The game “Crazier Eights” was released 2014, and it was the first version of the game. It is now known at the “First Edition.” It is sold out for our web store, but if you want to buy it elsewhere, you have to just look for a game simply called Crazier Eights without a subtitle.Some details about the First Edition:

• The card quality was different, with a thicker smooth lamination.
• Every color has the same thirteen cards.
• There were orange cards rather than red cards.
• The retail value is higher ($22 rather than $15).
• The print run was lower.

Like all the main versions of Crazier Eights, the physical game contents includes 52 cards, a rule book, and a rules card. The game takes 10-30 minutes to play.

Crazier Eights was meant to be a gateway game. One purpose of the First Edition was to have an easy game but still with way more strategy and abilities than certain other games, such as UNO. Some people unfamiliar with fantasy card games prefer something easier in particular.

The First Edition could also be a good introduction for a lot of people to the Crazier Eights series because it is a lot easier to learn thirteen unique card abilities rather than 52 unique card abilities.

Unique Card Frame

The card frames for the First Edition was very different, as you can see from the above comparison. There are actually two very unique card frames now because the wild (eight) card frame is completely unique. All the cards in the First Edition are also in Camelot, but the art is different for some of the cards as well.

History

Alternate Reality (February 2014)

The First Edition was not the first version of Crazier Eights that I designed and developed, and the original game I thought would be the first official release had almost none of the same cards. I tested two very different versions of Crazier Eights that I was considering releasing and the second one was the one that became the official First Edition and was published September 2014.

These two cards are from the alternate version of Crazier Eights that could have been the official version of the game. A prototype was made in early February 2014.

Earlier Version (Late February 2014)

The version of Crazier Eights that became the official version was developed shortly after the “alternate reality” version, and a prototype was made in late February 2014.

Some important changes were also made from the earlier prototype to the final and official version:

• The card frames were updated.
• The word “permanent” was replaced with “asset.”
• The colors were Yellow, Red, Blue, and Green. (Official version: Orange, Purple, Blue, and Green.)
• A few of the cards were rejected and replaced, such as the two cards seen above.

More Info

• The First Edition Spoiler
• The Historical Development of Crazier Eights (Part 1)

Author: James Gray, Game Designer