My friend Arlo has decided to make a game a day over the course of April. They're calling it "Play-pril". The theme they have chosen/drawn for today is "FOOL". I don't know if I'll take part in any other days, but something came to me for today so I thought I'd contribute. I should note: this has not been playtested in any way. Consider it a game poem[1], in that it is as much designed for contemplation as it is for play.

Liar's Shuffle

A game for 2 players and a deck of playing cards

One player is the Liar, and the other is the Decider.

The Liar takes the top card from the deck without showing it to the Decider. What happens next depends upon the suit:
- If it is a DIAMOND: they must convince the Decider that it is a black card. This will be a lie.
- If it is a HEART: they must convince the Decider that it is a red card. This will be the truth.
- If it is a SPADE: they must convince the Decider that it is a red card. This will be a lie.
- If it is a CLUBS: they must convince the Decider that it is a black card. This will be the truth.

The Decider then decides what colour they think the card is.

The card is now revealed. If the Decider got it right, it goes on the SUCCESS PILE. If the Decider got it wrong, it goes on the FAILURE PILE.

A new card is drawn, and the process repeats.

The game continues until the deck of cards has been exhausted. If the SUCCESS PILE is now larger than the FAILURE PILE, then the Liar loses and the Decider wins. If the FAILURE PILE is now larger than the SUCCESS PILE, then the Decider loses and the Liar wins.

Trash talking and mind games are very much encouraged. The Liar can choose when they wish to draw another card - the game might well be better run interspersed with other activities, such as making and eating dinner, gossiping, playing other games, going for a walk, or engaging in sexual intercourse.

This game can be seen as a very slow and ineffective way to shuffle a deck of cards.

1: Previous game poems on my previous blog include Monogamy, a game for lovers, a game for walking home and Twelve Games About Counting