About The Lady’s Threesome
Known by many names (many of them much cruder than Lady’s Threesome), this game is a staple of Ilrienni culture dating back to the year 320, when The Great Game first began in the wake of the fall of the Dread Empire. Originally a game for the founding Houses Major, Lady’s Threesome eventually filtered through to the minor houses, then further into the everyday fabric of the city, where it has reigned as the city’s unofficial card game of choice for over 400 years.
The Culture of the Cards
For the common citizenry of Ilrien, the Lady’s Threesome is an amusing diversion. However, among the wealthy, the game has taken on a life of its own as a part of both the thriving social culture as well as the inter-faction politics. The most prevalent example of this is the custom of a Hive Social. Named for the hexagonal tables resembling a beehive, these events are hosted several times per year as a political proving ground for young members of Houses Major and Minor, as well as wealthy families attempting to curry favor among the rich and famous- provided they can buy their in the door.
The Deck
The deck for The Lady’s Threesome is composed of five suits of twelve cards each, plus three Ladies, for a total of sixty-three cards. There are no standard suits in the deck of Lady’s Threesome. While there must always be exactly five distinct suits, each player is free to bring their own deck, customized with suits of their choosing. Each House Major has its own set of iconography such that the choice of which suits to include (or more importantly, which to omit) adds a secondary political layer to those also playing The Great Game. It is common for wealthy players to commission custom decks to symbolize their political preferences as often as yearly, depending on the ever-shifting alliances of the Ilrienni upper class.
Iconography of Ilrien
When choosing suits for Lady’s Threesome, it is important to know who you will be snubbing. As there are Six House Major but only five suits in the deck, it is baked into the fabric of the game that you will inevitably leave out at least one House Major. Iconography of the current House Major are listed below:
House Corvetto - almost always represented by the Raven. As the First House, they may also be represented more generally by a crown, although this can be seen as a sign of disrespect or overreaching. House Colors: Purple and Black.
House Bastien - official icon is the Olive Tree. May also be represented by a hand extended; this can either be seen favorably as giving to the people, or less favorably seen as taking from others. House Colors: Red and Silver.
House Battalia - the historical icon is the Horse; however, the current head of the house is known to favor the Lion, which may also be used. Shields are also acceptable, befitting House Battalia’s station as historical protectors of the city. House Colors: Blue and White.
House Al-Mari- the newest house, represented by either towers (their official emblem), but more frequently by swords as befits their martial reputation. House Colors: Orange and Gold/Grey.
House Elanda - officially represented by the dragon, but also frequently represented by coins as they are a driving financial force in Ilrien. House Colors: Green and Brass.
House Lovell - represented by either the Beetle as the historical symbol of the house, or more recently by a goblet that can indicate either enjoyment of their elaborate social soirées or chastisement of their lavish party lifestyle. House Colors: Teal and Gold.
If looking to avoid singling out a single House Major to remove from the deck, it is also common to mix in other neutral suits such as Masks, Ships, or Bones. Minor Houses may also add iconography that they feel suits them, though this may be seen as a frivolous overreach by traditionalists.
In addition to having distinct suits, the three Ladies in the deck may also be customized to taste. It is popular to have them in a theme befitting a set of three. Popular Ladies’ configurations include Dawn, Day, and Dusk; Maiden, Mother, and Crone; or Sea, Stone, and Sky.
Rules of Engagement
Lady’s Threesome is played by six players, split into two teams of three. Each player is dealt a starting hand of ten cards, with three cards being left face-down in the center of the table (”The Canal”) so that there are no remaining cards in the deck at the start of the game.
The dealer, after looking at their hand, may declare a “lead suit” that is used to break ties between hands (see below). This step is also used to show preference among the suits represented, often indicating an alliance or attempt to curry favor.
Each turn is composed of three actions:
Flip Cards: a player may overturn any number of face-down cards in front of them, revealing them to the table.
Play Cards: a player may play up to half of the cards in their hand face down in front of themself. A card may only be revealed on subsequent turns in the “Flip Cards” step. A player with no cards in hand will skip this step, but may choose to reveal a card from the Canal to themself without showing the other players.
Pass Cards: a player may pass up to three cards to the player seated immediately to their left or right. In doing so, they force the player on the opposite side to pass them the same number of cards. This means that while individual players may have different numbers of cards, each team will have the same total number of cards in hand.
The game ends when all cards have been played to the table. At this point, any un-flipped cards (including those in The Canal) are revealed. Starting with the player seated across from the dealer and rotating clockwise, each player may declare one hand- sets, straights, flushes, etc. The hand must be composed solely of cards played in front of their team or the cards in the center of the table. Each card may be used only once for the entire team, and cards in the middle may be used only once for the whole scoring phase. Each hand is worth a set number of points, which are tallied up.
Each game of The Lady’s Threesome is played in two rounds of the above, so that each team may have an opportunity to have the advantage of scoring first.