In the world of card games, where hundreds of games exist, there are trick-takers galore.
It’s a card game mechanic almost everyone with a standard 52-card deck in the house has played, with whist, hearts, spades and Euchre among the better-known traditional games.
Tricky Twist, by designer Taylor Reiner and publisher Sit Down! Games (www.sitdown-games.com), joins the list, although it is not technically played with a traditional card deck.
In fact, one of the best features here is the amazing art by Marie Ooms. The strong graphics on the cards are really stunning.
Ultimately, though, there are just four “suits” of 12 cards each, so a standard deck could have accomplished much the same thing.
Where the difference lies is in a small group of “special cards” that players can gather, which affect scoring or enhance what you have available to score each round.
These cards could have been created using standard suits rather than the unique ones in Tricky Twist and offered in a small envelope, which could have made this a low-cost little card game add-on.
That said, the cards here look great, and the tarot size is nice too, although it does make finding sleeves a bit more challenging.
There are some neat mechanics here. For example, in Tricky Twist, losing tricks can often be more important than winning them.
That is a mind twist to get used to, and a nice change of pace.
If you manage to retrieve the card you played, it comes back to you face up as a “false trick.”
To multiply your victory points, you must not only balance the number of tricks and false tricks you have, but also optimize the cards you’ve transformed into false tricks. For example, you might try to align all your false tricks into a perfect sequence of values.
The added rules are the key element here and lift Tricky Twist into something worth a long look.
Will it become your go-to trick-taker? Maybe not, as there are simpler and more familiar games you will likely opt for first. But dedicated trick-taking fans will want to mark this one as an easy addition to the want list.
About Author
Calvin Daniels is a Saskatchewan-born, self-taught journalist. He is currently Editor of Yorkton This Week, with 35-years in the newspaper business.
Tricky Twist
It’s a card game mechanic almost everyone with a standard 52-card deck in the house has played, with whist, hearts, spades and Euchre among the better-known traditional games.
Tricky Twist, by designer Taylor Reiner and publisher Sit Down! Games (www.sitdown-games.com), joins the list, although it is not technically played with a traditional card deck.
In fact, one of the best features here is the amazing art by Marie Ooms. The strong graphics on the cards are really stunning.
Ultimately, though, there are just four “suits” of 12 cards each, so a standard deck could have accomplished much the same thing.
Where the difference lies is in a small group of “special cards” that players can gather, which affect scoring or enhance what you have available to score each round.
These cards could have been created using standard suits rather than the unique ones in Tricky Twist and offered in a small envelope, which could have made this a low-cost little card game add-on.
That said, the cards here look great, and the tarot size is nice too, although it does make finding sleeves a bit more challenging.
There are some neat mechanics here. For example, in Tricky Twist, losing tricks can often be more important than winning them.
That is a mind twist to get used to, and a nice change of pace.
If you manage to retrieve the card you played, it comes back to you face up as a “false trick.”
To multiply your victory points, you must not only balance the number of tricks and false tricks you have, but also optimize the cards you’ve transformed into false tricks. For example, you might try to align all your false tricks into a perfect sequence of values.
The added rules are the key element here and lift Tricky Twist into something worth a long look.
Will it become your go-to trick-taker? Maybe not, as there are simpler and more familiar games you will likely opt for first. But dedicated trick-taking fans will want to mark this one as an easy addition to the want list.
About Author
Calvin Daniels
Calvin Daniels is a Saskatchewan-born, self-taught journalist. He is currently Editor of Yorkton This Week, with 35-years in the newspaper business.
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