BARTOK (a.k.a. Bartog and Warthog) - Crazier Eights

Jeffrey, son of Joyce and Doc Searls, told me about a game that he has been playing called "BARTOK." Doc explained that it was one of those games where the players get to make their own rules. This, of course, both aroused and piqued my curiosity.

Turns out that Bartok, or Warthog or sometimes also Bartog, is a variation of Crazy Eights, that most elementary and yet imminently complexifiable of card games into which I have gone to significant depths since my employment at Mattel, manufacturers of the Crazy-Eight-like UNO. See, for example, "Not So Crazy Eights."

It further turns out that Lisa Dusseault, who seems to know Jed Hartman, friend of my sacred son's, and author of Plenty Questions, has compiled a list of what she calls "Self-Modifying Games," the first game in that list being none other than the aforementioned Bartok, etc.

Ms. Dusseault goes to significant lengths to describe some of the many rules that can be played with. One of my favorite is her collection of:

Cool Rules

- SLO-MO CARD -- Pick a kind of card that has to be played in slow motion.
- Word Association -- Whenever a certain kind of card is played, the player must give a new word from a list of possible words. Example lists: countries, words that begin with Q, etc.
- Card swap -- A king is actually a queen, or the five of diamonds is actually the seven of spades, or swap all hearts with clubs. This can get confusing, with players either mixing up which card they are allowed to play or referring to cards in an illegal manner. ("Okay, I play the 5 of diamonds." "Penalty. That is the seven of spades. Penalty. Illegal play.")
- Virtual Play -- Some event may cause players to virtually swap positions. That is, they do not physically change seats, but they must play as if they have changed seats. This causes great confusion when direction of play seems to jump all around the table. Variation: a player virtually moves between two other players and must play between them. Thanks to Andrew Mitchell, Australia.

Consider this a foretaste, a waft, a hint of the many and curious Bartokian joys soon to be available at a card table near you.