Skirmish is a trick-taking game (think spades) for two players, each player tries to win (or lose) tricks against the other over 3 rounds.

Non numbered cards (Ace, Jack, Queen, King, Joker) have special abilities, which activate when the card is played:

jack

When you play a jack,

you exchange one of your cards to a top card of the deck

joker

When you play a joker,

discard the joker and draw 3 cards from the top of your deck. Then choose 1 of the 3 to either play or stash in your hand.

ace

If you play an ace

and lose the trick, you lead the next trick.

king

When you lead a king,

if your opponent has a card of this suit, they must play either the Ace of this suit or their highest ranked card of this suit.

queen

When you play a queen,

you exchange one of your cards to a random card of your opponent

jack

When you play a jack,

you exchange one of your cards to a top card of the deck

joker

When you play a joker,

discard the joker and draw 3 cards from the top of your deck. Then choose 1 of the 3 to either play or stash in your hand.