Spooneye! The Card Game

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What happens if I play a 4 on my opponent's side?
A. You then get to play another card. Your opponent gains no benefits.

Q. Let's say I've got 3 masts. The middle one adds up to 17, and it's my turn. I play a 4 on it, raising the middle mast and capturing one of my opponent's. Do I still get to play another card?
A. Yes. If you play a card with an effect, it always takes effect.

Q. Can I start a new mast with that additional card?
A. Sure.

Q. Can I start that new mast in between the other two masts?
A. Nope. Closing masts happens instantaneously.

Q. Okay, well, if I play a 9 on my opponent's side, do I still get to take one of the cards on their side and put it on mine?
A. Sure, as long as it's in the crow's nest.

Q. Can I take the card that I just played the 9 on?
A. No. As soon as you play the 9 on the card, it's no longer in the crow's nest.

Q. Can I take the 9 itself?
A. Oddly enough, yes. There's obviously no card on top of it, and it is on your opponent's side, so there's no reason that you couldn't.

Q. Isn't that really silly and useless, though?
A. Look, I didn't say you should do it, just that you could. Don't completely dismiss it though. On occasion, a loophole that makes spooneyeing effectively optional can have its uses.

Q. Who's your favorite cast member on Barney Miller?
A. Steve Landesberg, of course. Which isn't to say that Jack Soo didn't kick ass too.

Q. If I play a card on my opponent's mast that makes it total 21, what happens?
A. Your opponent takes the raised mast and any one of your masts, just as if he or she had raised it. This is, incidentally, the only way in the two-player game to capture cards on another player's turn.

Q. Why would I possibly want to do that?
A. Well, in theory I can think of a few possible scenarios where it might be strategically advantageous, especially later on in the Standard Game. But generally, yeah, it's a pretty muttonheaded thing to do.

Q. Well, then, why play on your opponent's side at all?
A. The most common reason to do this is in order to block them from completing a mast. If your opponent has a mast that totals 15, and you haven't seen any 6s yet, it might be worth the gamble of throwing a low card on there and hoping that they can't still raise their mast. Towards the end of the game, in fact, this can become a crucial strategy; if all the Aces have been played, making an opponent's column total 20 effectively renders it useless.

Q. Any other good reasons?
A. After the deck is exhausted, if it's clear that you have a mast that's able to be raised and your opponent doesn't (and especially if you have more cards left in your hand), you can throw cards onto their side and then capture them back. Tricky, eh?

Q. Why are you allowed to have four masts on your side? I thought that pirate ships only had three.
A. These are exceptionally massive pirate ships, as befits the epic nature of the game.

Q. Can I decide not to play and just stockpile cards in my hand?
A. No. Playing, like drawing, is mandatory.

Q. Can you raise more than one mast in a turn?
A. Sure, although you'd have to use a 4 or a 9 (or both).

Q. Is there any way to capture the cards remaining in the playing area if I have no cards left in my hand?
A. No. Any cards that your opponent doesn't capture will end up in Davy Jones' locker and count towards neither score.

Q. Anything else I need to know?
A. Your mother wears army boots.