A multiplayer browser-based edition of the Upgrade card game.

Upgrade is a competetive turn-based elimination game balancing strategy and luck. It draws inspiration from the combat of "Yu-Gi-Oh!" and the risks of "Skull".

Upgrade was first conceived by Josh and his pals in his mum's garage way-back-when and more recently has been workshopped with his adult chums.

Eliminate all other players by being the last player remaining with tokens.

A standard game can be played with 2 or more players and can easily be adjusted to accommodate any group size.

• A standard 52-card deck - Jack, Queen, King, & Jokers removed
• Tokens - 3 per player

1. Shuffle the deck
2. Provide each player with 3 tokens
3. Deal 3 cards, face-down, to each player
4. Each player simultaneously places the following cards in front of them:
   • 2 face-down defence cards
   • 1 face-up attack card - (in front of defence cards)

Starting with the dealer, turns progress clockwise.

In a turn, the current player must:

1. Draw a card
2. Upgrade, Discard, or Attack.

Turns continue until only one player remains.

1. Announce "Upgrade"

2. Either:

   • Discard an attack or defence card, and replace it with the drawn card
   • Optionally, when there is only one attack card; add the drawn card to the attack row

1. Announce "Discard"
2. Discard the drawn card

1. Announce which player is being attacked
2. The defending player reveals both defence cards
3. Compare the combined attack to the combined defence
   (Simply totalling the face values for each)
   • If attack is higher; take a token from the defender
   • If attack is lower; discard a token from the game
   • If equal; it's is a draw, no tokens are affected
4. All cards involved in the attack are discarded:
   • The attacker's attack cards
   • The defender's defence cards
5. The drawn card is placed as an attack card
6. The defender draws 2 new cards to fill their defence

When a players has no tokens, they are out of the game.
They discard all their cards and forfeit all remaining turns.

All attack cards must be used when attacking.
All defence cards must be used when defending.

Discarded cards are placed face-up beside the deck.
Discarded tokens are removed from the game.

Target Selection: When choosing who to attack, it might be strategic to target players with fewer tokens left, as eliminating other players is the key to winning.

Upgrade Wisely: Upgrading an attack card could lead to a more successful attack, but leaving defence weak could be dangerous!

Risk Management: If your attack is lower, you'll lose a token. So, ensure your attack has a high chance of success before you proceed.

Defensive Play: When tokens are running low, it might be wise to focus on upgrading defence cards to withstand attacks and stay in the game.

Adjust any of these to suit your group's playstyle:

• Initial tokens
  - effects game length

• Amount of card ranks (e.g. adding Jack, Queen, King)
  - effects unpredictability (more random = less strategy)

• Disallowing discarding the drawn card to end a turn
  - forces players to downgrade or attack

  • Disallowing downgrading attack
    - makes the forced choice even more difficult

• Maximum number of cards in attack and defence rows
  - effects overall complexity and game length

• Discard face-down
  - effects card-counting strategies

• A maximum of 1 attack card and 1 defence card.
• 2 cards are dealt to each player at the start of the game.
• 1 card is drawn to replace a defence.
• No discarding.

When an attack is equal to defence; it is customary for both players to put their hands together, face each other, and bow; as a sign of respect.

Note: Doing otherwise may be considered poor sportsmanship!

Play online at: jgrunik.github.io/upgrade

Other combat card games:

• Card Games: Combat Games [pagat]
• Cuttle [boardgamegeek]