If this writer were to trace the roots of his interest in board games, the lineage would eventually come to cribbage as one of the earliest games played and one still very much liked.
The classic card game, created in the early 1600s, is one of those afternoon-filling games that plays smoothly for two, three, or four players, with some time for chatting about the Blue Jays, Winnipeg Jets, or Saskatchewan Roughriders along the way.
Cribbage is also a game that has spawned more than three dozen variants and add-ons through the years, of which I probably have 15. These range from Kings Cribbage (the most-played game by my wife and me) to Cross Cribb to Round the Bases: Major League Cribbage.
Several are fine games, and others less so.
But they do keep popping up, and when they do, you are never sure which side of the equation, good or less so, they will fall on.
So when Cribbagio, created in 2025 by designer Dylan T. Davis, hit the table, we weren’t sure what to expect.
In this one, you get to play straight-up cribbage, but with dashes of spice added along the way.
Cribbagio starts the same as cribbage, except each player draws a “Peg Class” card. This card is used for the duration of the game and gives the player additional ways to score points in both the pegging and counting rounds.
So you might get a point for each diamond you play, or club, etc., or maybe you draw an extra card when it’s your crib.
The “Peg Class” cards, of which there are 10, seem well-balanced and are easy to assimilate into a game, as each only affects the player who drew it.
Then, whenever a player or team reaches or crosses the 30-, 60-, or 90-point mark on the cribbage board, they draw one Curse and one Buff card. These “Curse” and “Buff” cards can only be played once a round, right after the cut card has been revealed and right before the “Pegging Phase” begins. The cards are played in succession, and the dealer gets to play theirs last.
It’s here where the game gets kicked up a notch, as over a regular three-player game, a minimum of 18 of these cards can be played to influence things. Note that these cards are all one-hand-use only, so it keeps things simpler. There are no compounding cards over the course of the game, and no card has a chance to really “break” the core play.
“Curse Cards” are used to limit the number of points and/or cards your opponents will have that round, a little “take that.”
The positive is that they affect all opponents, so there is no targeting just the frontrunner, making these feel fairer.
For example, one Curse Card called “Smackdown” makes it so that opponents get zero points from their crib that round. Players can stack Curse Cards to create insane card combos, but again, they only affect one hand.
“Buff Cards” are meant to increase the points and/or cards that you get. For example, one Buff Card is “Captain Peg Legs,” which doubles the points you receive from pegging during that round.
Now, there will be traditionalists out there who will shake their heads at how Cribbagio twists a traditional favourite, but darn it, we at The Meeple Guild table became quick fans.
No card seemed overly powerful. Remembering to use the card “rules” was simpler because they generally apply to only one hand.
That said, they can be a difference-maker, as Guilder Adam used one to ensure a win on the first night we played with Cribbagio cards.
The special cards didn’t add a significant amount of time to a game either.
If you like cribbage and don’t mind a few curveballs and spitters in your game, Cribbagio is an easy recommendation. It’s staying close at hand for the Guild for a night when we have nothing else exactly planned.
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.
This One Adds a Dash of Spice to Traditional Cribbage
The classic card game, created in the early 1600s, is one of those afternoon-filling games that plays smoothly for two, three, or four players, with some time for chatting about the Blue Jays, Winnipeg Jets, or Saskatchewan Roughriders along the way.
Cribbage is also a game that has spawned more than three dozen variants and add-ons through the years, of which I probably have 15. These range from Kings Cribbage (the most-played game by my wife and me) to Cross Cribb to Round the Bases: Major League Cribbage.
Several are fine games, and others less so.
But they do keep popping up, and when they do, you are never sure which side of the equation, good or less so, they will fall on.
So when Cribbagio, created in 2025 by designer Dylan T. Davis, hit the table, we weren’t sure what to expect.
In this one, you get to play straight-up cribbage, but with dashes of spice added along the way.
Cribbagio starts the same as cribbage, except each player draws a “Peg Class” card. This card is used for the duration of the game and gives the player additional ways to score points in both the pegging and counting rounds.
So you might get a point for each diamond you play, or club, etc., or maybe you draw an extra card when it’s your crib.
The “Peg Class” cards, of which there are 10, seem well-balanced and are easy to assimilate into a game, as each only affects the player who drew it.
Then, whenever a player or team reaches or crosses the 30-, 60-, or 90-point mark on the cribbage board, they draw one Curse and one Buff card. These “Curse” and “Buff” cards can only be played once a round, right after the cut card has been revealed and right before the “Pegging Phase” begins. The cards are played in succession, and the dealer gets to play theirs last.
It’s here where the game gets kicked up a notch, as over a regular three-player game, a minimum of 18 of these cards can be played to influence things. Note that these cards are all one-hand-use only, so it keeps things simpler. There are no compounding cards over the course of the game, and no card has a chance to really “break” the core play.
“Curse Cards” are used to limit the number of points and/or cards your opponents will have that round, a little “take that.”
The positive is that they affect all opponents, so there is no targeting just the frontrunner, making these feel fairer.
For example, one Curse Card called “Smackdown” makes it so that opponents get zero points from their crib that round. Players can stack Curse Cards to create insane card combos, but again, they only affect one hand.
“Buff Cards” are meant to increase the points and/or cards that you get. For example, one Buff Card is “Captain Peg Legs,” which doubles the points you receive from pegging during that round.
Now, there will be traditionalists out there who will shake their heads at how Cribbagio twists a traditional favourite, but darn it, we at The Meeple Guild table became quick fans.
No card seemed overly powerful. Remembering to use the card “rules” was simpler because they generally apply to only one hand.
That said, they can be a difference-maker, as Guilder Adam used one to ensure a win on the first night we played with Cribbagio cards.
The special cards didn’t add a significant amount of time to a game either.
If you like cribbage and don’t mind a few curveballs and spitters in your game, Cribbagio is an easy recommendation. It’s staying close at hand for the Guild for a night when we have nothing else exactly planned.
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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