Press

Everything here is free to use and free to edit. If you need something that isn't on this page, ask — the reply comes from the person who wrote the app.

The facts

Name
Rachel: Tactical Card Game
Developer
Steve Hill
Platforms
iPhone and iPad, one universal app
Price
£2.99, paid once. No advertising, no tracking, no subscription, no in-app purchases
Availability
Not yet released — awaiting App Store review
Contact
rachel@stevehill.xyz

Boilerplate

One line

Rachel is a card game for iPhone and iPad where you try to get rid of your cards while your opponents give you more.

One paragraph

One card left? A Black Jack could change that. Rachel is a card game for iPhone and iPad where attacks stack, play reverses and the last player holding cards loses. Play solo offline against fourteen characters with their own table talk, or with 2-8 people on the same local network. A guided tutorial teaches the special cards as you play. Buy once for the whole game, with no ads or in-app purchases.

The longer version

Rachel starts with a familiar idea: match the suit or rank and empty your hand. Special cards complicate matters. A 2 forces the next player to draw two cards, but another 2 passes the attack on as four. A Black Jack threatens five extra cards, and a Red Jack reduces that penalty. The last player still holding cards loses.

The iPhone and iPad app includes offline solo play at three difficulty levels, fourteen computer characters with table talk, and local multiplayer for 2-8 people. A guided tutorial introduces the special cards. VoiceOver, adjustable text sizes and optional four-colour suits help players follow the action.

Steve Hill is also bringing Rachel to vintage computers. The VIC-20 version runs solo games without a server on a machine with an 8KB memory expansion. Its v1.0.0 release is verified in PAL and NTSC emulation; physical hardware testing is pending.

Vintage network play uses a published binary protocol. There is currently no public game server for these versions.

Images

These are the web-sized versions the site uses. Full-resolution screenshots for every device size are available on request — they run to about 50MB a set, which is why they aren't served from here.

The Rachel app icon
App icon
A game in progress on iPhone, with an opponent down to their last card
The table
The host lobby, with two players joined and two seats held by emissaries
Hosting a game
The tutorial explaining a special card with a real hand dealt
The tutorial

Elsewhere