Introduction Making Moves Replacing Cards Scoring |  | File Menu Cards Menu Options Menu |  | Keyboard Commands Mouse Commands Credits

Introduction

The rules for CrossCards are essentially the same as the rules for Scrabble, but with a few important differences:

1. Each player has 8 tiles in their rack, not 7.

2. Instead of using up to 7 letters to make a word, players use up to 5 cards to make a poker hand. If 5 cards are used then bonus points are added to the score, as indicated below.

   Legal hands: |  | Examples:
   2, 3 or 4 of a kind |  |
   2 pairs |  |
   full house (pair and triple) |  |  |  | bonus = 20 points
   flush |  |  |  | bonus = 30 points
   straight |  |  |  | bonus = 40 points
   5 of a kind |  |  |  | bonus = 50 points
   straight flush |  |  |  | bonus = 70 points
   royal flush |  |  |  | bonus = 100 points

3. There are 4 joker cards that play the same role as the blank tiles in Scrabble. A joker can be used to represent any other card. CrossCards ensures that no player will get more than one joker in their rack. The first player always gets a joker.

Making Moves

A computer player is indicated by a digit at the end of their name. The digit represents their skill level, ranging from 0 for novice up to 9 for expert. To change the skill level just click on the name in the scoresheet. A computer player will only make a move when you click on the MOVE button or hit the enter/return key.

If you are the current player then drag your cards one at a time from the rack to the board. As cards are added to the board, CrossCards calculates and shows the potential score. Note that "?" is displayed if the move is illegal.

Legal moves are made by placing cards on the board in a horizontal or vertical line with no intervening empty squares. The very first move must cover the middle square. For all other moves, at least one card must be placed next to a card from a previous move. When you have finished, click on the DONE button or hit the enter/return key. At that point you will be asked to specify a card for any joker used.

CrossCards will warn you if you attempt to make an illegal move. You can return cards from the board to your rack by ctrl-clicking or right-clicking on them, or by hitting the delete key.

Play continues until there are no cards left and one player has used all of their cards, or until all players have passed.

Replacing Cards

If you cannot make a legal hand (or if you prefer not to make one) then you can replace one or more cards, but only if there are 8 or more cards remaining in the bag.

To replace a card you can ctrl-click or right-click on it, or you can drag it into the "Cards remaining" box. The cards to be replaced will be displayed in the box. If you change your mind, just click in the box to put the last card back in your rack. Click on the DONE button when you have finished. The score for such a move is 0.

If you cannot make a hand and there aren't enough cards remaining to be replaced then you will have to pass. Simply click on the DONE button or hit the enter/return key. The score for a pass is 0.

Scoring

Scoring is performed much the same as in Scrabble. CrossCards automatically calculates each player's score, so you only need to know the following information if you are learning the game and want to know how to make high-scoring moves.

- The point scores for each card are:

  joker | = | 0 points
  2, 3, ... 9, 10 | = | 2, 3, ... 9, 10 points
  jack | = | 11 points
  queen | = | 12 points
  king | = | 13 points
  ace | = | 14 points

- The score for a move is the sum of all card values in each hand formed or modified by the move, plus extra points resulting from any cards placed on the multiplier squares:

  2 or 3 BY CARD = 2 or 3 times the card value.
  2 or 3 BY HAND = 2 or 3 times the sum of all card values in that hand.

  Card multiplication is done before hand multiplication. Once covered, a multiplier square has no effect on future moves.

- If two or more hands are formed in the same move then each hand score is added up. The common card is counted (along with any multiplication) in the score for each hand.

- If 5 cards are used then bonus points are added to the score (see above).

- At the end of a game, each player's score is reduced by the total value of any cards remaining in their rack. If a player empties their rack to finish the game then their score is increased by the total value of cards remaining in the other player's rack.

File Menu

New Game
  Start a new game.

Open Game...
  Open a previously saved game.

Save Game...
  Save the current game.

Quit
  Quit CrossCards.

Cards Menu

Undo Move
  Undo the most recent move.

Redo Move
  Redo an undone move.

Return Cards to Rack
  Any cards on the board or in the "Cards remaining" box are returned to the rack.

Highest Scoring Move
  Ask the computer to show you the highest scoring move using skill level 8. This won't always be the best move (see below).

Best Strategic Move
  Ask the computer to show you the best strategic move using skill level 9. The computer uses various heuristics to choose the "best" move. For example, it won't waste a joker on a low-scoring move, and it tries to leave a decent set of cards in the rack.

Show Last Move
  Blink the cards used in the most recent move.

Options Menu

Aqua Theme
  Select this item to display a watery background.

Stone Theme
  Select this item to display a stony background.

Wood Theme
  Select this item to display a woody background.

Play Sounds
  Tick this item if you want various sounds to be played (tile clicks, sorting cards, clapping at end of game).

Blink Computer's Moves
  Tick this item to blink the cards when the computer makes a move.

Show Computer's Cards
  Tick this item to see the cards in the computer's rack.

Full Screen
  Tick this item to enter full screen mode.

Auto Save
  If ticked then an unfinished game is automatically saved when CrossCards quits and will be opened the next time CrossCards starts up.

Keyboard Commands

The following keyboard commands are available:

backspace/delete | put last card added to the board back in the rack
enter/return | do the move (equivalent to pressing DONE/MOVE button)
space | sort cards (equivalent to pressing SORT button)
B | toggle blinking of computer moves
C | toggle seeing computer player's cards
F | toggle fullscreen mode
H | show this help (equivalent to pressing HELP button)
L | show last move
N | start a new game
O | open a previously saved game
P | toggle playing of sounds
Q | quit CrossCards
S | save the current game
Z | undo the last move
shift-Z | redo an undone move
8 | show the highest scoring move (using skill level 8)
9 | show the best strategic move (using skill level 9)
[ | decrease sound volume
] | increase sound volume

Mouse Commands

These mouse commands are available (on a Mac the option key is the same as alt):

alt-click on a card | show all matching cards
shift-click on a card | drag a connected line of cards horizontally
shift-alt-click on a card | drag a connected line of cards vertically
ctrl-click on a rack card | replace that card
right-click on a rack card | replace that card
ctrl-alt-click on a rack card | swap that card for another from bag
ctrl-click on a board card | return that card to the rack
right-click on a board card | return that card to the rack

Credits

Andrew Trevorrow designed and programmed CrossCards. Much thanks to Ian and Colin Lynch Smith for distributing the original Macintosh version.

Thanks to rhodesmas for the bonus sound.

Thanks to Jostein Gaarder for writing The Solitaire Mystery. A lovely book with a lot to say about the importance of jokers. :)