# I created a card game to be played with Flower Cards

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-created-a-card-game-to-be-played-with-flower-cards/1034139>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Tags:** board-card-word-game\
**Created:** [October 25, 2026, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-created-a-card-game-to-be-played-with-flower-cards/1034139 "2026-10-25T07:00:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2026, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-created-a-card-game-to-be-played-with-flower-cards/1034139/1 "2026-10-25T07:00:43Z")

</div>

[Flower Cards are Hwatu or Hanafuda cards used in Korea and Japan.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanafuda)

My introduction to those cards was when I was a university freshman in Seoul about mumble mumble years ago. The game I learned then is [Minhwatu](https://fudawiki.org/en/hanafuda/games/minhwatu) which I rather like more than the currently super popular game of [Go-Stop](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go-Stop). There are other games played with the deck, but those are extremely niche. I like a couple of trick based games with the French deck (standard 52-cards) and not that long ago, learned to play Bridge. I decided it might be a fun exercise to create a version of Bridge to be played with Hwatu. I found out I had to make some changes, but I feel the game is definitely Bridge with its own touch. It preserves the Bridge style auction, has honors, and above the line and below the line scoring. The other changes were borrowed from other trick taking games and a couple of nifty things unique to Hwatu cards. I also changed the suits from being the monthly flowers to the categories (Plains, Ribbons, Animals, and Brights. See the rules below for further explanation.

Is this needed? Who cares? I just did this for a bit of fun and also because I simply love the flower cards. The artwork is fascinating and the thickness provides for a satisying _Thunk!_ when playing the card onto the table, not to mention the standard way of shuffling them is fun.

Check the link above to Flower Cards to see the cards.

A couple of notes before I give you the rules. First, when you see a term like _Plain A_ and _Plain B_, that is for a month whose cards have two Plains.There is no difference between the cards; it’s just that month’s cards include two Plains. Second, you will need two decks of Hwatu cards. Also, Korean Hwatu work better for this game than Japanese Hanafuda because they have the Chinese character for _Bright_ (光) on them; the Japanese cards do not.

I welcome any comments on it or suggestions for changes.

So here are the rules. I give you the game of FLOWER BRIDGE.

# **FLOWER BRIDGE**

## **Official English Rulebook**

### **First Edition**

* * *

# **Volume 1**

# **Foundations**

* * *

# **Table of Contents**

1. Foreword

2. What Is Flower Bridge?

3. Understanding Hwa-tu Classifications

4. Equipment and Deck Construction

5. Suits and Rankings

6. Card Rankings and Duplicate Cards

* * *

# **Foreword**

Flower Bridge is a partnership trick-taking game that combines two great card-game traditions.

The first tradition is that of Whist, Biritch, Auction Bridge, and Contract Bridge. From this family come the concepts of partnerships, auctions, contracts, dummy play, and the distinction between above-the-line and below-the-line scoring.

The second tradition is that of Korean Hwa-tu. From this family come the Brights, Animals, Ribbons, Plains, the Five Brights (오광), the monthly flower system, and the rich artistic and cultural heritage associated with the cards.

Flower Bridge was designed with a simple goal:

**To create a genuine member of the Bridge family using a Hwa-tu deck.**

The objective was not merely to place flower pictures on a Bridge deck, nor merely to attach bidding to an existing Hwa-tu game. Instead, the aim was to create a game that respects both traditions equally.

Players familiar with Bridge will encounter unfamiliar cards, duplicate-card strategy, and a hidden discard pile.

Players familiar with Hwa-tu will encounter auctions, contracts, dummy play, and partnership strategy.

Both groups will discover a game that is familiar, yet entirely new.

* * *

# **Chapter 1**

# **What Is Flower Bridge?**

Flower Bridge is a four-player partnership game.

Players sitting opposite one another form a partnership.

Each hand consists of two phases:

1. The Auction

2. The Play

During the auction, players compete to determine:

· Which side will declare.

· Which denomination will apply.

· How many tricks the declaring side intends to win.

During play, the declaring side attempts to fulfill the contract while the defenders attempt to defeat it.

Flower Bridge preserves many core features of Contract Bridge:

· Partnerships

· Auctions

· Contracts

· Dummy play

· Trump contracts

· No Trump contracts

· Above-the-line scoring

· Below-the-line scoring

Flower Bridge introduces several new elements:

· A specially constructed Hwa-tu deck.

· Three suits instead of four.

· Duplicate cards.

· Eight undealt mystery cards.

· Bright bonuses inspired by traditional Hwa-tu scoring.

The result is a game that belongs clearly to the Bridge family while possessing a distinct identity of its own.

* * *

# **Chapter 2**

# **Understanding Hwa-tu Classifications**

Before learning the rules of Flower Bridge, players must understand an important feature of Hwa-tu cards.

Unlike a standard Western deck, Hwa-tu cards are not always classified according to what is literally depicted in the artwork.

Their categories are traditional classifications developed through generations of play.

For the purposes of Flower Bridge, traditional classification always takes precedence over visual appearance.

### **Bright Cards**

The five Bright cards form a traditional group known as the Five Brights.

Three Bright cards depict living beings:

· January Bright (Crane)

· November Bright (Rain Man)

· December Bright (Phoenix)

Despite these images, all five remain Bright cards.

### **Animal Cards**

Some Animal cards depict animals.

Examples:

· Nightingale

· Butterfly

· Boar

· Geese

However, not every Animal card depicts an animal.

The May Bridge card is traditionally classified as an Animal card even though no animal appears in the artwork.

### **Ribbon Cards**

Ribbon cards are classified as Ribbons regardless of:

· ribbon color

· ribbon design

· ribbon inscriptions

· artistic style

Red ribbons, blue ribbons, and poetry ribbons are all Ribbon cards.

### **Plain Cards**

Plain cards are all cards that are not classified as Brights, Animals, or Ribbons.

Some Plain cards contain distinctive background artwork.

These differences have no effect upon game play.

### **General Rule**

Whenever a conflict appears to exist between a card’s artwork and its traditional classification, the traditional classification is correct.

* * *

# **Chapter 3**

# **Equipment and Deck Construction**

Flower Bridge uses two identical Hwa-tu decks.

These decks are combined and then stripped to form a special sixty-card deck.

The completed deck contains:

**Suit**

**Cards**

Plains

20

Ribbons

20

Bright Animals

20

Total

60

Every card in the deck exists exactly twice.

### **Plain Cards Kept**

From each deck retain:

· January Plain A

· January Plain B

· February Plain

· March Plain

· April Plain

· May Plain

· June Plain

· September Plain

· October Plain

· November Plain

### **Ribbon Cards Kept**

Retain all Ribbon cards.

### **Bright Animal Cards Kept**

Retain all Brights:

· January Bright

· March Bright

· August Bright

· November Bright

· December Bright

Retain:

· February Nightingale

· May Bridge

· June Butterfly

· July Boar

· August Geese

All other cards are removed from the game.

* * *

# **Chapter 4**

# **Suits and Rankings**

# **제4장 문양과 서열**

## **English**

The formal suit names are:

1. Plains

2. Ribbons

3. Bright Animals

Players may abbreviate Bright Animals simply as Animals.

### **Denomination Order**

Plain \< Ribbon \< Bright Animal \< No Trump

Examples:

· 1 Ribbon outranks 1 Plain.

· 1 Bright Animal outranks 1 Ribbon.

· 1 No Trump outranks 1 Bright Animal.

* * *

# **Chapter 5**

# **Card Rankings and Duplicate Cards**

Flower Bridge follows the traditional Hwa-tu month sequence.

Cards are ranked according to the official ranking tables given in Appendix A.

### **Duplicate Cards**

Every card exists exactly twice.

A card can win a trick only if it outranks the current winning card.

An identical card does not outrank an identical card already played to the trick.

Example:

West plays the November Bright.

North plays the duplicate November Bright.

North’s card cannot defeat West’s card because the two cards are identical.

### **Strategic Importance**

Players should track both copies of important cards.

One of Flower Bridge’s defining strategic questions is:

· Has neither copy appeared?

· Has one copy appeared?

· Have both copies appeared?

* * *

# **End of Volume 1**

# **FLOWER BRIDGE**

## **Official English Rulebook**

### **Volume 2**

### **The Mechanics of Play**

* * *

# **Table of Contents**

1. The Deal

2. The Auction

3. Opening Lead and Dummy

4. Play of the Hand

5. Hand Evaluation for Bidding

* * *

# **Chapter 6**

# **The Deal**

At the beginning of each hand, one player serves as the dealer.

The dealer thoroughly shuffles the sixty-card Flower Bridge deck and distributes thirteen cards to each player.

After all four players have received thirteen cards, eight cards remain.

These eight cards are placed face down and are not examined by any player.

The undealt cards take no further part in the hand.

### **The Mystery Discard**

The undealt cards are one of Flower Bridge’s distinguishing features.

Unlike traditional Bridge, not every card is necessarily in play.

Any card may be among the undealt cards.

This includes:

· High cards

· Brights

· Ribbons

· Both copies of the same card

A player may never inspect these cards.

### **Strategic Consequences**

When a card has not appeared during play, a player cannot automatically assume an opponent holds it.

Possible explanations include:

· The card is held by an opponent.

· The card is held by partner.

· The card was never dealt.

This uncertainty creates an additional layer of inference and strategy.

* * *

# **Chapter 7**

# **The Auction**

After the cards have been dealt, players conduct an auction to determine the contract.

The dealer bids first.

Bidding proceeds clockwise.

A player may:

· Make a bid.

· Pass.

· Make a higher bid than any previous bid.

### **Structure of a Bid**

Every bid consists of two elements:

· A level

· A denomination

Examples:

· 1 Plain

· 2 Ribbon

· 3 Bright Animal

· 3 No Trump

· 5 Plain

### **Meaning of a Bid**

The level indicates the number of tricks above six that the partnership intends to win.

**Bid**

**Required Tricks**

1 Plain

7

2 Ribbon

8

3 Animal

9

4 Animal

10

5 Plain

11

6 No Trump

12

7 No Trump

13

### **Bid Ranking**

At the same level:

Plain \< Ribbon \< Bright Animal \< No Trump

Examples:

· 1 Ribbon beats 1 Plain.

· 2 Animals beats 2 Ribbons.

· 3 No Trump beats 3 Animals.

A higher level always beats a lower level.

### **Passing**

A player who does not wish to bid may pass.

Once a player passes, that player may still bid later if the auction remains open.

### **End of the Auction**

The auction ends after three consecutive passes following a bid.

The highest bidder becomes the declarer.

The declarer’s partnership becomes the declaring side.

* * *

# **Chapter 8**

# **Opening Lead and Dummy**

After the auction is completed, play begins.

The player seated to the declarer’s left makes the opening lead.

### **Opening Lead**

The opening lead is made before the dummy is exposed.

This rule is inherited directly from Contract Bridge.

The opening leader must choose a card using only:

· The auction

· The player’s own hand

The opening leader does not yet know the contents of the dummy.

### **Exposing the Dummy**

Once the opening lead has been faced, the declarer’s partner exposes all cards face up on the table.

This hand is called the dummy.

The dummy remains visible throughout the hand.

### **Declarer’s Responsibilities**

The declarer plays:

· The declarer’s own hand

· The dummy’s hand

Whenever a card is to be played from the dummy, the declarer chooses the card.

The dummy does not make independent decisions.

* * *

# **Chapter 9**

# **Play of the Hand**

The winner of each trick leads to the next trick.

### **Following Suit**

A player who possesses a card of the suit led must play a card from that suit.

If the player has no card of the suit led, any card may be played.

### **Trump Contracts**

In a trump contract:

· Trump cards beat all non-trump cards.

· The highest trump wins the trick.

### **No Trump Contracts**

In a No Trump contract:

· No suit is trump.

· The highest card of the suit led wins the trick.

### **Duplicate Cards During Play**

An identical card does not outrank a previously played identical card.

Example:

West: November Bright

North: November Bright

North’s card cannot defeat West’s card.

This rule applies regardless of who plays the cards.

### **Winning a Trick**

At the completion of four plays:

1. Determine the highest legal card.

2. Award the trick to that player.

3. Place the trick face down.

4. The winner leads next.

* * *

# **Chapter 10**

# **Hand Evaluation for Bidding**

Flower Bridge uses a simple honor-count system.

Players may use this system to estimate the strength of a hand.

### **Honor Values**

**Card Type**

**Value**

Bright

4

Animal

2

Ribbon

1

Plain

0

### **Duplicate Cards**

Every copy counts at full value.

Example:

Two November Brights:

4 + 4 = 8 points

The duplicate-card reductions used for honor bonuses do not apply to hand evaluation.

### **Distribution**

Players may also consider:

· Long suits

· Voids

· Singletons

· Concentrations of Bright Animals

These factors may influence bidding decisions.

### **Guidance, Not Law**

This evaluation system is intended as guidance.

Experienced players may develop more sophisticated methods.

* * *

# **End of Volume 2**

# **FLOWER BRIDGE**

## **Official English Rulebook**

### **Volume 3**

### **Scoring and Victory**

* * *

# **Table of Contents**

1. Contract Scoring

2. Winning a Game

3. Honor Bonuses

4. Five Bright Bonus

5. Ten Bright Bonus

* * *

# **Chapter 11**

# **Contract Scoring**

After the final trick has been played, the scores for the hand are calculated.

The first step is to determine whether the declarer’s side fulfilled its contract.

If the declaring side wins at least as many tricks as promised during the auction, the contract succeeds.

If the declaring side wins fewer tricks than promised, the contract fails.

### **Contract Points**

Contract points are recorded below the line.

Only contract points count toward winning a game.

### **Plain Contracts**

Each contracted trick scores:

**20 points**

Examples:

**Contract**

**Below-the-Line Score**

1 Plain

20

2 Plain

40

3 Plain

60

4 Plain

80

5 Plain

100

6 Plain

120

7 Plain

140

### **Ribbon Contracts**

Each contracted trick scores:

**30 points**

Examples:

**Contract**

**Below-the-Line Score**

1 Ribbon

30

2 Ribbon

60

3 Ribbon

90

4 Ribbon

120

5 Ribbon

150

6 Ribbon

180

7 Ribbon

210

### **Bright Animal Contracts**

Each contracted trick scores:

**30 points**

Examples:

**Contract**

**Below-the-Line Score**

1 Animal

30

2 Animal

60

3 Animal

90

4 Animal

120

5 Animal

150

6 Animal

180

7 Animal

210

### **No Trump Contracts**

The first contracted trick scores:

**40 points**

Each additional contracted trick scores:

**30 points**

Examples:

**Contract**

**Below-the-Line Score**

1 No Trump

40

2 No Trump

70

3 No Trump

100

4 No Trump

130

5 No Trump

160

6 No Trump

190

7 No Trump

220

### **Overtricks**

Any tricks won beyond those required by the contract are called overtricks.

Overtricks are scored above the line.

Recommended values:

**Contract Type**

**Overtrick Value**

Plain

20

Ribbon

30

Bright Animal

30

No Trump

30

Overtricks never count toward winning a game.

* * *

# **Chapter 12**

# **Winning a Game**

Flower Bridge preserves one of the most important traditions of Contract Bridge:

The distinction between scores above the line and scores below the line.

### **Below the Line**

The following scores are recorded below the line:

· Plain contract points

· Ribbon contract points

· Bright Animal contract points

· No Trump contract points

Only these scores count toward winning a game.

### **Above the Line**

The following scores are recorded above the line:

· Overtricks

· Honor bonuses

· Five Bright Bonus

· Ten Bright Bonus

· Other bonus scores

Above-the-line points never count toward winning a game.

### **Game Requirement**

A partnership wins a game when it accumulates:

**100 or more points below the line.**

### **Examples**

#### **Example 1**

4 Bright Animals made.

Contract score:

120 below the line.

Result:

**Game Won**

#### **Example 2**

3 No Trump made.

Contract score:

100 below the line.

Result:

**Game Won**

#### **Example 3**

2 Animals made.

Contract score:

60 below the line.

Honor Bonuses:

45 above the line.

Result:

**Not a Game**

The partnership has substantial points but has not yet achieved 100 below the line.

* * *

# **Chapter 13**

# **Honor Bonuses**

Honor bonuses recognize the capture of important cards.

Honor bonuses are always recorded above the line.

Honor bonuses are awarded for cards captured in tricks by a partnership during play.

### **Brights**

**Capture**

**Bonus**

First Copy

4

Second Copy

2

### **Animals**

**Capture**

**Bonus**

First Copy

2

Second Copy

1

### **Ribbons**

**Capture**

**Bonus**

First Copy

1

Second Copy

1

### **Why Duplicates Matter**

The first captured copy of an honor establishes possession of that rank.

Capturing the duplicate is still valuable, but usually less significant.

Ribbon duplicates retain full score because Ribbon honors are already the lowest honor category.

### **Examples**

Two copies of November Bright:

4 + 2 = 6

Two copies of Boar:

2 + 1 = 3

Two copies of July Ribbon:

1 + 1 = 2

* * *

# **Chapter 14**

# **Five Bright Bonus**

The Five Bright Bonus honors one of the most famous combinations in traditional Hwa-tu.

A partnership earns this bonus if it captures:

### **Five Different Brights (No Duplicates)**

Required Brights:

· January Bright

· March Bright

· August Bright

· November Bright

· December Bright

Bonus:

### **+25 Points Above the Line**

### **Important Rule**

The five Brights must be different.

Duplicate Brights do not satisfy this requirement.

### **Examples**

✅ January, March, August, November, December

✅ One copy of each Bright

❌ January, January, March, August, November

❌ Four different Brights only

* * *

# **Chapter 15**

# **Ten Bright Bonus**

The Ten Bright Bonus represents one of the rarest achievements in Flower Bridge.

A partnership earns this bonus if it captures:

### **All Ten Brights**

Required:

· Both January Brights

· Both March Brights

· Both August Brights

· Both November Brights

· Both December Brights

Bonus:

### **+75 Points Above the Line**

### **Special Rule**

A partnership which captures all ten Brights only scores the Ten Bright Bonus and does not score any bonus for Five Brights.

The Ten Bright Bonus completely replaces the Five Bright Bonus.

### **Examples**

All ten Brights captured.

Score:

✅ Ten Bright Bonus (+75)

❌ No Five Bright Bonus

Total:

75

# **End of Volume 3**

# **FLOWER BRIDGE**

## **Official English Rulebook**

### **Volume 4**

### **Strategy and Learning**

* * *

# **Table of Contents**

# **목차**

1. Example Hand

2. Beginning Strategy

3. Advanced Strategy

4. Flower Bridge for Bridge Players

5. Flower Bridge for Go-Stop Players

* * *

# **Chapter 16**

# **Example Hand**

The following example illustrates the basic flow of a Flower Bridge hand.

The cards shown are representative rather than exhaustive.

### **The Auction**

South holds:

· Two Brights

· Three Animals

· Four Ribbons

· Four Plains

South opens:

**1 Bright Animal**

West passes.

North holds:

· One Bright

· Three Animals

· Four Ribbons

· Five Plains

North responds:

**3 Bright Animals**

East passes.

South continues:

**4 Bright Animals**

All pass.

### **Final Contract**

South becomes declarer.

Contract:

**4 Bright Animals**

Required tricks:

**10**

### **Opening Lead**

West leads a Ribbon.

Dummy is then exposed.

### **Declarer’s Plan**

Declarer observes:

· Strong Bright Animal support

· Adequate Ribbon strength

· Useful Plain cards

The plan is:

1. Draw opposing trumps.

2. Establish long-suit winners.

3. Preserve control cards.

4. Collect the remaining tricks.

### **Result**

Declarer’s side wins:

**11 tricks**

Contract required:

10 tricks

Contract achieved:

10 tricks

Overtricks:

1

### **Score**

Below the Line:

4 Bright Animals

120 points

Above the Line:

1 Overtrick

30 points

North-South therefore score:

· 120 below the line

· 30 above the line

The partnership wins a game because it has earned at least 100 points below the line.

* * *

# **Chapter 17**

# **Beginning Strategy**

New players should focus on four skills.

### **Count Brights**

Brights are the most influential cards in the deck.

A hand containing many Brights often justifies aggressive bidding.

### **Count Suit Length**

Long suits produce tricks.

A partnership with substantial length in one suit frequently performs well in trump contracts.

### **Watch the Mystery Discard**

Always remember:

Eight cards are not in play.

A missing high card may belong to:

· Partner

· Opponent

· The undealt pile

### **Track Duplicates**

Whenever a powerful card appears, make a mental note.

Ask:

· Have I seen one copy?

· Have I seen both copies?

This habit improves play dramatically.

### **Learn the Rank Tables**

The strongest cards should become familiar.

A player who constantly consults the rankings will eventually memorize them through repeated play.

# **Chapter 18**

# **Advanced Strategy**

### **The Duplicate Principle**

The defining strategic feature of Flower Bridge is the duplicate-card system.

In ordinary Bridge, players ask:

“Has the Ace been played?”

In Flower Bridge, players ask:

“How many copies have been played?”

This distinction affects every phase of play.

### **Information and Inference**

Suppose one November Bright has appeared.

The second copy may be:

· With a defender

· With declarer

· With dummy

· Undealt

The correct inference depends upon the auction and previous play.

### **Controlling a Suit**

Holding both copies of a high card creates powerful control.

For example:

Two November Brights prevent any opponent from holding a November Bright.

Such knowledge can shape an entire hand.

### **Timing**

A duplicate honor can lose power if its twin is already in the trick.

Therefore timing matters.

Sometimes the strongest play is:

· lead the honor immediately,

while at other times:

· preserving it is more valuable.

### **Defensive Tracking**

Defenders should count:

· Brights played

· Trump cards remaining

· Known duplicates

A skilled defense can often deduce declarer’s remaining cards.

# **Chapter 19**

# **Flower Bridge for Bridge Players**

Bridge players will immediately recognize many familiar concepts.

### **Familiar Features**

· Partnerships

· Auctions

· Contracts

· Declarer play

· Dummy play

· Trump contracts

· No Trump contracts

### **Major Differences**

#### **Three Suits**

Flower Bridge uses:

· Plains

· Ribbons

· Bright Animals

instead of four suits.

#### **Duplicate Cards**

Every card exists twice.

This changes counting dramatically.

#### **Undealt Cards**

Eight cards never enter play.

This creates uncertainty absent from ordinary Bridge.

### **What Bridge Players Should Learn First**

1. Traditional Hwa-tu classifications.

2. Bright Animal rankings.

3. Duplicate-card strategy.

4. Honor bonuses.

Once these ideas are mastered, the rest of the game feels surprisingly familiar.

# **Chapter 20**

# **Flower Bridge for Go-Stop Players**

## **English**

Go-Stop players already understand much of the deck.

### **Familiar Concepts**

· Brights

· Animals

· Ribbons

· Plain cards

· Five Brights

· Month-based identities

### **New Concepts**

Flower Bridge introduces:

· Partnerships

· Bidding

· Contracts

· Dummy play

· Trick planning

### **The Biggest Difference**

In Go-Stop, players seek combinations.

In Flower Bridge, players seek tricks.

A strong player plans the entire hand from the moment the auction begins.

### **Learning Advice**

Go-Stop players should not worry about mastering every Bridge concept immediately.

Focus on:

1. Following suit.

2. Counting tricks.

3. Understanding the auction.

4. Using Brights efficiently.

The rest will develop naturally with experience.

* * *

# **End of Volume 4**

# **FLOWER BRIDGE**

## **Official English Rulebook**

### **Volume 5**

### **Reference Materials and Designer Commentary**

* * *

# **Table of Contents**

Chapter 21. Glossary  
Appendix A. Official Rank Tables  
Appendix B. Official Scoresheet  
Appendix C. Hwa-tu Cultural Notes  
Appendix D. Designer Notes

* * *

# **Chapter 21**

# **Glossary**

### **Above the Line**

Scores that do not count toward winning a game.

Examples:

· Overtricks

· Honor bonuses

· Five Bright Bonus

· Ten Bright Bonus

* * *

### **Auction**

The bidding phase used to determine the contract.

* * *

### **Below the Line**

Scores that count toward winning a game.

Only contract points are scored below the line.

* * *

### **Bright**

One of the five traditional Bright cards.

* * *

### **Bright Animal**

The highest-ranking Flower Bridge suit.

The suit consists of all retained Bright cards and selected Animal cards.

* * *

### **Contract**

The final accepted bid.

* * *

### **Declarer**

The player who wins the auction for the partnership.

* * *

### **Defender**

A member of the non-declaring side.

* * *

### **Dummy**

Declarer’s partner after the opening lead.

The dummy’s cards are displayed face up and played by declarer.

* * *

### **Five Bright Bonus**

A bonus awarded for capturing five different Brights.

* * *

### **Honor**

A card eligible for honor-bonus scoring.

* * *

### **No Trump**

A contract in which no suit is trump.

* * *

### **Overtrick**

Any trick won beyond the contract requirement.

* * *

### **Plain**

The lowest-ranking suit.

* * *

### **Ribbon**

The middle-ranking suit.

* * *

### **Ten Bright Bonus**

A bonus awarded for capturing all ten Brights.

* * *

### **Trick**

A set of four cards, one played by each player.

* * *

### **Trump**

The designated suit that outranks all other suits.

* * *

# **Appendix A**

# **Official Rank Tables**

### **Bright Animals**

1. December Bright

2. November Bright

3. August Bright

4. March Bright

5. January Bright

6. August Geese

7. July Boar

8. June Butterfly

9. May Bridge

10. February Nightingale

* * *

### **Ribbons**

1. November Ribbon

2. October Ribbon

3. September Ribbon

4. July Ribbon

5. June Ribbon

6. May Ribbon

7. April Ribbon

8. March Ribbon

9. February Ribbon

10. January Ribbon

* * *

### **Plains**

1. November Plain

2. October Plain

3. September Plain

4. June Plain

5. May Plain

6. April Plain

7. March Plain

8. February Plain

9. January Plain B

10. January Plain A

* * *

# **Appendix B**

# **Official Scoresheet**

Plain Text

=================================================

FLOWER BRIDGE

=================================================

ABOVE THE LINE

NORTH-SOUTH EAST-WEST

\__ **\_ \_** _\_

\__ **\_ \_** _\_

\__ **\_ \_** _\_

\__ **\_ \_** _\_

=================================================

BELOW THE LINE

NORTH-SOUTH EAST-WEST

\__ **\_ \_** _\_

\__ **\_ \_** _\_

\__ **\_ \_** _\_

\__ **\_ \_** _\_

=================================================

GAME WINNER

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

=================================================

HAND RECORD

Dealer

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Contract

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Declarer /

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Tricks Won

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

=================================================

HONORS

JANUARY BRIGHT □1 □2

MARCH BRIGHT □1 □2

AUGUST BRIGHT □1 □2

NOVEMBER BRIGHT □1 □2

DECEMBER BRIGHT □1 □2

-----------------------------------------

FIVE BRIGHT BONUS

□ EARNED (+25)

-----------------------------------------

TEN BRIGHT BONUS

□ EARNED (+75)

NOTE:

Ten Bright Bonus replaces

Five Bright Bonus.

=================================================

* * *

# **Appendix C**

# **Hwa-tu Cultural Notes**

### **Why Are They Called Brights?**

The Bright cards belong to the traditional group known as the Five Brights.

Their classification is traditional and does not depend upon the artwork.

Three Brights depict living beings:

· Crane

· Rain Man

· Phoenix

Despite this, all remain Bright cards.

* * *

### **Why Does the Bridge Card Count as an Animal?**

Traditional Hwa-tu classifications are not purely literal.

The May Bridge card has long been treated as an Animal card.

Flower Bridge preserves this tradition.

* * *

### **Ribbon Colors**

Ribbon color has no game effect.

The following are all simply Ribbon cards:

· Red ribbons

· Blue ribbons

· Poetry ribbons

* * *

### **Background Artwork**

Some Plain cards contain distinctive backgrounds.

These artistic differences have no effect upon game play.

* * *

### **Japanese Hanafuda Option**

Players may use Japanese Hanafuda card names if desired.

Only terminology changes.

Rules and rankings remain identical.

* * *

# **Appendix D**

# **Designer Notes**

Flower Bridge began with a simple question:

**What might Bridge look like if it had evolved from Hwa-tu rather than a standard Western deck?**

Several principles guided the design.

### **Preserve the Spirit of Bridge**

Flower Bridge retains:

· Partnerships

· Auctions

· Contracts

· Dummy play

· Trump and No Trump contracts

· Below-the-line game scoring

* * *

### **Respect Hwa-tu Tradition**

Flower Bridge preserves:

· The Five Brights

· Traditional card classifications

· Month-flower associations

· Familiar card identities

* * *

### **Embrace the Double Deck**

Rather than hiding the duplicate cards, Flower Bridge celebrates them.

The duplicate-card rule creates strategic situations unavailable in ordinary Bridge.

Players must constantly think:

· Has this card appeared?

· Has one copy appeared?

· Have both copies appeared?

· Could one or both copies be undealt?

The answers to these questions often determine the correct play.

* * *

### **Why the Undealt Cards?**

The eight-card mystery discard introduces uncertainty.

A missing card may belong to:

· An opponent

· A partner

· Nobody

This uncertainty is intentional and helps define the game’s character.

* * *

# **End of First Edition**

## **FLOWER BRIDGE**

**Official English Rulebook**

**First Edition Complete**

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2026, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-created-a-card-game-to-be-played-with-flower-cards/1034139/2 "2026-10-25T12:20:49Z")

</div>

Have you talked to any local gamers conventions or groups to see if you could introduce your game there?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2026, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-created-a-card-game-to-be-played-with-flower-cards/1034139/3 "2026-10-25T13:24:33Z")

</div>

Not yet. I literally finished it just before posting this thread. It’s certainly on my _to do_ list as soon as I can get to it.