Scum: The Masquerade

Scum: The Masquerade is a game that was created at a happy little place we lovingly call CTY Lancaster. One problem with this joyous, lovable place is the illegality of role-playing games. Many of the students shared a love of these so-called "RPG's", namely Vampire: the Masquerade, and would find a legal way to play them, no matter what. Another thing that these CTY students shared was a love of card games, especially a certain game called Scum. This was a freeform game that lent itself to the adaptation of many new twists. So then, the ever mind-boggling question was answered: What happens when you stick Vampire: the Masquerade and Scum together in a blender? And yes, the outcome was Scum: the Masquerade (S:tM). This game quickly caught on at CTY; in its heyday, it was played by a vast number of CTYers.

How to Play Scum

Introduction and Object

Scum, also known as Chinese Poker, Capitalism, Asshole, President, Presidents and Assholes, The Great Dalmuti, and Scum, is an incredibly fun game. Scum isn't too hard of a game to understand, the hard part is the Masquerade. Already knowing how to play one of the games listed above does help to understand Scum: the Masquerade, but you should still read over the basic rules due to some minor rule variations.

Scum can be played with anywhere from four to eight players, though playing with six or more requires that two decks be used. Cards are dealt evenly amongst the players, and the object of the game is to be the first player to get rid of all your cards.

Card and Suit Ranks

Both a suit order and rank order unique to the game exist in Scum. Cards are ranked from 3, which is lowest, to 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A, and 2, which is highest. Cards of equal numerical value are further ranked according to suit: lowest suit is ♣, to ♦, ♠, and ♥, which is highest.

• Example: The 2♥ is the highest card in the game, and the 3♣ is the lowest.

• Example: The 9♠ beats the 9♣ and 9♦, but can be beaten by the 9♥.

Legal Hands

One-deck games

To play Scum, you must assemble legal hands from the cards in your hand (hereafter referred to as your crypt). Those familiar with poker will be familiar with most of them:

• Single: The simplest hand consists of one card, any card.
• Pair: Two cards with the same numerical value.
• Two Pair: What it sounds like, two pairs.
• Triple: Three cards of the same rank.
• Quad: Four cards of the same rank.
• Full House: A pair and a triple
• Straight: Five cards of consecutive rank (e.g. 4,5,6,7,8). (Only in one-deck games)

Two-deck games

When there are seven or eight players, use two decks of cards instead. If there are six players, either one or two decks may be used. In the case of two decks, cards with the same numerical value and suit, but from different decks, have equal values; neither is higher. The legal hands available in a two-deck game are the same as those for a one-deck game, plus:

• Three Pair: Three pairs
• Double Triple: Two triples
• Five of a Kind: Five cards of the same numerical value
• Six of a Kind: Six cards of the same numerical value
• Straight: Six cards whose numerical values are in order (e.g., T,J,Q,K,A,2). This hand is instead of, not in addition to, the five-card straight in one-deck games.

The Play

To begin, deal out all cards to the players equally. Unless playing with four or eight people, some players will receive an extra card. The player with the 3♣ in his crypt leads. In a two-deck game, one 3♣ is designated before the game begins as the one to be led (as the cards are dealt, the dealer will declare “the 3♣ from the blue-backed cards”, or something to that effect). The hand led may be of any type listed above, as long as it includes the designated 3♣.

Play then proceeds clockwise (to the left) from the leader. Each hand played after the lead in a given trick must be of the same hand type (see II.c) as the lead and the highest card in the hand played must be higher in value than the highest card of the previous hand. One may not play a “better” hand, as in poker, but must maintain the same hand type as the lead hand during the trick. Remember, in a two-deck game, a card from one deck is equal to, not better than, the same card from another deck, so one hand that is 7♣-high cannot play over another hand that is 7♣-high. If a player cannot or chooses not to play a hand, she may pass. If a player passes and then gets a chance to play again, she may play. The act of all players passing consecutively marks the end of a trick. The winner of the trick (the last person to play before the end of the trick) gets to lead the next trick, leading with any hand type she desires. Play continues until all players’ crypts are empty. These are just the basics of Scum; don’t expect the rest to be as simple.

The Masquerade

1. Before anything else, the first player to empty her crypt has a few decisions to make:
   1. Decide which clans to allow in the game, and declare one to align with. See the Allowed Clans section under Special Rules.
      1. If this player chooses a Camarilla or Independent clan, use the “Camarilla” ranks below to assign each player a rank.
      2. If this player chooses a Sabbat clan, use the “Sabbat” ranks below.
      3. The remainder of this ruleset will refer to the top-ranked player as the Justicar, the second-ranked player as Prince, etc. regardless of clan, unless specified otherwise.
   2. Decide whether straight clans or loose clans are in effect. See the Clans section for more detail on this option. This does not affect the Caitiff.
   3. If loose clans were chosen, decide whether Camarilla and Independent players may take Protean as out-of-clan. If so, any Sabbat players may put their out-of-clan dot into Obtenebration or Vicissitude (their choice). This option is only available when both Sabbat and non-Sabbat clans are being played.
   4. Declare which disciplines her three dots will go into.
   5. Decide whether there should be any illegal trading allowed. See the Illegal Trading section under Special Rules
2. In rank-order, all other players, expect the Caitiff and Mortal Scum, follow the next steps:
   1. Alter their seating clockwise around the Justicar (it’s good to be the King!)
   2. Based on the Justicar’s allowances, declare a clan and which disciplines will receive dots.
   3. The Prince has the power to declare a blood hunt. See the Blood Hunts section under Special Rules.
   4. Any player who forgets to declare a clan before looking at his cards automatically declares Brujah with one dot in Potence, Presence, and Celerity.
3. Caitiffs, hated by other Kindred, are clanless vampires, and follow these steps:
   1. Choose three different common disciplines.
   2. Caitiffs may always put one dot into Protean, and Panders may always put one dot into Obtenebration or Vicissitude or Protean.
   3. It is the Caitiff’s duty to insult all other players in the game as creatively as possible, especially at the request of higher ranks.
   4. Any Caitiff who forgets to declare disciplines before looking at her cards automatically declares Potence, Presence, and Celerity.
4. The Mortal Scum follows these steps.
   1. Choose a specialty. See the Mortal Scum Specialties section under Disciplines.
   2. Any Mortal Scum who forgets to declare a specialty before looking at his cards automatically declares Inquisitor.
   3. Shuffle and deal cards for the next round. For any card accidentally dealt face-up to another player, the Mortal Scum must show one of his own as penalty.
   4. For games with five to seven players, it is up to the Justicar who receives any “extra cards”. No player may receive more than one “extra” card in this way.
5. Check for Infernalism. See the Infernalism section under Special Rules. If any Infernalists have caused player ranks to change, re-resolve the above rules in the following way:
   1. If there is a new Justicar, he must re-decide all choices offered in section III.a.
   2. All other ex-Caitiffs and ex-Mortal Scums and all new Caitiffs and Mortal Scums must redeclare based on these new decisions.
6. All (other) players (besides any which took Infernalism) may now look at their cards and can begin Forced and Optional Trading - see the Trading section below.
7. Illegal trading may now take place, if the Justicar has so declared.
8. Leading and Boons: Normally, the Justicar leads the first trick in a round. If the Justicar desires, he may grant a boon.
   1. A player other than the Justicar decides that he wants to lead the first trick.
   2. He asks the Justicar for a boon and shows the Justicar the hand he wishes to lead with.
   3. If the Justicar grants the boon, the player may lead the first trick, but must lead with the hand he showed the Justicar.
   4. Disciplines may be used on or after this hand, but are not required (and some, such as Celerity), may be bitchy.
   5. If the Justicar denies the boon, any player (including the one who just asked) may attempt to ask for another boon, or the Justicar may lead the first trick.
   6. Play follows the Justicar down rank. Once the Mortal Scum has a chance to play, the turn passes back to the Justicar and so on.

Scum: The Masquerade is a game of politics, and so players often make deals, frequently in the form of a player promising to pass, to play a certain hand, or possibly have sex with goats.

1. The Next Round begins after all players have again emptied their crypts.
   1. If a new Justicar is crowned, he may change any of the decisions made by the previous Justicar in III.a, but they are not retroactive – if the previous Justicar allowed Sabbat Bloodlines but the current Justicar decided on Camarilla-only, and a Kiasyd is in play, then that Kiasyd may stay in play, but no one may newly-declare themselves Kiasyd.
   2. In fact, no one may change their clan, disciplines, or specialty unless they fall to or rise from the ranks of Caitiff or Mortal Scum. For the sole exception to this, see the Conversion section under Special Rules.
   3. An exception to this is if the Mortal Scum is the first to empty his crypt. If the Mortal Scum becomes Justicar, the round ends instantly and all ranks reverse: Justicar becomes Mortal Scum; Prince becomes Caitiff, and so on. This is known as a Revolution.

Ranks

Camarilla

• 4 players: Justicar, Prince, Caitiff, Mortal Scum
• 5 players: Justicar, Prince, Seneschal, Caitiff, Mortal Scum
• 6 players: Justicar, Prince, Seneschal, Sheriff, Caitiff, Mortal Scum
• 7 players: Justicar, Prince, Seneschal, Sheriff, Harpy, Caitiff, Mortal Scum
• 8 players: Justicar, Prince, Seneschal, Sheriff, Harpy, Primatene, Caitiff, Mortal Scum

Sabbat

• 4 players: Regent, Cardinal, Pander, Mortal Scum
• 5 players: Regent, Cardinal, Archbishop, Pander, Mortal Scum
• 6 players: Regent, Cardinal, Archbishop, Bishop, Pander, Mortal Scum
• 7 players: Regent, Cardinal, Archbishop, Bishop, Ductus, Pander, Mortal Scum
• 8 players: Regent, Cardinal, Archbishop, Bishop, Ductus, Primogen, Pander, Mortal Scum

Trading

After everyone is in order and all cards have been dealt, trading takes place. The trading phase can be thought of as a way for those of higher ranks to maintain their positions. Trading partners are generally paired down rank, with a few exceptions, and all pairs are listed below. If there are an odd number of players, the unpaired player gets to trade with himself. Fun! There are two kinds of trades: forced and optional. In a forced trade, the higher-ranking player asks the lower-ranking player for a card and if the lower-ranking player has it, she must give it up whether she likes it or not. The lower-ranking player can ask the higher-ranking player for a specific card in a forced trade, but the higher-ranking player only has to trade it if she wants to. Nevertheless, the higher-ranking player must give some card to the lower-ranking player. In an optional trade, both players may ask for cards but neither player has to give anything up. The number of players limits the number of cards traded:

4 players:

• Justicar/Mortal Scum: 2 forced
• Prince/Caitiff: 1 forced

5 players:

• Justicar/Mortal Scum: 1 forced
• Prince/Seneschal: 1 optional
• Caitiff: 1 optional with self

6 players:

• Justicar/Mortal Scum: 2 forced
• Prince/Caitiff: 1 forced
• Seneschal/Sheriff: 1 optional

7 players:

• Justicar/Mortal Scum: 2 forced
• Prince/Caitiff: 1 forced
• Seneschal/Sheriff: 1 optional
• Harpy: 1 optional with self

8 players:

• Justicar/Mortal Scum: 2 forced
• Prince/Caitiff: 1 forced, 1 optional
• Seneschal/Primatene: 1 forced
• Sheriff/Harpy: 1 optional

At any time during the game, usually (but not necessarily) during the trading phase, players may choose to conspire with each other. Two players conspire by looking at each other's crypts. Players do not have to be in a trading pair to conspire, but conspiring players cannot exchange extra cards.