Rules

How To Play 1KBWC

1KBWC is a game that changes as you play it. To get started, you should gather some materials.

The Cards

First of all, you will need a large number of blank cards. You can use all 1000 if you want, but for many games (especially a first game) it is easier to use 10-15 blank cards per player. Besides, a thousand-card deck will make the game take forever.

Once you've played 1KBWC once, you will have some pre-drawn cards. You can shuffle them in at this stage if you want to re-use these cards. You may also want to change the number of blank cards in the deck, depending on how many pre-made cards you are using. If you have played several times before, then you may not want to re-use every card as this may result in an overly long game.

Writing Tools

You will want plenty of things to write with, every player should have at least one writing utensil because many people may be writing at once. Some tools to consider are:

• Ballpoint pens
• Colored Pencils
• Crayons

You may want to avoid tools like markers and blunt pencils, as these tend to wear through the cards. Graphite pencils are also discouraged, as they rub off and become progressively less legible through repeated play.

Setting Up

That's it, that's all the tools you'll need for a first game. To set up, first give each player a few blank cards and a writing utensil. You will start by creating some cards. For a first game, everyone should create at least 3-6 cards. Creating cards is simple: just write down what you want that card to do. A good formula to use if you are unsure is to give your card a title at the top, draw a small doodle or icon that matches the title, and then write the in-game effects below the picture. Some simple effects for a first game are:

• Play this card on a player, whoever has it gets +10 points.
• Play this card on a player, whoever has it gets -10 points.
• Play this card during someone else's turn, they have to discard the card they were about to play.
• Hum a few bars of your favorite song, then ask the other players to identify it. For each person who guesses right, you and that person both get to take another card.

Your cards can do almost anything, but a general rule of thumb is the Consent Rule, which states that if a card's action pushes any player's personal boundaries, they may refuse to participate in it. For example, in the last example above, if a player plays this card but is shy about singing, they may choose to discard the card without doing anything.

Once you've each made some cards, shuffle them into the rest of the blank deck. Deal some cards to each player (for the size deck assumed here, 4-5 cards is a good start). And of course, choose someone to go first.

Playing the Game

The playing field will often be divided into these reigons:

• The deck. This should be where everyone can reach it, and will usually contain both pre-made and blank cards.
• The discard pile. If a card's effects have expired or it is a one-use-only card, you should place it here to avoid confusing it with the rest of the cards in play. If you forget to do this, your table will become overly cluttered.
• Personal effects. These cards, placed in front of one player, represent things that affect only that player, such as point-granting cards.
• Global effects. These cards are placed in the middle, near the deck, where everyone can see them. Cards should go here if they affect all the players and stay in place for a period of time.

For your next game: some groups also have a Suck Box on the table, where cards go if nobody wants to use them ever again.

On your turn, you should take cards and play cards. For your first game, you may wish to use the simple "play one, take one" rule. This means that you should first use a card from your hand, then end your turn by taking a card from the deck.

When you play a card from your hand that already has writing on it, simply follow the directions on that card and put it in the appropriate section of the table.

Now for the fun part: if you play a card with nothing written on it (that is, it is currently a Blank Card), you may now create that card. You can create cards anytime you have a blank in your hand (for example, you should try to make new cards between turns when possible, so that you don't hold up the game by taking a long time to make a card during your turn).

After you create it, play this card and follow the instructions (that you wrote on it!) and place it in the appropriate section of the table. For your next game: try not to make cards that refer to extremely specific scenarios, like "This card makes Bob lose all his points, and lets you steal his Rocket Launcher." This card is bad for two reasons: First, it refers to a specific player (Bob), meaning that this card's effects are dependent on the people currently in the game, and second, it assumes that Bob already has the Rocket Launcher card! A better card would be "This card may be played on the person with the Rocket Launcher, they lose all their points and have to give the Rocket Launcher to you." This card is more general and less likely to end up in the suck box. Also, don't forget to give the new card a title so you can refer to it later. Maybe this card should be called "The Geneva Convention" or "Grounded for destroying planet"?

The End of the Game

The game usually ends when there are no cards left in the deck (although if the game goes on too long, someone may feel the need to make an I Win Card). When the game ends, some people will be asking "well, who won?"

If you really have to have a winner, you can count up each player's points now. The player with the most points wins. For your next game: feel free to modify winning conditions, either before the game starts, or during it with cards. For example, you might play a card in the Global Effects area with this text: "Golfers rule the world: at the end of the game, the player with the fewest points wins." Don't forget to draw pictures, too. If you can't draw an evil golfer, draw a stick figure holding a golf stick in the air. You'll get the basic point across.

The Aftergame

Now that we have a winner, it's time for the aftergame. In the aftergame, players look at all the cards they made and decide on their favorites. If the players agree that a card is terrible and should never be used again, it should be thrown out or placed in a Suck Box. Cards in the suck box may be taken out later to show people what never to do again.

If the players liked a card, it should probably be used again. Either shuffle the best cards together and add some more blanks to make a new deck, or distribute the good cards among the players so they can use them if they start their own decks.

The aftergame carries more weight than the actual End of the Game, because the real victory is having the other players give positive feedback on your cards.

Thanks for reading! Now go play! And if you have fun, why not come back and sign up on the wiki? It's rather small right now...

Optional Rules

Here are some of the more popular house rules that might improve play.

• 1000 Point Limit
• Scaling Point Limit
• Similarly, limitations on the possible power of Turn Manipulation Cards and Card Manipulation Cards
• Consent Rule
• No card can end the game prematurely
• Deck Shield Rule