How to Play Trickarus: Trick-Taking Card Game Rules
By Smirk & Dagger Games | Published: 2026-10-14
Category: How-to Guides
Learn how to play Trickarus with a clear walkthrough of setup, trick-taking basics, and the altitude risk that makes winning too many tricks dangerous.
Quick answer
To play Trickarus, deal the deck, then play rounds where each player follows the led suit if possible. Winning a trick sends you higher into the sky, but winning too many can send you crashing down. The goal is to manage how many tricks you take, not simply to win every hand.
What makes Trickarus different from standard trick-taking
Standard trick-taking games reward you for winning the most tricks. Trickarus flips that pressure: winning tricks sends you ever higher into the sky, and flying too close to the sun can bring disaster. That means every trick you take is a tradeoff between immediate control and long-term risk.
Because the game is a must-follow trick-taking game, you cannot simply duck out of a trick when you have the led suit. You must follow suit if you can. That constraint is what makes altitude management tricky: sometimes you are forced to win a trick you did not want, pushing you closer to the danger zone.
Setup and first-round flow
Exact setup details such as player count, hand size, and scoring values are not supplied here, so check the rulebook included with your copy for those specifics. What is consistent is the structure: deal hands, choose a starting player, and play tricks until the round ends. Each trick has a led suit, and players must follow that suit when they can.
If you are teaching new players, run one open round with hands face-up. This lets everyone see how altitude rises with each trick won and how quickly a player can go from comfortable to dangerous. Once the group understands the must-follow constraint, switch to hidden hands.
Reading the table before you play a card
Before each trick, scan three things: who is currently high, who is close to crashing, and which suits are still live in your hand. A player near the danger zone may try to lose tricks, which changes how you should lead. If you lead a suit they must follow, you may accidentally push them over the edge or force them to shed a dangerous card.
This is where the game rewards table awareness over raw card strength. Winning every trick is not the goal, so the strongest hand is not automatically the best hand.
Step-by-step: your first game of Trickarus
- Deal and check the rulebook for exact hand size: The supplied catalog facts do not include player count or hand size, so confirm those in the included rules. Deal the correct number of cards to each player and set the remaining deck aside if the rules call for it. Checkpoint: every player has the same number of cards before the first lead.
- Play the first trick with the led suit: The starting player leads any card. Going clockwise, each player must follow the led suit if they can. If they cannot, they may play another card according to the rules. Common mistake: forgetting that you must follow suit when possible, which can force you to win a trick you wanted to lose.
- Track altitude after every trick you win: Winning a trick sends you higher into the sky. Keep a mental or written note of how many tricks each player has won, because altitude is the resource you are managing, not just points. Checkpoint: before the next lead, know who is closest to crashing.
- Adjust your leads based on who is in danger: If a player is near the crash point, leading a suit they must follow can force them higher. If you are near the crash point, try to shed high cards or avoid winning tricks when the rules allow. Common mistake: leading your strongest suit without checking whether that helps or hurts the current altitude leader.
- Finish the round and score or reset per the rulebook: The supplied facts do not specify end-of-round scoring or crash penalties. Follow the rulebook for how the round ends and how altitude is converted into a result, then deal the next round. Next step: after one round, discuss who managed altitude best and adjust your strategy for round two.
About the game
- Trickarus: TRICKARUS is a clever, high-flying card game where winning too much can send you crashing down. This is the core twist: taking tricks is not purely good, so you need a plan for when to win and when to avoid winning.
- Trickarus: In this must-follow trick-taking game, winning tricks sends you ever higher into the sky, but at some point, players can crash. The must-follow rule means you cannot always choose to lose a trick, so track your altitude before you are forced into a bad one.
