own, without knowing anything about where he is! If you listened carefully to the other players, you’ll be able to come up with a plausible question or answer… hopefully.

 

London

* The Great Fire has devastated the city, and all that’s left is to rebuild.

Designed by: Martin Wallace

First Published: Treefrog in 2010

Edition Played: 2nd Edition from Osprey Games (2017)

Players:  2 – 4

Time: 60 – 90 min

Ages: 14+

Unearthed by:  Ed

Ed has played the first edition and, as a fan of Martin Wallace, picked up the new edition which modifies some of the mechanics and replaces the board with a new deck of large cards.

The Basics:

In London, you take the role of a prominent architect, tasked with rebuilding the city after the Great Fire of 1666.  Players start with 5 pounds and a hand of cards. On your turn, you first draw a card, then take an action. Actions can be drawing 3 more cards, developing your city, running your city, or buying land.  Running the city will give you different benefits depending on how you’ve developed the city, but will also generate poverty based on the size of the city. Buying land will grant prestige and reduce poverty.  The game ends after the city deck runs out, the player with the most Prestige wins the game.

 

The T-Shirt Game

The party game wear funny matters!

Designed by: Garrett J. Donner, Wendy L. Harris, Michael S. Steer

Published By: Buffalo Games (2007)

Players: 3 - 6

Time: 30 min

Ages: 14+

Unearthed by: Celeste

Celeste found this game at a downtown thrift store.  She brought it to the WGF table because she loves card judging games and, like most things she loves, she likes to experience them in as many iterations as possible, which, she says has led her to sit through some spectacularly eccentric productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

The Basics:

Everyone is dealt five Slogan cards each with a T-shirt slogan on it.  The judge player of that round draws a T-shirt card with a picture that she will judge.  Everyone gives a slogan card to the judge who then picks the slogan she thinks best matches her T-Shirt’s image.  The owner of that slogan card wins the round.

There is a small additional game mechanic here;  the winner of each round doesn’t get the same poin...

Spyfall 2

An easy-to-learn card game of bluffing, probing questions, clever answers, and suspicion.

Designed by: Alexandr Ushan

Published By: Cryptozoic (2017)

Players: 3-12

Time: 30 min

Ages: 13+

Unearthed by: Mike

Mike discovered Spyfall at a game designers convention in New Jersey called Metatopia, playing the game with fellow designers and was instantly hooked. He brought this to the WGF table to see how we do at a social deduction game.

The Basics (from rulebook):

At the start of each round, players receive a secret card letting them know where they are – a vineyard, jail, coal mine, gas station (20 unique locations!) – Except that one player receives the SPY card instead of the location. The Spy doesn’t know where he is, but wins the round if he can figure it out before he blows his cover!

Players then start asking each other questions during the intense 8-minute rounds. Non-Spy players want to ask questions and give answers that prove to the other players that they know where they are. But watch out! If your questions and answers are too specific, the Spy will easily guess the location and win, so you need to practice a bit of subtlety. But if your questions and answers are too generic, you might be accused of being the Spy. The Spy will also sometimes be asked questions (just like any other player would) and have to come up with questions of his own, without knowing anything about where he is! If you listened carefully to the other players, you’ll be able to come up with a plausible question or answer… hopefully.

 

London

* The Great Fire has devastated the city, and all that’s left is to rebuild.

Designed by: Martin Wallace

First Published: Treefrog in 2010

Edition Played: 2nd Edition from Osprey Games (2017)

Players:  2 – 4

Time: 60 – 90 min

Ages: 14+

Unearthed by:  Ed

Ed has played the first edition and, as a fan of Martin Wallace, picked up the new edition which modifies some of the mechanics and replaces the board with a new deck of large cards.

The Basics:

In London, you take the role of a prominent architect, tasked with rebuilding the city after the Great Fire of 1666.  Players start with 5 pounds and a hand of cards. On your turn, you first draw a card, then take an action. Actions can be drawing 3 more cards, developing your city, running your city, or buying land.  Running the city will give you different benefits depending on how you’ve developed the city, but will also generate poverty based on the size of the city. Buying land will grant prestige and reduce poverty.  The game ends after the city deck runs out, the player with the most Prestige wins the game.

 

The T-Shirt Game

The party game wear funny matters!

Designed by: Garrett J. Donner, Wendy L. Harris, Michael S. Steer

Published By: Buffalo Games (2007)

Players: 3 - 6

Time: 30 min

Ages: 14+

Unearthed by: Celeste

Celeste found this game at a downtown thrift store.  She brought it to the WGF table because she loves card judging games and, like most things she loves, she likes to experience them in as many iterations as possible, which, she says has led her to sit through some spectacularly eccentric productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

The Basics:

Everyone is dealt five Slogan cards each with a T-shirt slogan on it.  The judge player of that round draws a T-shirt card with a picture that she will judge.  Everyone gives a slogan card to the judge who then picks the slogan she thinks best matches her T-Shirt’s image.  The owner of that slogan card wins the round.

There is a small additional game mechanic here;  the winner of each round doesn’t get the same points for winning. Rather, each winner draws a “Hot or Not” card which has a funny explanatio...

World Boardgaming Championships

Seven Springs Mountain Resort, PA

July 21 – 29

The Boardgame Players Association’s (BPA) largest event is the annual World Boardgaming Championships® (WBC) where about 2,000 people from around the world compete to be named champion of their favorite boardgames.

Link: https://www.boardgamers.org/

BPA History (https://www.boardgamers.org/historyindex.html)

The Boardgame Players Association (BPA_ started in 1991. The gaming convention which would eventually evolve into the present WBC got its start in 1991 as Avaloncon when years of campaigning for it by Don Greenwood finally convinced Avalon Hill management that a “return to basics” gaming convention emphasizing competitive play of the games was the best way for The Avalon Hill Game Company to reverse its flagging fortunes. Having started the Origins gaming convention two decades earlier—with all of 13 tournaments—Avalon Hill had freely relinquished control of that annual gaming fest to the fledgling Game Manufacturer’s Association to concentrate on the production of its own games.

Ed, Mike, and Celeste are looking forward to checking out the event in person this year and will report on their experience!

 

Internet Archive

https://archive.org/

About the Internet Archive:

The Internet Archive, a non-profit, is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Like a paper library, we provide free access to researchers, historians, scholars, the print disabled, and the general public. Our mission is to provide Universal Access to All Knowledge.

Evan and the panel marvel at the large collection of software and games, which you can play from the website.

https://archive.org/details/software

 

The Decemberists Present: Illimat

https://www.illimat.com/

In 2009, the band The Decemberists had an Idea for a photoshoot where they would be a secret society playing a weird and wonderful game in different locations. Carson Ellis and photographer Autumn de Wilde created a game board as a prop and call it The Illimat.

Twogether Studios and Keith Baker worked to create the Illimat board game, which was successfully Kickstarted in 2016.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/twogetherstudios/illimat

 

World Boardgaming Championships

Seven Springs Mountain Resort, PA

July 21 – 29

The Boardgame Players Association’s (BPA) largest event is the annual World Boardgaming Championships® (WBC) where about 2,000 people from around the world compete to be named champion of their favorite boardgames.

Link: https://www.boardgamers.org/

BPA History (https://www.boardgamers.org/historyindex.html)

The Boardgame Players Association (BPA_ started in 1991. The gaming convention which would eventually evolve into the present WBC got its start in 1991 as Avaloncon when years of campaigning for it by Don Greenwood finally convinced Avalon Hill management that a “return to basics” gaming convention emphasizing competitive play of the games was the best way for The Avalon Hill Game Company to reverse its flagging fortunes. Having started the Origins gaming convention two decades earlier—with all of 13 tournaments—Avalon Hill had freely relinquished control of that annual gaming fest to the fledgling Game Manufacturer’s Association to concentrate on the production of its own games.

Ed, Mike, and Celeste are looking forward to checking out the event in person this year and will report on their experience!

 

Internet Archive

https://archive.org/

About the Internet Archive:

The Internet Archive, a non-profit, is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Like a paper library, we provide free access to researchers, historians, scholars, the print disabled, and the general public. Our mission is to provide Universal Access to All Knowledge.

Evan and the panel marvel at the large collection of software and games, which you can play from the website.

https://archive.org/details/software

 

The Decemberists Present: Illimat

https://www.illimat.com/

In 2009, the band The Decemberists had an Idea for a photoshoot where they would be a secret society playing a weird and wonderful game in different locations. Carson Ellis and photographer Autumn de Wilde created a game board as a prop and call it The Illimat.

Twogether Studios and Keith Baker worked to create the Illimat board game, which was successfully Kickstarted in 2016.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/twogetherstudios/illimat

 

Star Realms

A fast-paced deck-building card game of outer space combat.

Designed by: Robert Dougherty, Darwin Kastle

Published By: White Wizard Games (2014)

Players: 2

Time: 20 min

Ages: 12+

Unearthed by: Mike

Mike brought this game to the WGF table to show some of the diversity in deck-building games.

The Basics:

Star Realms is a space combat card game, in which players grow their deck’s starting fleet from a fledgeling force into a powerful armada. Each player starts with the same number of trade ships and warships. To improve their decks they will purchase cards granting new ships or bases.

Both players try to access better ships and bases that are more efficient at trading or combat. Finally players will attack their opponents with warships, weakening their opponents’ authority. Once a player’s authority reaches zero, the game ends.

 

Century: Spice Road

Discover the beauties of the spice trading road and its colorful markets.

Designed by: Emerson Matsuuchi

Published by: Plan B Games (2017)

Players: 2 – 5

Time: 30 – 45 min

Ages: 8+

Unearthed by: Ed

Ed unearthed this short game about trading, and was drawn to its large cards, colorful art and nice components.

The Basics:

You are a caravan leader searching for wealth and fortune on the Spice Road. There are 4 spices of increasing value: turmeric (yellow), saffron (red), cardamom (green), and cinnamon (brown). Players  turn in specific sets of spices for Victory Point cards; in addition, Merchant cards offer different ways for spice to be gained, upgraded, or exchanged.

Each round, players take one of 4 actions:  Play a Merchant card from your hand, Acquire a new Merchant card from the display, Return all your played Merchant cards back to your hand, or Claim a Victory Point card.  When any player takes his 5th victory Point card, the game ends at the completion of that round. The player with the most victory points wins.

 

As the World Turns

“As played by the Hughes family on the Television Show As The World Turns.”

Designed by: (uncredited)

Published by: Parker Brothers (1966)

Players: 2 – 6

Time: 60 min

Ages: 10+

Unearthed by: Evan

Evan unearthed this game along in a batch of 8 vintage games that were ordered online. As the title of the game indicates, this game was played live on TV by the Hughes Family, during an episode of the daytime soap opera As The World Turns.

The Basics:

This board game is a race to travel around the world. At the start, each player is dealt Passport Cards and Travel Cards, and pays the Customs Fund (bank) the value of those cards. Players then take turns rolling dice and moving their pawns around the board. If they land on a city space, they pay the indicated amount to the owner(s) of the passport(s) for that city. Landing on other types of spaces results in various actions like drawing a Customs card, spinning the world spinner, and moving off-course. The winner is the person with the most money when the game ends.

Star Realms

A fast-paced deck-building card game of outer space combat.

Designed by: Robert Dougherty, Darwin Kastle

Published By: White Wizard Games (2014)

Players: 2

Time: 20 min

Ages: 12+

Unearthed by: Mike

Mike brought this game to the WGF table to show some of the diversity in deck-building games.

The Basics:

Star Realms is a space combat card game, in which players grow their deck’s starting fleet from a fledgeling force into a powerful armada. Each player starts with the same number of trade ships and warships. To improve their decks they will purchase cards granting new ships or bases.

Both players try to access better ships and bases that are more efficient at trading or combat. Finally players will attack their opponents with warships, weakening their opponents’ authority. Once a player’s authority reaches zero, the game ends.

 

Century: Spice Road

Discover the beauties of the spice trading road and its colorful markets.

Designed by: Emerson Matsuuchi

Published by: Plan B Games (2017)

Players: 2 – 5

Time: 30 – 45 min

Ages: 8+

Unearthed by: Ed

Ed unearthed this short game about trading, and was drawn to its large cards, colorful art and nice components.

The Basics:

You are a caravan leader searching for wealth and fortune on the Spice Road. There are 4 spices of increasing value: turmeric (yellow), saffron (red), cardamom (green), and cinnamon (brown). Players  turn in specific sets of spices for Victory Point cards; in addition, Merchant cards offer different ways for spice to be gained, upgraded, or exchanged.

Each round, players take one of 4 actions:  Play a Merchant card from your hand, Acquire a new Merchant card from the display, Return all your played Merchant cards back to your hand, or Claim a Victory Point card.  When any player takes his 5th victory Point card, the game ends at the completion of that round. The player with the most victory points wins.

 

As the World Turns

“As played by the Hughes family on the Television Show As The World Turns.”

Designed by: (uncredited)

Published by: Parker Brothers (1966)

Players: 2 – 6

Time: 60 min

Ages: 10+

Unearthed by: Evan

Evan unearthed this game along in a batch of 8 vintage games that were ordered online. As the title of the game indicates, this game was played live on TV by the Hughes Family, during an episode of the daytime soap opera As The World Turns.

The Basics:

This board game is a race to travel around the world. At the start, each player is dealt Passport Cards and Travel Cards, and pays the Customs Fund (bank) the value of those cards. Players then take turns rolling dice and moving their pawns around the board. If they land on a city space, they pay the indicated amount to the owner(s) of the passport(s) for that city. Landing on other types of spaces results in various actions like drawing a Customs card, spinning the world spinner, and moving off-course. The winner is the person with the most money when the game ends.

The Networks

Bring your Public Access TV network into Prime Time

Designed by: Gil Hova

Edition Played: Formal Ferret Games (2016)

Players: 1 – 5

Time: 60 – 90 min

Ages: 13+

Unearthed by: Ed

Ed was first introduced to this game during playtesting at Metatopia, and brought this game to the table because it pokes fun at TV networks and the panel loves silly puns.

The Basics:

In The Networks, you are the owner of a TV station with three awful public access shows, but with a small amount of cash and great ambition, you plan to lure the most viewers and break into prime time.

Each season you take turns trying to improve your network by developing the best new shows, signing the most popular stars, or landing the most lucrative ads.  Focusing on a genre, will get a bonus for your network. Manage your cash and keep an eye on your lineup as shows age at the end of each season. And you may want to pass early to budget for the big shows and stars that will be available next season.  

After 5 seasons, the player with the most viewers wins the game.

Splendor

A game of chip-collecting and card development to craft the best gems

Designed by: Marc André

Edition Played: Space Cowboys / Asmodee (2014)

Players: 2-4 players

Time: ~ 30 min

Ages: 10+

Unearthed by: Ed

Ed brought this simple engine building game to the table because it has attractive components and art, while also being easy to learn and play.

The Basics:

In Splendor, you take on the role of a rich merchant during the Renaissance, acquiring resources, mines, and artisans to turn raw gems into beautiful jewels.

On your turn, you will perform one of four actions.  1) Take three gems of different colors; 2) Take two Gems of the same color; 3) Reserve a development card and take one Gold coin; 4) Purchase a development card (from display or your reserve).  Development cards provide “Prestige Points” and certain sets of developments may earn “Noble Tiles”, which provide additional Prestige. The final round is triggered when a player reaches 15 points and the player with the most Prestige points wins.

Sharp Shooters

Take a risk. Give it a roll. Play the game.

Designed by: Jeffrey Breslow, Howard J. Morrison, Rouben Terzian

Edition Played: Milton Bradley Company (1994)

Players: 2 – 6

Time: ~ 10 – 20 min

Ages: 12+

Unearthed by: Celeste

Celeste found this game at one of her nearby big-box chain thrift stores and brought it to the table because she had to show us the classic 90’s style promo photo on the back of the box and of course she loves dice and this game boasts a lot of them.

The Basics:

Players roll dice to build rows on a common reference card. Win chips by pacing the last die in a row. Score for straights, full houses, 4 of a kind, and more.

Each player is given a bunch of standard six sided dice.  On your turn, first you roll 5 dice into the green felt covered plastic bin.  Then you must place at least one of the rolled dice on the reference card, trying to make winning sets while avoiding losing sets.  You win casino chips for making winning sets and lose them for making losing sets. Once all the sets on the card are made a new reference card is pulled, starting a new round of play. After the 6th card and round is complete, the player with the most chips wins.