A copy of a brief synopsis and evaluation which appeared in Games Magazine is provided below: "Probably the most addictive family activity since eating. The deck comprises the 52 standard cards plus four Wizards and four Jesters. At the start of each hand, players bid the number of tricks t hey think they'll take, scoring 20 points for making their bid plus 10 points for each trick taken. Failing to make a bid loses 10 points for each trick over or under their number bid. Tricks are won by the highest card of the suit led, or by the highest trump (the upcard for each deal), or by the first Wizard. The taker of a trick leads to the next trick. Players must follow suit if possible, but Wizard and Jesters can be played at any time. Wizards beat trump and are valuable not only for winning the given trick, but for taking the lead for the next trick. Jesters always lose, but they're just as important as Wizards: they can get you out of the lead when you don't want any more tricks, and they can let you save your trump or other sensitive cards for later. One card is dealt to each player for the first hand, two for the next, then three, and so on, until all the cards are dealt in the final hand. Although the full deck is usually not in play, there's quite a lot of strategy and hard thinking in this hugely enjoyable game." THE RULES Object of the Game The object is to correctly predict the number of tricks you will take in each round. You receive points for being correct, and the person with the most points wins the game. The Deal To determine a dealer, each player is dealt one card. High card deals. On the first deal each player receives one card. Two cards are dealt on the second deal, three on the third and so on. The deal passes to the left after each round and the new dealer shuffles all 60 cards. After the deal, the next card is turned up to determine the trump suit. If the card turned up is a Jester, it is turned down and there is no trump for that round. If the card turned up is a Wizard, the dealer chooses one of the 4 suits as the trump suit. On the last round of each game all cards are dealt out so there is no trump. Bidding Each player in turn beginning to the left of the dealer states the number of tricks s/he will take (zero or 1 on the first round) and the scorer records the bid on the score pad. The total number of tricks bid may or may not equal the total number of tricks available. However, if the last player to bid has the highest score recorded on the score pad (not tied for the lead) s/he cannot bid so as to make the bids "even". (An "even" bid is when the total tricks bid equals the total tricks available). This means that someone must lose points after the play of the hand because more or fewer tricks have been bid than are available. The Play The play begins to the left of the dealer. Any card may be led. Players continue to play in clock-wise order and must follow suit if possible. There are 2 exceptions to this rule. A Wizard or a Jester may be played at any time, even if the player is holding a card of the suit led. A trick is won: (a) by the first Wizard played (b) if no Wizard is played, by the highest trump card played. (c) if no trump is played, by the highest card of the suit led. The winner of the trick leads next. Leading Wizards & Jesters If the lead card is a Wizard, it wins the trick and players may play any card they wish, including another Wizard. If the lead card is a Jester, it is a null card. The suit for this round is determined by the next card played. Jesters always lose. The one exception to this is that if only Jesters are played, the first Jester played in the round wins the trick. Scoring For correctly predicting the number of tricks taken, a player scores 20 points and receives 10 additional points for each trick taken. A player whose prediction is incorrect loses 10 points for each over or under trick Bidding Variations 1. Hidden Bid: All players simultaneously reveal their bid. 2. Delayed Reveal Bid: All players record their bid. After the hand has been played the bids are revealed. A five-times Games 100 Selection. Wizard is hearts and whist with a twist. The Ultimate Game of Trump. Wizards beat all the cards. It’s the “ultimate trump game” and a great deal for the whole family. The game deck is comprised of 60 cards. For 3 - 6 players, ages 10 to adult. Instructions in English and Spanish. Score Pad Included. | |
