Cards Used: GeoPlunge cards. Shuffle the cards before the game begins and after each state ranking battle.
Players: Two teams with 1, 2, or 3 players per team
Objective: This game is a series of state ranking battles. For each state ranking battle, whichever team wins the most “tricks” wins the battle. A “trick” consists of two cards, one from each team. A team earns 2 points for winning a state ranking battle and can also earn a bonus point (i.e., a third point) as described below. Continue playing state ranking battles, one at a time, until one team wins the game. A team needs 15 points to win.
Winning a trick: During each state ranking battle, each team tries to win as many tricks as it can. Two things determine who wins each trick: (1) the base for the trick, which is either 1, 10, 20, 30, or 50, and (2) the state rankings of the cards played in the selected category. The selected category for a trick will be either size, statehood, or population.
Step 1: Deal 9 GeoPlunge cards and 2 Power cards to each team face-down. Then turn the top 2 Power cards in the deck face-up and place them in the middle of the playing surface. The base for the first 4 tricks is the left corner number of the first Power card turned face-up and the base for the last 4 tricks is the left corner number of the second Power card turned face-up. In the example, the base for the first four tricks is 1, and the base for the last four tricks is 30. If the left corner number of the two Power cards is the same, then that number is the base for all 8 tricks.
Step 2: After looking at its cards, each team discards 1 GeoPlunge card from its hand, face-down, so that each team has 8 GeoPlunge cards. Then, to determine which team will play the first card for the first trick, turn face-up the 2 discarded cards. Whichever team’s discarded card has a statehood ranking closer to 1 is the lead team (i.e., the team that plays the first card) for the first trick.
Step 3: The teams then play 8 tricks, one at a time. Whichever team wins a trick becomes the lead team for the next trick.
When the base for a trick is 10, 20, or 30, a team automatically loses the trick if it plays a GeoPlunge card that has a rank smaller than the base in the selected category. However, in the rare instance that both teams play a GeoPlunge card with a ranking smaller than the base in the selected category, the lead team wins the trick.
On any trick, the lead team may play one of its Power cards face-up at the same time it plays a GeoPlunge card. When this happens, the category used for that trick is automatically locked-in as the category listed on that Power card and cannot be changed during that trick. For example, if the lead team plays the Power card pictured to the right at the same time it plays its GeoPlunge card, the selected category for that trick would be population and it cannot be changed.
Suppose the base for the first four tricks is 1 and the base for the last four tricks is 30.
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Determining Who Wins a State Ranking Battle and Whether that Team Receives the Bonus Point: The first team to win 5 tricks wins a state ranking battle and earns 2 points. The winning team receives one bonus point (i.e. a total of 3 points) if it wins 6 tricks. If both teams win 4 tricks, whichever team wins the last trick wins the state ranking battle and earns 2 points. However, if a team fails to play both of its Power cards during a state ranking battle, unless the battle ended early, it automatically loses the battle.
Variation for Level 3:
Determining the Lead Team for the First Trick of the First State Ranking Battle: Before the first state ranking battle begins, each team picks one GeoPlunge card without looking at it in advance and whichever team’s card has a statehood ranking closer to 1 will be the lead team for the first trick in that first battle (after that is done, retrieve those cards and shuffle the GeoPlunge deck). For all subsequent state ranking battles, alternate which team is the lead team for the first trick in that battle.
Step 1: Deal 9 GeoPlunge cards and 2 Power cards to each team face-down.
Step 2: Turn the top Power cards in the deck face-up one at a time until three of them have different left corner numbers. Remove all of the other Power cards turned face-up so only those three remain. The team that is the lead team for the first trick then announces whether it wants to be the “Cards Team” or the “Call Team” for this battle
Step 3: The Call Team then removes one of the three Power cards from the table and announces which of the two remaining Power cards on the table will be the first Power card and which will be the second. The base for the first 4 tricks is the left corner number of the first Power card and the base for the last 4 tricks is the left corner number of the second Power card. In the example, right, the base for the first four tricks is 50, and the base for the last four tricks is 10.
Step 4: Deal the Cards Team additional GeoPlunge cards face-up. These are known as the “BUR cards” because they indicate the Best Unprotected Rankings for this battle. The Cards Team receives 2 BUR cards unless the number of BUR cards was changed in Step 2 (i.e., changed to 3, 4, or 5 cards). Both teams look at all of the BUR cards on the table. The BUR cards identify what ranks are the Best Unprotected Rankings for this battle with respect to the bases on the two Power cards on the table. See examples after Step 9 for clarification. The Cards Team then puts all of the BUR cards into its hand.
Step 5: The Call Team team discards 1 GeoPlunge card from its hand, face-down. The Cards Team discards all but 8 of its GeoPlunge cards from its hand, face-down. Each team should then have 8 GeoPlunge cards and 2 Power cards.
Step 6: The Call Team then declares whether it is “Pulling the Power.” If it is not, the Cards Team then declares whether it is “Pulling the Power.” If either team is Pulling the Power, both teams must then discard both of their Power cards so that neither team will play the battle with any Power cards.
Step 7: Turn the next Power card in the deck face-up. Whatever is listed in the Star Area of that card determines the “GeoStar” to be given by the lead team on each trick for this battle. For example, if State Name is listed in the Star Area, the GeoStar is the name of the state played by the lead team. If, on the other hand, Postal Code is listed in the Star Area, the GeoStar is the postal code of the state played by the lead team. The possibilities for what may be listed in the Star Area are state name, capital, postal code, nickname, a specific top city, flower, or bird.
Step 8: The teams then play 8 tricks, one at a time. The team that wins a trick is the lead team for the next trick.
When the base for a trick is 10, 20, or 30, a team automatically loses the trick if it plays a GeoPlunge card that has a rank smaller than the base in the selected category. However, in the rare instance that both teams play a GeoPlunge card with a ranking smaller than the base in the selected category, the lead team wins the trick.
Clarifications and Exceptions:
Determining Who Wins a State Ranking Battle and Whether that Team Receives the Bonus Point: The first team to win 5 tricks wins a state ranking battle and earns 2 points. The winning team receives a bonus point if it wins 6 tricks. If both teams win 4 tricks, whichever team wins the last trick wins the state ranking battle and earns 2 points. However, if a team fails to play both of its Power cards during a state ranking battle, unless the battle ended early, it automatically loses the battle.
Suppose the base for the first four tricks is 1 and the base for the last four tricks is 30.
Also suppose that the BUR cards are Florida and Virginia. Therefore, the BUR for the first four tricks is 3 because the ranking closest to 1 on the Florida and Virginia cards is Florida’s ranking of 3rd in population. The BUR for the last four tricks is 35 because the ranking closest to 30 but not less than 30 on the Florida and Virginia cards is Virginia’s ranking of 35th in size.
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Other variations to the game you may want to try: