Application Description

Spite & Malice: A Two-Player Card Game of Strategic Patience

Spite & Malice is a fast-paced, two-player card game demanding both skill and a bit of luck. Each player begins with a five-card hand, a 20-card payoff pile, and four empty side stacks. The game's objective is simple: be the first to empty your payoff pile.

The game board features three empty center stacks and a stock pile containing the remaining cards. Center stacks are built sequentially from Ace upwards, regardless of suit. Kings are wild, acting as any card needed to continue a sequence. A completed center stack (King or Queen on a Jack) is shuffled back into the stock pile.

Side stacks allow for any card placement, but only the top card is playable.

At the start of each turn, draw from the stock pile to replenish your hand to five cards. Possible moves include:

• Playing the top card of your payoff pile onto a center stack.
• Playing the top card of a side stack onto a center stack.
• Playing a card from your hand onto a center stack.
• Playing a card from your hand onto a side stack (ending your turn).

The game concludes when one player successfully moves their last payoff card to a center stack, winning the game and earning points equal to the number of cards remaining in their opponent's payoff pile. A tie occurs if the stock pile is exhausted before either player wins.

The first player to accumulate 50 points wins the match!

Card