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As winter blows in and ghosts start to appear, play "tricks" to the past, present, and future.
As turns progress, your foes will play - out of order - to any of these time periods, and you will start to figure out who might "lead" each trick. Even though you can play to the tricks in any order, the tricks will resolve based on who was leading. Can you figure out who will be leading or manipulate the leader to set yourself up to win tricks?
Points are awarded to whomever has correctly bid on the number of tricks they thought they'd win. If you’ve played as many hands as there are players, the game is now over, otherwise keep playing! Whoever has the highest score and collected the most wreaths wins the game!
—description from publisher
Time Palatrix is a trick-taking game played in four rounds of three tricks each. First the cards are dealt out, and players bid on how many tricks they think they will win. Each player has a mat with three numbered spaces for cards, and on their turn plays a card in one of those spaces. If that card is the first to be played in that number space, it sets the suit for that space. Other players must follow suit on that space, or play on a different space. Once all three tricks are complete, the winners are determined, the cards are cleared, and the next round begins. Points are awarded if you correctly bid on the number of tricks you won.
—user summary
- Fantastic game.
- So cool and so interesting and so thinky.
- Works well for introducing trick-taking concepts to those familiar with the mechanism.
- Can be played any time of the year because it's that good.
- Can be too confusing for non-gamers if they don't understand trick-taking.
- The resolution mechanic can make it seem like you're winning tricks when you're not.
- Resolving tricks based on temporal order
- Christmas theme (past, present, future)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- bidding — Similar to Spades, players bid on how many tricks they will take.
- Time-based resolution — Tricks are resolved in a specific temporal order (past, present, future), affecting the outcome.
- Trick-taking — Players bid on the number of tricks they will win.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- tricktaking is like in the soil. It's in our in our DNA. It's in our our very soul.
- So, you're trying to play cards in the right order, but you don't know what everybody has.
- It is so stressful, but in like the most fun way possible.
- It's half the reason why we're married.
References (from this video)
- Interesting take on trick-taking.
- Curious to play it more.
- Has a competitive edge.
- Can be played without bidding, but bidding adds to the strategy.
- Took a long time to understand the rules.
- Felt overly complex for one player.
- Time traveling
- Hearts
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- bidding — Bidding how many tricks you're going to be able to win.
- Time manipulation — Tricks are calculated and determined based on the past, then the present, then the future, with the trump suit potentially changing.
- Trick-taking — A trick-taking game where you play three tricks in one round.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- The worst thing about Scout is when somebody like um is able to play and beat the set that's in front and completely empty their hand. That's the worst feeling but it's like it feels good when you're able to do that.
- It's like trick taking but time traveling at the same time. So yeah, it's a very interesting take.
- I really like trick taking games so much that I just think that this one was like a almost too far too much too much.
- We're not calling these games because we don't like them we're calling them because they just don't like they don't hit the table enough.
- It's always nice when we get to cover our favorite publishers and our favorite games that's always the best part.
- It's basically like Christmas because you back something you kind of forget about it... but it finally gets here and you want to celebrate.
References (from this video)
- Innovative tri-area scoring with dynamic following rules
- Beautiful components and art
- Rules heavy; may require a longer setup for new players
- Alicorn of Dickensian specters in a card tableau
- Past, present, and future Christmas themes themed around ghostly visits
- Thematic, story-driven mechanics with a ghostly motif
- Empire's End (No Thanks bidding mechanic inspiration)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area_scoring_based_on_first_led — Scoring uses the first-led card in each area as the basis for you to compare others.
- color/suit_following_with_a_twist — Presence of a trump (red) and forced following rules with a twist based on area.
- tableau_building — Each player builds a personal tableau for each of the three areas.
- Trick-taking — Players play to three different tableaux: past, present, and future.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- we have to say thank you to everybody out there for subscribing
- the energy of Pax unplugged was unbelievable
- the experience is driven by the person who's rolling the dice
- this is a long-term game for me