Trick and Trade

About this board game

Trick and Trade is a may-follow trick-taking game for 3–5 players, played in about 40 minutes. Set in a world of cryptocurrency speculation, it challenges players to compete across four suits representing rival currencies.

The game uses a separate deck of holdings cards to represent each player’s investments. During play, players compete in tricks, while the may-follow format gives the trick-taking decisions a distinctive structure. The cards that win tricks do more than determine immediate strength: they help establish the market values of the currencies.

At the end of each trick, the highest-ranked card in the lead suit moves to a market area. The market value of cards is inversely related to their rank, creating a shifting relationship between card strength and currency value. Players also draft holdings, choosing from a face-up display in card-strength order.

• Four suits represent the competing currencies.
• A separate holdings deck tracks players’ investments.
• Trick winners influence the eventual value of each currency.
• Players draft holdings from a face-up display after each trick.

When a hand ends, the currencies are ranked according to the cards from each suit that won tricks. The highest-valued currency is worth 3 points per matching holding, the next is worth 2, the third is worth 1, and the lowest-valued currency is worth -1.

Players then value their holdings, record their scores, and compare results. In Trick and Trade, winning tricks is only part of the plan: the currencies you help elevate can determine whether your holdings become valuable assets or costly speculation.