Idle Hands

About this board game

Idle Hands is a must-follow trick-taking game for 3–4 players, with games lasting about 30 minutes. Also known as 悪魔でお仕事, it adds a distinctive mission-card mechanism to every trick.

At the start of each trick, the lead suit is determined by an extra card played from among a player’s face-up mission cards. Players then follow the game’s must-follow rule as they compete to play the highest card of the lead suit.

The winner takes all the cards in the trick and adds the mission card to their hand. This creates an interesting tension: winning a trick gives you its cards, but collecting tricks is not automatically beneficial.

• Must-follow trick-taking: Compete for each trick while responding to the lead suit.
• Mission cards: A face-up mission card determines the lead suit and can enter the winner’s hand.
• Risky scoring: Every trick is worth points, while 4s and 8s are worth their face value in negative points.

Because the 4s and 8s carry negative values, the player who wins the most tricks may not be in the best position. Deciding when to pursue a trick—and when to avoid one—is central to managing your final score.

When the game ends, the player with the most points wins. More frequently, however, victory goes to the player with the fewest negative points, making every play and every captured card matter in Idle Hands.