CardHands.json

{
  "pattern_name": "Card Hands",
  "description": "A Card Hand consists of the cards, which are owned by the player, but which have not yet been put into play.",
  "content": [],
  "using_the_pattern": [
    "The basic design question when using [[Card Hands]] is determining the size of the hand; should all cards be distributed at the beginning of the game or should some cards be left in, for example, a [[Drawing Stack]].",
    "Another fundamental design question regarding [[Card Hands]] is how the size and content of the hands change. Having an initial set of cards that shrinks as cards are played makes use of [[Limited Resources]] and allows the game designer to limit the length of the game. Refilling the hand continuously as cards are being played creates a [[Closed Economy]] and frees the game design to determine the game length by other means.",
    "Although most often consisting of [[Cards]], a [[Card Hand]] can also consist of [[Tiles]] in games that have [[Tile-Laying]]."
  ],
  "consequences": [
    "[[Card Hands]] are [[Containers]] of [[Cards]] that assign players [[Ownership]] to the [[Cards]]. Typically [[Card Hands]] are secret to all other players and being able to deduce the other players' hands offers a strategic advantage (i. e. a [[Gain Information]] goal). However, the other players may know how many cards are in the [[Card Hand]] and the cards might be marked, so the players have [[Asymmetric Information]] about the [[Card Hands]] in play."
  ],
  "relations": {
    "Instantiates": [
      "Gain Information",
      "Asymmetric Information",
      "Secret Resources",
      "Container",
      "Ownership"
    ],
    "Modulates": [
      "Tiles",
      "Cards"
    ],
    "Instantiated by": [
      "Tile-Laying"
    ],
    "Modulated by": [],
    "Potentially conflicting with": []
  },
  "examples": [
    "In Poker each of the players is dealt five cards, which define the [[Card Hand]] for each player.",
    "Bohnanza is a card game where the order of the cards in the [[Card Hand]] is important, as the players have to play the cards in a specific sequence."
  ],
  "label": "5. Game Design Patterns for Game Elements",
  "pattern_links": [
    {
      "name": "Tiles",
      "file": "Tiles"
    },
    {
      "name": "Cards",
      "file": "Cards"
    },
    {
      "name": "Tile-Laying",
      "file": "Tile-Laying"
    },
    {
      "name": "Ownership",
      "file": "Ownership"
    },
    {
      "name": "Container",
      "file": "Container"
    },
    {
      "name": "Secret Resources",
      "file": "SecretResources"
    },
    {
      "name": "Asymmetric Information",
      "file": "AsymmetricInformation"
    },
    {
      "name": "Gain Information",
      "file": "GainInformation"
    }
  ],
  "pattern_id": "CardHands",
  "playable_concept": "Not available yet",
  "metadata": {
    "version": "1.2.2.2",
    "date_processed": "2025-04-26",
    "source_file": "CardHands.htm",
    "converter_version": "1.2.2.2"
  }
}