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Martin GUnited Kingdom
Bristol
Don't fall in love with me yet, we've only recently met
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The playingcards.io site has given me a way to try out some of the Japanese trick-takers I've been reading about without massive shipping fees or having to physically proxy a copy. And I've taken full advantage with four different ones by Taiki Shinzawa (新澤 大樹), co-designer of the excellent Maskmen, all of them very interesting!
American Bookshop Card Game - 5 plays - 8
First Published 2019/pic5101143.jpg)
This one's the simplest and feels like it could be a Knizia. The crux is that tricks end early if the total value of cards reaches 15, with the player who breached that total taking the cards. If you stay below 15, it's high-card wins as normal. The dickishness comes in because you only score positive points for cards in suits you have the (sole) majority of, everything else is negative. Brilliant!
Time Palatrix - 3 plays - 7
First Published 2019/pic4812089.jpg)
And this is the most brain-twisting! Tricks are played in batches of 3 at a time. While *playing* cards to tricks, you have to follow (if possible) the suit that was first played to that trick. But when *resolving* them after everyone has played three cards, that might not turn out to be the lead suit of the trick at all! e.g. three blues and an orange in a trick where blue was played first, but when resolving the player who put the orange down wins the trick before so they 'lead' the orange and the blues are all throw-aways.
Zimbabweee Trick - 2 plays - 7
First Published 2019/pic4790537.jpg)
Dois - 2 plays - 7
First Published 2014/pic2401335.jpg)
These two are the most similar as they entangle each trick with previous ones, meaning you have to plan your run really carefully. In Dois the numbers and colours are on separate cards, of which you have one of each in front of you to show what you played to the trick. But you only get to play one card each trick, so you can only change either number or colour.
Zimbabweee doesn't have suits, just a Pairs deck (1x1, 2x2, 3x3... 10x10) and you have to follow number. But the tricks stack, so if you play 3 in the first and 7 in the second, that's 73. By the 12th trick you can hit the trillions! And the player who wins most tricks goes bust, High Society style.
Origin of Failing Water - 1 play - 6
First Published 2005/pic2542874.jpg)
Another Japanese trick-taker, but not a Taiki. It's a bit like Palatrix in that you play the tricks backwards before resolving them forwards, but the lack of any follow rule in the playing meant less control and shenanigans.
Tea Time - 5 plays - 6
First Published 2012/pic2666665.jpg)
This is about as complex a game as I can tolerate learning on BGA (i.e. not very complex at all!). It's not a bad little set-collection thing which amuses for the 10 minutes it takes.
QWERTYUIOP
QWERTYmartin's Unabridged Insights On Play
- [+] Dice rolls
