Le Bouffon D'Or
A Game of Le Nain Jaune -the History
Nain Jaune (Yellow Dwarf and formerly known as Lindor) is a traditional French game that appeared circa 1760, and hails from the region of Lorraine. It is a member of the "hocs" family of games, the goal of which is to lay out all the cards in one's hand in a sequence upon the table. It is the longest surviving game of its type, still being played today.
It is a game of chance, but also of strategy especially when played according to the original 1760 rules, and can be played with three to eight players. The original games did not use boards; they instead used 5 specific cards, known in this game as the honors, from a second deck. Otherwise, the equipment for the game was a 52 card deck and a heap of jetons (tokens) for the stakes.
The game is similar to the modern casino style game Michigan, from the 1920's, Pope Joan (the name corrupted from Nain Jaune) a Victorian family game, and Newmarket a domestic gambling game from the 1880's.
The name "Yellow Dwarf" was taken from a fairy tale penned by Baroness Marie-Catherine d'Aulnoy in 1698. The story itself is...not the most positive of fairy tales, sad at best. If you'd like to read it, you can find it here.
For additional history on this game, visit its Wikipedia page, and Salon De Jeux, a page with the rules from 1760.
Le Bouffon D'Or
The Golden jester ~~~ My Version
I was immediately taken with the colorful imagery and equipment for this card game, particularly the board. Due to my penchant for all things Mardi Gras, and to further make the game more my own, I incorporated the colors of the holiday: purple (justice), green (faith) and gold (power).
Especially as the original story of the yellow dwarf is a bit dark and even sad, it seems far more festive to have a Jester preside at the middle of the board. The layout and design of the 18th century side of the board were inspired and based on a board in the British Museum, and this French antique game blog, the second of which features a gorgeous 18th century watercolor illustration. The opposite side of the board is more of a florid Victorian scheme that I found while researching more current versions of the game that typically include compartment boxes for the honors. (See the gallery of images above for examples)
The card deck, while making use of public domain imagery that is 19th century in age, still echoes
the style of the era in which the games were first played, but of course with a couple exceptions.
The court cards and pips have abandoned everyday red and black for Mardi Gras colors, and the spades have changed to fleur de lis. The suits appear thus: hearts remain in red, diamonds are gold, clubs are green, and fleurs are purple. The jetons also reflect my chosen party palette and are made from wood for a more historic feel.
Nain Jaune is a card shedding game of strategy and chance that can be played by 3-8 players, and is played in several hands. The goal is to shed all your cards in a sequence, ranked from Ace (low) to King (high). Hands are won when a player plays all the cards in their hand. The game is won when a player has the greatest value of jetons from their winnings during the hands of the game.
I've created wo versions of the game; one a boxed version that includes a 52 card set, jetons for 3-5 players, a double sided folding board and a rule booklet. The second "Le Petit Bouffon" version includes the 52 cards, 5 additional cards to form the board, and a rule booklet. Jetons for this game must be supplied, but can be anything in three "denominations": poker chips, coins, three flavors of jelly beans, etc.
Le Bouffon D'Or and Le Petit Bouffon are both available now on gamecrafter! Hit the button below to purchase.
