Seven great trick-taking games that expand on the classic mechanic
Whether you're looking for some ruthless or something to pass the time, these seven games offer unique trick-taking gameplay.
Well, it was bound to happen at some point. I was just destined to write about trick-taking again. While I sometimes talk about it like I’m constantly recommending trick-taking games (and I suppose to an extent I am), this is the first time in 2024 — and the first time in five months — that I’ve written something dedicated to the genre.
This week, I’m not bringing you much in the way thematically beyond “trick-takers I’ve enjoyed recently,” but there are some themes that might unfold.
As a further note, I’ll try to stick to common terms when describing these games, but I’ll use the following as shorthand. Must-follow means that the game features a suit that following players must (you guessed it) follow. (I play a heart, you’ve got to play a heart. That sort of thing.) Must-not-follow is the opposite of that.
Schadenfreude is one of the hot trick-taking games out of Japan, making plenty of top trick-taker lists — and with good reason. It takes the basic elements of many trick-takers — it’s a must-follow game with no trump suit — and it adds just a few delightful twists. First, you win a trick if you play the second-highest card of the lead suit. Second, you can only have one card of a specific number; if you collect a second one, both are discarded. The game ends when at least one player surpasses 40 points; the winner is the player who is the closest to 40 points without going over. It’ll drive you nuts. It’s so good. Designed by ctr. Schadenfreude has yet to see a U.S. release, but it’s also not too difficult to import — and several places, like Tanuki Games and Tricky Imports, have regularly stocked the game.
Inflation! is a must-follow trick-taking game that features no suits at all, just numbers. When the lead player plays a number, you’ll have to play that same number. It also deviates from standard trick-taking fare in that you never pick up your cards after a trick — instead, the cards you play combine to make increasingly big numbers. (Hence the name.) As an example, if you play a 1 in the first round then a 2 in the second, your number in the second round will be a 21. If you meet your bid set at the beginning of the round, you’ll score double points — but if you’re the player who won the most tricks and you didn’t make your bid, you simply lose the round. (cue Gene Wilder) Designed by Taiki Shinzawa, published in English by New Mill Industries.
Charms is another Taiki Shinzawa design, and it was released in English alongside Inflation! — but while it’s similar in that it’s a must-follow game with a bidding component and that you don’t pick up cards after a trick, this one features suits. Unlike most suited card games, the suits are on separate cards from the numbers, and you’ll be playing cards or numbers to make your trick follow the lead player’s suit. That twist is a compelling one. Designed by Taiki Shinzawa, published in English by New Mill Industries.
double side play is a fairly straightforward must-follow trick-taking game — for the first set of six tricks in a round, at least, where you’re reading the black numbers on cards. After that, you’ll flip the cards upside down, reading white numbers instead. Those white and black numbers on cards each have a difference of 6 — so 1s have a 7, 12s have a 6, and so on and so forth. Like our two preceding games, you’ll be aiming to meet a specific bid. The first player to hit their bid exactly at the end of two rounds will win. Designed by locogame. Not published in English just yet, but Allplay picked it up, so you’ll be able to find it quite easily at that point.
Seas of Strife is not the most difficult to follow trick-taker, making it perfect for introducing to new players. The twist in this must-follow game is simple: If somebody ever plays off-suit, that new suit becomes one of the eligible suits to follow. The highest card among all played cards wins the trick, and you certainly don’t want to win a trick. There’s a major variant (the Strife variant) the rules specify as “the way the designer intended,” where playing the highest possible card in each suit into a trick makes that suit no longer eligible to win. It’s definitely a bit different of a game, and it adds more nuance. I don’t know that it’s strictly necessary, but I do think it’s worth playing the “correct” way. Designed by Mark Major, published by Rio Grande Games and generally widely available.
Trick of the Rails goes a bit beyond trick-taking, but not in the way that a game like Brian Boru does. This is absolutely a trick-taking game, but it’s also a train game, complete with company stocks. If that sounds like it’s up your alley, it probably is. I’m glad I’ve played it, and I’d like to play it again, but is it a game I’ll break out with just anybody? Absolutely not. It’s not that it’s particularly complicated, but it’s more that it feels a bit heavier to play. I think it’s exceedingly neat. Designed by Hisashi Hayashi and available to import from the Portland Game Collective.
Potato Man is a must-not-follow game — once a player leads with a suit, no other player can play that suit. The highest-ranked card wins. If somebody ever can’t not-follow the lead suit, the round just ends. Of course, there’s more than that. The range of numbers for each suit differ, and when you win a trick, you’ll get to take a scoring card for the color of your card. The suits with lower ranks have higher-value scoring cards, but they’ll also be the most difficult to win. This is super neat, and there’s even a great free app implementation courtesy of Trickster’s Table. Designed by Günter Burkhardt and Wolfgang Lehmann. Widely available.
Thank you, as always, for reading Don’t Eat the Meeples! I do hope this email finds you well. I’ve just returned from vacation, and while we didn’t play too many games (we were quite busy most of the time, actually), I packed several of these games with me, and we even played a couple of them.
If you’re interested in playing some trick-taking (or climbing!) games with me on Board Game Arena — Haggis, maybe? The Crew? Hearts! — I’m moonty there. (Or, you know, any other game you’re interested in playing. I’ve been playing with a couple of readers and have absolutely loved it. Let’s bee friends. It says bee, and there’s a picture of a bee on it! Ha.)
