G4A: Spite & Malice 1.9.1

Spite & Malice is an engaging two-player competitive card game rooted in strategy and patience. Each participant begins with a hand of five cards, a pay-off pile of twenty cards, and four empty side stacks. In the center, three empty center stacks and a stock pile containing the remaining cards are established.

The objective of Spite & Malice is to be the first to deplete one's pay-off pile. The center stacks are built up in ascending order starting from the ace, regardless of suit. For instance, players could place the ace of diamonds followed by the two of spades and the three of hearts. Notably, kings serve as wild cards; they can be played on any center stack and transform into the card that fits atop that stack. For example, if a king of spades is played on a ten of clubs, it effectively becomes a queen.

Upon completing a center stack—by playing either a queen or a king on a jack—this stack is shuffled back into the stock pile.

Players may place any card on their side stacks without regard to the existing cards; however, only the top card of each side stack can be accessed during gameplay.

At the start of each turn, players draw from the stock pile to replenish their hand to five cards. During their turn, players can execute several actions:

• Play the top card from their pay-off pile onto one of the center stacks.
• Play the top card from one of their side stacks onto one of the center stacks.
• Play a card from their hand onto one of the center stacks.
• Play a card from their hand onto one of their side stacks, ending their turn.

The game concludes when a player places their last card from the pay-off pile onto a center stack, resulting in that player winning and earning points equal to the number of cards remaining in their opponent’s pay-off pile.

If the stock pile is completely depleted before either player depletes their pay-off pile, the game ends in a tie with no points awarded. The match ultimately concludes when a player reaches 50 points.