Tabletop Games Blog · August 25, 2026 · 12 min
Magic Tricks - what makes trick-taking games great (Topic Discussion)
Trick-taking games have been around for centuries, and they continue to inspire new designs. Everyone has their own idea of what makes for a great trick-taking game, but mine was shaped by growing up in Germany playing Skat and, especially, Doppelkopf . Those games use mechanisms that still appear in modern games, yet designers keep finding new ways to create new twists on them. So in this article, I want to look at the trick-taking mechanisms I find most interesting, why they work, and how modern trick-takers have changed them while keeping the characteristics that make the genre so long-lasting. Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/08/25/magic-tricks-what-makes-trick-taking-games-great-topic-discussion/ Useful Links The Crew: Quest for Planet Nine review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/12/05/the-crew-the-quest-for-planet-nine-saturday-review/ The Fox in the Forest: Duet review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/04/30/the-fox-in-the-forest-duet-saturday-review/ The Six of VIII review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2024/12/07/the-six-of-viii-saturday-review/ Enemy Anemone review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2023/10/14/enemy-anemone-saturday-review/ Haggis review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2024/12/14/haggis-saturday-review/ Rascally Rabbits review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/06/27/rascally-rabbits-saturday-review/ Cat in the Box review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2025/08/23/cat-in-the-box-digital-eyes/ Music Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot ( https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/ ) Late-Night Decaf by | e s c p | https://www.escp.space https://escp-music.bandcamp.com Downtown Walk by | e s c p | https://www.escp.space https://escp-music.bandcamp.com Support If you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below: Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlog Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblog Website: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/support/ (Photo by Julius Drost on Unsplash)