Dickory

About this board game

Dickory is a 2021 climbing card game for exactly two players, played in about 20 minutes. Inspired by Dai Fugō, also known as Millionaire, it challenges players to be the first to get rid of all the cards in their hands.

Cards can be played in several combinations, including singles, doubles, triples, quads, and three-card runs. There are no suits, keeping attention focused on the ranks and on the changing order that determines which cards are strongest.

• Play singles, doubles, triples, quads, or three-card runs.
• Use the conveyor belt queue to manipulate the rank order.
• Compete to empty your hand before your opponent.

The game’s distinctive feature is its shifting ranking system. A circular ranking orders the ranks, but the rank in the conveyor belt’s rightmost position is always the highest rank. As the queue is cleverly manipulated, the relative value of the ranks changes with it.

This creates a climbing game in which the available card combinations are only part of the challenge. Players must also follow the moving hierarchy and recognize how the conveyor belt affects the current ranking. Timing a play around those changes is central to managing a hand.

Dickory also includes variants that expand the possible runs with two-card and four-card runs. Whether using the core three-card runs or one of the variants, the game combines familiar climbing-game structures with a ranking system that is constantly in motion.