Trick-Taking: The Trick-Taking Game
Trick-Taking: The Trick-Taking Game Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Set-Up
Shuffle the 50 Effect cards. Set the first card aside, face down; this card is known as the Ultimate Trick Card and will not be revealed until the end of the game. Deal the rest of the cards to each player until only one card remains. Players may not look at their cards. Deal the final card to the player who is most likely to disappear in a cloud of smoke. Give the Top Hat card to the player on that person's left.
The cards that have been dealt to you form your personal draw deck. Draw the top seven cards from your deck to create your hand for the first trick. You may only look at the cards in your hand. Any cards you win during the game go into your own face-up pile known as your Repertoire.
Gameplay
If you have the Top Hat, you lead the current trick by placing any card from your hand on the table, face-up as the Lead Card. The Effect of the Lead Card does not trigger at this time.
Place the Top Hat on top of the Lead Card so that the Lead Card's Rank and Effect are still visible. If the Lead Card has a Rank of 0-3, the Top Hat is placed with High Card Wins face up. If the lead card has a Rank of 4-7, the Top Hat is placed with Low Card Wins face up.
Each player, in clockwise order, then plays any card from their hand until there are 7 cards (including the Lead Card) in the trick at the end of any player's turn. Any card can be played to any trick, but only a card of the same Effect or Color as the Lead Card can win the trick. You may not "pass" on any of your turns unless you have no cards in your hand.
Whether or not a card can win the trick, you have the option of activating its effect when you play it.
The card with either the highest or lowest Rank (as determined by the Top Hat) that matches the Effect or Color of the Lead Card wins the trick. In the case of a tie, Effect trumps Color, which trumps an Illusion, which trumps the card with the highest/lowest printed rank. The Lead Card can win a trick.
At the resolution of the trick, each player takes one card from the trick for each Escape (including the Lead Card) that they have in the trick.
If multiple Escapes are in the trick, cards are taken in order of the Escapes' ranks (high to low, or vice-versa) as determined by the Top Hat. Cards taken are added to the players' Repertoires.
The remaining cards are moved into the Repertoire of the player who won the trick.
If all players' hands and draw decks are empty at the end of a trick, proceed to the Ultimate Trick. Otherwise, players draw cards from their personal draw decks until they have seven cards in hand or their draw deck is empty, whichever comes first.
It is possible for you to run completely out of cards before the seventh trick is played. This doesn't necessarily mean you are out of the game, but it does mean you can no longer participate until the Ultimate Trick.
Pass the Top Hat clockwise to the next player with at least one card in their hand and start the next trick.
The Ultimate Trick
The Ultimate Trick plays slightly differently than the first seven tricks, so be sure to read the remainder of the rules before proceeding. Look through the cards in your Repertoire and choose up to seven to create your hand for the Ultimate Trick. If your Repertoire is empty, the game is over for you.
After all players have created their hands, reveal the Ultimate Trick Card. Place the Top Hat on the Ultimate Trick card as normal. The Ultimate Trick Card is not controlled by any player, and cannot win the trick.
Starting with the player to the left of the player in possession of the Top Hat, play the trick until all players have taken two turns. The Ultimate Trick does not automatically end when seven cards are on the table.
Now determine which player is currently winning the trick. Starting with the player to the left of the currently winning player, each player may either take one turn or pass. However, you can only take a turn if doing so would make you the current winner of the trick. If you are forced to pass, you may be able to play again if the turn order gets back around to you.
If all other players have passed since you became the currently winning player, you win the Ultimate Trick and the game!
Card Effects
The Lead Card can never be Vanished, but otherwise any card may affect any other card in play.
- Conjure: Play up to two additional cards. You may not play additional cards in such a way that your turn ends with more than seven cards in the trick, except in the Ultimate Trick.
- Escape: At the resolution of the trick, take any card into your Repertoire.
- Illusion: This card is considered to be the same color as the Lead Card.
- Levitate: Place this card under any previously played card or stack of cards to increase the rank of the top card by the rank of the Levitate.
- Metamorphosis: Flip the Top Hat to its opposite side.
- Saw: Place this card under any previously played card or stack of cards to decrease the rank of the top card by the rank of the Saw.
- Vanish: Remove any card (other than the Lead Card) from the trick and return it to the hand of the player it is in front of. A card that is Vanished cannot be the next card you play to the current trick unless you have no other cards in your hand.
Levitate/Saw Stacks
The color and effect of a stack is determined by the card on top of the stack. The rank of a stack is determined by its top card modified by all Levitates and Saws beneath it.
Example: The rank of Metamorphosis 3 (Blue) with a Saw 1, Saw 5, and Levitate 7 beneath it would be 4 (3 -1 -5 +7 = 4).
If the Metamorphosis card is Vanished, the stack becomes Saw rank 3 (Violet) (1 -5 +7 =3). If the Levitate card is then Vanished, the stack becomes Saw rank -4 (Violet) (1 -5 = -4).
Optional Rules
Phantom Shuffle
To prevent a card counter from knowing the Ultimate Trick card before it is revealed, alter the rules as follows: During set-up, remove the Escape 0 card from the game. Then deal the cards normally without setting aside an Ultimate Trick card. After the resolution of the 7th trick players form their hands from their Repertoires as usual. Then shuffle all of the cards that are not in any players' hands and randomly choose one to be the Lead Card of the Ultimate Trick.
Sleight of Hand
To add a bit of unpredictability to the game, when you play a rank 4 Lead Card, you have the option of starting the Top Hat on either face. If the Ultimate Trick card is rank 4, the Top Hat starts on "Low Card Wins".
Player Aid Cards
The sheet includes four double-sided player aid cards. Each card repeats the following reference text.
- Conjure: Play up to two additional cards.
- Escape: At the resolution of the trick, take any card into your Repertoire.
- Illusion: This card is considered to be the same color as the lead card of the trick.
- Levitate: Add this card's rank to the rank of any previously played card.
- Metamorphosis: Flip the Top Hat to its opposite side.
- Saw: Subtract this card's rank from the rank of any previously played card.
- Vanish: Remove any card (other than the Lead Card) from the trick and return it to that player's hand.
- Highest/Lowest: The Highest/Lowest Card that matches the Lead Card's Effect or Color wins the trick. If there is a tie: Card Effect trumps Card Color trumps Illusion trumps Highest/Lowest Printed Rank.