Reapers

About this board game

Reapers is a trick-taking card game for 3–5 players, with games lasting about 60 minutes. Rooted in classics such as Hearts and Spades, it reshapes familiar play with open drafting, unusual scoring, and wagers that reward different approaches.

Instead of dealing cards directly, players build each hand by drafting from face-up piles of three cards. This gives everyone information to consider while choosing cards, creating opportunities to plan ahead and influence the options available to opponents.

During play, players compete to win tricks, but the winner does not simply score the trick itself. The winner scores the lowest-value card in that trick, making card values and trick composition especially important.

• Draft each hand from face-up piles of three cards.
• Play with four suits and two types of special cards.
• Score the lowest-value card in each trick you win.
• Wager on your intended approach before each hand.

Before each hand, players wager on how they expect to perform. Possible approaches include aiming to score the fewest points, aiming to score the second-most points, or choosing not to make a prediction. Each option can be viable, so success depends on reading the situation and committing to the right plan.

The game’s theme varies by edition. The first edition casts players as nefarious necromancers wagering with the souls of the damned, using dagger, poison, plague, and pistol suits alongside Reapers and Demons. The second edition invokes the Wild Hunt, with deer, snake, boar, and raven suits, plus Reapers and Rituals.

With its open drafting, distinctive scoring system, and flexible wagers, Reapers offers a fresh take on traditional trick-taking games.