CrowsNest Card Game 3.3.0

CrowsNest is a rendition of the classic card game Rook® that has become a favorite among app developers, serving as the default version. It closely resembles Kentucky Discard but features two key strategic variations: the Crow card holds the position of the lowest trump, and the declarer's team receives the bid amount upon successfully achieving the bid, rather than accumulating total points captured.

Players have the option to explore other traditional versions of Rook® such as Tournament Rook (also known as Kentucky Discard), Partnership Rook, 1-High Partnership, The Red 1, and Buckeye.

CrowsNest is designed as a partnership card game for four players, pitting the "We" team against the "They" team. The We team comprises the player and their electronic partner displayed at the top of the screen, while the They team consists of Computerized Opponent Left and Computerized Opponent Right. All three computerized players exhibit an identical skill level, emphasizing that victory ultimately depends on the player's decisions.

In this rendition, the CrowsNest card deck features four suits distinguished by color and includes a "Crow" card, always ranked as the lowest "Trump" card. Each suit encompasses cards numbered from 5 to 14, with specific cards such as 5s (5 points), 10s (10 points), and 14s (10 points) classified as "Counters," contributing a total of 25 points per suit. Additionally, the Crow card holds a value of 20 points, bolstering the deck's total to 120 points. (If preferred, players have the option to exclude the Crow card, resulting in a total of 100 points.)

1. The game kicks off by distributing nine cards to each player and five to the "Nest" (or four if opting out of using the Crow card). The player to the left of the dealer commences the bidding process by stating a total that their team aims to gather from the available 120/100 points. The initial bid must meet a minimum of 70 points, with subsequent bids in increments of five up to 120/100. Players are permitted to "Pass" at any juncture but cannot re-enter bidding. The bidding continues until all but one player has passed. In a scenario where all players pass during the opening round, the cards are redealt by the same dealer.
2. The player with the highest bid takes on the role of declarer and temporarily incorporates the Nest into their hand. They proceed to discard any 5/4 cards from this combined hand back into the Nest. Counters discarded into the Nest contribute to the score of the team that secures the final "Trick." The declarer then selects the trump suit for the ensuing hand; in case of deploying the Crow card, it functions as the lowest trump card.
3. The player situated left of the dealer initiates play by leading a card to commence the first Trick. Subsequently, gameplay progresses in clockwise fashion around the table among all four players. Participants are obliged to follow suit by playing a card from that lead suit if they possess one, yet they are unrestricted when lacking a lead suit card and may play any card in their possession. The highest card in the lead suit wins the Trick unless Trump suit cards are brought into play; in such instances, a high-value Trump card prevails. The victorious player acquires any Counter values for their team and proceeds to lead a card to initiate another Trick.
4. Upon completion of all rounds within a hand, Counters housed in the Nest are amalgamated with those won by securing Tricks on both teams. The opposing team to the declarer receives their total accumulated points. If the declarer's team reaches or surpasses their bid threshold, they earn their full bid amount; however, failure to meet this target deducts the bid amount from their score without receiving credit for accrued points.
5. The deal now transitions to the adjacent player on your left, culminating in a new hand that entails repeating steps 1-4.

The ultimate aim is for one team to reach 300 points in order to clinch victory. If both teams surpass this threshold or harbor equal scores over 300 points, victory is awarded to whichever team boasts a higher point tally. In case of identical scores exceeding 300 points, an intense sudden-death hand ensues to determine an outright winner.