呪術トリック (Cursed Tricks)

Cursed Tricks, known in Japanese as 呪術トリック, debuted in 2019 offering a fun twist for fans of card games with humor and strategy. The game accommodates 3 to 4 players, lasts about 30 minutes, and carries a 1.5 weight on the BGG scale, indicating a lighter experience than many titles. The goal is straightforward: collect the most cards across several hands, but the way that happens gives the game its identity. Each captured card is worth 1 point, but if you win a trick, the winning card can “curse” you, preventing you from scoring points in that color. A second curse blocks all scoring, and upon reaching a third, the round ends immediately and the player receives negative points. Curses have their own rules: they can be passed to whoever wins a trick of the same color with a higher-ranked card than the current curse, and they can be broken when someone follows suit and plays the lowest card of that suit in the trick. Thus, strategy involves deciding when to try to win the trick, when to let the opponent take it, or when to use the lowest card to break a curse. In the end, the player with the most points wins, but the path to victory can be winding, demanding constant attention to curse rules and the cards in play. For those who enjoy card games with trick-taking mechanics and a touch of unpredictability, Cursed Tricks can be a great pick to test your mind and laugh at the twists a curse can bring.