A solitaire card game created by Nathan Mehlhorn

Overview

You swore that you’d never return to that life ever again, but here you are. Forced between a rock and a hard place, either you hunt down the list of bounties placed in front of you or you’ll have one more hole in that ol’ head of yours when they lay you down for a dirt nap. Your past has finally caught up with you, and you can’t help wonder, has your luck finally run out?

Blackjack Bounty is a solitaire card game that uses Blackjack, or 21, as a base. In the course of the game you must hunt down several bounties or die trying. You’re an experienced bounty hunter though, and you still have a few tricks up your sleeve. That said, it still may not be enough, but if you’re lucky, you can finally return to the peaceful life you’ve almost gotten used to.

To win the game, simply capture all bounties by playing enough cards or by making enough 21’s (Blackjacks) without going over (busting). It may sound simple, but it’s actually quite tricky!

What's in the Box?

Depending on if you download the full color version or the stripped down black and white version, you are getting a rulebook approximately 15 pages long. The rules fit on about 4 of those pages with the rest being dedicated to a detailed play example, optional variants (including a scrapped beta version of the game), and a full glossary of every keyword in the entire document. Additionally, the PDF has built in bookmarks for easy navigation.

As a separate document you can optionally download play sheets (color and B&W as a single PDF) which allow for easily tracking your skills using a coin as well as setup guides for how the cards should be positioned at game start. This is completely supplemental and therefore not included in the primary document.

What You’ll Need

To play Blackjack Bounty you need the following:

• A basic understanding of the game “Blackjack”, sometimes referred to as “21”
• A standard deck of 52 playing cards (jokers removed)
• Some dice, several tokens, or a sheet of paper (recommended are 2 four-sided dice or 2 six-sided dice as well as a ten-sided die. It’s less wasteful than paper and easier to manage. My examples will assume you are using dice.)
• This rulebook

What's this Cost?

As of 2023 all of my previously paid games have switched to a PWYW model. I find that I would rather have folks play my games, have fun, and consider a donation at that time. As a result, you can now enjoy Blackjack Bounty completely FREE forever! Any updates to the base experience or content adjustments will also be free.

The only thing that won't be free are any expansions that go beyond the base experience. Those will still have a small cost associated with them should I choose to develop this title further at a later date. I hope you will enjoy playing Blackjack Bounty!

Credit & Influences

Blackjack Bounty takes inspiration from a TV game show called “Catch 21”. Particularly the idea of multiple Blackjack hands and their “power chip” mechanic, which is called the luck skill here. The rest is my original design based on a larger scale project that uses similar concepts but is otherwise unavailable at the release of this document.

This game was written and produced by Nathan Mehlhorn in association with Jon Spencer Reviews.

Thank You & Feedback Request

A big thank you to everyone who decides to try out Blackjack Bounty. I sincerely hope you have a lot of fun and would love to hear about your experience. If you have the time, especially if you liked the game, I would be eternally grateful if you would leave a comment and review here on the game’s page.

Special thanks to my Patrons who helped make this game possible:

• Cameron Probert
• Infinite Zenith
• Jack Scheibelein
• Moya Tori
• Owningmatt93
• Scott F.
• Shāfiya Mū

Additional thanks to:

• Michael
• Blinky

Depending on the reception of this project, Blackjack Bounty may receive additional support beyond my typical edits. If you have an idea, you are welcome to pitch it to me on the game’s page or via email at jonspencerreviews@gmail.com. I always give credit where the community helps in a meaningful way, so you could see your name here in this book!