This is a new game my boy and I invented using the pieces from PigPile.
While I don't anticipate that many people actually own PigPile, you
could easily play PigWar with any deck of numbered cards and any score markers (checkers, M&Ms, dimes if you're into gambling with toddlers, whatever works for you really) in lieu of playing regular War
(which plays itself, requiring no choices).
itself looks to be a fun game, once my boy gets to be a couple years older (it says ages 7+).
1. Deal 3 cards to each player. Don't show your cards to anyone.
2. Everyone picks 1 card and holds it toward the middle of the table face down.
3. When everyone is ready, everyone flips their card over.
4. Highest card wins a pig. On ties, no one gets a pig.
5. Play all 3 tricks then deal out 3 more cards to everyone.
6. Play until the deck is exhausted.
The deck is basically just numbers 1-12, but some of the numbers do special things in PigPile. So after learning the basic game, we spiced it up by making
the special cards do special things in PigWar.
3-Card PigWar advanced rules:
1. The 4 is called HogTied. If you can win with a lowly 4, then you get a bonus pig (from the bank).
2. The 8 is called HogWash. Anytime an 8 is present, whoever wins the trick gets their usual 1 pig reward from the bank and then steals 1 pig from 1 person.
3. The 11 is called EweTurn. If you don't win with a mighty 11, then you lose a pig (to the bank). Remember that ties are not a win, so both lose a pig.
4. Playing the unnumbered HogWild card during the reveal means that you draw the top card from deck and use it for this trick.
This game isn't going to be published or win any awards, but it is whole lot more fun than War. Holding the cards up in the hand (hidden) really helps with dexterity, and only holding a max of 3 makes it doable. Choosing which card to play is really a guess, but at least it is a choice instead of the game just playing itself. You can sometimes catch someone in a pattern and gain an advantage, and you can sometimes intentionally do a pattern a couple of hands then switch it up to trick everyone. Plus the pigs are really cool and sort of rubbery (i.e. high friction) so you can really impress a 3 year old with your pygamid building prowess.
Remember, he who has the most pork...wins.