The Decktet: Chicane

Chicane

a trick-taking Decktet game for 2 to 4 players

In a hand of Chicane, each of the Decktet cards is treated as just having one suit. For the double-suited number cards, only the top or bottom suit is active in a given hand. Players bid to determine which it will be.

Object of the game: To take as many tricks as possible.

Setup

The deck is dealt out evenly to the players. Any odd remaining cards are set aside.

The player on the dealer's left starts bidding. The player bids a number and either top or bottom. The number is the exact number of tricks they think they can take if they determine suits. In a top hand, the topmost of the two suit symbols determines the suit of a number card. In a bottom hand, the bottommost suit symbol does.

Example: In a top hand, the Betrayal is a Wyrm card. In a bottom hand, it is a Knot card.

Continuing around the table clockwise, players have the option of making a larger bid or passing. A top bid is considered higher than a bottom bid. A player may not bid in a hand after they have passed. Bidding continues until a highest bid is unchallenged.

Example: The first bidder bids 3 bottom. A subsequent player must either pass, bid 3 top, or bid 4 or more. If the next player bids 4 top, then a subsequent player must either pass or bid 5 or more.

The high bidder then selects any card from their hand to lead the first trick. Note that only the last, highest bid determines whether the hand is played top or bottom; prior, lower bids don't matter once play begins.

Game play

Clockwise around the table, each player plays a card that matches the suit of the card that was led. If you have no cards of the suit led, then you may play any card from your hand. The highest card that follows suit wins the trick. An Ace is below 2; a Crown is above 9.

The winner of the trick leads the next trick. Play continues until players have no cards remaining.

Scoring

If the high bidder wins fewer tricks than they bid, they score nothing; if they score exactly as many tricks as they bid, then they score their bid plus three bonus points; if they score more more tricks than they bid, then they score their bid minus one penalty point per overtrick.

Other players score one point for each trick they won, regardless of whatever they might have bid.

Strategy

When top is declared, there are 10 Moons, 7 Suns, 7 Waves, 5 Leaves, 5 Wyrms, and only 2 Knots. The Knot suit symbol is always printed second when it appears, so no number cards are counted as Knots in a top hand.

A bottom hand is the mirror image of this: 2 Moons, 5 Suns, 5 Waves, 7 Leaves, 7 Wyrms, and 10 Knots.

In a top hand, the only Leaves are an Ace, a 4, a 5, an 8, and a Crown. If you have the 5, 8, and Crown in your hand and win the bid, then you can be sure of winning at least three tricks.

The exact distribution of each suit is summarized on this table [right]. We keep the table handy as a reference during play.

Nil bids

With this variant, a player may bid nil, which commits them to taking exactly zero tricks. In the order of bidding, a nil bottom bid is higher than any number bid whatever. A nil top bid is higher than nil bottom. Once someone bids nil top, there is no room left for further bidding. A player who bids nil and wins no tricks scores ten points. If the player wins even a single trick, however, the nil bid is lost. The player loses one point for each trick they won. Other players score one point per trick as usual.

Credits

Original design: P.D. Magnus

Playtesting: Cristyn Magnus, Maya Kiehl, Tom Kiehl, Jeff Warrender, Kevin Warrender, Chris DeLeo, Jason Mutford, Pete Murray, John Milanese

Links

The Chicane entry at BoardGameGeek
The Chicane page at the Decktet wiki
Discuss Chicane at the Decktet wiki

The Decktet is presently available either as a digital document or as a printed deck. The Decktet Book is available in several formats.

The Decktet is ©2008-10 P.D. Magnus. Some rights reserved. The contents of this page and a version of the deck are offered as open content under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial ShareAlike 3.0 License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be negotiated.