Sophisticuffs: A Battle of Two Seconds
“Proper folk of high stature must often, in service to the greater good, do battle by proxy, for to risk one’s life when another’s is more disposable is anathema to the natural order of things.”
Sophisticuffs is a quick and silly little card game, a perfect icebreaker for your next party.
To play, each player chooses a card. Hold these cards head-to-head and compare the one column where the numbers are the same color. The highest number wins, and the winner keeps the loser’s card.
That’s about as simple as a game can get, but don’t worry, it’s really good fun!
The Cards
Pictured above are the two newest decks for Sophisticuffs: The official Series 2023 set, 100 characters from the fantasy world of Carrisor, and the GobbleCon set, 100 steampunk turkeys made for the gaming convention in San Francisco. Both of these decks, along with the 120-card Series 2022 below, are available for purchase at DriveThruCards.
These decks can be ordered with or without a plastic box, depending on whether you want to collect the whole set or just use them as party favors. The rules aren’t included (we didn’t want to waste another 10 cards), but they are simple enough that you really don’t need them. If you’d like to order the rules as a card, please let us know, and we’ll look into creating a single rules card at DriveThru.
Links to DriveThru Decks:
Sophisticuffs 2023 Set 100 fantasy characters from the world of Carrisor
GobbleCon 2023 Set 100 steampunk turkeys from the Thanksgiving game convention
Sophisticuffs 2022 Set 120 clip-art characters from all walks of life
Game Rules (See expanded rules below)
Print-andPlay Files (PDFs) for the 2022 set: You can print and play your own version using the files below. These files were too large to upload as a single file, but you will need all five blocks for a fair game! If you’d like to include rules, we’ve also made a card-sized rule sheet, and a version with nine rules cards per sheet, above.
Card Block 1: Purple Set
Card Block 2: Red Set
Card Block 3: Gold Set
Card Block 4: Blue Set
Card Block 5: Green Set
The Rules
Sophisticuffs is best as an icebreaker in a large party or event. It takes literally seconds to play, and you’ll find your guests challenging each other to duels at every opportunity. You’ll want to order enough copies to have at least ten cards per player.
Before the Event: Mix the cards and divide them into packs of at least ten cards per player. If you have extras, set some packs aside for those poor souls who lose all of their cards the first time around.
Playing: Players should feel free to challenge anyone, anytime. Players should also feel free to accept or reject any challenge. If your event is huge, consider giving players a flag (a sticker? a button? Is this a thing we should make?) to indicate that they are in the game.
Each player chooses one card from their collection. Compare these cards head-to-head as shown above. In every pairing, there will be exactly one color that lines up. The higher number in that column wins, and the winner takes the loser’s card.
Ties: Ties are rare, but if the numbers are tied, players choose another card, and the winner keeps all four cards.
The Collection Game: If you’d like to add extra spice, ask the players to sign their cards when they lose. The goal is to collect the most different names by the end of the event.
Variations
There have been several editions of Sophisticuffs over the years, including three years at the Brass Screw Consortium, and one year aboard the JoCo Cruise. The Crab Fragment editions are compatible with all prior sets, and more sets are coming soon!
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