Shipwreck

As legend would have it, some mythical mermaids are believed to have lured sailors to their deaths. These Sirens of the Sea, omens of bad luck, signaled shipwrecks on the horizon. Can you escape the Sea Siren, or will you too fall victim to her dangerous beauty?

This game was inspired first and foremost by my love of the ocean. Having grown up in a small Massachusetts fishing village, the water has always been an integral part of my life and my awareness of the world. Thus, it seemed to be a fitting subject for this card game. Furthermore, over Thanksgiving break, I visited a boutique on Cape Cod called "Maiden Voyage." This ocean side souvenir shop's insignia was none other than a delicate mermaid figure. This simple design served as the inspiration the much larger, more detailed mermaid that serves as the unifying theme among my cards.

The main focus of my cards was the development of color, pattern, and perspective. In designing my cards, I mainly used colored pencil, although I later scanned and printed the images for the front and back of each card in order to ensure that the final product looked as polished as possible. Also, I used card stock between the layers and rounded the edges of the cards in order to maximize this professional sensibility.
To Play Shipwreck: Description: Two-player game similar to the “War,” includes a deck of 12 cards numbered 1 through 11, plus an additional mermaid wild card

Objective: To have no cards in your possession at the end of the game. The player who finally possesses none of the cards wins. His/her opponent, left with all the cards in hand, is “Shipwrecked.” This player has fallen victim to the Siren of the Sea.
Instructions:
1. Shuffle the deck. Deal out the entire deck in an alternating fashion. At the end of the deal, each player should have 6 cards.
2. Each player must select two cards from his/her hand and place these cards face down in the space between the two players. At the same time, the players must turn over their cards. 3. Each player must find the sum of his/her two cards. In most cases, the number on the face of the card represents its value. However, in the deck there is one card with a mermaid on both sides and no numerical value. This card is the Wild Card. It can stand for any value of the player’s choice. The player whose cards sum to the lowest value wins the hand. The loser must take all four cards.
4. Continue playing until one player has all the cards. This player in possession of all the cards, including the deadly Siren of the Sea, loses. The winner is the player who holds no cards in hand.
I hope you all enjoy playing this game. To all those who choose to brave the treacherous waters and venture into a game of Shipwreck, good luck avoiding the temptation of the Sea Siren...