Tricky Quest - A Trick-Taking Dungeon Adventure

Game Overview

In Tricky Quest, players form an adventuring party delving into a dangerous dungeon. Combat is resolved through trick-taking, where monsters lead tricks and players must balance winning tricks (to prevent monsters from growing stronger) against playing off-suit to activate special abilities.

🏆 Victory

Defeat the boss at the end of the dungeon to win together!

💀 Defeat

If all players are knocked out (no cards left), the party loses.

Game Components

🎴 Playing Cards

2+ standard poker decks (different backs recommended)

📝 Custom Cards

Character abilities, Treasures, Monsters, Rooms

🪙 Poker Chips

5 colors: red, blue, green, white, orange

📋 Reference Cards

Player aids for each character

🔮 Talisman Token

Marks turn order (coin, mini, or token)

Choose Your Hero

⚔️ Fighter

Deck: High cards (10-K, Aces)

Hand Size: 7 cards

Resources: 3 Stamina

Power: Heavy Strike - Trash monster cards

🧙 Wizard

Deck: Mixed suits (7-Q ♦♣)

Hand Size: 5 cards

Resources: 5 Mana

Power: Arcane Sight - Manipulate monster deck

🗡️ Rogue

Deck: Low cards (2-6 all suits)

Hand Size: 6 cards

Resources: 3 Poison

Power: Pickpocket - Steal from monster

🥋 Monk

Deck: Middle cards (5-9 all suits)

Hand Size: 6 cards

Resources: 4 Harmony

Power: Restore Balance - Help allies

🔥 Berserker

Deck: Extreme values (2-4, J-K)

Hand Size: 5 cards

Resources: 2 Rage

Power: Blood for Blood - Build rage for power

How to Play

Setup

Each player chooses a character and takes their starting deck, hand, and resources
Create dungeon path: 2 Level-1 rooms → 2 Level-2 rooms → 1 Level-3 room → Boss
Place rooms face-down in a path
Give the talisman token to the starting player (youngest or randomly chosen)

Combat Rounds

Monster Leads: Monster plays a card from its deck
Players Respond: Starting from the talisman holder, going clockwise:
- Each player plays one card (unless skipped)
- On-suit: Compete to win the trick
- Off-suit: Activate character power (only if void in led suit)
Resolve Trick: Highest on-suit card wins all played cards
Pass Talisman: Talisman moves clockwise to next player
Continue: Repeat until monster has no cards
Monster Reset: Shuffle won tricks → new deck → deal new hand

🔮 The Talisman

The talisman determines turn order. The holder goes first when responding to the monster's lead, then play continues clockwise. After each trick, the talisman passes clockwise unless a treasure or effect changes this.

⚠️ Important Rule: Following Suit

You MUST play the led suit if you have it in your hand. You can only play off-suit (and activate powers) if you're void in that suit!

Example Play

Trick 1: Goblin Scout Leads

Monster plays: 7♥

Fighter:

K♥

Plays on-suit to win

Wizard:

9♣

Void in hearts, uses Arcane Sight

Rogue:

3♥

Must follow suit

Result: Fighter wins with K♥! Takes all cards to their discard pile. Monster lost this trick, so it gets weaker!

Trick 2: Monster Continues

Monster plays: Q♠

Fighter:

10♠

Follows suit but loses

Wizard:

J♦

No spades! Uses power

Rogue:

4♠

Has spades, must play

Result: Monster wins with Q♠! Cards go to monster's won tricks pile. These will become its future hand when it resets!

Key Strategy Points

🔮 The talisman holder plays first after the monster - position matters for timing!
🎯 The Rogue could hide spade cards before the trick to create a void and use their power
💪 The Fighter could trash a card from hand after playing to remove the top monster card
📚 The Wizard wants to win tricks with cards they want in their tableau
🔄 Watch what goes into the monster's won tricks - it becomes their next hand!
⚡ Some treasures let you control or skip the talisman for strategic advantage

🎮 Quick Start Guide

Each player picks a character: Fighter, Wizard, Rogue, Monk, or Berserker
Build dungeon: 2-2-1-Boss room path
Enter first room, fight goblin
Monster leads, players follow suit or use powers
Win by depleting all monster cards before they defeat you!

Room Types You'll Encounter

⚔️ Combat Room

Fight monsters through trick-taking

💎 Treasure Room

Find loot! Draft treasures in turn order

🏪 Shop

Trade chips for cards or treasures

🏕️ Rest Room

Recover and revive fallen allies

🎯 Trap Room

Survive hazards like darts and pits

Monster Scaling

Monsters get tougher as you progress:

Level 1 - Goblin Scout: 3 base cards, plays top card
Level 2 - Orc Warrior: 4 base cards, plays sum of 2 cards
Level 3 - Dragon Whelp: 5 base cards, immune to poison
Boss - Lich Lord: 6 base cards, changing phases!

Ready to Quest?

Gather your party, shuffle those decks, and prepare for an adventure where every card counts! Remember:

🤝 Work together - you win or lose as a team
🎴 Manage your cards carefully - running out means knockout
⚡ Use powers wisely - sometimes losing a trick is worth it
📊 Track the monster's won tricks - they become its future power

May your tricks be clever and your quest successful!