Trickarus First Take: Winning Has Never Felt This Risky #Trickarus #boardgames

About Trickarus, from BoardGameGeek:

Icarus & his friends have crafted handmade wings. Day and night, jubilant with their newfound freedom, they fly higher & higher... A trick-taking game of flying, flipping, & trying not to soar into the hot, hot sun. With competitive (2-5p) and co-operative (3-5p) modes, players win tricks to fly higher in the sky. The winner of each trick moves to the next open space above them on the scoring track unless they fly into the sun, in which case they will plummet to below the bottom-most player. Every card has two different values which alternate - along with the trump suit - whenever a 5-card is played. With rules simple enough to teach in a few minutes, Trickarus is accessible for those unfamiliar with trick-taking, while also having enough challenge for more experienced trick-takers to experiment with different strategies. US EDITION Changes: Smirk & Dagger Games has made the following adjustments for the English edition. The Lightning Bolt card has a new function. It no longer causes the winner of a trick to fly down the track. 2 copies of the card now exist in the Stormy Weather rules. Stormy Weather rules: Add 2 Lightning cards and the second (new) poker chip token. A Lightning card may be played at one of two times, as the first card of the round when you are the Lead player - or - if you are unable to follow suit during a trick. Playing the Lightning card swaps the Day / Night chip with the one currently out of play. This will change the Strongest Suits (Trump) from Sun & Moon to Clouds & Raindrops and vice versa. Note: swapping the chip does not change Day / Night and cards are not rotated. If the Sun is face up (Day) it swaps for Clouds (also Day). If the Moon is face up (Night) it swaps for Raindrops (also Night) and vice versa. This means that Clouds and Raindrops are no longer always "junk" suits but have the ability to be the Strongest Suits. --- New 2 Player game A dummy score tracker token (Icarus) is added to the game. Icarus is dealt a three card hand, face up, so both players know what Icarus will play over the span of three rounds. Then, a new set of cards comes out. Unlike the 3-5p mode, a player does not win by being highest on the track at the end of the game. Instead: One player has the goal of the game ending with Icarus either above or below all the other players on the score track. The other player has the goal of the game ending with Icarus between the two other players on the score track. While both are tested as equally balanced ways to win, players will have personal preferences and strategies. This push and pull mechanic makes for a far more engaging two-paler experience.