Ignoring DHV, which I designed in an attempt to capture Lunch money flavor, without the flaws, here is what I force people to do when they don't want to buy my game, but want me to play Lunch Money with the deck of cards they have on hand:

1. Sort the cards into 5 piles


Pile #52-Fer, Big Combo, Uppercut Squared, Hail Mary, Tantrum, and Humiliation
These are the most powerful cards in the game. They are the most dificult to defend against, and deal the highest (and often least avoidable) amount of damage.



Pile #4: Beat Down, Round House, Kick, Backlash, and Power Play.
These are above average cards. While most of them are only 1 point stronger than average cards, that 1 point goes a long way when you start at 15 life points.

rule change: Any card that requires you to play a Grab first (wedgy, powerplay, etc.) can be played during the attack AND the defense phase. So, while defending, you can block + grab + power play + string a basic attack.



Pile #3: Wedgy, Poke in the Eye, Nuts, Plate Cleaner, Uppercut, Spinning Backfist, Headbutt, Dodge, Imaginary Friend, and all weapon cards.
These are the average cards. Along with group #2 they make up the bulk of the player's deck. Cards like Wedgy and Poke in the Eye are deceptively powerful. So don't under caught off guard.

rule change: Just think of weapon cards as special cards (like Nuts). They can string with Grabs AND combo cards just like basic attacks. e.g. you can string a knife to a power play or a headlock. You can also Block + Grab + Knife.



Pile #2: Kick, Hook, Pimpslap, Elbow, Pins and Needles, Snipe, Block, Stomp, and Headlock
These are the true unsung heros in lunch money. While not as truly flexible as group #1, Headlock and Stomp present some great opportunities.

rule change: Headlock: must follow a Grab. When successful, neither player can defend against other players. However the head-locking player can play an unstoppable basic attack (or weapon ) card against the head-locked player each turn.

The head-locked player can escape the Headlock by playing a Freedom or Humiliation card. The head-locked player may also play Imaginary Friend and Abandonment, but no other cards.



Pile #1: Weird, Abandonment, Spank, Evil Eye, Time out, Hide, Jab, Choke, Freedom, Grab, First aid, and Cooties

This is the biggest mass of cards a player can hold. They provide a lot for a little. So don't ignore their potential.

rule change: Spank: when a player grabs successfully, he may play as many spanks on that turn as he wants. The player may return Spank cards to her hand at the end of the turn.

Any card not listed (like disarm and hippie) is crap or broken and therefore removed from the game.


2. Players draft decks
Instead of drawing from a communal deck, each player will have his own personal deck. Personal decks are created by drafting cards from the 5 piles. To draft, players take turns selecting 5 'points' worth of cards. A card from Pile #5 costs 5 points, a card from Pile #4 costs 4 points and so on. Each player gets 5 - 10 chances to draft cards (depending on how many LM cards you own) and then the game is ready to begin.

This adds a ton of set up to the game, but as long as you don't mix up your cards during play, its easy enough to play several rounds with the same pre-built decks. So the over all impact on time is pretty small.


3. Playing the game
Play the game as normal except…

rule change: you may only attack the opponent to your left. When an opponent is knocked out, you may attack the next live opponent to the left.

rule change: you may not shuffle your deck. If your deck is empty, you are out of the game!

So there you have it. The house rules, finally. Give them a shot (easy enough if you have a copy of Lunch Money) and let me know what you think.