Cheez-Tricks

About this board game

Cheez-Tricks is a trick-taking and avoidance game for 2–5 players that takes about 40 minutes to play. You play as rats competing to grab cheese while trying not to fall into the cats’ traps.

Each round, players play a hand of cards using familiar trick-taking rules. You must follow suit when able, and trump cards can influence who wins each trick. The challenge comes from the cats: special missions must be avoided during the round, turning every hand into a test of timing and judgment.

Cat missions can create different dangers from one round to the next. Examples include having the most cards of a particular value, holding one specific card such as the red 7, or winning a designated trick.

• Avoid having the most 8s.
• Avoid one specific card, such as the red 7.
• Avoid winning trick number 4.

Points are awarded for tricks won and for the cats you avoid. However, the game offers a tempting alternative: rather than simply steering clear of every danger, you may try to face them all for even more points. This creates a balance between collecting tricks and carefully managing the risks in your hand.

After a certain number of rounds, the player with the most points wins. Inspired by Hearts and The Crew, Cheez-Tricks combines traditional trick-taking structure with changing objectives that keep each round focused on both what you want to win and what you need to avoid.