This next section of the Historica deals with the little-known Willowellan game of Blackhearts, a card game involving a peg board and rather a lot of rules!
Page 8 and 9 of the Historica.
Page 8 shows us an artists quick sketch of the “Willowellan + Lillianian folk museum at Wight’s Island” a small Willowellan island just off the east coast of Willowella, and favorite holiday destination for the rich of Willowella looking to take a break from the hustle and bustle of life on the island nation of Willowella, proper.
On page 9 we begin the explanation of the rules of Blackhearts, transcribed below:
Blackhearts, also known as Thirteens or 13s, is a little-known card and peg game created and played by the
Master of Lands
of Willowella
The rules are reproduced here for common folk for the first time.
Black hearts is to be played by two players with a standard Willowellan Twenty First deck.
A standard Peg Board should be set up with four pegs (two white + two black) for each player. The motion of the pegs shall be up one side and down the other, moving the white pegs together in standard —
Page 10 and 11 of the Historica
White Talon estate at Elsin. White Talon, the Historic estate was well known during the Twelves as the estate of the honorable Captain and later Ambassador Grysilla and his family, and is situated in the riverside district of the beautiful town of Elsin, in central Willowella, just east of the Weshen, the great Steam Lands which divide eastern Willowella from the uncivilized Nymph lands to the west.
The rules of Blackhearts are continued on page 11, where we left off with
The motion of the pegs shall be up one side and down the other, moving the white pegs together in standard —
Page 11 is transcribed below:
leaping style as in traditional Card and Peg games. Black pegs shall be moved together in the same way. No two pegs may, of course, occupy the same space.
The first dealer (usually the eldest player, though this can be decided upon prior to playing by both parties), distributes to each player thirteen (13) cards and one (1) for the Dish.
The players shall next select from their hands four (4) cards to discard into the Dish.
Play begins at discretion of the Dealer by the turning of the Top card on the deck. If the card turned is a Cavalry, the Dealer shall receive one (1) point. Points are counted by the moving of pegs. The Dealer shall then begin play by placing of card of his —
Historica – pages 12+13
The Stonetooth bridge at Elsin
Continuation of the rules of Blackhearts follows on page 13, picking up where we left off (The Dealer shall then begin play by placing of card of his –) and transcribed as follows:
or her choosing on the table. He should announce the numerical value [numerical value] and as play continues the accumulated numerical value of the cards played on {the} table should be announced by each player {as} they place their card.
The intention of this Carding aspect of the game is to be the player to bring the count up to fifteen or thirty one. Each of these two results award the player with two points (2). Points can also be accumulated in this Carding aspect of the game play, by creating runs of three or more (that is, consecutive numbers, which can also include face cards and may be in descending order), or pairs (two [2] points), triplets (six [six] points) quadruplets )twelve [12] points) etc.
If one player does not have a card to play which fits under the Thirty one threshold —
Pages 14 and 15 of the Historica
A very sparse page illustrating “a ticket once used for Seasonal Court,” that is, a small metal token of which a limited number was released, with which one would gain admittance to a particular Seer’s event. 
Continuing from the previous page of Blackhearts rules (If one player does not have a card to play which fits under the Thirty one threshold —) we transcribe:
That player must announce a Halt (that is they cannot proceed. Sometimes this is called a “Go.” “I can’t go.”). The other player is awarded one (1) point. If this other player can go, they then shall make their play. If not, they shall take their point anyway and play begins again, counting resuming afresh, and beginning with the other player.
The player who places the last card in a hand receives one point (1) for Last paper (or Last Card).
In the Counting stage, which follows the Carding stage, the Dealer again goes first. He may receive points (counted in the same way as in the Carding stage) —
The rules of Blackhearts from this point detour slightly from other Card and Peg games and hereout become somewhat more complicated. We save this section of Blackhearts rules for another lesson, to follow shortly.
Advertisements Share this:
