Top 10 Trick Taking Card Games - our BEST as of 2023!

We've been getting more and more into trick taking games, even though neither of us grew up playing them! There's so many to choose from now, and since we have 40 or so in our collection we thought we'd talk through our ranking of them and what makes them so great. We quickly realised the fact that Amy loves more interactive games (as usual) and Maggie was more focused on cracking the puzzles!
Links and spoilers in the timestamps below!
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Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:38 ~~3 Disclaimers~~ The Inclusion Criteria
02:30 Honorable Mention 1
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04:32 Honorable Mention 2
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07:22 Honorable Mention 3
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10:01 Amy's number 10
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14:24 Maggie's number 10
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17:19 Maggie's number 9
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20:28 Amy's number 8
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24:14 Maggie's number 8
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27:03 Amy's number 7
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30:24 Amy & Maggie's number 6
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34:02 Amy's number 5 & Maggie's number 7
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39:16 Amy's number 4
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42:25 Amy & Maggie's number 3
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45:31 Amy's number 2 & Maggie's number 5
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49:39 Maggie's number 2
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52:26 Amy's number 1 & Maggie's number 4
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57:50 Maggie's number 1 & Amy's number 9
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01:01:07 Wrap up
Thanks for stopping by for our Top 10 Trick Taking list (as of 2023!) We're Amy & Maggie aka ThinkerThemer. We're an Australian couple with two very different perspectives of what makes a great board game - Amy (Thinker) is all about the mechanics and enjoys tight, competitive games, and Maggie (Themer) is all about the storytelling and the theme of the game, and the 'world' that the designer is trying to create. Subscribe to our channel to hear us talk about these two elements of a game, and how well integrated we feel these are in delivering a cohesive and wonderful game experience.
#board games #tabletop games #thinkerthemer ❤🏳️‍🌈🇦🇺

Пікірлер: 68

  • @ClaudeAndTaylor
    @ClaudeAndTaylor Жыл бұрын

    What a lovely list!!! Great surprises and i love to see the crossover!! Thanks so much for the awesome video and for highlighting these gems!!!

  • @jdhouse6563
    @jdhouse656328 күн бұрын

    Cat in the Box is my 2nd favorite trick taking game. Tichu is by far my group's favorite. It's a 4 player partnership game with very deep play, especially if the group agrees on a passing convention similar to how bidding conventions are used in Bridge We've been playing it very regularly for 20+ years and never tire of it.

  • @danielakalinouski
    @danielakalinouski25 күн бұрын

    Amazing list. I'd love to know about your best 2 players' trick-taking games.

  • @afrank525
    @afrank525 Жыл бұрын

    My favorite content creators + my favorite genre = heaven!

  • @derekbuzan4386
    @derekbuzan4386 Жыл бұрын

    Yesss! I love Boast or Nothing! This was an amazing video. You came in swinging with a ton of fun sounding games that I never heard of.

  • @5ammy13
    @5ammy13Ай бұрын

    The Crew, Fox in the Forest, Cat in the Box and Inside Job are in my collection 😃

  • @martinfreire86
    @martinfreire86 Жыл бұрын

    Marshmallow Test is AMAZING. So simple, but one of the most tense trick-taking games I've played. I haven't tried Voodoo prince.

  • @drunkenflamingo
    @drunkenflamingo Жыл бұрын

    Some of my favorites: Tindahan (Filipino Fruit Market), Joraku, American Book Shop, and The Bottle Imp

  • @AndrewRStiles
    @AndrewRStiles10 ай бұрын

    Another great video, and some very good choices! glad you are exploring this underrated genre, but it's also growing quickly. I adore trick taking games.

  • @jameskirk4692
    @jameskirk4692 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for this top list! I love trick taking card games, you gave me lots of suggestions I will probably like and should get them.

  • @RynoKenny
    @RynoKenny18 күн бұрын

    Please do this series every year! I just made my Tokyo hunting list much longer >.

  • @TheBoardGameDojo
    @TheBoardGameDojo Жыл бұрын

    Fantastic list! Lots of great games on there from the harder to find ones to ones frequently at FLGS and OLGS.

  • @monicamurphy6552
    @monicamurphy6552 Жыл бұрын

    This was a GREAT video!! My absolute favorite mechanic. A few games I've been looking for and a few I haven't heard of. My favorite on your list is Cat in the box. Soooo different.

  • @topazhk
    @topazhkАй бұрын

    Thanks so much for this top 10. I totally agree with your high opinion of Nokosu Dice - which rewards good card play rather than with other factors. Right from the dealing of the cards and two allocated dice, the drafting of the three remaining dice is interesting even before the game has started. And what a rush when all the dynamic planning pays off. The other games on your list look cool too so I must check them out. My favourite trick-taker is an old game called Was Sticht! by Karl-Heinz Schmiel. If you like competitive, interactive card play that (again) rewards good play with a win, it’s an all-time favourite of mine. I think it was available in a Japanese printing. It’s so much fun! Thanks again!

  • @thomhall7904
    @thomhall790410 ай бұрын

    Lovely list with a reasonable disclaimer on which games were included. Well done, thanks for the suggestions!

  • @losfp
    @losfp4 ай бұрын

    Aaaaaaaand that's 7 new entries on my BGG wishlist. Great video guys, I'm always on the lookout for interesting small box card games. They're great for travel and provide good bang for buck, or at least bang for space!

  • @whataboutki
    @whataboutki Жыл бұрын

    Great list. I had Gudetama and Marshmallow Test on watch list already but now have a bunch of new games that I'll be keeping an eye out for also.

  • @oscararias6052
    @oscararias60522 ай бұрын

    From All play easy to get: 9 lives(spacial biding), Sail(coop), Mori(dice as cards) Not necessarily easy to get: Joraku(area majority), Twinkle starship(card number can be modified when played + modifier "segments" left determines bid), wizard(classic), for Northwood(solo), Jekyll vs Hyde(duel)

  • @izzybee6438
    @izzybee6438 Жыл бұрын

    Love this list! I grew up playing whole evenings of trick- taking games with my family and love them. Some of my favourites are Marshmallow Test, Bottle Imp and Fox in the Forest. I didn't know that Yokai Septet plays well at 3 so will try that one out next. Have had a friend in Japan keeping an eye out for me for Nokusu Dice but no luck so far. Hope they reprint that one soon. Thanks for all the recommendations :)

  • @blore217
    @blore21710 ай бұрын

    great job guys, I just love the content and the delivery of the content

  • @FrogOnBoards
    @FrogOnBoards Жыл бұрын

    Glad to see you doing another top 10!

  • @xandermichael78
    @xandermichael7811 ай бұрын

    I love adding games to the ever growing grail game list! Thanks for a few more! 😆

  • @xandermichael78

    @xandermichael78

    11 ай бұрын

    Just saw Nokosu Dice added to the Spiel list!! So excited!!

  • @flamtzer
    @flamtzer Жыл бұрын

    Amazing list, there are so many that I've been looking for in a while... SOMEDAY! At home we really enjoy American Bookshop and 9 lives, they are pretty straightforward so they are way easier to teach and introduce to people. We made our own copy of Nokosu Dice, it really is amazing, we just have to get more plays of it. ❤🌈

  • @downward_facing_dad
    @downward_facing_dad Жыл бұрын

    Tournament at Camelot and the standalone expansion Tournament at Avalon are some of my favorite games, and they have been a hit with any group I've introduced them to. (Two couples have even picked up copies for themselves because they liked it so much.) It's the chaos of Cosmic Encounter wrapped into a trick-taking game, themed to an Arthurian brawl with killer artwork to boot. They've actually replaced Cosmic Encounter for us. Definitely give them a try if you haven't played them yet!

  • @Bblaubaer
    @Bblaubaer11 ай бұрын

    Amazing list! Cat in the box is definitely a big thing. We had so much fun when someone accidentally created a paradox ("oh no, not me again!"). Have not heard of dikitto, but it looks sooo delicious! Great artwork. Nokosu dice seems to be reprinted and sold at Essen 2023 (on which you gonna be, too?). Will try to get my hands on it as it sounds like the game I need to have! Thanks again for this great video. So much fun watching you ☀️🥳🌈😎

  • @craigsomerton2359
    @craigsomerton2359 Жыл бұрын

    You guys really need to try Texas Showdown, which is being re-released soon as Seas of Strife. 8 different asymmetric suits ranging from 11 cards through to 4 cards. Must follow, but if If you are off-suit you can play any card, and players following can choose to follow any suit now in play. So many hilarious moments. Plays best at 5-6 players.

  • @darlene7165
    @darlene7165 Жыл бұрын

    An awesome video as usual! Love trick taking! I am a "way back when" player. We use to play Spades and Hearts at work during lunch hour back in the 1990's! Whew....I haven't played those two games in probably 20 years! But love the new modern trick taking games. My faves are (in no order yet), Cat in the Box, Fox in the Forrest (one of Laura's favorite games so it gets played a lot), Jekyll vs Hyde, Claim, and The Crew. I also enjoy Diamonds as it is an easy one to teach new gamers and Three Dragon Ante: Legendary Edition. A new favorite of mine is "For Northwood”, which is a solo trick taking game. You wouldn't think it would work but it does and I do enjoy playing it. I haven't played most of the games on your list but am looking forward to it. Nokosu Dice and Marshmellow Test both sound great and are on my list to find! Trick Taking games that I own but haven't played yet are: Skull King, Yokai Septet (from watching Monique and Naveen), and Ghosts of Christmas. Can't wait to play some Trick Takers with you girls at the next DTW in the Outback !

  • @TeamCGS2005
    @TeamCGS20056 ай бұрын

    I love The Crew and the sequel even more. Subscribed!

  • @SGFlicksify
    @SGFlicksify7 ай бұрын

    Very pleased to see Nokosu Dice and Cat in the Box at the top of your lists! Both Trumps games with extra ingenious twists! I think if Nokosu Dice was ‘repackaged’ as well as CitB it would be a big hit. Like others, I’ve cobbled together my own version, using Battle Line cards (with no. 10 cards counting as zero), which works really well. I def put these 2 games in a league of their own. Cheers! 😎

  • @rebekamiller9953
    @rebekamiller9953 Жыл бұрын

    Have you guys watched Deadloch yet? One of the characters, Cath, has the same sweater as Maggie (the blue one with the colorful coral looking shapes). It’s a great show, my wife and I love it - we have a feeling you will like it too. Cheers from Ann Arbor!

  • @MadMark118
    @MadMark118 Жыл бұрын

    Interesting list, though I'm not sure how many of these I'll get to play. Cat in the Box is very fun, but I think I prefer Ghosts of Christmas. I don't know if you've played, but each trick is 3 tricks in one (past, present and future) and you're playing into all 3 together, but they execute in order. Whomever wins each trick ends up leading the next part. Finally, have you tried Joraku? It's an area control game where what you can do is determined by the card you happen to play, but if you win the trick, you score the area where your daimyo happens to be.

  • @ChrisLowResDream
    @ChrisLowResDream8 ай бұрын

    thanks🎉

  • @attmay82
    @attmay8220 күн бұрын

    I am a tiny bit sad but not at all surprised that Time Chase isn't on here. It is not as good as Cat in the Box. But it's a fun brain bender as you use time crystals to decide if you want to travel back in time to previous tricks at the end of each round to change who won. Or even change what trump is by going back before the start of the game

  • @CoUNtryForEva
    @CoUNtryForEva11 ай бұрын

    the best trick taking game i played so far is called wizard

  • @aba_dab_o
    @aba_dab_o11 ай бұрын

    Thanks for the video! Apologies if I have repeated comments before. · I don't own too many track taking games (just *Diamonds* and *Wizard* I think) as I felt bored out of them after being in night owl online Spades leagues for almost 20 years. (Longer than I should have.) I'm still open to playing them, just not as immensely eager as before. · *Marshmallow Test.* If I knew it was a Reiner Knizia game, I would have looked into this long ago. _Easily_ a game that I could introduce to and play with friends and fam. It had been published in North America by Gamewright, but it is now out of print according to their product page. Yet Knizia's games often get rereleased, so crossing fingers this game does so. · *Skull King* is a signature trick taker, simply on the bidding of tricks to take like in Spades and the increasing hand size like in Wizard. I'm more intrigued to the all-dice Würfelspiel version of the game, which I believe has been reimplemented as *Mino Dice* (published by Playte of South Korea). · *Nokosu Dice.* Moreover, I have been intrigued on trick-taking games where dice are or can be used in each trick. So this one I definitely want to give a go. The name is also familiar: BGG tweeted a week ago that a new English/Japanese edition of the game will be available at SPIEL '23. So yes, this game will be a hot commodity come October. twitter.com/BoardGameGeek/status/1679526135049191426

  • @beakerkell
    @beakerkell Жыл бұрын

    Played cat in the box recently and it was so good! Solid choice. Also, do you know where they got Nokosu dice? I live in Japan and haven't seen it around. Hopefully I can find my own copy! :)

  • @malexander4094
    @malexander40947 ай бұрын

    No Taiki Shinzawa!? I really love American Bookshop for the blackjack-esque busting & how you must play on defense to be good. I might prefer it (slightly) to 9 Lives, because I don't love the latter with 3 players as much. But 9 Lives was my trick-taker gateway, somewhat by accident. It's wonderful. I hear lovely things about Ghosts of Christmas, too.

  • @ThinkerThemer

    @ThinkerThemer

    7 ай бұрын

    Ooo we own all three of these but none of them quite made it into our top 10s! Fun games though, there's just too many to choose from :) may the tricktaking moment long continue

  • @ShuffleUpandDeal32
    @ShuffleUpandDeal3211 ай бұрын

    Marshmallow Test was already widely available before through Gamewright before they discontinued it.

  • @davidwitzany5852

    @davidwitzany5852

    22 күн бұрын

    That's a real shame. I'm glad I nabbed it while it was available in the U.S.

  • @RobertHovakimyan55
    @RobertHovakimyan55 Жыл бұрын

    Some recent favorites are Pumafiosi and Shamans. Pumafiosi is another Knizia trick taker like VP/Marshmallow Test and it has another ingenious twist! Shamans incorporates a really cool social deduction system where only 1 player wins at the end.

  • @Naru-Maki
    @Naru-Maki5 ай бұрын

    I am curious have you played Schadenfreude at 3 or less players? I've just stumbled on it recently and saw on Taylor's Trick Taking Table Channel that at 3 you remove cards 9, -1 & -2 and was curious to know if you both noticed a difference and if you had a preference at 3 or more players. Thanks for the video!

  • @stevekingswell9143
    @stevekingswell9143 Жыл бұрын

    Nice list, did you ever get to play Shaman?

  • @andreaferraglio2025
    @andreaferraglio202510 ай бұрын

    Hi, nice list, what you think about King Tricktakers at two? Most trick taking game doesn't work well at this player count? Have you evere tried Tricktakers?

  • @Jeff_Pusch
    @Jeff_Pusch Жыл бұрын

    Cat in the Box is one of my favorite games in the last 12 months.

  • @chofmann
    @chofmann6 ай бұрын

    What about the "almost cooperative" trick-taking game "inside job"? One day we played with a player that openly announced to be a traitor in every round, and everybody else started to doubt that he is, but he was like 5 our of 7 times or so. It was hilarious. Also, similarly in the realm of trick-taking x social deduction is "Shamans" which I didn't yet play, because it is a pretty big box.

  • @numberswoman4224
    @numberswoman4224 Жыл бұрын

    My friend has Nokosu Dice, must get her to bring it to game night! Love Cat in the Box too but don’t own it

  • @2bearnest
    @2bearnest7 ай бұрын

    The Crew, Cat in the Box, Fox in the Forest

  • @johns6177
    @johns6177 Жыл бұрын

    the ice cream game now on my must buy list.

  • @trig656
    @trig656 Жыл бұрын

    For what it's worth, Boast or Nothing is actually a Korean design.

  • @ThinkerThemer

    @ThinkerThemer

    Жыл бұрын

    Yesss that's what my brain was telling me as I stumbled!!! Thank you!!

  • @renatechandler9375
    @renatechandler93759 ай бұрын

    Nokosu Dice should be available in Essen. After this video I hope I can get a copy.

  • @robertjackson8246
    @robertjackson8246 Жыл бұрын

    Heavy nodding.... "It's DELUXIFIED.... it's fancy as..." (pause).

  • @Vonkater
    @Vonkater11 ай бұрын

    I have skull king with different art . 😊 great game ! Do you have Nevermore ? It has nice art and theme.😉👍🇺🇸

  • @bookaddict777
    @bookaddict777 Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the video, ladies. I wish I could say that trick taking games are favorites here, but sadly they are not.

  • @academicosdoboardgame2907
    @academicosdoboardgame2907 Жыл бұрын

    Try to get to know Sronks, a game recently released here in Brazil that combines trick taking with stock market fluctuation.

  • @pourquoipasdemain9884
    @pourquoipasdemain9884 Жыл бұрын

    I have some issues with trick taking games, I dunno why but I tend to not fully understand them 🙈 also, I have a question, I think I heard you talk about your discord server in some videos, and I would love to know how I can access it if it’s possible

  • @Shelby-xz4qk
    @Shelby-xz4qk5 ай бұрын

    Are the instructions in english for the shock game??

  • @waldemarcordero5932
    @waldemarcordero593211 ай бұрын

    Can you write the names of the card games you share in this video specially those from Japan. I could not see the names from the video. And...Do you know where I can buy those games online?

  • @ShuffleUpandDeal32
    @ShuffleUpandDeal3211 ай бұрын

    Wish other people could find Nokosu Dice

  • @shortydancer
    @shortydancer Жыл бұрын

    Wait, how can Maggie have any these as favorite is they are essentially themeless?! As the Themer, she should get the same feelings as abstract games, as these are all essentially abstract games!

  • @truelifetales

    @truelifetales

    11 ай бұрын

    Watch the video featuring their favorite abstract games or Amy talking about theme in Hegemony if you REALLY want your mind blown. 😆

  • @bollocks224
    @bollocks2247 ай бұрын

    Where can I buy Marshmallow game please?

  • @jp6v
    @jp6v Жыл бұрын

    So many impossible to get games on the list 😢

  • @findoutthehardway
    @findoutthehardway11 ай бұрын

    What is a trick taking game lol

  • @Warriorking.1963
    @Warriorking.19638 ай бұрын

    Great video ladies. Cat In The Box: awesome... AWESOME, I just love this game, so much so it at least equals my other favourite on my top ten list, and indeed at times might even surpass it. Fox in the Forest: not a bad game. It isn't one I reach for every time someone says they would like to play a trick taker, but when I do bring it to the table, it's always a fun game. Skull King: no idea as I haven't played it yet. I only got this game a couple of days ago and haven't had a chance to try it, but it looks like a lot of fun on the videos posted on KZread, so I think I'm gonna like it. I've never come across Marshmallow Test, but I own Voodoo Prince, and have to give it a 9.9 out of 10.. I can't give it 10, because nothing can score more than my own favourite, speaking of which... Wait a minute... what about The Bottle Imp?? This is an absolutely fantastic game and sits alongside Cat... on my top 10 list. Obviously you two are smart, so I presume you simply forgot to add it to your lists! 🤣🤣 One trick taker I DON'T recommend is Haggis! This game is hugely popular, and believing all the praise I searched and searched until I finally got a copy. A few of us got together one Saturday and started playing, and thought we must be doing something wrong so little entertainment value were we getting from it. We played for several hours, reading and re-reading the rules to find the one we had missed that would bring this game to life, but no, it isn't there. Finally it went into the games cupboard, probably never to see the light of day again, unless I sell it to someone. Mind you, that's definitely a minority opinion, most people think this game can walk on water. It's a real shame those Japanese games are so hard to get, I'd love to get my hands on some of them, Shock, Knights With Poison for example.

  • @ThinkerThemer

    @ThinkerThemer

    7 ай бұрын

    The Bottle Imp is one we've been trying to find!!! Now based on your comment we want it even more!!! Sorry for the delayed reply but thanks for taking the time to comment 😊