Hack! is a
non-collectible card game by
Eden Studios, released in 2001, based on the
Knights of the Dinner Table license. Those familiar with the license may predict
zaniness ensues, and they would not be wrong. There are five
decks, one for each of
B.A. (the
dungeon master),
Teflon Billy (the
wizard),
El Ravager (the
warrior),
Knuckles (the
thief), or
Thorina (the
barbarian). Each has their own
strengths and
weaknesses.
The goal of the game is to be the first player to escape the dungeon, (unless you are playing B.A., in which case your goal is to kill off a certain number of players.) Each player is given three actions they can use during their turn to perform a variety of things, ranging from playing cards to exploring the dungeon by adding rooms to it.
As you progress through the dungeon, you face encounters such as NPCs, monsters, and traps, played on you by other players, and gain treasure to help you defeat encounters. Each of the players has their own strengths against the various encounter types. But one of the real twists in this game is the "rules lawyering" portion. Each player has rule cards that they can bring into play, which allow them to change the way a core mechanic of the game works. These persist until another player manages to "find a loophole" in the rule, by defeating it with a roll.
Overall, this is a fairly simple game, and a lot of fun. The game has a strong sense of humor which greatly contributes to the enjoyment of the game initially. After players become used to the game, it has sufficient strategy and depth to continue to appeal to a game group.