OBJECTIVE OF CANDYMAN: Fulfill your role and score points.
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 4+ players
NUMBER OF CARDS: 52 card deck
TYPE OF GAME: Role Play
AUDIENCE: All Ages
INTRODUCTION TO CANDYMAN
Candyman or Drug Dealer uses playing cards to assign players secret roles in the game. The game needs only 4 players, but works best with a group of people.
Set-Up
Using a standard 52-card deck, take 1 Ace, 1 King, and enough number cards (2-10) so that each player gets exactly one card. Someone shuffles these cards thoroughly and are kept secret from the other players. After, each player draws a card and assumes their role in the play.
- Ace is the Candyman or the Drug Dealer.
- King is the Police Officer
- Number Cards are candy or drug buyers.
THE PLAY
Each role in the game has a different objective to fulfill. The Candyman’s goal is to sell candy (or drugs) to as many players (buyers) as possible without getting caught by the cop. In order to sell to users, the Candyman must wink (or signal in some other way) to the other players without getting noticed. Only the Candyman may signal players.
Buyers will try to buy candy (or drugs) without revealing their source. At first, players will not know who the Candyman is. If a buyer succeeds in getting signaled by the Candyman, the buyer reveals their cards and announces, “Sold!” After, that player is out of the game. They must not oust the Drug Dealer!
However, the cop will be trying to foil the Users and the Dealer’s goals. The cop tries intently to expose the Candyman as quickly as possible. The cop may accuse suspects by saying, “busted!” At the time, the accused must reveal their card. If it is the Candyman, that round ends and the cards are shuffled and re-dispersed. If it is not the Candyman, the round continues one. The cop may continue to make accusations. However, players are typically much more careful in play since they know who the cop is.
THE SCORING
This game does not NEED to be scored, but it can be scored. The scoring reflects players success in their roles:
- Candyman. +1 point per successful deal, -2 points when busted
- Buyer. +1 for buying candy OR being wrongly accused.
- Cop. -1 point per incorrect accusation, +2 points for busting the Candyman
Points can be accumulated per round. The game continues for 15 rounds or until one player has 21+ points.
REFERENCES:
https://www.pagat.com/role/candyman.html
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That one is weird
Hey there! Did you get a chance to play this game? What did you like/dislike about it?