Founder's Flip

Founder’s Flip is a game of chance, played in gambling houses across the Empire. On export, the parlor game has found much success and popularity abroad despite the nationalistic bent to the cards, as the complex and unpredictable nature of play keeps players entertained, and on a relatively even keel even with wide variance in skillset.

Gameplay is relatively simple - at its core, it is a game of four card draw poker, played with up to six players. Players place an ante and are dealt a "hand" of four cards, one face up on the table (the Thumb) and three face down that only they can look at (the Palm). They wager, and may raise or fold as they like. They may then exchange between zero and three of their Hand cards for new cards - the Thumb must remain, as a thumb always sticks out even when folded in. They then wager again, hands are revealed, and a winner is decided. This is, however, only the simplified version of play.

Two complications may arise with play. The first is in the deck itself - hands in Founder’s Flip are drawn from the Imperial deck, which is foct four cards large. The Imperial deck consists of cards numbered one to ect in each of four Suits (Houses, Armies, Glyphs, and Sails) and four all-suited ranked Founding face cards (the Magist, the Mage, the General, and the Emperor), which are considered part of every suit for the purposes of flushes.

The second complication, and where the fun of the game arises, is in the twoct-seven card Aetherial deck. Founder’s Flip is played with a second deck of special cards, and after wagers are finished in the first round of betting, a card from that deck is drawn (the Spell) and put into play to change the rules of the game. Some Aetherial cards dictate that winning hands require some particular type of card, or that cards become wild, or that the value of hands is reversed, or other significant changes that can significantly alter the play for the rest of the hand. Once a winner is decided, the Aetherial card is reshuffled into the deck.

Although the exact sequence of Founding cards is sometimes a matter of dispute, and where the deck is purchased or where the game is played may dictate the sequence or even naming, the generally accepted order is for the Magist to be ranked Nect, the Mage to be ranked Twect, the General to be ranked Threct, and the Emperor to be ranked Fect. If you’re playing with a Magist of one of the Ministries, or in one of their houses or parlors, you may expect the Magist and the Mage to swap places. However, when playing at the Imperial Academy, or at the house of an educated mage, it is typical that the Mage card is known as the Metric, and ranked Fect, dropping the General and the Emperor down a rank. Rather than taking sides in this unspoken dispute, most printers of Founder’s Flip decks will not print ranks or even names on the Face cards, instead printing only symbols and lush illustration to make clear what they represent.

History

Founder's Flip was developed and published in the 26th tectad, and with nearly a hachetry passing since, the game has exploded worldwide into a popular phenomenon. The level of strategy necessary to read one's opponents and plan around the Aetherial deck makes for staggeringly high levels of play, while the great swings and stunning upsets at lower levels make the game enjoyable even for beginners. Though the worry of magical alteration to the game is of course high, most publishers lace their cards with magic-detection glyphs, that they will glow a telling and angry red if they are subject to augury or manipulation.

Execution

At the conclusion of a round of play, the player with the highest-value hand wins the pot. Should a hand qualify for multiple entries listed, use the highest that it meets.
The ranking of hands is as follows, in ascending order:
High Card: The card of the highest rank of any in play, plus any three other cards.
One Pair: Two cards of the identical rank, plus any two other cards.
Flush: Four cards of the same suit.
Straight: Four cards in direct sequence of rank, i.e. a 3, a 4, a 5, and a 6.
Three of a Kind: Three cards of identical rank, plus any one other card.
Two Pair: Two cards of identical rank, plus two cards of another identical rank.
Convocation: Two cards of identical rank, plus two cards of another identical rank, which also are two of one suit and two of another suit. For example, the two and six of Glyphs, plus the two and six of Sails.
Straight Flush: Four cards in direct sequence of rank, all of the same suit. For example, the 3, 4, 5, and 6 of Glyphs.
Four of a Kind: Four cards of identical rank.
Imperial: The Magist, the Mage, the General, and the Emperor.

Where the Convocation of the Gage is in play, and hand sizes increase to six, the number of possible hands increase and their relative rankings are adjusted. This sequence is as follows:
High Card: The card of the highest rank of any in play, plus any five other cards.
One Pair: Two cards of the identical rank, plus any four other cards.
Two Pair: Two cards of identical rank, plus two cards of another identical rank, plus any two other cards.
Three of a Kind: Three cards of identical rank, plus any three other cards.
Convocation: Two cards of identical rank, plus two cards of another identical rank, which also are two of one suit and two of another suit, plus any two other cards. For example, the two and six of Glyphs, plus the two and six of Sails, plus two other cards.
High House: Three cards of identical rank, plus two cards of another identical rank, plus any one other card.
Straight: Six cards in direct sequence of rank, i.e. a 3, a 4, a 5, a 6, a 7, and a 10.
Three Pair: Two cards of identical rank, plus two cards of another identical rank, plus two cards of a third identical rank. For example, two 2s, two 4s, and two 5s.
Flush: Six cards of the same suit.
Four of a Kind: Four cards of identical rank.
Bargain: Three cards of identical rank, plus three cards of another identical rank.
Imperial: The Mage, the Magist, the General, and the Emperor.
Prime and Cadet: Four cards of identical rank, plus two cards of another identical rank.
Ministry: Two cards of identical rank, plus two cards of another identical rank, plus two cards of a third identical rank, which also are three of one suit and three of another suit, plus any two other cards. For example, the two and six of Glyphs, plus the two and six of Sails, plus the two and six of Armies.
Imperial House: The Mage, the Magist, the General, and the Emperor, plus two cards of the same suit.
Academy: Three cards of identical rank, plus three cards of another identical rank, which also are two of one suit, two of another suit, and two of a third suit. For example, the two, three, and six of Glyphs, plus the two, three, and six of Sails.
Straight Flush: Six cards in direct sequence of rank, all of the same suit. For example, the 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 10 of Glyphs.
Imperial Succession: A 7, a 10, the Mage, the Magist, the General, and the Emperor.
Dynasty: A 7, a 10, the Mage, the Magist, the General, and the Emperor, where the 7 and 10 are of the same suit.
Where Sutet Rots is in play, and hand sizes decrease to three, and the number of possible hands decrease and their relative rankings are adjusted. This sequence is as follows:
High Card: The card of the highest rank of any in play, plus any three other cards.
One Pair: Two cards of the identical rank, plus any two other cards.
Straight: Four cards in direct sequence of rank, i.e. a 3, a 4, a 5, and a 6.
Flush: Four cards of the same suit.
Three of a Kind: Three cards of identical rank, plus any one other card.
Straight Flush: Three cards in direct sequence of rank, all of the same suit. For example, the 3, 4, and 5 of Glyphs.
Imperial: Any three Founding Cards.

Components and tools

The Aetherial deck is twoct seven cards in size, delineated as follows:

An Imperial Decree

Deal an additional hand, face down. When a winner is selected, reveal this hand; if it beats the winner, they must return their winnings to the pot.

The Oblivion of Icen Rot

The hand ends. No cards are redrawn, no further bets are made, hands are compared and a winner is decided now.

The Naturalist’s Tumult

The order of hands is reversed, save for the Imperial. The Imperial shall always endure.

Sledge-Mitt Margoz, Ruin of a Dynasty

A new Aetherial card is drawn and played, face-down. It is revealed, and takes effect, after bets are finalized and hands are revealed.

The Convocation of the Gage

Hand sizes increase to six. All players draw to six cards. New hands and their rankings are detailed.

The Capitol Migration

After drawing and betting, play an additional Aetherial card, and draw and bet again.

The First Great Convocation

In honor of First Emperor Karella, the Founder-Queen, and her seven Founding Generals, all ects are wild in both suit and rank for this hand.

Silphion’s Fallow

The great True Metric, by whose wise hand and artful ship the Founding could occur, left no House of his own to bear his name. The Ect of Houses, and all cards of the Sails suit, bear no rank or suit and may not contribute to hands.

The Dance of the Court

The winning hand must include at least one card of the Houses suit, with at least one of any other suit to arrange a Marriage. If no such hand exists, nobody wins, and the pot - and this card - remain in play through successive hands until this occurs.

A Rainbow in Light and Pigment

Our Houses are protected by our Armies, and our Armies are made strong by our tradition of Sails, but none of it could exist if the Empire did not hold true dominion over the realm of Glyphs. All Glyphs cards are considered to be of all suits.

In Legacy, Life

Houses, Armies, Glyphs, and Sails in harmony can triumph over nearly anything. A hand consisting of one card of each suit, with no Founding cards, will beat any hand except an Imperial.

The Might of a Ruler

The Armies of the Empire are safeguarded by its Emperors, and so cards of the Armies suit may not be discarded.

In Wrought Arcanum

Players select one card and discard the rest of their hand. A 3 by 3 grid of cards is laid out on the table. Players form their final hands with a line of three cards, horizontal or vertical or diagonal, from that grid, plus their remaining card.

Salvation Beckons in the Unknown Lands

Players' Thumb cards are discarded. A single card is dealt, face-down, to be shared among all players. It is not revealed until betting is completed.

The Mournful Flight of the Lowlanders

The lowest card in each player's hand is wild, for that player only.

The Tearful Death of the Shallow Hold

Players may not raise, and players may not fold once a bet is made in the second round. The pot cannot more than double in size.

The Realmgirt Takes Flight

Thumb cards must be discarded and redrawn, in addition to any from the Palm. The redrawn card is dealt to the Palm, hidden from other players.

The Realmgirt Makes Landfall

All Founding cards are wild, and any hand containing a Founding card is considered one rank higher for each Founding card in it.

The Edicts of Wani

Before cards are discarded and drawn from players' Palms, two cards (the Edicts) are drawn and placed face-up in the middle of the field, for shared use. Players are to form four-card hands from up to three of their cards and up to both of the center cards. A hand using no Edicts is without value.

The Despoilage

After discarding, all cards that players draw are placed face-up with the Thumb, not drawn to their Palm.

The Ravening Scourge

All cards that players discard are placed in a separate pile and shuffled, and cards that are drawn are drawn from that.

The Festival of Hellraising

Beginning with the player to make the last bet, or the dealer if no bets were made, players discard cards not to a discard pile, but directly into the Palm of the player to their left. Any player with more than three cards in their Palm at the end of this cycle must discard down to three, and any player with less than three draws new cards.

Sutet Rots

All players discard their Thumb. Three-card Hands are formed from the Palm. The new ranking of hands is detailed.