Category Archives: Commentary

Tricks and Trumps #2: Variations on the Classics (1967-1990)

Posted on March 4, 2023 by Chris Wray

Tricks and Trumps #2: Variations on the Classics (1967-1990) This is our second entry in a thirteen-part series featuring trick taking games.  You can find the first entry here and the series introduction here. This entry will focus on trick … Continue reading →

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What makes trick-taking so enduring? And is it the most popular game mechanic on the planet? Eight trick-taking designers weigh in!

Posted on March 4, 2023 by Chris Wray

Trick-taking is one of the oldest card game mechanics: the first entry in our Tricks & Trumps series was Pitch, which dates to around 1600. I also have a theory that trick-taking is the most popular game mechanic on the … Continue reading →

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Trick-taking Week: The Artwork of Sai Beppu (Article by Chris Wray)

Posted on March 1, 2023 by Chris Wray

This week is about celebrating trick taking games, and today, we’re celebrating a leading artist of trick taking games, Sai Beppu! Historically, the trick taking game mechanic was packed with dull and drab art, but that has changed in recent … Continue reading →

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Trick Taking Week: An Interview with David Parlett

Posted on February 28, 2023 by Chris Wray

I started trick taking week by talking about the recent rise of trick-taking games. But the growth of trick taking games has been centuries in the making, and the spark that led to the era of designer games came decades … Continue reading →

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Seven Trick-Taking Games that Deserve a Reprint! (Article by Chris Wray)

Posted on February 28, 2023 by Chris Wray

I recently asked the Trick Taking Guild which out-of-print games they’d like to see reprinted. More than 120 members voted on more than 30 games. I promised the Guild I’d publicize the list, so here I am satisfying that promise! … Continue reading →

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Tricks and Trumps #1: The Classics Before 1965

Posted on February 27, 2023 by Chris Wray

This is a relaunch of our long-lost trick-taking series, Tricks & Trumps. You can find the series introduction posted just before this article; I’d recommend reading it first, since it lists the methodology we used to select the games discussed … Continue reading →

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