Alfred is a simple multi-player card game, at the level of War or Crazy Eights, with more room for choice, but still mostly a game of dumb luck. The game was invented in the late 1960's at Alfred University by Jim Becker, David Schoch, Tom Talbot and myself (Chris Riesbeck) as a metaphor for life's choices in the face of no knowledge.
The game is very easy to play with real cards and two to four players. If you have no one to play with, try the online version of the game.
Ten cards are dealt face up in the center of the table. The remaining cards are dealt face down to the two players.
Online game: Your cards are at the bottom of the screen. Your opponent's cards are at the top.
Play all your cards before your opponent does.
At any point in the game, a player is either making a challenge or trying to match a challenge. The game begins with the non-dealer making the first challenge.
Online game: A message at the top of the screen will tell you whether you need to make a challenge, or match one.
A player makes a challenge by placing their top card on one of the face-up cards in the center and announcing the sum of the two cards. For example, placing a three on a six means the challenge is nine. Ace, Jack, Queen and King are 1, 11, 12, and 13 respectively. The sum cannot be more than 20. Suits do not matter. Only the top card and the player's card are used to make the sum.
Online game: Click on a face-up card to place your card there.
The other player then looks at their top card. They do not show it to their opponent. The player looks for a way to match the challenge by putting their top stack card on a face-up card to form a matching sum. When matching a challenge, the player's card can be either added to a face-up card or subtracted from it. For example, if the challenge was seven, and the player's card was three, the challenge could be matched by either placing the three on a four or a ten. Subtraction is only available when matching a challenge. You can only subtract your card from the top card, not vice versa. You cannot make a seven by putting a ten on a three.
Online game: Click on a face-up card to place your card there. If it is not a valid match, the move will be rejected.
If a player cannot match a challenge, then they pass by placing their top card on the bottom of their stack. They do not show the card to their opponent. The opponent then makes a new challenge.
Online game: Click on your stack to pass. This puts the top card at the bottom of your stack, and gives the turn back to your opponent.
If a player matches a challenge, then the player takes their next top card and tries to do another match. They can do this for as many cards as possible. When the player can no longer match the challenge, then it is that player's turn to make a challenge.
Online game: If you place your top card on a card that makes a match, your turn will continue. If you place your top card on a card that doesn't make a match, that will be your challenge.
If a player cannot make a challenge that is 20 or less, then they must pass and place their top card on the bottom of their stack. The turn passes to the opponent.
Online game: Click on your stack to pass.
The game ends, when either player runs out of cards, or neither player can make a challenge. If a player's last card is used to make a challenge, the other player gets to make as many matches possible, and then the game ends.
Whoever has the fewest cards when the game ends scores the number of cards the other player has minus the number of cards they have. For example, if player A has no cards, and player B has six cards, player A scores six points. If both players have the same number of cards, then it is a draw and no points are scored.
Play to some agreed-upon total, such as 10 or 20 points.
Online game: Use the Level menu to make the computer opponent more or less harder to beat.