Minigames

Virtual Machine uses several minigames to simulate different activities. These are primarily based on player skill rather than character abilities, though there are some places where character abilities come into play.

In Console parlance, VM is a "Mixed" game. Combat abilities that should apply to non-combat situations should be allowed to work there, such as a Hacker turning the lights on and off in a building to help people sneak through, or the Sorcerer using ice magic to make a road slippery for their opponent during a chase. When the MCs do this, they push one of the consequence thresholds back as described in the minigame. Only one MC can help in each instance of a minigame.

As with all VM play, leave the jokers in unless otherwise specified.

Hack

Shuffle a deck and lay out 25 cards in four stacks by suit. If there are any jokers, put them in the 5th stack. You are playing Maverick Solitaire.

Your goal is to create five stacks (hands) of five cards, each of which is a high-scoring poker hand. Flushes, straights, full houses, and four-of-a-kind are the only hands allowed. You want to do it in as few moves as possible. A move is placing a card into the 5th stack, or exchanging a card from one stack with a card in another.

Take consequences when you reach 5 moves, 6 moves, 7 moves, and 8 moves. With MC help, make this 6, 7, 8, 9.

Sometimes it is impossible to create five such hands given the cards that are out. One example would be if there is a King of Clubs, but no Queens, no Jokers, no four-of-a-kinds, and only three other Clubs. If it is agreed by the entire group (including CPU) that the current game cannot be won, you have triggered a glitch in the City's code. ((include reward here))

Chase

Take one shuffled deck and split it equally between the CPU and one player. Each draws five cards from their half of the deck. You are trying to play sets of cards.

Each turn, draw one card. (If the deck is empty, skip this step.) Then pass one card from your hand to the other player. When you have three or four of a kind you can play that set. After you do, draw an extra card and continue the game.

Stop when there's a set of cards for each value. Count up the total number of cards on each side. The winner has the most cards. Ties are broken by numbers of high cards, from Ace on down.

If the margin of victory is 0-4 cards, it was a close race. If the margin of victory is 5+ cards, it was a blowout. With MC help, make this 0-6 and 7+.

Sneak

Shuffle the deck and draw until you have six cards that aren't Aces or Jokers. Shuffle the Aces and Jokers (if any) back into the deck. Put the sixth card on top of the deck face-up. You are playing a press-your-luck game.

You can either discard the top card from the deck, or take it into your hand and discard one of your cards. When you do so, flip the top card of the deck face-up again. You can stop at any time. If you flip an Ace or Joker, you are done. You can still decide to take the Ace into your hand if you want, but not a Joker.

If your hand is at least a straight, you succeed with benefits. You succeed with consequences at three of a kind. You take further consequences for a hand with two pair, one pair, or if you see an Ace or Joker (worst consequences). If you used the Ace to make your final hand, you use the results from your hand, not from seeing the Ace.

With MC help, the first time you see an Ace, move it down so that there are two cards above it on the deck, and then flip the new top card.

Search

Take a shuffled deck of cards and spread it out on the table face-down. You are playing a Memory variant.

Take turns flipping two cards over. If they are the same value and same color (for instance, a 3 of Spades and a 3 of Clubs) put them aside. Whether you find a match or not, switch to the next person. If you find a Joker, it needs to match the other Joker.

Take the consequences when you reach 45 moves, 65 moves, 75 moves, and 85 moves. With MC help, make this 50, 70, 80, and 90 moves.

Other Games

You may come across a situation that seems like it calls for a minigame, but that does not fit well into the four types above. In such a case, consider using one of the games below, generously suggested by members of Speilbany, the NY capitol district game design club.

Codebreaker: Pull out the hearts and spades. Shuffle them together. Ace through King in hearts are the letters A-M, Ace through King in spades are N-Z. Deal out 7 cards to each contestant. The one who makes the longest word wins.
(Insert others sometime.)

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