Coda

A mini deduction game for 2-4 players with just half a deck of cards, inspired by the classic board game Coda (also known as Da Vinci Code). This article introduces a self-designed gameplay mode with a dynamic balancing mechanism.

Game Setup

• Take all Hearts and Spades cards numbered 2 to K from a standard deck (24 cards in total). Shuffle these cards thoroughly.
• Deal 4 starting cards to each player (in a 4-player game, deal 3 cards each). The remaining cards form the draw pile.

Card Arrangement

• All cards are placed face-down initially, but players can check their own cards at any time.
• Players must arrange their cards in ascending order (low to high) in front of them.
• Cards with the same value can be placed in any relative order.

Gameplay

Players take turns in a clockwise order. On their turn, each player performs the following steps:

1. Draw a Card: Draw one card from the pile and add it to your lineup, keeping it face-down and following the arrangement rules.
2. Guess an Opponent's Card: Attempt to guess if an opponent's hidden cards include a specific value.
   • If the guess is correct, the opponent must reveal one matching card of their choice. You may then continue guessing or end your turn.
   • If the guess is incorrect, you must reveal the card you just added to your lineup, and your turn ends.

Game End

When the draw pile is empty, players can only guess cards during their turn. If a guess is incorrect, the turn immediately passes to the next player.

The game ends when there is only one player left with unrevealed (secret) cards. That player is the winner.