Zards

Zards puts a twist on the trick-taking card game. When a player takes the trick, he is allowed to cast a spell to manipulate the rules governing the rest of the round (when possible). The further the game progresses, the more spells become available. The game is played from a unique deck of 84 cards ordered by three characteristics: rank, set, and suit. The rank corresponds with the card's spell level. As players increase their score and achieve new levels, more spells open up to them. At the start of each round, players split the 13 cards dealt to them into a wand of 10 cards and a bag of 3 cards. The wand determines which cards are played during the round, while the bag is a selection of pre-determined spells to cast during the round. Spells are only cast by a player taking the trick. Zards is unique to other trick-taking games: * Zards is adjustable to play 3 to 6 players without the need to add or remove cards from the deck. * By not dealing out the entire deck, the ability to accurately count cards is reduced, providing more comfort for novices playing against experts. * Players can manipulate the rules for the round with a selection of over 20 spells. * Each round allows the player in last place the advantage of playing first. Though, maintaining the lead depends on how cards are played and spells are cast.