- Deal seven (7) CARDs to each player. The player to the dealer’s left goes first.
- The first player chooses a controversy from the section of these rules labeled “CARD-tamen™ Controversies”, and a CARD from his or her hand, and announces the controversy chosen as he or she lays down the CARD.
- The player to his left may take up the challenge or pass.
- If the second player has passed, the third player MUST take up the challenge.
- A player takes up a challenge by playing a CARD and beginning a speech in favor of his or her own chosen CARD.
- The player who is not involved in the challenge serves as the iudex (judge). Both CARDs are awarded to the player chosen by the iudex as the winner.
- CARDs awarded are placed in front of the player to be counted at the end of the CARD-tamen™.
- The turn passes to the left, and play continues until one player is out of CARDs.
- The winner of CARD-tamen™ is the player with the most CARDs in front of him or her.
CARD-tamen™ Greece
“I say that as a city we are the school of Hellas.” – Pericles
Who is more sophisticated, Croesus or Cleisthenes? Who is more remembered today, Leonidas or Xerxes? Step back to the dawn of democracy with CARD-tamen™ Greece! This game plays well in any setting, in or out of the classroom. Feel free to explore the rules and variants.
Interested in seeing a preview of the CARDs included in CARD-tamen™ Greece? View the gallery!
A single deck is priced at $15.00 plus shipping to the United States. International shipping is available at an additional charge. Please click on the button provided for a secure checkout through Square Market.
For a limited time, all previous versions of CARD-tamen sets are on closeout for just $10.00! This is only while supplies last.
You can also download a version of the upcoming CARD-tamen Classics Junior for free as a play and print file. For the best results, have the sheets printed at any office superstore in color and on heavy cardstock. Making the cuts with a traditional paper cutter will give you better quality edges.
- Before play begins, players make their playing decks by choosing twenty (20) CARDs each from their available decks. They then shuffle their playing decks and deal themselves seven (7) card hands from them.
- Play begins with each player rolling the d20 to decide who will speak first. The player with the highest roll elects either to speak first or to speak second.
- Players agree on a iudex (judge). The iudex may be anyone agreeable to both players. Multiple iudicēs are allowed.
- The player who will speak first rolls the d20 to select the controversy for CARD-tamen™. For the complete list of controversies, labeled 1 through 20, see the section of these rules labeled “CARD-tamen™ Controversiae”.
- Each player selects an appropriate CARD from his or her playing deck.
- The players lay their CARDs face-up or, in virtual play, announce their CARD selections simultaneously.
- Beginning with the player chosen to speak first in step 1, each player has two minutes to speak on the supremacy of his or her CARD in the controversy.
- The iudex or iudicēs select(s) a winner of the round. The player selected scores one point. Both players should remove their spent CARDs from play.
- Play continues in this manner until a player scores three points to become the overall winner of the CARD-tamen™.
- More significant to world history
- More significant to Greek history
- More loved by the δῆμος
- More loved by the ἄριστοι
- More important to Athens
- More important to Sparta
- More remembered today
- Greater contribution to the δῆμος
- Greater contribution to the ἄριστοι
- Greater contribution to the development of literature
- Greater contribution to the development of public speaking
- Greater contribution to the development of law
- More feared by the δῆμος
- More feared by the ἄριστοι
- Inspired more stories
- Inspired more significant stories
- More aligned with archaic period
- More aligned with classical period
- More primitive
- More sophisticated