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Xactika

Trick with an eight showing three spheres

Xactika is a trick taking card game, designed by Marsha J. Falco, who also designed the best-selling game Set. You play eight rounds and eight tricks in each of those rounds. In a trick not only the card values are of importance, but also the symbols on the cards, so that a low card value can also take a trick.

High Score: You want to win most tricks in eight rounds. You are dealt eight cards, lead one and announce one of the symbols. Now all other players must follow suit with a card showing the announced symbol in the necessary amount; if you cannot do that you can play any card. The highest card value takes the trick, in case of a tie the player who played his card later. Each trick scores one point; after eight rounds you win with most points.

Low Score: In this version you want to take the fewest tricks; you follow the rules for High Score and win after eight rounds with the lowest score.

Ansage: In the third variant you announce the number of tricks you want to take in this round; the dealer announces last and may not announce a number that would result in a total announcement of eight tricks for the round. If you meet your announcement, you score one point per trick; if you do not meet your announcement you note the difference between tricks taken and tricks around as negative points. After eight rounds you win again with most points.

Xactika offers a nice mix of standard mechanisms, the Overview cards assist in evaluation one’s hand, as there are only a few cards that guarantee taking a trick; the less players the more difficult the prediction. A good card memory will be of help!

Players: 2-10

Age: 12+

Time: 45+

Designer: Marsha J. Falco

Art: not named

Price: ca. 11 Euro

Publisher: Amigo 2013

Web: www.amigo-spiele.de

Genre: Trick-taking card game 

Users: For families

Special: Many players

Version: de

Rules: de en

In-game text: no

Comments:

Standard rules nicely combined

Additional card symbol values make announcement difficult in version 3

The fewer player the more difficult the prediction

Experience in card games is of an advantage

Compares to:

Rage and other trick-taking games with and without announcement of tricks to be taken

Other editions:

Set Enterprises, USA

Chance (pink): 1

Tactic (turquoise): 2

Strategy (blue): 0

Creativity (dark blue): 0

Knowledge (yellow): 0

Memory (orange): 2

Communication (red): 0

Interaction (brown): 3

Dexterity (green): 0

Action (dark green): 0