Druids

About this board game

Druids is a trick-taking card game for 3–5 players, played in about 45 minutes. Across five rounds, players compete to collect experience in the knowledge domains they want while avoiding a disastrous combination of colors.

Each player receives a hand from a deck containing five colors, with cards numbered 1–12 in every color. Players play tricks, and the winner places the cards won in front of themselves, sorted by domain. When a trick gives a player multiple cards of the same color, the lowest-valued card is placed on top.

The central challenge is knowing which domains to pursue and which to avoid. A round ends when all cards have been played, or immediately when one player collects cards in all five colors. That second outcome can turn a strong collection into a liability.

• Five knowledge domains: Build collections by color and track the card visible on top.
• Risky trick-taking: Entering an unwanted domain makes you lose all knowledge gained that round.
• Special cards: Avoid an unwanted trick or remove cards of one color from a player’s holdings.

If a player gathers all five colors during a round, that player receives negative points for the cards collected, while everyone else scores positively for their topmost card in each color. If all cards are played instead, all players score. After five complete rounds, the player with the most points wins.

With its shifting trick outcomes and sharp scoring risk, Druids rewards careful choices about both the cards you win and the domains you leave untouched.