ウチューカイギ (Uchu Kaigi) is a trick-taking game from Japan, about an "interspace conference on Earth".
The players are trying to be selected as the ambassador for an alien conference on Earth. By providing entertainment for the delegates from seven different worlds, a player tries to curry favour. But if they give too much to one of the aliens, they will be penalised for favouritism. They will lose points, and their rivals may gain.
The game follows normal trick-taking rules, players following the colour lead. The cards shows an alien and the amount of hospitality the player is offering. Winning the trick gets the player the host spot and the cards go to their tableau.
Rounds end when a player exhausts their hand. The game end when somebody reaches enough points or enough rounds are played. The player with the most points wins.
However, the different alien races trigger effects, either when the card is played or scored. For example, a player might be forced out of a round, or lose points for having too many cards of one alien. This means players have to make more choices than simply playing high cards.
user summary