2025
Ultimate Pegs and Jokers
Ultimate Pegs is a faithful digital recreation of the beloved board game, which combines the strategy of Chess with the luck-of-the-draw of card games. The objective is simple: be the first team to race all of your pegs from your "Home" base, around the board, and into the safety of your "Safe" zone. Using cards from a standard deck (plus Jokers!), players move their pegs, "bonk" opponents to send them back to the start, and strategically use special cards like the all-powerful Joker to swap positions on the board. The game is best played in teams, where coordination and partnership are the keys to victory.
Timeline
2 months
Stack
React · Nextjs · Tailwind CSS · Firebase
Outcome
Real-time 2v2 multiplayer with in-game chat and spectator mode on Firestore
The problem
Pegs and Jokers is a beloved family board game — part chess strategy, part card-draw luck — but it only works when everyone's around the same table with the physical board. Ultimate Pegs set out to bring that experience online faithfully, so partners can play their favorite team game together no matter where they are, without losing the rules and rituals fans already love.
The build
Built with Next.js, React, and Tailwind CSS, the game runs on Firebase Firestore for smooth real-time multiplayer and secure Google/email authentication. A lobby system handles shareable invite links and team arrangement before a match starts, and AI fills the gaps: smart bots take empty seats so a game can start anytime, and a game-strategist AI offers move suggestions when a player is stuck. Customizable rule variations (splitting 7s, backward 8s) preserve the house rules different groups play by.
Pegs and Jokers is a family board game — part chess strategy, part card-draw luck — that really only works when everyone’s crowded around the same table. Ultimate Pegs brings it online without losing the rules and rituals fans already play by, so partners can run their favorite 2v2 team game from anywhere.
It’s built with Next.js, React, and Tailwind, and runs on Firebase Firestore for smooth real-time multiplayer and Google or email sign-in. A lobby handles shareable invite links and team setup before a match, and AI fills the gaps: smart bots take empty seats so a game can start without a full four, and a game-strategist AI offers a hint when someone’s stuck on a move. Customizable variations like splitting 7s and backward 8s let each group keep the house rules they grew up on, and in-game chat, a spectator mode, and the position-swapping Joker round out the table.
It’s live at ultimatepegs.com.
The outcome
The game delivers faithful 2v2 team play online with all the special moves — Aces, Jacks, Eights, and the position-swapping Joker — intact. Real-time multiplayer, in-game chat, a spectator mode, and AI bots mean a full game can come together on demand, whether or not four humans are available.
- Real-time 2v2 multiplayer with in-game chat and spectator mode on Firestore
- Smart AI bots to fill empty seats and AI-powered move suggestions
- Lobby system with shareable invite links and pre-game team setup
- Customizable rule variations plus secure Google/email authentication
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