Description

User summary
???????? (Penta-Tricks) is a game about the power struggle between aristocrats in the 14th Century France, during the reign of Louis XIV. It combines trick-taking and area-majority.

During the game, changes occur to both the trick-taking trump and the value of areas for area majority points.

The game has Dice in the suit colours set up on a pentagram showing the value 2 at the start. The trick taking follows the normal pattern, with players following the suit lead if possible and the highest card winning. If there is a Trump suit, highest Trump card will win. But after each trick, the dice values change. The winning suit rises by 1 (or 2 if it was Trump). And one of the dice opposite that winning dice falls by 1. After this change, the lowest dice (if any) now becomes Trump.

But this change in dice values also affects the players' scoring. Before the trick winner adjusts the dice values, the losers place one or two cubes against the dice of the suit they played (or its neighbour). NOTE, the winner of the trick does not get to place cubes, but does choose which dice will drop 1 point. At the end of the round, majority cubes score the face value of the dice (except the Trump die), second most gets half rounded down. Tricks won are also worth 2 points each.

So the game becomes more than just winning tricks. Players want to lose tricks so they can place a cube (2 cubes if you lose on a Trump card) and gain majorities. But they also want to win tricks to control Trump or No Trump and lower the points on another dice.

Publisher's summary
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