If you saw my youtube video Friday, you may remember my mentioning ERS. Egyptian Ratscrew, also known as Egyptian War, Egyptian Rat Slap, or (according to wikipedia) Egyptian Ratkiller, is a game that I remember very fondly from my childhood. In an article about 500, I spoke about the value of customizable games as educational tools. Well, ERS is another great game for teaching young people to look at rules from the inside out.
The basics are pretty simple. Deal out even (or roughly even) piles of cards to each player. The players take turns playing one card off of their deck without looking at it, and placing it on a pile in the middle of the table.
Every face card that gets played needs to be "matched" by another face card. When a player plays a face card, the next player plays out a specific number of cards (or until they play a face card), and then the player after them have to play out cards trying to get a face card, and the first player to not play a face card forfeits the entire pile in the middle of the table to the player before them.
Aces give four chances to match. Kings give three chances. Queens give two chances; and Jacks give only one chance to play a face card.
Of course, if this was all there was to it, there'd be no skill involved. This is where the slapping comes in. When a certain combination of cards is played, the first player to slap the pile gets to keep the pile. If the player slaps something that doesn't count, they have to add a card of theirs to the bottom of the pile. If another card is played before anyone slaps, the opportunity has passed. Slapping takes precedence over matching the face cards, so if someone plays a King, and the next player plays a King, the first player to slap that pair gets the pile, even though a run of face cards was still going.
Which combinations are used are what add spice and variety to the game.
Pairs: Almost every game of ERS will allow slapping on pairs. So, if someone plays a 3, and the next player plays a 3, any player at the table can slap the pile and claim all of those cards as their own.
Sandwiches: A sandwich is a pair separated by a single card. So, if a player plays a 6, the next player plays a 4, and the next player plays a 6, then the first player to slap the pile, gets the pile.
Marriages: The marriage rule treats a King and Queen combo as a pair.
69's and 96's: This is a bit of a cheat, and many players recognize it as an "easy mode". It allows a player to slap on any combination of 9 and 6. This helps very young players who can get easily get confused by the similar symbols.
Ham and cheese sandwiches: This is a sandwich, but with two cards in the middle. This can make the memory aspect of the game even harder, but experienced players will sometimes relish the challenge.
Runs: If three cards that are in sequence with each other are played in any sequence (i.e. 2, then 4, then 3), this can be slapped on.
Of course, these aren't the only possible combinations, and creative players will definitely begin house-ruling some slappable combinations of their own. Have any of you played ERS before? What are some combinations you remember from your own games?
Happy gaming, all.
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