This is the web-based version of the card game Somnium, originally developed as a minigame in the
Fall From Heaven mod for the game
Civilization IV Game Designer: Derek "Kael" Paxton
Original programmer: Stéphane "Sto" Nadry
Art: Stephanie Pui-Mun Law and Jason Engle
Online vesion developed by: Graham Cox
How to start
In order to start playing a game, you will need an opponent to play against. Additionally, both you and your opponent will need to have an account with an
OpenID service provider. Chances are you will already have one of these as a large number of sites offer this service. Click
here to see if you do already have one.
To create a new game, simply fill in the details in the top box to the right. You will then be requested to authenticate against your OpenID account before you can start playing. Once you have joined the game, you will be presented with the game board. At the top of the screen will be the game name, and the game ID. You then need to tell your opponent what this ID is so that they can also join the game
In order to join the game, your opponent will need to find it in the Lobby list to the right and simply click on their name. This will take them to log into their OpenID and then through to the game.
Anybody who wishes to may observe any of the games simply by clicking on the name of the game in the Lobby. This will take then straight to watch the game as an observer.
How to play
Somnium is a card game played with a special deck of 54 cards. This deck contains 50 numbered cards and 4 special cards. The numbered cards are organized into 10 suits, with each suit containing cards numbered 3 through to 7. The special cards consist of 3 cards displaying the Fool, and one card displaying Death.
The aim of Somnium is to be the player with the highest score when there are no cards remaining in the deck. A players score is calculated as being the sum of the highest cards from each suit that that player holds. If a player holds multiple cards from the same suit then only the highest value one is counted.
Play consists of alternating turns between the players. A players turn continues until one of three different events happens.
- The table holds two cards from the same suit
- The player draws the card labelled Death
- The player declares that they wish to end their turn
If the player declares that they wish to end their turn then the cards on the table are transfered to the players hand, and the scores are updated accordingly. If the player ends their turn in any other way then the cards on the table are discarded and can never be claimed for points
If a player draws a card displaying the Fool then their next action must be to select one of their opponents cards to steal. This is the only time that a player can lose cards that they hold in their hands, but there are three Fool cards so there are three occasions that this can happen. If you choose to steal a card that shares a suit with a card on the table, or if you draw a card with the same suit as one that you stole then this will end the turn and the cards will be discarded. If a Fool is drawn when the opposing player doesn't hold any cards then play continues as if it had not been drawn, but it is no longer available to be drawn later in the game.