Eleusis Express: All Aboard the Train of Secret Patterns!

Pitted against the dealer, players will try and guess the next card in the sequence, hoping to crack the secret rule before their opponents can.

 

Eleusis [el-yoo-suhs] Express  is a clever game that will definitely work your pattern recognition skills! For those up to a little more of a challenge this week, this post is an excellent addition to your repertoire of card games, one that will intrigue family and friends alike. No more War, Solitaire, or Old Maid, this always-evolving ride is sure to make for a great time!

 

How fast can you identify the secret rule? Let’s find out…

 

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Players: 3 – 8 (ideally 4-5)

Gear: At least 2 standard decks of cards
Large playing space (ex. big table)

 

**This game may come across as a little complicated, but it’s simpler than it looks!**

HOW TO PLAY

 

Randomly choose one player to be the first dealer.  The dealer will write down a secret rule and then hide it from everyone else (For dealers who have never played this game before, or those who need an idea, see Sample Secret Rules).  This rule will determine which cards other players can lay down as they try and guess what the rule is. 

 

 

 

The dealer shuffles the decks together and deals 12 cards to each player.  Any extra cards are placed in a pile called “the stock”.  To begin the game, the dealer flips over the first card.

 

 

Adding Cards to the Mainline

 

The goal for each player is to guess the secret rule before anyone else does, and players can figure this out by placing cards that follow the secret rule.  If a player places a card that matches the secret rule, then that card is placed in line with the last card, as a part of the mainline of cards.  If a player places a card that doesn’t match the pattern, that card is placed beneath the line of cards (the sideline).

Let’s say that Quinn is the dealer, and their secret rule is:

 

            The next card can be any card that is 1, 2, or 3 greater than or less than the last card.

 

 

If the first card is the 5 of Hearts, then the next card can be a 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, or 8 of ANY SUIT. 

If Jamie is to the left of the dealer, they get to guess first.  Jamie plays a 9 of Clubs, but because 9 is not (2,3,4,6,7,8).  The dealer says “incorrect” and moves it beneath the mainline.  Jamie draws another card from the stock so they always have 12 cards in their hand.  Play order continues clockwise to Jordyn. 

 

 

 

 

Jordyn places down a 2 of Diamonds, and since 2 is “three less than 5” Quinn says “correct”.  The 2 of Diamonds become the next card in the mainline, but the card that Jamie played is still beneath it.  This way, everyone can see what cards DID fit the pattern as well as which DIDN’T. 

Jordyn DOESN’T grab a card from the stock, therefore reducing their hand by one card.

 

 

 

 

Taking a Guess

Because Jordyn placed a card correctly, they may guess what the secret rule is. 

Jordyn guesses: 

If the last card is red and even/odd, the next card odd/even.  If the last card is black and even/odd, the next card must be even/odd.

 

(Basically, if the last card is Red & Even, next card is Odd

If last card is Red & Odd, next card is Even

If last card is Black & Even, next card is Even

If last card is Black & Odd, next card is Odd)

 

If Jordyn is guesses the rule correctly, the round is over.  See Scoring below.

If Jordyn’s guess is incorrect, the dealer informs the players so, Jordyn draws a card, and play continues clockwise.

 

 

“No Play”

 

A player may also declare “No Play”, meaning that none of their cards, if played, would follow the secret rule.  If a player calls this, they must reveal their cards to everyone.  The dealer then determines if that person is right of not.

           – If a player is right (they do not have a card that could be played which would follow the pattern), they may set any card on the sideline.  That player can guess the rule (they MUST proceed to guessing the rule if they have no more cards).  See Taking a Guess above.

           – If a player is wrong, (they DO have a card that would follow the pattern), the dealer chooses one of them and adds it to the mainline.  The player draws another card.

 

 

 

 

Scoring

Disclaimer: The Games Bible says that “The designer notes that people usually play without points – trying to guess the rule is fun enough”

Once a player correctly guesses the rule or plays their last card, the round ends.  Scoring follows these rules:

• Each player starts with 12 points, minus 1 point for each card left in their hand.
• 6 points to the player who guessed the rule
• 3 points to the player who got rid of all their cards
• The dealer scores the same as the highest scoring player

 

Winning the Game!

After all the points are added up at the end of each round, switch who is the dealer and play another round until everyone has been dealer once.  Then, total ALL your points from every round, and whoever has the most is the winner!

 

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Author’s Note

For seemingly like a more complex game to play, I think the essence of it is still fairly simple.  As with any game, I think that giving instructions orally is significantly easier for people to understand than to read them.  Unfortunately, due to lack of time, I was not able to test this game out before writing the post, but I am sure to find time for it this weekend! I have always been a numbers and patterns person, so the concept of inductive reasoning and analysis to figure out the sequence is a really fascinating idea for me.  Hopefully this will make you stimulate your left-brain if you are more of a right-brain person.  Anyways, I think that next week I will definitely be posting about a game suggestion that you gave me, so keep the ideas flowing!

 

 

History

Eleusis Express is actually a simplified variation of a game created in 1965 by Robert Abbott called Eleusis.  Both games have similar objectives and core elements, but Eleusis Express is a much less complicated version, and definitely more blog-worthy.  Other games, such as Penultima, Mao, and Zendo also use inductive reasoning to figure out a pattern or rule.

Analysis

The main difference between this game and others like Labyrinth is systematic approach that this game requires.  You need to be able to analyze patterns and differences in numbers, colors, and come up with a formula to connect it all together.  This really diminishes the creative aspect, but for the purposes of the game, which is to duplicate the scientific process, as well as its shortcomings.

Creativity: There is a small element of imagination in this game for the dealer who creates different rules.  Other than that, however, the other aspects of the game are more logical that creative.

Luck: Even in this analytical game, I think luck plays a large role.  Even if you think you know the rule, you might place the correct card, even if the rule is different.  From there, you can then use logic to guess the secret rule.

Strategy: Due to the heavy reliance on pattern identification, there is a lot of analytics and strategy involved in succeeding in the game.

 

Tips & Strategies

Tips for the Dealer

• • Try to avoid coming up with very narrow or abstract rules (such as face cards are always correct)
  • Remember that no matter how easy you think the rule is, it is always a lot harder for the other players to guess
  • Try to shoot for a 25-50% chance of playing a correct card (If the rule is “If the last card is red, the next card must be black, and vice versa” then the average chance of playing a correct card is ~50% since half of the cards are black, and half are red)
  •  Check out the Sample Secret Rules!! It will give you ideas if you’re stuck or for you to alter a little.

Tips for the Guessers

• • Try and think about what kind of rule the dealer would make! (play some mind games).  if you know the dealer well, you can analyze the kind of person they are and how that would effect what rule they would choose.
  • The rule is more likely to involve something about the cards changing, so start by playing cards that are the opposite color and close the numerical value of the last card.  [Disclaimer: This is just an assumption, I will test this out while playing it this weekend]
  • Also pay close attention to  which cards are incorrect.  This will help you figure out what the rule is NOT.

 

Variations: Try this out next time you play!

• After you have played it a few times or gotten the hang of the game, try out some of the harder rules! (This will reduce the probability of you placing a correct card).

 

Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful day!

 

 

 

Credits

I cannot stress enough the importance of Leigh Anderson’s fantastic book The Games Bible for inspiring these blog posts.  Her book has hundreds of amazing ideas, from icebreakers, family games, and weekend getaways.  This blog would not be possible without all the hard work she put into writing the book so my source for ideas and research are from her book.

Additional Materials

Sample Secret Rules

Sources

• Anderson, Leigh. The Games Bible. Workman Publishing Company, 2010.
• Anderson, Leigh. “The Games BIBLE: The Ultimate Gamebook… Book by Leigh Anderson.” ThriftBooks, www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-games-bible-the-ultimate-gamebook-for-grown-ups-307-games-to-put-the-fun-back-in-parties_leigh-anderson/571781/#edition=5740103&idiq=12407424.
• “Eleusis (Card Game).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Aug. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleusis_(card_game).
• “Mao (Card Game).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 6 June 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao_(card_game).
• “Penultima.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 12 July 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penultima.
• “Zendo (Game).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 1 July 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zendo_(game).

Image Sources

• Train
• Card Dealer
• Mystery Board Game…
• All graphics related to Eleusis Express were created by Nicholas Bodie