Is this an app, a deck of cards, or some software? 

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Yes, it is all of the above. With every app we produce we plan to produce a deck of cards to go along with it. The app was inspired by a real-life tournament, so it is our hope to inspire others to play classic card games in real-life.  

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What is Cutthroat Spades? 

 

Cutthroat Spades is a three-player version of the very popular Spades partnership game. Our version has unique twists compared to the more common rules. It’s also played as a tournament, which really brings out the cutthroat nature of the game.  

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We chose the title Spades Cutthroat Pirates so that users could easily determine what the app was about. The app’s in-game title is Cutthroat Spades Pirates, but we’ll change that in an upcoming update. The pirates refer to the game simply as Cutthroat.

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See our Spades Rules pages for detailed game descriptions.

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Will the playing card art be added to the app? 

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Yes, the Cutthroat Playing Cards will be added to the deck as a purchasable (with Swashbuckles). Backers who backed the Swabby’s Satchel level or higher will get the digital deck for free. 

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What’s with the name 7Shuffles? 

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Back in 1990, two mathematicians, Dr. Diaconis and Dr. Bayer, published a paper that detailed their research into the number of shuffles required to thoroughly mix a deck of cards. In their findings, seven was the optimal number. We took inspiration from that when naming our software engine. All it takes is 7Shuffles to start your classic card game adventure.     

 

What are the future plans for the 7Shuffles engine? 

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We have many hopes and plans for this engine. For example, we have a Hearts Bloody Pirates app in the works which will be what we have coined a “paralleliquel”.  It will be based on the very popular Hearts game and will tell a story from the point of view of a crewman of the pirate ship Impaler, which occurs at the same time as the story in Spades Cutthroat Pirates.  

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Another of our plans that we are super-excited about, is to create apps for children that help them learn the basic concepts of card games. They’ll learn to match suits, the ranking of the cards, how to follow suit, what bidding is etc.  

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Also, if you have any favorite Spades house rules, then let us know about it and we’ll add them to the list of possible additions. If there is a card game and a setting for a story you’d like developed then drop us a line and we’ll add it to the list of possibilities for future development with the 7Shuffles Engine.     

 

How will the funds bring it to life? 

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Most of the funds will go into the production of the cards and shipping. The remainder will go towards the costs of further development of the app and the software engine, which will consist of new story chapters, music, art and new multiplayer servers. 

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Why do the 2’s have roses and what’s with the extra 3 of Clubs? 

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The lowest rank in this deck features Rose art, which is inspired by the pirate ship’s name, the Rose Marie and its jolly roger, The Bloody Rose. The pirates get a kick out of playing them and often say retorts such as, “Have a rose!” which means, “Have a bag because I’m not taking this trick!” 

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In Three-Handed Spades the 2 of Clubs is removed from the game. This makes the 3 the lowest rank for clubs. Thus, the extra 3 of Clubs with rose art is for use when playing Three-Handed Spades.  

 

What’s with the Black Spot card? 

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We are currently developing rules that will include the Black Spot card. We will release more information about these rules and it’s use of the card as development progresses.  

 

What if the response is overwhelming? 

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If this campaign should receive an overwhelming response, the production timeline dates and schedule will be subject to change. We will put production of the deck of cards as the highest priority and then the production of the new multiplayer mode for the app as the second highest priority. All other rewards will be sent out or completed as we get the opportunity to do so.   

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Can you give us more details about the Avatar rewards? 

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• Unique Custom Avatar: Help us design you a Kickstarter Exclusive custom Avatar. This could be a photo of you, your nephew, your pet, your favorite animal or some other living creature capable of playing cards. We will then digitize the art to match our current art style. These special Avatars will be selectable only from your account.  

• Custom Selectable Character: Work with us to develop the look, backstory and voiceover script of a new selectable character to play as an Opponent/Partner in single-player games and as an Avatar in multiplayer matches. This could be a photo of you or another loved one. These Characters will be selectable by anyone.   

• Custom Grand Tourney Story Character: Become part of the Grand Tournament, work with our team to develop a new character that we will integrate into the story. Help us to develop the look, backstory, and voice over script of this new Selectable Character. This could be a photo of you, another loved one, or some other favorite character.  

• Disclaimer: All characters, images, backstories, voices etc. must be approved by our team, but we will do our best to produce what you desire. The voice overs can either be professionally voiced or done by you, providing they meet our standards.