Utsuke

About this board game

Utsuke is a trick-taking game for 2 to 5 players that plays in about 30 minutes. Released in 2024, it adds an unusual presence to the table: a face-up hand belonging to a non-player character known as The Lord.

Each hand deals cards to one more hand than there are players. The extra hand is placed face up for The Lord, giving everyone access to the cards that will be played on the Lord’s behalf. The rules determine how this hand is played and also establish the trump suit for the hand.

Before play begins, players bid on how many tricks The Lord will win. The accuracy of these bids matters: the player with the most accurate prediction earns points. However, winning more tricks than The Lord brings a penalty, creating an important tension between predicting the Lord’s performance and taking tricks yourself.

As the hand unfolds, players must account for the Lord’s visible cards, the rules governing the Lord’s play, and the current trump suit. The face-up hand makes the central challenge open to everyone, while the bidding gives each hand a clear target before the tricks begin.

• Players: 2–5
• Play time: approximately 30 minutes
• Core mechanic: trick-taking with bidding
• Special feature: a face-up hand for The Lord

The game ends when either a player reaches the specified number of victory points or a player has been eliminated. With its distinctive Lord hand, prediction-based scoring, and penalties for surpassing the Lord’s tricks, Utsuke offers a focused trick-taking experience built around reading a shared, visible hand.