TPiR Card Game

[tvmitch]

This is more of a game mechanics discussion than a show summary. I won't give away any spoilers.

Today, Card Game was played for a Toyota Yaris. Looked like a 2-door base model from what I could see and hear.

Drew stated that the blue cards have values from $1K to $5K. (Was watching this on a small TV set. Drew showed the $5K card and it looked like it had a special design I hadn't seen before.)

The starting bank amount was $15,000. Perhaps this was the same as last season and past seasons. (I have scrolled through most of the recent episodes and perhaps this game has been played once a month, if that?)

Anyway. If you drew the $5,000 blue card and were given a starting bank of $15,000 on the base model Toyota Yaris, what is stopping you from not drawing any red cards? If I was there, and drew the $5K blue card, I would have stopped immediately, because I recall hearing that the Yaris is a car that starts at about $16K.

I can understand that they'd like to set Card Game as a short- or medium-timed game, but the combination of a high starting bank and a value car makes little sense from a gameplay perspective.

[clemon79]

Anyway. If you drew the $5,000 blue card and were given a starting bank of $15,000 on the base model Toyota Yaris, what is stopping you from not drawing any red cards?

The knowledge that if a Yaris starts at 16K, there is no reason whatsoever to not draw at least one, since the absolute most you would be forced to add to your bid on a single card would be $1,000?

/or perhaps the desire not to own a POS like a Toyota Yaris
//sorry, residual animosity from writing the Marketplace content for the free promotional XBLA game

[bandit_bobby]

It's a three-door liftback.

[tvmitch]

The knowledge that if a Yaris starts at 16K, there is no reason whatsoever to not draw at least one, since the absolute most you would be forced to add to your bid on a single card would be $1,000?

My point is, can you refuse to draw a card in Card Game? And why would the game be set up to play like that by the powers that be?

[clemon79]

My point is, can you refuse to draw a card in Card Game?

And my point is that the only situation where you can lose by doing so is if the car is under $16K and you drew high enough to go over, so it really doesn't matter if you can or can't unless you're being exceptionally pedantic.

And why would the game be set up to play like that by the powers that be?

Dunno if you've noticed, but the current administration really doesn't have a huge interest in the actual gameplay aspect of the show.

Whether this is a bad thing as opposed to the realities of the current state of TV-show production is another discussion for another day.

[tpirfan28]

My point is, can you refuse to draw a card in Card Game?

Yes.

[jmangin]

I wish this game would just be retired already. In seasons 38 and 39, out of fourteen playings, only two cars were priced above $19,999 (; S38 1/8; S39, 1/6). A contestant could have drawn the $5k range and not pulled a single card from the deck and be handed a car in those situations. The max number of draws in either season was seven, and in some cases a contestant only drew three or four cards (none of which was an ace) and stopped bidding.

[Flerbert419]

The starting bank amount was $15,000. Perhaps this was the same as last season and past seasons.

This new starting amount began late in 2008 in an effort to reduce the amount of time to play the game (it was $12,000 beforehand).

Unfortunately, around the same time the show began to offer extravagant Showcases and reduce the average amount spent during the pricing games on vehicles.

The result is what you see today, a game that is a shell of its former self.

[Bill Neuweiler]

Let me look at those figures again. Starting Bid $15000 with an up-to $5000 range, plus the possibility of cars >$20000...this is making my head hurt.  I think they're holding on to a format that no longer works.  If they want a short game, consider making the cards worth X1000 instead of X100, no starting bid.

/and what the happens if you draw an ace?

[tpirfan28]

Let me look at those figures again. Starting Bid $15000 with an up-to $5000 range, plus the possibility of cars >$20000...this is making my head hurt.  I think they're holding on to a format that no longer works.  If they want a short game, consider making the cards worth X1000 instead of X100, no starting bid.

/and what the happens if you draw an ace?

I like this.  Number cards are value x1000, face cards are 1000 each.  Aces still wild.

[TLEberle]

"And you've drawn a range of $1,000. If you can come within $1,000 of the price of the car, you win. Numbers are that amount in thousands, face cards are a thousand each, Aces wild. Off you go."

Does anyone else see the problem here?

[clemon79]

I like this.  Number cards are value x1000, face cards are 1000 each.  Aces still wild.

So face cards are now the *lowest* denomination in the deck.

Teh fail, it is epic.

Does anyone else see the problem here?

Oh, definitely.

[trainman]

The result is what you see today, a game that is a shell of its former self.

A Shell Game, one might say.

[Mr. Brown]

This new starting amount began late in 2008 in an effort to reduce the amount of time to play the game (it was $12,000 beforehand).

Unfortunately, around the same time the show began to offer extravagant Showcases and reduce the average amount spent during the pricing games on vehicles.

The new range started in April 2008... season 36. Long before extravagant showcases began and while the budget was still under the control of Mr. Dobkowitz.

[Flerbert419]

Long before extravagant showcases began and while the budget was still under the control of Mr. Dobkowitz.

It was only played 8 times with the new rules while Roger was in control. The game was won six times and lost twice.

Since then that point, it has 9 wins and 11 losses.

Roger might have approved the change, but apparently he forgot to leave the directions behind after he departed.