Vogelspiel

Vogelspiel (game of "Bird") or Hexenspiel (game of "Witch") was an historical Bavarian and Austrian card game for a variable number of players and played with special cards. The game is named after the bird or the witch, respectively, that appeared on one or other of the cards.

History

The game is was descended from Cuccù, an 18th-century Italian game that, as Malcontenta, in turn was derived from the French game of Mécontent, a gambling and children's game that goes back to the early 16th century. Special packs of 32 cards were made for Vogelspiel, Hexenspiel or Hexelspiel. These comprised 2 sets of 10 picture cards and 1 set of numerals ranging from I to XII. The earliest surviving packs date to the second half of the 18th century and they were produced in Austria-Hungary and the Kingdom of Bavaria until the end of the century; one pack still being issued by Piatnik in the 1930s. The name Hexenspiel was used in Austria; the Bavarians called it Vogelspiel.

Cards

The pack comprises 32 cards with 12 numeral cards and 10 pairs of non-identical picture cards ranking from highest to lowest as shown. The actions shown are based on Adrian and Pichler; any variations being noted.

Card names and actions in Hexenspiel or Vogelspiel
Card name	Austrian/Bavarian	Action on being challenged
Bird	Pfeiff	No exchange takes place and the exchanger loses 2 lives
Guard	Werda	No exchange takes place and the exchanger loses a life
Cat	Miau	No exchange takes place and the exchanger loses a life
Horse	Hott	No exchange takes place and either (a) the exchanger loses a life (Adrian) or (b) all exchanges are reversed and the deal ends (Pichler)
Tavern	Einkerth	No exchange takes place and the exchanger loses a life. In Pichler, if challenger holds Plate, both lose a life
I – XII	I – XII	Cards exchanged. Note: Adrian only has cards I–X.
Nulla	Nulla	Cards exchanged. Note: Nulla is absent from Pichler's pack.
Plate	Deller, Teller	Cards exchanged.
Sausages	Wurst	Cards exchanged
Glass	Glas	Cards exchanged
The Fool	Narr	Cards exchanged
Witch	Hex	Cards exchanged

Rules

Smith (1991) states that while the ranking of the cards is consistent and clear from leaflets dating to the late 18th century and early 19th century, the actual rules of play are not very explicit, but may have been similar to those of Cuccù with the exception that the player with the lowest card was only penalised if either no-one has been penalised during play or if the person so penalised was unable to pay the full penalty.

Adrian

A description by Karl Adrian (1909) in a book on Salzburg's culture and customs gives much simpler rules. Four to twenty may play; everyone gets 1 card and has 3 lives. In turn, a player may keep the card dealt or exchange it with the left-hand neighbour. A neighbour with one of the matadors (top 5 cards) names it, the cards are not exchanged and the exchanger loses a life, or 2 lives if it is the Pfeiff. Presumably the dealer may exchange with the stock. Once everyone has had a turn, the cards are faced and the player with the lowest loses a life, or 2 if it is the Hex. The player with the most lives at the end, wins. The lives were recorded as lines (Striche), probably on a slate, and a stroke was erased each time a life was lost.

Pichler

There is a set of rules accompanying an 18th century Austrian pack of "Vogelspiel" cards by Johan Georg Pichler in the British Museum. The 32 cards are as described above and with the same ranking, except that the two Nulla cards are replaced by numerals XI and XII. The game is played "like Höllfahren in which cards are swapped around". Players may have 6 or 7 lives represented by little lines (Strichel), presumably marked on a slate, scoresheet or the table. A player with any of the matadors must not exchange it (on penalty of losing a life), but follows the instruction or says the word at the top of the card. Holding a Bird, the player whistles and the challenger loses 2 lives by erasing 2 lines; holding a Horse, the player says "that's the Horse" whereupon all exchanges are reversed, the deal ends and the player with the lowest card loses a life. If a player holding the Guard, Cat or Inn is challenged, they say "Guard", "Miaow" or "Stop and eat", the challenger loses a life. If a Plate holder tries to exchange with the Inn, both lose a life. Otherwise all must swap. The dealer may exchange with the top card of the stock; if that is not wanted, the dealer may exchange with the one below it. Once all have had the opportunity to exchange or stand on their card, the deal ends and the player with the lowest card loses a life. If the two lowest cards are equal, the dealer deals two more and the lowest loses. A player whose last line is erased is out of the game.

Bibliography

• Adrian, Karl (1909). "Das Kartenspiel" in Salzburger Volksspiele, Aufzüge und Tänze. pp. 46–48.
• Depaulis, Thierry (1981). "Quand le Cuccu est Mécontent". L'As de Trèfle. 11: 23–24.
• Endebrock, Peter (2018). "One of a Kind: Hexenspiel or Vogelspiel" in The Playing-Card, Vol. 47, No. 2 (Oct–Dec 2918), pp. 78–80.
• Smith, A. G. (1991). "The 'Cambio' Packs and the Games Played with Them. I. Hexenspiel and Quittli" in The Playing-Card, Vol. XIX, No. 3 (February 1991), pp. 93ff.

External links

• Hexenspiel at steffenvoelkel.com. Description and images.
• Hexenspiel (Vogelspiel) at endebrock.de. Description and images.
• Vogelspiel cards and rules at The British Museum