First: Apologies for the absence. I hope I am back in the saddle now.

Second: No, they’re not making Apples to Apples into a CCG. The story is this: Intrepid reader John needed to explain to his grandmother what Magic was like, and to get a handle on this, he used the only non-playing-card card game she knew: Apples to Apples.

For the few who will still be unfamiliar, the way Apples to Apples works is this: Players get a hand of seven “red cards” that contains nouns. One player, who acts as a judge for the round, reveals a “green card” containing an adjective. Each player hands a red card that is well described by that adjective to the judge. The judge chooses the best of all the red cards and awards the green card (which counts like a point) to the player who chose that red card, and the judgeship passes to the next player. Winner is the first one to N green cards for some N.

Anyway, all the elements for a CCG are there. Instead of drawing from the common deck of red cards, you draw from your own private deck–that’s the only difference. Some cards, like “Hitler,” “My Love Life,” Gandalf,” etc. are powerful and evocative. Others like “Dust,” “Creamed Corn,” “Beanbags,” and lesser-known personalities, not so much. (The most frustrating red cards are people when either the holder or judge doesn’t know who the person on the card is.) In the CCG, you could pick and choose cards that are strong. And like a real CCG, there’s an element of choosing cards that work well together. Hitler might be more likely to win you a green card than anyone else, but when the green card is “opulent,” it’s not going to fly.

And just as in a CCG, there’s a metagame to be considered as well. Who are you going to play with? If you are playing with co-workers, My Boss might be a very strong card, but friends from school won’t know who he is and won’t get the joke. Some groups will be full of judges who appreciate literary allusions; others not so much. Even if the cards are the same, their uses will be different. The card “Women” is going to be played very differently in a mixed-sex group at a house party than “with the guys” over drinks…

For a challenge, list what your 14-card deck would be in the comments. (I’ll put mine in shortly.) No duplicates–repetition is tiresome. If it’s relevant, describe briefly the group you usually play with, or the group you were thinking of when you made the deck.