"Almost Solitaire" Rule Sheet V2

For the 2nd version of our modified Solitaire rule sheet the first step was to get it play tested. We got Mr. and Mrs. Chavan to be the play testers.

Play tester 1 (Mrs. Chavan) had never played solitaire previously, so she had no concept of the game prior to this test. Initially, she was quite confused by the unchanged rules and was frustrated that she couldn't figure it out. However, as we started the first round, she opted for Normal mode, she slowly gained a grasp on the rules with some hints and encouragement. The first round did hit an impossibility, so we opted to give her a foundation card to continue gameplay. With this she was able to win the round in the time limit, and gained around 400 points. Afterwards, we conducted a 2nd round to test the Easy difficulty, which also unfortunately hit an impossibility, and the tester was able to complete the round in around 6 minutes with a score of about 200. After completing both rounds, tester 1 was in a much more positive mood and felt somewhat accomplished.

Play tester 1's suggestions

- start with an Ace in the foundation pile

- Start new players in Easy difficulty

- include specific cards in the stockpile to improve possibility

Round 1

Finishing Round 2

Play tester 2 (Mr. Chavan) has a history of playing card games, including solitaire, so he had a good idea of what the game entailed. He quickly adjusted to the ruleset and picked up on the changes easily. Since he already understood how to play and wouldn't get frustrated, we chose to not give him the free foundation card that we gave to Play tester 1 when stuck. The first round, play on Normal difficulty, went well until he encountered an impossibility about halfway through the round. However, the 2nd round went much better, and he was able to very quickly adjust to the different rank offered by the Easy difficulty, where he was able to get around 400 points. Overall, play tester 2 never got frustrated, and was able to finish one out of the two rounds he played.

Play tester 2's suggestions

- reduce complexity of point system to make it easier to track points

- increase Easy difficulty time limit to allow for more time for the player

Start of Round 1

Round 1 Impossibility

Rule Sheet V.2