Punch Cards: Official Site

Convention Rules:

If you're keen to use Punch Cards as your next big convention game, read on.

First, you need to get some Punch Cards. Contact John Crowe at Cheapass Games to see about getting set up. We will usually exchange a fair number of cards for some kind of on-site promotion, such as an ad in the program.

Next, make sure that everyone has a fair start. Put the rules to the convention game in the program book, remembering to change a rule or two so that it's even better than what we've come up with, and direct players to the location where they can sign up and play the game.

To begin, players receive five random Punch Cards, and write their name on each one. Players must also identify themselves as players in the game, by putting a sticker or one of their punch cards on their badge, or somewhere where other players can see it.

Throughout the convention, players can challenge each other to quick plays, in which the winner keeps the loser's card. Players must accept the first challenge from any rival, but may refuse subsequent challenges until both players have fought someone else.

Once you have a collection of other players' cards, you don't have to play with your own. This matters because you will score points for every name you collect, and duplicates of names aren't worth much more.

Players can re-enter if they run out of cards, continuing to use the same name. Players can always trade if they want, rather than fighting.

At a set time on the last day, all players who have turned in their cards will score as follows: For every unique name in their collection, including their own, players score one point. If the high score is tied, the game will go to the player with the most second copies of names, and so on, so when you record each player's score remember to get all the doubles, triples, etc. for tiebreaking purposes.

For a complete program-book-ready mad-lib version of these rules, click here.