Goodsol Newsletter #361
Goodsol Solitaire Forum Rebooted
Welcome to the new Goodsol Newsletter. Yes, after 360 newsletters since 1997, we are finally getting fancy. A move to a new web server has caused a number of changes.
Goodsol Solitaire Forum Rebooted - Goodsol.net/forum
Due to the server move, we had to start over with the Goodsol Solitaire Forum , our discussion forum that has existed since 2003. If you had an account on the old forum, you will need to create a new forum account - fortunately it is fast and easy. Just go to Goodsol.net/forum , click on Register, and make your free account and you can join us discussing solitaire and post any difficult game numbers in the Is It Winnable? section.
Pretty Good Solitaire for Windows is currently at version 19.2 with 1015 games and Daily Quests. The 25th anniversary version of the Windows Pretty Good Solitaire is coming later in July!
Pretty Good Solitaire Mac Edition - Goodsol.com/mac
Pretty Good Solitaire Mac Edition is currently at version 3.56 with 750 games. If you have the full version installed, just go to the Internet menu, select Download Latest Version to update.
Pretty Good Solitaire for iPad is currently at version 1.5 with 700 games.
Pretty Good Solitaire for iPhone is currently at version 1.0 with 720 games. Still at its introductory price of only 99 cents.
Our companion game to Pretty Good Solitaire is Pretty Good MahJongg, solitaire with MahJongg tiles. Pretty Good MahJongg for Windows is currently at version 2.7 with 410 games. Pretty Good MahJongg for Mac Catalina is coming later in July!
Featured Game - Demons and Thieves
Demons and Thieves is a two deck original solitaire game with a two part tableau that was invented especially for Pretty Good Solitaire. On the left side, the game is played like Canfield (also known as Demon), and on the right side, the game is played like Forty Thieves.
At the start of the game, one card is dealt out (for example, the Four of Hearts). This card is the foundation base card and starts the first of eight foundation piles. The other seven cards of the same rank as this card will start the remaining piles as they become available (for example, all the other Fours). These piles are built up in suit, wrapping from King back to Ace as necessary, until all the cards are moved up to the foundation piles and the game is won.
Next, 13 cards are dealt to a reserve pile, with only the top card visible. This top card will be available for play. Next to this reserve, four more cards are dealt out one each to four piles, starting the left side of the tableau. This piles are built down by alternate color, as in Canfield. Groups of cards in descending sequence of alternate color can be moved together, and empty spaces can be filled by any card.
Finally, 40 more cards are dealt out eight cards each to five more piles, forming the right side of the tableau. Here the piles are build down by suit, and groups of cards in descending sequence down by suit can be moved together. Again, spaces can be filled by any card or group of cards.
The remainder of the cards form the stock, which is turned over one card at a time to a waste pile. The top card of the waste pile is available for play. When the stock is empty, there are two redeals.
An interesting aspect of play in Demons and Thieves is that you can play cards in between the two sides of the tableau. If you have a group of cards in sequence of alternate color on the left side, you can move that group onto a card on the right side, if the top card of the sequence is one rank less and the same suit. But if you do, you won't be able to pick that group of cards up again to move it again - because on the right side, you can only move a group that is in suit and the group you just played was in alternate color. Groups can also move from the right side to the left side, but the same restrictions apply, only reversed. In order to win the game, you will probably need to make some moves like this, even if they block you temporarily.
Demons and Thieves can be won every time with good play. Because of this it is more challenging to play without any redeals (only one time through the stock). This form of the game is called Demonthief. Perhaps because you can always win it, but it is still a challenging and interesting game, Demons and Thieves is the most popular game in Pretty Good Solitaire invented by me.
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Thomas Warfield - Software Designer - [email protected]
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Pretty Good Solitaire, Pretty Good MahJongg, and more. Visit us at Goodsol.com.
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