Somnia

About this board game

Somnia is a trick-taking game for 2–4 players that lasts about 45 minutes, challenging players to collect dream fragments while trying to escape nightmares. Each player begins with three lives, and the game ends when one player loses them all.

Cards belong to four suits and have point values ranging from 0 to 20. Players compete in hands, but earning the most points is not always the safest strategy. At the end of a hand, any player who finishes as a middler—with neither the most nor the least points—loses one life. A player who earns too many points may also lose a life.

The game’s trump suit is called the nightmare. It is determined by the suit of the first sluffed card: the first card played when someone cannot follow suit. Once established, the nightmare suit changes the ranks and point values of some of its cards, creating a shifting challenge as players evaluate each trick.

• Players: 2–4
• Play time: approximately 45 minutes
• Core play: trick-taking, point management, and life loss
• Card system: four suits with values from 0 to 20 points

Somnia is a transcription of the Swiss traditional trick-taking games Mittlere Jass, also known as Middler, and Molotov Jass. Its rules remain close to those traditions while simplifying card points and ranks, supported by its artwork and readable graphic design.

The 2-player rules are an original variant created as an homage to these traditions. Whether playing with two, three, or four participants, Somnia turns every hand into a balance between gathering points, avoiding the middle, and surviving the nightmare.