Paul Hoemke

Standard playing cards are ... boring? Actually if you take the time to look at them, you might discover that they have properties that make them very versatile.

Through the years, the card game Hearts has been modified numerous times from its simple beginnings over a century ago to the present. Some people play Hearts thinking that the version they are playing is the one and only version. That is simply not true. The following rules of Hearts will tell you how to play the game. There are four places within the rules where you must choose from four variations. At each place, pick the variation that you wish to use. Then play the game.

You can play games using the simplest equipment, a single 6-sided die, a pencil, and a piece of paper.

One of the first card games I ever played, and one of the simplest games, was Old Maid. (War is probably simpler, but that's another story.)

I notice that a lot of people are searching the internet for free card games. Tens of thousands of people. I'm guessing that most of these people are looking for interactive computer card games such as Hearts which comes standard with Windows on PC computers. But there is an alternative source. Just follow a few simple steps to find free card games the old fashioned way.

I have recently seen some television ads about 'family game night'. These ads suggest that you go out and buy some new board games and video games to play with the family once a week on family game night. I see nothing wrong with this idea. I used to love playing board games when I was a kid (which was before the advent of video games by the way). But you should not forget games played with regular playing cards and regular dice, classic games that have been played and enjoyed for years.

Creating games becomes more of a challenge when you try to create a game that youngsters can play. And the younger the player, the bigger the challenge.

Creating a new pencil and paper game is easier if you use an existing game as a starting point. Take for example Tic Tac Toe.

A new board game can be built around a simple idea. For instance, you can create a board game where you roll a standard die and move a checker across a checkerboard a number of squares equal to the number thrown.

Creating a new game can be fairly easy if you start with an idea from an existing game and expand on it. And you can often create a game using common game equipment.