Null & Nichtig

About this board game

Null & Nichtig is a trick-taking card game for 3–5 players that plays in about 30 minutes. Players collect cards by winning tricks, then arrange those cards into colored piles where only the top card of each pile scores.

The deck contains five suits, but players do not need to follow suit when playing cards. Instead, suits matter during scoring: they create five separate scoring opportunities in every round.

As the game progresses, players divide their collected cards into piles by color. The order of cards in each pile is crucial, because only the point value of the topmost card in each pile counts at the end of the round. Building piles is therefore an important part of turning won tricks into points.

• Players: 3–5
• Playing time: approximately 30 minutes
• Five suits and five scoring opportunities each round
• No requirement to follow suit during play

The goal is straightforward: score as many points as possible. Since the cards you win are sorted by color and only the exposed card in each pile matters, every trick can affect how your final score takes shape.

The game lasts for as many rounds as there are players, giving the full table multiple chances to collect cards and improve its scoring position. Originally released in 2006, Null & Nichtig offers a compact card-game experience built around tricks, color-based piles, and carefully timed scoring.