The game originated at a coffee shop in Madison, WI and was invented by Nathan McQuillen, admittedly by accident. It was brought to Boston by Harvard student Aaron Mandel and quickly spread to campuses nationwide. According to Mandel's website on the game, It was listed in the 2001 revision of Hoyle's Rules of Games, and featured in a 2002 article in GAMES Magazine, which no doubt helped contribute to it's worldwide popularity.
Playing 1,000 Blank White Cards
The rules of 1,000 Blank White Cards (1KBWC) are simple enough that anyone can learn the game, and the enjoyability of the game is left up to the players. To get started, you need the following:
- A pack of blank Index cards
- A supply of black pens (one for each player)
- Colored markers, pencils, or crayons for the more artistically inclined
- A Seed Deck made up of cards created in previous games
Pregame
At the start of the game, the player who owns the game, shuffles up the seed deck and at least as many blank cards, and deals 5 cards to each player. The owner/host then explains how the game is played, and how cards are created. A score keeper is elected by all the players to keep score. An amount of time is then set aside for card creation, before the game begins.
Card Creation
Each card in 1KBWC must have the following characteristics to be legally played:
- Name: The name of the card
- Picture: any kind of picture drawn on the card which should relate to the name/rules text in some way (artistic ability is not important).
- Points and/or rules text.
Once game play begins, you may only work on creating new cards when it is not your turn.
Game Play
After card creation, the game itself begins. play starts with the person to the host's left, and continues clockwise. During each player's turn, they draw a card from the deck and then play a card from their hand. (Some groups have you play first and draw a card at the end of your turn, but play whichever way you prefer). Cards may be played:
- on another player
- on the player playing the card, or
- to the table affecting all players.
When a card is played, the player or players it affects read the card, (have one player read the card aloud), and then do whatever the rules on the card instruct. Players score points, listed on the card, based on whether or not they complete the requirements the rules of the card specify. If they only cards in a player's hand are blank when it's their turn, the player draws a card and passes without playing.
Winning, Losing, and Keeping Score
The game ends when the draw pile runs out of cards. At the end of the game, the player with the most points is the winner.
Epilogue
After the game, the host gathers up all the cards that have been played, removing any remaining blanks from the pile. They then go through the pile one card at a time and players vote on the cards they found most enjoyable. The best cards form the seed deck for the next game, and the remainder end up in the 1KBWC "graveyard," a collection of cards not in the seed deck, which can be saved by the host or given away to players to make their own seed decks.
