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The Neopian Gamer's Guide to Cheat!


by golden1188

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Cheat! is a fun game, and easy to play. It's a simple card game that involves strategy, and just a little bit of luck. If you get good enough, you can easily add a shiny new trophy to your collection. If you've never played before, or simply want to up your game, allow me to show you how!

The game costs 50 NP to play, but as you play, you may very well earn your money back, so don't worry about giving up your hard-earned Neopoints. You'll start off with random 13 cards. The object of the game is to eventually get rid of all the cards in your hand. You do this during your turn by putting an amount of cards in your hand, from one to four, into The Pile and announcing what the number on the face of the card is. The cards run from numbers two to ten, then Jack, Queen, King, and Ace. Now, the tricky part is that you or any of your opponents can lie about the cards you're putting down.

When you start at the beginning of the game, you'll be up against three opponents. These are popular Cheat! players, some good, some bad. During your first round, you'll meet Capara the Kyrii, Little Timmy the Tuskaninny, and Branston the Eyrie. These players aren't the best, but you'll meet some tough ones as you get better and progress through rounds. You'll have the first turn, and you can put down any value of card that's in your hand. I don't recommend cheating yet, because you shouldn't have to! Try to get rid of as many cards as you can. If you're lucky enough to have 4 threes in your hand, go ahead and put them down! But don't forget about them, just in case someone else tries to claim that they have threes later on.

After you put your cards down, the other players will either accuse you of cheating, or move onto the next turn. When they play, watch their cards carefully. If someone claims to put down 3 Kings, but you have 2 of them, they're lying! There can only be 4 of any type of card, so keep your eyes peeled for who might be cheating.

The choices for each card after an "any value" round will be based on what card was just played, and will consist of that card, and a number above and below. For example, if the 7 card was just played, the options will be 6, 7, and 8. The only exceptions to this are if it's the beginning of the game, or if someone was just caught cheating.

When an opponent puts down their cards, you have the choice to either let them slide or accuse them of cheating. Sometimes it can be hard to tell if they're cheating or not! My best advice is to keep your eye on the cards. Watch your hand and make sure everything adds up. Usually, when someone puts down 4 of anything, they tend to be cheating, especially if someone just tried to put down that same card a few turns ago! Higher numbers are bigger stakes, so keep a careful eye on turns where 3 or 4 of anything is played.

If you accuse someone of cheating and you're correct, then they have to take The Pile, and you'll get some NP! However, if you're wrong, you'll be the one to take all the cards! Same goes for someone accusing you of cheating. If they're right, you take the pile, and if they're wrong, they do.

This will keep going on and on until eventually, someone runs out of cards. When other players start to get down to having one card, it's typically a safe bet to say that they're cheating. In that situation, you have nothing to lose. Either you're right, they take The Pile, and you get to carry on, or you're wrong, and you're going to lose anyway. It's always worth a shot!

If you manage to get rid of your cards and win the round, you'll be presented with Neopoints and a special battlecard. In certain rounds, you may get a new trophy for your collection, or even an avatar for beating a certain opponent!

The players that you face as you proceed through rounds are diverse, and some get tougher to beat! Here's a quick rundown on each of them: Capara the Kyrii may look lovely and sweet, but she's notorious for cheating and not the best player. Little Timmy the Tuskaninny isn't a whole lot better, but he's young, eager, and very excited just to be playing! Branston the Eyrie may have a shiny gold necklace on, but don't let it blind you into missing his bluffs! You might recognize him from the Beauty Contest. Chuffer Bob the Meerca talks a lot of big game, but the truth is that he spends more time eating and less time considering his cards. Brucey B is well known as a bingo caller, but plays Cheat! as well, aided by his lucky coin. Kalora the Kau travels around Neopia, playing in games of Cheat! to get money as she roams. She allegedly tried to steal the crown of Princess Fernypoo, who is a spoiled princess that doesn't like to lose. Agent 00 Hog is an agent of some sorts, but he's very mysterious and suave. Spectre is the final opponent you face, and definitely the toughest. He's the self-appointed Cheat King, and no one dares question that title. If you can beat him, you'll get the best Cheat! trophy of all: a gold one!

Cheat! may seem a little scary at first, especially with the prospect of the tougher opponents later down the line, but you can always take a break and go play some other games if you don't want to continue after a particularly hard round. If you decide come back, you'll be able to go right back to where you left off.

Hopefully this guide has helped you learn a bit more about the game of Cheat! Now, go out there and play some cards!

 
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