Volltreffer

About this board game

Volltreffer is a trick-taking card game for 3–5 players that takes around 30 minutes to play. Its three-phase structure combines hand building, meld-based scoring, and traditional trick-taking play in a race to finish closest to 66 points.

In the first phase, players buy their cards one at a time. This continues until every player has an eight-card hand, creating the starting point for the scoring decisions and tricks that follow.

The second phase gives players an opportunity to play melds for points. The available melds include three of a kind, all five colors, and the smallest sum, giving players several ways to turn their cards into scoring opportunities.

• Buy cards until each player holds eight cards.
• Play qualifying melds for points.
• Take part in a standard trick-taking phase where suit must be followed.
• Finish as close as possible to the target of 66 points.

In the third phase, Volltreffer becomes a standard trick-taking game. Players must follow suit with each trick, and every trick is worth points, making the cards remaining after the meld phase important to the final result.

The winner is not necessarily the player with the highest score. Instead, victory goes to the player who comes closest to the target score of 66 points. This gives the final outcome a precise objective and connects the earlier card-buying and meld choices with the closing tricks.

Released in 1999, Volltreffer offers a compact card-game experience built around a clear sequence of phases. With card purchasing, multiple meld types, and suit-following tricks all contributing to the score, it brings several familiar mechanisms together in one focused game.