OBJECTIVE OF PORTRAITS: Collect 12 portraits without stalemating the art market.
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 1 player
NUMBER OF CARDS: 52-card deck
RANK OF CARDS: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2
TYPE OF GAME: Solitaire
AUDIENCE: Teens and Adults
INTRODUCTION TO PORTRAITS
Portraits is a solitaire card game that is designed to take about 15 minutes to play. The game uses a 52 card deck. It can be played online as well, for free, at Glastyn Games.
To set-up, shuffle the deck and place the cards face-down to form a draw pile or stockpile. One card at a time, draw 5 cards and place them face-up on the table: this is the Public Sales Row. Next, in the same manner, draw your five Asset Cards. No face cards (portraits) are permitted to be in the asset row. If a face card is drawn for the asset row, place them in the private collector sales. If that row is full, you lose.
THE PLAY
Make “art deals” by using asset cards to buy other assets from the public sales market. You may also make deals to buy portraits (face cards) from either public sales and the private collector sales market with one’s assets.
A turn sequence is as follows:
- Perform a transaction:
- Buy an asset from the public sales market
- Swap an asset with a painting in the public sales market
- Buy a portrait from either the public or private market
- Fill empty holes in the public sales market with cards from the stockpile
- Fill assets with cards from the draw pile
The Purchasing
To purchase cards (assets and portraits), discard 1 or more of your assets. They must be all from the same suit with a value that is greater than the lesser painting (number cards) or portrait you want to purchase (also from the same suit).
Number cards are worth face value.
Aces may value as 11 or 1 depending on the circumstance.
Jacks = 11, Queens = 12, and Kings = 13
If an asset is bought it is placed in the asset row.
If a portrait is bought it is placed in your personal vault. (see image above)
The Swapping
You may discard an asset to get another asset from the public sales market of the same value. The suit will not match, obviously. Place the card in the asset row.
Filling Holes
After a transaction or swap, draw cards from the stockpile to replace the empty holes. Reminder, if you draw a portrait while the private collector sales market is full (five cards), you lose the game on the spot. If the draw pile is exhausted, the emptied positions in the layout are not filled and play continues as usual.
THE END GAME
If you collect all 12 portraits you win the game. The fame is lost if there are no more transactions left and you have not yet collected the 12 portraits.
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Hi, Mr. Paul Cross. Thanks for the comment, glad you enjoy the game!
These cards are absolutely amazing well thought through Paul .regards Teresa
I don’t quite understand how you’re supposed to purchase a King’s “Portrait” if the card from your Asset’s row must be greater than the King card,
Hi to purchase a portrait you may discard one or more cards from your assets that have a greater value than the card you are purchasing. To purchase a king you must use more than one card purchase it, such as the 8 and 7 of spades when you are trying to purchase the King of spades. I hope this helps!
Do you reshuffle discard pile or is it game over once draw pile is gone?
Keej, once the draw pile is gone, you continue play without refilling the empty spots. I hope this helps.