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Proving Ground

Proving Ground

2025·Ren Multamäki

3 - 4 players
30 - 45 min

From BoardGameGeek

A trick-taking skirmish game set in the fantasy world of Zanziar. You're an orc chieftain winning competitions where each point scored allows you to choose the best spot for placing the sacred totems. Proving grounds reside between villages and are jointly populated and scored. In the end, only one village will honor the ancestral spirits the best! In The Proving Ground deck you'll find six suits, all the suits are used regardless of player count. Each card has two values (shown on both ends of the card), representing different suits and ranks. Each suit and rank is thus represented twice in the deck. Players can use either value at any time. Ranks form a hexagon, where each rank has adjacent and opposite ranks. Playmat hexagons have two sides, one for 3 player, one for 4-5 players. All playmats have to use the same side in the game. The lead player plays a single card at a time. In clockwise order, other players need to play a single card, doing one of the following: a) Play a card of the led suit of any value. b) Play a card of one of the two adjacent suits with a value greater than any previously played card. c) Pass. You can only pass if you have played something to this trick previously. So, each time a suit is led, there are three legal suits to play. If a player cannot play any of the three legal suits even once, they must discard a card of their choice and take a Penalty. A game lasts 3 rounds. The closer the end of the game reaches, the more restricting the board states are for the players - forcing them to think which suit of tricks you can try to win and which suits you just would need to give a pass.

Proving Ground

Which Proving Ground video should I watch?

Proving Ground has 2 videos from 1 creator: 1 review and 1 unboxing. They date from January to March 2026.

If you like it, try Tolerance, Mine 77, Quantum Tricks and Perdition's Mouth: Abyssal Rift, also by Ren Multamäki.

All videos

Proving Ground Board Game Unboxing | What’s Inside This Tactical Strategy Game?Unboxing4:29

Proving Ground Board Game Unboxing | What’s Inside This Tactical Strategy Game?

Tabletop Gaming Guild

Tabletop Gaming Guild

Proving Ground Preview - Trick-Taking SkirmishReview12:40

Proving Ground Preview - Trick-Taking Skirmish

Tabletop Gaming Guild

Tabletop Gaming Guild

Creators who cover this

All channels
Tabletop Gaming Guild
Tabletop Gaming Guild
2 videos of this game

Games like this

All games

Tolerance

2023·Tony Cotterill, Ren Multamäki

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Creators
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Mostly how-to-play and reviews

3 - 5 players·60 - 90 min·Heavy weight

Mine 77

2025·Tony Cotterill, Ren Multamäki

Videos
11
Creators
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Mostly reviews

1 - 5 players·90 - 120 min·Heavy weight

Quantum Tricks

2026·Ren Multamäki

Videos
7
Creators
4
Mostly reviews and playthroughs

3 - 5 players·30 min

Perdition's Mouth: Abyssal Rift

2016·Ren Multamäki, David Hladky, Thomas Klausner, Kevin Wilson

Videos
7
Creators
4
Mostly how-to-play and reviews

1 - 6 players·30 - 180 min·Heavy weight

About Proving Ground

From BoardGameGeek:

A trick-taking skirmish game set in the fantasy world of Zanziar. You're an orc chieftain winning competitions where each point scored allows you to choose the best spot for placing the sacred totems. Proving grounds reside between villages and are jointly populated and scored. In the end, only one village will honor the ancestral spirits the best! In The Proving Ground deck you'll find six suits, all the suits are used regardless of player count. Each card has two values (shown on both ends of the card), representing different suits and ranks. Each suit and rank is thus represented twice in the deck. Players can use either value at any time. Ranks form a hexagon, where each rank has adjacent and opposite ranks. Playmat hexagons have two sides, one for 3 player, one for 4-5 players. All playmats have to use the same side in the game. The lead player plays a single card at a time. In clockwise order, other players need to play a single card, doing one of the following: a) Play a card of the led suit of any value. b) Play a card of one of the two adjacent suits with a value greater than any previously played card. c) Pass. You can only pass if you have played something to this trick previously. So, each time a suit is led, there are three legal suits to play. If a player cannot play any of the three legal suits even once, they must discard a card of their choice and take a Penalty. A game lasts 3 rounds. The closer the end of the game reaches, the more restricting the board states are for the players - forcing them to think which suit of tricks you can try to win and which suits you just would need to give a pass.

Designer

Ren Multamäki

Publisher

Dragon Dawn Productions

Categories

Card GameFantasyFighting

Mechanics

Hand ManagementRondelTrick-taking & Climbing
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