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Winter is fast approaching and so is the time for wearing hats… but no hats are like the ones worn by those who morally pit their wits against the Cyber security of digital systems and their sensitive data. White Hat is a challenging hacker-based board game, drawing upon an interesting adaptation of the trick-taking mechanic for the right to progress through cyberspace. As they attempt to prove their worth as a hacker, players compete against each other as they negotiate their personal “hat” through the cyber world of FBI servers, internet cafes, and digital tracers on their way to the game objective, the Critical Asset.
White hat is a competitive hacker-themed trick-taking card game where players must hack into ‘the system’ to steal valuable data before anyone knows they have even been there.
Tricks of the Trade: Trick-taking is the principal mechanic during each game turn, requiring players to play one or more game cards in player order. Controlling the trick takes skill, whether leading the trick by choosing which card(s) are initially played or by the following players who try matching or beating the lead hand. Be it a single card played by the lead player or multiple matching ranked cards, the winner of a trick will be the hacker playing the highest-ranking card(s). The trick victory allows movement of the winning player's pawn but comes at a cost as scoring at the end of a round takes not just the pawns location but also played cards into consideration. High ranking cards are worth higher points valuable for trick winning (and in thematic game terms emulates the digital footprint left by a hacker) but ultimate victory is achieved by the lowest score once the game end is reached. And so tactical trick-taking makes this mechanic much more about the player decision than purely luck-based card playing.
White Hats and Jokers: To further mix up gameplay strategies, enter The White Hat. These special cards not only act as “wild” cards (or 14, the highest score if played as a single card) but reverse a trick win condition. A “White Hat Round” dictates that the lowest card(s) ranking steals victory, and adds an additional dimension to a hackers strategy when deciding how to, and when to win a trick.
Winner Takes All : The White hat cards have an additional benefit to play beyond acting as a wild card and changing the trick to “lowest score wins” as well as a single drawback. When a trick consisting of a White hat plus at least one other card wins a round, the player has the option to take all cards played during the round into their hand, or, if they so choose, take just the Black Hat card and any other number of cards up to the number of cards initially played by the lead player. This is an interesting tactical dimension that ensures greater choice for the hacker in future rounds. In addition, it has a secondary benefit as it ensures the winner of the trick is able to secure lead place for the following round. The downside to playing a single White Hat card (as it counts as 14) means a hacker will not secure victory, as the lowest-ranking cards will win during a White hat round.
Hacker Competence: The most competent hacker, namely the player securing a trick-win, has a number of potential actions, each of which can be used to a significant tactical advantage. They may wish to advance their own Pawn on the gameboard, ensuring progression towards the Critical Assets location, and ultimately the game end. Alternatively, they may advance an opponent's Pawn which may initially appear counter-intuitive. However, end of round scoring takes into account the score printed on a Pawn current location and as such, players strive to end with as low score as possible. The ability to advance an opponent’s Pawn can be incredibly tactical if they can ensure it lands on a high-scoring location.
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