Triple Topper/Craziness

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Welcome, to Triple Topper!

Rules to Craziness

Updated August 18, 2016

Black text is text applicable to both the physical as well as the online version. Red unclickable text refers to the physical deck only. Blue unclickable text refers to the online version only.

Object - To get rid of the cards in your hand

Number of players - 2-12

Setup: Use the full 125 card deck with no jokers. In a physical card game, pick a first dealer and seating arrangements randomly. In the computerized Java 1.2 version, fill out the form that has Host, Port and Name, keeping the port and host the same as it shows. Then type in any name to identify yourself (no reserved names) then press "Play Now" You'll go to a random game table. If you wish to wait for human opposition, wait until you see other players' IDs in the upper left hand corner. If multiple humans are waiting to start a game, you sit in the order you come online, and cannot change it. To recruit a computer opponent, press Load a bot on the right side of the table screen for each computer opponent you want. Once all human players are satisfied with the opponent roster, all humans press "Start".

Once the game starts, the current dealer dealer deals 8 cards face down to each player, and one card face up to the center of the table. (the computer deals appropriate cards to all players human and computer automatically in the Java 1.2 version). If the center card contains any wild variables on the first face-up card, the dealer (or the player in the dealer's game position for the hand if the CPU is dealing cards, which starts at the top of the list and goes down,) declares what any wild variables are (after looking at his cards). Remember, black is the wild color, blob is the wild shape, and question mark is the wild number, and that a wild is only wild for its type, meaning blacks can call only colors, blobs can call only suits, and question marks can call only numbers. There will be radio button menus, as you can only select one out of 4 choices. Select the one you want for each wild variable and press O.K. . The only way you can declare more than one variable is if more than one variable is wild. Everyone looks at their cards, keeping them a secret to everyone else. (the computer automatically keeps it a secret until it the appropriate time to reveal, which will be when you play the card legally.)

Online Display (Java 1.2 version):

The online display has the actual center card that was last played, (in case you're memorizing a deck) and what it currently represents, if anything is wild, to the right of the actual card. Below those 2 cards is your hand. Everyone cards and points are shown in the upper let hand corner. Currently multiple CPU's moves takes place in a tenth of a second, but if we get some sort of offer to add our game to another site, we'll separate their moves better in time for presentation on another site, or it will be corrected in a future version. Rules:

1. Each person in clockwise order (or the designated top-down order on the Java 1.2 version), plays one card if that person can.

2. The way people get rid of cards is to match variables with the card in the center. Example, if the card is a red circle 1, the card laid down must be a red, circle, or 1 (preferably more than one of those)

3. Black is the wild color, blob is the wild shape, and question mark is the wild number. For the purposes of this game, a wild can be declared any other variable of the same type. However to get credit for a match, it must be declared the same variable value as it was covering. So in order match a showing Red Circle 1 with your hidden black circle 2 for a double topper, the black must be declared to be red. Otherwise, a different color other than red (in this example with red being the color you have to match) or black (never selectable, always wild and called to be a natural color) can be selected, except you'll only get credit for a single topper.

4. There are 4 possible plays:

a. Triple Topper - The best play possible. This is matching all 3 of the variables. If this happens, the layer of the Triple Topper selects one opponent to draw 2 cards, and you get to get card of that card, plus the card is gotten rid of.

b. Double Topper - The most common play. This is matching 2 of the variables. Get rid of that card.

c. Single Topper - A last resort play. This is matching one of the three variables. Get rid of that card, but draw another one and end your turn. On the CPU version, the computer will draw a new card for you

d. No play - A give-up play. Just draw a card and end your turn. To draw a card in the CPU version, press "Pass". The computer will automatically draw the new card.

In al the above cases in the Java 1.2 version just left-click (or click anywhere with a Mac in one-button mode) the card while the cursor is on the card you want to play. If there are any wilds, and auto-clarify is unchecked, the computer will ask you what you want to declare the wilds to be and the computer will determine whether it's an illegal play, (in which case, you'll be prompted to make a different play) or a single, double, or triple topper, and the computer will treat the play properly. If auto-clarify is check-marked on, then the computer will automatically assume you want the wilds to match what they currently on, therefore, giving you the most matches. ONE EXCEPTION: Apparently, James Ranson, the original programmer of the Java 1.2 version, thought one might not always want to make a Triple Topper, but will always want at least a Double Topper if possible. So if a Triple Topper is possible and desired, select whatever the current number, color, and/or suit is. If you don't wish a Triple Topper, declare a different value for the one you want different. However if there's more than one variable that is wild, only one variable can be changed with auto-clarify checked on. As soon as one doesn't match, the other will automatically match without prompting.

5. The way to match a wild that is showing is to match what it was declared to be, (most of the time, it's the same thing that it topped) Regardless of what the wild is declared, look underneath the word "Clarify" to see what it was declared to be. It will show the natural "card" (this is just an indicator, not the actual card itself) the pile currently has

6. If the draw pile runs out in a physical game, set the top card of the discard pile aside, have the dealer shuffle the rest of the cards in the discard pile, and place the pile face down. In the Java 1.2 version, the computer will automatically do it, but not indicate when it does it.

7. When someone goes out, that person wins the hand, and everyone else gets one point per card plus one point for each black, blob or question mark. (a double wild is 2 extra points, the black blob "?" is worth 3 extra points) When a person reaches 15 or more (feel free to change the number for a longer or shorter game in a game with a physical deck) that person is eliminated. When one person is left, that person wins the game.

Here's the rule differences for people who know a version of Crazy Eights. Assuming you and I learned the games the same, these are the new and different rules that apply to the Triple Topper deck and version of the game:

1. To make a legal match that gets rid of the card, (keeping in mind the object of the game is for you to rid all your cards,) you must match at least 2 of the 3 variables: Either color and number, number and suit, or color and suit.

2. Wild cards are usually not wholly wild cards. Black is the wild color, Blob is the wild shape, and question mark is the wild number. Most wild cards have one wild element and 2 fixed elements, a few have 2 wild elements and one fixed element, and one card has all 3 factors wild.

3. Wilds can be declared any natural variable of that type, meaning Black can be called any other color, blob any other shape, and question mark any other number, but in order to make a legal play to get rid of a card, 2 variables must match. Therefore it is almost always advisable to declare the wild the same thing as what it's currently covering. But if you see an advantage, you can name a non-matching variable, but it doesn't count as a match if you do. The fixed variables are maintained as they are. the wild is declared by the layer. Once it's declared something on one particular lay-down,, that declaration determines what the next card must be in order to match in that variable. (once declared red on one particular lay-down, the next card to match it must be red. But a future lay-down of black can be a different color.)

4. If you can match 3 variables, which is only possible if there is at least one wild on the card being being covered or doing the covering, then you have a Triple Topper, which forces one opponent of the layer to draw 2 cards. Play resumes to after the last layer of the card.

5. If you have no other desired play, you could make a match of one variable, either naturally or with a wild, but after your turn, you draw one card and end your turn. If you still have no desired or available play, you must draw a card and end your turn. In either case, even if you could match with the card you pulled, you must wait until next turn to play it.

6. Score systems where wilds are worth 50 points apiece should be toned down to accommodate the fact that a) wilds are more plentiful, and b) wilds are less powerful in general.

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