The Fool's Field

User summary

In this game, the players, as kings of two neighboring countries, aim to quickly end the war between their countries. Deploy Soldier cards to the Field to reduce the cards in your hand. The last player to use up the cards in their hand wins.

-description from the publisher

In a turn, you either play a card to the field (if possible), or retreat and pick up all cards.

愚者の園 (Gusya no Sono) is Fool`s Field, a two player card game of hand managment.

Each player is dealt 6 cards at the beginning, and the rest forms the draw deck. Then, players do multiple battles. For each battle, players play cards to the 3x3 battlefield by matching the cards' icons. If you can't play legally, or wish not to play, you have to call a 'retreat' and lose the battle.

If you lose the battle, you must take all the played cards in your hand, and discard down to the hand size of 6 cards. If you win the battle, you draw from the deck up to 6, unless the deck is exhausted; then you won't draw further.

Then start the next battle, with the previous winner placing the first card from their hand to the center of the battlefield as the lead. Continue battle until one player has got rid of their cards. That player wins the game.

The cards have 3 kinds of icons on the 4 sides of the card: sword / shield / flower. When playing a card, a sword icon must be matched against another sword icon. A shield must be matched to a flower, and flower against a shield.

Since the battle loser must draw back their played cards, players build up partial information but with discards, there are still unknowns. At the start of the game, players can manage their hand from their draw deck. But as the deck is exhausted, it gets harder to control the battle.

Publisher's summary

「愚者の園」”Fools Field”は、すこし変わった2人用の対戦カードゲームです。

このゲームの目的は、いち早くゲームから抜けること。そのためには、相手よりも早く手札を使い切る必要があります。

手番では、場に札をプレイして手札を減らしていきます。

うまく札を配置し、相手を手詰まりに追い込めば、場の札を引き取らせることができます。

手札と山札の減り具合を読み、勝敗を決するフェーズを見越して、手札をうまく構築しましょう！

"Fool's Field" is a rather unusual kind of card game for two. The object of the game is to get rid of your hand faster than your opponent. On your turn, you play your cards to the battlefield to reduce your hand. Play wisely, and when you make your opponent short of legal plays, opponent is forced to claim all the cards played to the battlefield. Keep your eyes on your hand and remaining deck, plan ahead, time your moves, and construct your hand!