Also known as La Solterona De Carteristas, this is a “card game” played amongst Banditos. Very few outside the faction know anything about it, and only stumble upon it accidentally.
General Knowledge/Basics[]
Outside of the Roller Bandito faction, not a whole lot is known about the game. The game involves a single card, about the size of a bank card. Most will recognize it. It’s just an Old Maid card from the cardgame of the same name. Often-times someone has doodled over top of the Maid with a sharpy, usually to depict one of the more well-known Banditos (such as Extraño, with the iconic sombrero).
The specifics of these rules are known only to Banditos, but from what outsiders understand, it has something to do with passing the Old Maid around and transporting it via wallet. How and why it ends up on non-banditos, most just assume it's a prank.
Game Mechanics[]
In an optimized game, there is only ever one Card in-play at a time. A Bandito has the card. He or she is required to keep it in his wallet at all times. The object of the game is not to have the card, not to end up with the card, and if you should end up with the card, get rid of it as quickly as possible. A Bandito with the card is not allowed to discard it, but must keep it in his wallet. There are additional rules concerned with scenarios where card-discarding is allowed, but these will be covered later.
The card is moved from Bandito to Bandito via pickpocketing; should you pickpocket someone and find that they have the card, the card is now yours and you cannot discard it. Once obtained, you must place it within your own wallet, where it stays until you are (hopefully) pickpocketed. Thus the objective is to get rid of it by getting someone else to pickpocket you. Often-times Banditos make their wallets easy to locate in an attempt to rid themselves of it. Of course, too easy, and you look suspicious…
Passive Players[]
Occasionally the card ends up in the hands of a non-Bandito; such people are unknowing, passive players of the game and can approach any Bandito to return the card (and should). They will not be pleased, but a Bandito is required to take the card from any non-Bandito that presents it to them.
Game Reset[]
The game is effectively said to be "reset" whenever the card is passed off to a Passive Player. See below.
Handing Off to Passive Players[]
Banditos are NOT allowed to rid themselves of the Old Maid by planting it on non-Banditos except under very specific circumstances.
- Old Maid Holder Becomes Common Knowledge
- Old Maid Holder Holds Minimum of Two Weeks
It’s generally understood that you don’t talk about who has the Old Maid. Of course, if you’ve finally gotten rid of it you might celebrate with a friend or two (or maybe drop a hint of who NOT to pickpocket…), but if it’s discussed too much, the Old Maid’s location may become common knowledge, and this effectively stops the game in its tracks, once the information gets so far that there’s nobody left to unknowingly pickpocket the person.
Should this occur, it’s generally agreed amongst banditos that the Holder must hold the card for an additional two weeks (for the shame), before he is allowed to then “plant” it on a Passive Player.
Planting the card on a non-player involves simply pickpocketing them long enough to tuck the card inside before stealthily replacing their wallet. This effectively restarts the game with a ‘spin the bottle’ mechanic. In an optimized game, the Passive Player will approach a Bandito to question them about this card (with its Bandito markings); the Bandito in question must then take the card and become the new Holder.
Some Squares have been Passive Players often enough that they just approach and hand the card off to the first Bandito they encounter. Most other Passive Players approach a Bandito unknowingly, merely in search of answers. Either way, the card is put back into play at this time.
- Additional notes: In an optimized game, there is only one card in-play at any time; however, if a card goes missing/nobody has heard anything of it for quite a while (or the card is simply so worn from use that it needs to be replaced), then a new card is made (usually just a simple Old Maid card or Joker, with a Bandito stamp or graffiti scribbled on it with a sharpy) and put into play (via Passive Players); occasionally there’s a mix-up and more than one card ends up in play, however the system usually works fairly well.
Game Timeline/Current Cardholder[]
- The game was recently reset and the card planted on Passive Player Jacqueline Daily.
- Passive Player Jacqueline Daily presented the card to Active Player Frank.
- Active Player Bit pickpocketed Active Player Frank while inspecting his tattoo for a possible touchup.