Description

Free game published in the February 2018 (GTM #216) issue of Game Trade Magazine.

The game utilizes the Pairs game system and is designed with the Professor Elemental Deck, though it can be played with any Pairs deck.

Background:
You and your friends are attending a
series of parties, where you want to be seen with the
fanciest people. “Fancy” was designed with the Professor
Elemental Pairs Deck, but is compatible with them all.

Equipment:
A PAIRS deck and a way to keep score.

Summary:
The game is played in several rounds.
Each is composed of eight tricks, or “parties.” The
role of dealer passes to the left after each round.
A full game is one round for each dealer.

Each Round:
Shuffle and deal a hand of eight cards
to each player. Players look at their hands, and then
pass two cards
to the player on their left. The player
on the dealer’s left will lead the first trick.

Each Trick:
Each trick is a party. To score points,
you can try to be the fanciest person, or to be seen
with someone much fancier than yourself.

Starting with the leader and proceeding to the left,
each player plays one card face up. The card you play
represents a party guest.

Important Rule:
A guest can’t appear twice at the same party. You may play a duplicate of a card that was already played, but it will be discarded, scoring no points.

Scoring the Trick:
After each player has played (or discarded) a card, the trick is scored as follows:

The Center of Attention:
The lowest card played is the most fabulous in the room. This card scores its face value for the player who played
it. This player will also lead the next trick.

The Hangers-On:
All other cards score points equal to the difference between themselves and
the next-lowest card. For example, if the cards are 3-4-6-10, they score 3, 1, 2, and 4 points.

Discards:
Copies of earlier cards are discarded. These score zero points.

After scoring, discard all the cards from this trick and play another, starting with the player who just played the lowest card. A full round is eight tricks, and a full game is one round for each player.

Game End:
The game ends after each player has dealt one round. Then, the player with the most points wins!