Copyright © Crane Softwrights Ltd. (copyright details)
Development: https://github.com/CraneSoftwrights/revenge
Tip jar: https://paypal.me/CraneSoftwrights
Browser pages: https://cranesoftwrights.github.io/revenge/en/README.md.html
- 1 Introduction
- 2 The board
- 3 The deal
- 4 The play
- 5 The win
- 6 The cards
- 7 The characters
- 8 Game design process
- 9 Print, board, and box representations
Revenge at Hay Lake is a race to the finish, driven by good-natured vengeance against your opponents.
As one of four, three, or even just two players, be the first to get all your four pegs from your start zone to your end zone, without being afraid to take revenge on any player who is racing you to the finish.
Strategize the playing of your cards to move your pegs to optimize the results of your moves on your way to winning.
(We welcome and actively seek your feedback of suggestions and changes to any aspect of this game, either as a new issue in issues/ or even complete GitHub pull requests. In particular, language variants of the documentation pages in the en/ directory are encouraged in order to win over more fans of the game. Please review and agree with the copyright details before sending any of your thoughts our way.)
The following terminology is used in English:
| Legend | Key |
|---|---|
| A = start zone B = play zone C = safe zone D = end zone E = start point F = safe zone entry point G = sweep zone H = sweep zone entry point K = sweep zone exit point M = counting notches |
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Players begin with all four of their pegs in their respective start zone. There is no order to removing pegs from the start zone.
Players proceed around the play zone according to the count of moves on played cards that typically, though not always, are moves in the clockwise direction.
Players enter their safe zone from their safe zone entry point when moving clockwise, but not counterclockwise, without needing to complete their turn at their safe zone entry point, and head towards their end zone.
Players in the safe zone are protected from revenge and from swaps.
A counterclockwise move for players in the safe zone backs them out of the safe zone into the vulnerable play zone counterclockwise from the safe zone entry point. Players in the end zone cannot play counterclockwise moves out of the end zone, as the end zone is separated from the safe zone.
Players enter the end zone based on the nature of the win that has been agreed upon before the start of the game. See 5 The win for details.
The sweep zones dictate special behaviours that are available when the end of one of your plays is at a sweep zone entry point, but only if your peg arrives there on the last step of the move:
- if any of your own pegs are in the play zone holes covered by the sweep zone you have arrived at, you are not allowed to sweep your peg to the sweep zone exit point
- if you choose, you can automatically sweep your peg to the sweep zone exit point, though typically you would not want to do this if you are at the sweep zone entry point one hole before your safe zone entry point
- should you choose to sweep past the play zone holes covered by the sweep zone, any opponents' pegs in the play zone covered by that sweep zone are sent back to their respective start zone
- pegs in the safe zone are not swept should an opponent sweep past the safe zone entry point
- a player with a peg at their safe zone entry point is vulnerable in a sweep zone; an opponent is allowed to sweep their peg back to their start zone as the safe zone entry point is not, itself, safe from being swept
A special note about the play of the "7" card: that card dictates seven separate completed plays of one move each and so any number of those plays would qualify for consideration at a sweep zone entry point because each move of one is considered completed. There are circumstances where this card permits the player to sweep more than one zone in a single play.
A standard deck of 54 cards, including 52 suit cards and 2 jokers, is shuffled before the deal begins for a dealer.
The first dealer is determined by some agreed-upon method, one of which is just revealing one card for each player and the high card wins (aces are lowest and jokers are highest). Subsequent dealers take turns clockwise from the first dealer once the dealer has made it through the deck of cards.
When playing four players, the first hand dealt is five cards per player and subsequent hands are four cards per player. All cards are played over three rounds unless one or both of the final two cards are jokers.
When playing three players, again the first hand dealt is five cards per player and subsequent hands are four cards per player. All but one of the cards end up being played in four rounds unless one or two of the last three cards are jokers.
When playing two players, the deal changes slightly with the first two hands dealt being five cards per player and the subsequent hands being four cards per player. All cards end up being played in six rounds unless one or both of the last two cards are jokers.
A player may be in a position where they cannot play any card in their hand, though this may be a temporary situation until the board changes before a subsequent turn for the player.
A player cannot choose to play no card if they have a card that is qualified to be played, even if playing the card is to their own detriment (see more details below).
When a card is played, it is placed in a pile face up in front of the player so that all can see at least the last card played by each of their opponents. The player proceeds, then, to act on the card being played. Should it be proven that the card, in fact, cannot be played, it is put back into the player's hand and the player must play a different card from their hand (if they are able). Used cards that are successfully played remain face up until the end of the hand, and are not reused until the next deal.
At the end of a hand, all unplayed cards are discarded face down without being revealed to opponents. All face-up played cards in front of players also are added face-down to the discard.
The next hand is dealt unless there are not enough cards with which to deal a hand (should be three or fewer unplayed cards). The unplayed cards also are added to the discard. The discarded cards are gathered and passed to the left to the next dealer to be shuffled and a new set of hands is dealt.
Note: You can buy a custom deck of Revenge at Hay Lake cards direct from Crane's supplier 
that can be used also as a standard deck of cards in other games.
The play begins with the player to the dealer's left and continues clockwise. Each round finishes when the dealer makes their play. Rounds continue until one or more players win during the last round (thus providing for a tie finish), or until no player can play a card which ends the hand.
Reviewing the cards dealt to them in their hands (See 6 The cards for details), some cards represent one or more qualifying moves that can be played.
A qualifying move is one of making a start, taking revenge, making a swap, or moving a peg a set number of steps.
The only two ways to get pegs out of the start zone and into the play zone in order to move them is either by making a start or taking revenge on another player.
A qualifying move of a set number of steps is determined by the ability for a player's peg to occupy the last hole in the last step that ends the move. If the peg to be moved cannot occupy the last hole dictated by the last step of the move because it is occupied by another of the player's own pegs, then the move is not qualified. If that last hole is occupied by an opponent's peg, the player is taking revenge in occupying the now-vacated hole by returning the opponent's peg to the opponent's start zone.
At their turn, players choose which of the qualified moves available in their hand to play. Players cannot pass, that is, if there is a qualified move in their hand they are obliged to play it, even if it is strategically inconvenient. An example is having to move back out of the invulnerable safe zone and into the vulnerable play zone.
A player without any qualified moves in their hands simply declares something along the lines of "I cannot play." Note that the cards in their hand may become playable once play returns to them based on changes made in the play area in the plays in between. Note also that it is not uncommon for a player to be unable to play for the entire duration of the hand. Woe to the player who is dealt such a hand repeatedly time and again (it happens!). While not mandatory, a player who has only cards that can never be played regardless of changes on the board may choose to discard them at any time to remind other players not to wait for them to say they cannot play.
A card with more than one candidate move does not need all moves to be qualified, as any one qualified move on the card allows the card to be played with that move.
When playing a given numbered advance, the holes counted by the steps may be empty or occupied by anyone. The only governing issue is the occupation of the hole at the very end of the play with the last step. Note the use of the notches marked along the play zone every five holes that can be helpful when playing a card with a high number of steps in the move.
The player making a play places their qualifying play card face up in front of them so that opponents can see at least the last card played by each player.
When the hand is completed, all players still holding their unqualified cards discard them face down in the discard pile without revealing them to opponents (to inhibit card counting). All players with face-up played cards in front of them also discard these cards face down in the discard pile.
The next hand is then dealt by the same dealer until there are not enough cards to deal a complete hand, at which time the discard is shuffled and the deal moves to the dealer's left.
A player playing the star symbol moves a peg from their start zone to their start point, provided their start point is not occupied by one of their own pegs. If their start point is occupied by an opponent, the player takes revenge on the opponent and sends their peg back to their opponent's start zone.
A player playing the exclamation point (or "bang") symbol takes revenge on an opponent by moving one of their pegs from their start zone to the hole in the play zone that is occupied by the opponent. This returns the opponent's peg back to the opponent's start zone. To take revenge in this manner, the player's peg must come from their start zone and not from any other of their zones.
A player playing the hash (or "pound", or "octothorpe") swaps the positions of any two pegs in the play zone, whether they are their own pegs their opponents' pegs.
All pegs in the start, safe, and end zones are protected from being swapped.
The winning players are the first to get all of their pegs into their end zone in the last round of the game. If the player that finishes first is not the dealer, the final round continues until the dealer has their play. This ensures all players end the game having played the same number of rounds, and it allows for ties. The winners are those players who finished during the final round.
Before the game begins, all players must agree on the rules for filling the end zone.
When playing for the easy win, simply getting through the safe zone puts one in the end zone, even if there are unused steps in the play.
Any pegs in the safe zone do not block another peg continuing its play, though as at all times, the last step of the play cannot occupy a hole occupied by your own peg.
An easy-win game with four players appears to last between 20 and 50 minutes.
When playing for the typical win, a play is qualified only if its very last step steps into the end zone from the safe zone. There is no set order on filling the end zone.
Any pegs in the safe zone do not block another peg continuing its play, though as at all times, the last step of the play cannot occupy a hole occupied by your own peg.
A typical win game with four players appears to last just over an hour.
When playing for the difficult win, the holes of the end zone are counted in the play as an extension of the safe zone. Pegs make their way to the left of the end zone and may end up sitting for a while unfinished to the right of unoccupied holes to their left in the end zone.
Importantly, pegs in the safe zone and end zone block one's pegs from continuing steps and so disqualifies the play. This drastically reduces the number of qualifying plays and can considerably extend the game’s duration.
A difficult win game with four players appears to last about two hours.
Any standard playing card deck, 52 cards plus 2 jokers, can be used to play the game. You can buy a custom deck of Revenge at Hay Lake cards direct from Crane's supplier. The custom deck includes standard suits and so can be used for standard card games.
Each card has one or more plays, and each play involves one or more moves.
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Ace: Either move one peg one forward, or move a peg out of the start zone to the start point | 8: Move one peg eight forward |  |
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2: Move one peg two forward and if that does not win the game, and the player has another card, then play another card from the player's hand | 9: Move one peg nine forward |  |
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3: Move one peg three forward | 10: Either move one peg ten forward or move one peg one backward |  |
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4: Move one peg four backward; note that the safe zone cannot be entered backwards, but it can (and must, if that is the only play) be exited backwards | Jack: Either take revenge on an opponent from one's start zone, or swap the positions of any two pegs in the play zone |  |
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5: Move one peg five forward | Queen: Move one peg twelve forward |  |
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6: Move one peg six forward | King: Either move a peg out of the start zone to the start point, or move a peg thirteen forward |  |
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7: Seven separate moves forward, each of one step, split among any number of the player's pegs in the play and safe zones; each move of one is considered a complete move; accordingly, the game is permitted to end on any of the seven moves and does not require all seven moves to be played | Joker: Take the top card from the deal and then either take revenge on an opponent from one's start zone or move one peg twenty-five forward |  |
Four characters familiar around Hay Lake are portrayed in the board and in the cards: air, water, land, and human.
- loon can be seen and heard most days while at the lake
- trout is a popular catch by anglers on the lake
- fox are seen quite often, as well as a lot of other wildlife
- residents and visitors alike enjoy kayaking, canoeing, boating, and swimming
These characters don't have any impact on the gameplay, they are just thematic reminders of the many pleasures of Hay Lake.
See the design resources for information regarding the design files and the initial steps in creating a release of files.
Print to paper the playing surface using this PNG file at 248mm x 248mm dimension, centred in a 10"x10" box, with a small unused margin of approximately .28in or 7mm around all four printing extents:
Use A3 paper or US Tabloid 11x17 paper to avoid shrinking the playing surface.
For the PDF burn files for laser cutters, see the releases page for ZIP collections of all of the PDF, PNG, and SVG files created from the design files:
- SBF Single board front layer (SBFx has peg holes marked for drilling, but not burned through)
- SBB Single board front layer
- DBF Double board front layer (DBFx has peg holes marked for drilling, but not burned through)
- DBB Double board back layer (same as L9)
- L1 through L4 Multiple board play layers with peg holes
- L5 Multiple board storage layer, replicated as many times as needed to accommodate card and peg storage
- L9 Multiple board back layer (same as DBB)
The burn/cut images are at 248mm x 248mm dimension, centred in a 10"x10" box, with a small unused margin of approximately .14in or 3.5mm around all four cutting extents. Be sure to be precise when preparing the wood for burning and cutting.
The peg holes are approximately 1/8" or 3mm wide, suitable for typical cribbage board pegs.
To build new versions of the board and box representations, see the building instructions for how the laser burn image files in the releases ZIP collections are created from the design files.
See the burn directory and burn README for a collection of SVG and PNG image files of game board and box layer materials. In the releases page, ZIP collections of these repository files are included with the PDF burn files. The PDF burn files are not part of the git repository because unchanged republished PDF files bloat the repository due to immutable PDF metadata differences in every replacement file.
See the cuts directory and cuts README for a collection of image files for laser cutting of raw materials in preparation for engraving and cutting of game boards and box layers.
See the shared directory and shared README for a collection of images used in documentation.