Puzzle #2: Run or Set?
about 1 month ago
– Mon, Mar 02, 2026 at 07:45:19 AM
Hello Wonderful Backers!
I hope you’re all doing well out there in the world! Here, we’re steadily moving along through what has already been a fantastic campaign and I’m very grateful for your generous support.
Ready for another puzzle?
At the start of every game of Dr. Science, you’re dealt 11 cards plus your Researcher. From the very first turn, you’re faced with meaningful decisions: what to play to the trick, what to meld into your tableau, and what to draw. The deck is built so you’re almost certain to have at least one Set or Run in your opening hand. But which one do you play and why?
Puzzle #2.
We're starting a 2-player game and since your opponent most recently read a research paper, they get to play first. They're playing Green and you're playing Yellow.
Opponent's Lead: 1-Blue.
Draw Display: 3-Yellow, 4-Blue.
Your Hand: 0-Wild, 0-Wild, X-Yellow, 1-Yellow, 4-Yellow, 3-Green, 4-Green, 5-Blue, 1-Red, 1-Red, 2-Red, 3-Red.
There are several good options with this opening hand! Here are a few to consider:
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A. Play 1-Red and meld 0-1-2-3 Red.
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B. Play 5-Blue and meld 0-1-2-3 Red.
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C. Play 0-Wild and meld 3-3-X Set.
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D. Play 4-Yellow and meld 0-0-X Set.
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E. None of the above (suggest your own).
What's your best play? Post it in the comments below and maybe include why you think it is best. I'll provide my answer and why in the next update!
Adam
Solution #1: Take It or Break It?
about 1 month ago
– Fri, Feb 27, 2026 at 09:10:34 AM
Welcome Backers!
In our last update, we saw Puzzle #1. In Dr. Science, there are usually many good plays and rarely a single “perfect” one. The game rewards weighing tradeoffs, taking calculated risks, and planning a few steps ahead. Let’s walk through the possibilities.
Here's the setup:
You’re playing Red and it’s your turn. Here are the options:
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A. Play 1-Blue from your hand, throwing off.
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B. Play 5-Yellow from your hand, taking the trick.
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C. Play 3-Red from your hand, taking the trick with trump.
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D. Play 3-Red from your tableau, taking the trick with trump.
A. Play 1-Blue from your hand, throwing off.
This is safe. No points on the card, no risk. Blue wins the trick and keeps the point from their 4-Yellow. You’ve avoided danger, but you’ve also given up that point.
On the plus side, you shed a likely loser. That 1-Blue probably isn’t taking a trick later. You could hope to draw matching 1s for a Set, but that’s speculative. Best to get rid of it.
This is the conservative play with low upside, low risk.
B. Play 5-Yellow from your hand, taking the trick.
Very attractive. You win the trick and capture the 4-Yellow. You also score your own 5-Yellow. Solid points.
But look at your tableau. The 3-Yellow and 4-Yellow are loose cards. You'll need to fix that in order to meld and the 5-Yellow is the cleanest fix, already in hand. Giving it up delays repairing your tableau and future melds are where the real engine of points lies.
Strong play. But it weakens your ability to meld.
C. Play 3-Red from your hand, taking the trick with trump.
Now we’re talking. You win the trick with trump that's also a point card and capture the Yellow point card too - 2 points in the bag. And there’s a 3-Red in the display so you can replace that played card immediately. Winning the trick also means you gain tempo and can take that 0-Wild in the draw next turn. All good.
But here’s the subtle issue: every time you play from hand instead of tableau, your hand shrinks. And as your hand shrinks, your flexibility for future melds shrinks with it. You risk running out of options before the game ends.
It’s a good play. But maybe we can squeeze a bit more value out of this position?
D. Play 3-Red from your tableau, taking the trick with trump.
This is my preferred play. You win the trick. You score the 4-Yellow. You score your 3-Red. And because you have another 3-Red in hand you can immediately rebuild what you just broke.
That’s one of the most satisfying patterns in Dr. Science: Meld a card. Win a trick with it. Pick up the same card from the draw. Meld it again next turn. Maybe take another trick with it later. That rhythm means you're double scoring cards: once for a meld, once for a trick.
Meanwhile, your hand remains rich with options. You can repair the Yellow run with 5-Yellow. You can extend Red with 1, Researcher (used as a 2), and 3. That's adding 4 cards to your hypothesis - a good score for sure. However, you might even consider melding fewer cards this turn to preserve momentum for later as that 5-Yellow is a good stopper for the player to your right - maybe keep it hidden?
Drawing the 3-Red is a great finisher too. Now you know where all of the 3-Reds are - you've played one and have the other two. And since you now have the lead, you could take that 0-Wild as well next turn. It'll be a prefect fit for your developing Red run.
There’s rarely only one right answer in Dr. Science but this line preserves flexibility, maximizes scoring potential, and keeps your engine running.
What do you think? Would you play it differently? Do you see other plays beyond these options?
How about another puzzle?
Adam
Puzzle #1: Take It or Break It?
about 1 month ago
– Thu, Feb 26, 2026 at 08:19:18 AM
Hello Wonderful Backers!
The campaign is off to a fantastic start, and I’m truly grateful for all of your support — thank you!
Ready for some fun? Let’s try a Dr. Science puzzle. This one is a mid-game scenario that shows how trick-taking works. It will help if you know how the game plays — you can watch Jonathan explain or download the rulebook. Of course, if you have questions, just ask me here!
To keep this first challenge simple, we're not considering what's in the validation scoring piles nor what's in your opponent's tableau. We'll add those to future puzzles!
Puzzle #1.
It's a 3-player game. Blue is sitting across from you and Yellow is to your right. We're in the middle of a game, and Blue led a Yellow-4. Yellow plays a Blue-2. You're playing Red and it's your turn.
There's a 0-Wild and a 3-Red in the draw display.
You have a nice tableau with a couple of runs, but it isn't currently valid. The 3-Yellow and 4-Yellow are loose cards, so you'll have to fix that when you meld again.
On the up side, you're hand is pretty great with several options. Here are a few to consider:
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A. Play 1-Blue from your hand, throwing off.
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B. Play 5-Yellow from your hand, taking the trick.
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C. Play 3-Red from your hand, taking the trick with trump.
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D. Play 3-Red from your tableau, taking the trick with trump.
What's your best play? Post it in the comments below and maybe include why you think it is best. I'll provide my answer and why in the next update!
Adam
I Have a Hypothesis
about 1 month ago
– Wed, Feb 25, 2026 at 07:16:46 AM
Hello Backers!
What a start! I’m still a bit stunned and immensely grateful. You’ve already taken this little experiment further than I ever imagined. Thank you.
Now that we’re funded and settling in for the rest of the campaign, I was thinking it might be fun to pass the time together.
Goren on Bridge was a newspaper column (originating in the Chicago Tribune) where a fellow named Charles Goren would present a full hand and walk through the best line of play for a game of Bridge. What to do. What not to do. Why do it. I was never a great Bridge player, but I found it fun to read. I have very fond memories of those days even though the line of play was often beyond me. But that gave me an idea....
What if I were to do something similar here for Dr. Science?
In upcoming updates, I’ll post a few puzzle scenarios: a partially played trick, visible tableaus, a hand to consider. We’ll look at the options, discuss the tradeoffs, and debate the strongest play in the comments.
I'll show the puzzle set up and will list out some options for plays, and you can choose which you think is best and why. Then in a subsequent update, I'll post what I consider the best play and why. Maybe we could keep score along the way?
Let me know if that sounds like fun to you. And as always, feel free to suggest other things you’d like to see during the campaign.
Thanks again for being here!
Adam
DR. SCIENCE IS FUNDED!
about 1 month ago
– Tue, Feb 24, 2026 at 08:57:04 AM
Hello Backers and everyone following along!
We're funded! Hurrah! That happened faster than I expected. Thank you!
Dr. Science began because I wanted a card game that played beautifully with 2, 3, or 4 players. Something with clever trick-taking, tableau building, and real card-play decisions. My wife and I often play after dinner, and Dr. Science has become one of our favorite two-player games. I’m excited to finally share it with all of you.
If you’ve backed one of my previous projects, welcome back! If you’re new here, I’m glad you’re here. I’m always happy to answer questions along the way, so feel free to comment or send me a direct message here on Kickstarter.
Let’s see how far this experiment can go!
Thank you for your support,
Adam
