In June, I wrote an article for a new online CFS Magazine debut but somehow it did not make the debut. I am not sure if the editor plans to use it in a future issue (she requested it from me) but I have been waiting to post the info here is case someone searching the internet for how to cope with CFS/ME or fatigue or POTS some other illness that requires lots of feet up time can find it. I really believe finding solo gaming has really helped me to cope with my sudden loss of energy.
These games are fun for healthy people too (you can play while standing in line or sitting in your car in line to pick up your kids, etc.)
Since writing this article I have found many more in hand games, but these were my first and they are all fun!
Did you know there are over fifty card games you can play solo in the palm of your hand while laying in bed? Many of these are played with a regular 52 card deck of cards, others with a deck you can print and play for a small cost or free, and others you can buy. The games vary from super simple easy to learn games like Royal Marriage to L'Neuvieme: A 9-Card Chase game that requires more brain power. I have only played about a dozen of these games, but am planning to check more out now that I know where to find them--each has an entry on BoardGameGeek (BGG) and links to any downloads, reviews, tutorials, and a plethora of information follow each entry. Let me tell you about a few of my favorites.
The first in hand game I ever heard of was Palm Island. I purchased this one and watched videos on youtube to learn how to play it though there is a free print and play (pnp) available. It plays in eight rounds, but can be set aside and picked up again at any time (as many of these games can be). It has seventeen cards which can be flipped or rotated depending on the choices you make along the way. At the end you note your victory points and try to beat that number in your next game. The makers of Palm Island have recently come out with Palm Laboratory which is quite similar mechanically, but has end scoring conditions with a different theme and even more amazing art.
I then found out about Maiden’s Quest and bought it used. This one is out of print, but readily available in the used market. In it, you create a deck of cards from those in the box and then turn and flip them as you defeat enemies in the deck. There is a revised rulebook online which helps clarify some confusion in the provided rulebook too. I watched playthroughs and it was pretty easy to figure out though.
Numbsters is another easy to learn and easy to play card game from Button Shy. This one is a quick game with amazing art too. Each Numbster card features a number and special ability. Your goal is to “eat” as many of the cards as you can by getting the number eight mouth card in between two consecutive numbers or two that can use the special ability. This game is easy to play, but a little challenging to win! You must get down to just one Numbster and the Mouth for victory. It is a good starting game if you are unsure where to start.
I recently discovered pnp’s that can be played in the hand as well. So far my favorites are Elevenses for One, Old Town Road, Galdor’s Grip, and 9 Card Circus. In Elevenses for One you have just eleven cards with all the tea necessities and you need to load your tea trolley for morning tea before the timer card runs out at 11 AM. Old Town Road is an in hand poker type game in which cards can shoot other cards (then flip to become outlaws) or rob banks. If you are familiar with poker terms this one makes a lot of sense. I play this one when I have more spoons to spare. Galdor’s Grip is a more recent pnp, and it is addicting. In this one you have a core deck and can change out six of the cards in sets, or at random. This is a solo fantasy card game and you manipulate the deck based on what the cards say and which ones you turn face up. Another one with great artwork! 9 Card Circus is an in hand resource management game. There is one video online to teach how to play and it is challenging because it requires you to think ahead on moves you will make in the next season of the circus. Plan on having several spoons for this one! As you can see there is a lot of variety in these games.
There are so many more in hand games I have not tried (I have made Alert All Hands on Deck and Handy Brawl which I hope to learn soon). One of my absolute favorites is really unique. L'Neuvieme: A 9-Card Chase is a solitaire hidden movement and deduction game. You have nine turns to move around Nonaville (the cards) and interpret the clues as to L'Neuvieme's movement. However, some of these clues may be misleading, so you will have to use all of your deductive skills to pin down where L'Neuvieme is hiding. This might be the most challenging one I have played so far, and I use pen and paper to take notes as I play it.
If all of the options above do not interest you, or seem like too much then I urge you to grab a 52 card deck (I found a Sleepy themed deck!) and play a simple game of Royal Marriage in which all you are doing is trying to reunite the king and queen of hearts. Here are the directions from BGG:
“To set up a game, the King and Queen of Hearts are removed from a deck, which is then shuffled. Afterwards, the King is placed on the bottom and the Queen placed on top. Cards are dealt, one by one, from the top of the deck and played next to the Queen, forming a row that allows all cards to be seen at once.
Cards can be removed one or two at a time, but only when they are bookended by two cards of either the same suit or rank. If all cards save the Queen and King are eliminated, the game is won; if cards remain and no further moves can be made, the game is lost.”
If reading these directions is clear as mud to you, search youtube for the title of this (or any other game) and you will find videos in which people explain the games and/or demonstrate them. For me, this is much more clear!
I hope I have inspired you to investigate card games you can play in hand in bed on those days when you want something different to do but cannot be up at a table (or even use a hospital table at your bedside as I often do). Having something fun to look forward to has really helped me get through my CFS/ME and all the changes it has brought to my life. I feel like one hobby is playing these games, another is making them, and still another is watching youtube learning these games all of which give me some variety on my in bed days. There are few “perks” to having a chronic illness, but having more time to solo game is definitely one of them!