Zero to Hero

About this board game

Zero to Hero is a tile-based trick-taking game for 3–5 players, with plays lasting about 45 minutes. Released in 2024, it gives familiar trick-taking ideas an unusual scoring twist: winning a trick can earn or lose points, and coming second can do the same.

Who wins or comes second is not always determined by the highest-value tile. Instead, players first sum the values of all tiles played in each suit. The strongest suit then decides the result, with the player who played its highest tile taking the top position.

This creates a constantly shifting contest in which the value of a play depends on the other tiles played alongside it. A low-value tile can even win a trick: a 2 takes the trick when it is the only tile played in its suit.

• Tile-based trick-taking for 3–5 players
• Winning a trick may gain or lose points
• Coming second may also gain or lose points
• Suit strength is determined by the summed values of played tiles
• A lone 2 can win a trick

The scoring system keeps every result meaningful, whether you take the lead or finish just behind it. Pay attention to the combined value of each suit and to opportunities for an unexpected win.

There is also a dramatic comeback condition. If you end a hand with exactly zero points, you can win the game outright in the next hand by gaining five or more points. In Zero to Hero, reaching zero is not necessarily the end—it can be the beginning of a final surge.