Customer Reviews

Tichu Board Game

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This particular product is by Fata Morgana Spiele and produced by Rio Grande Games.

Box/Cards:

Tichu comes in a simple red box (the lid is the main "face" of the box). I would have preferred a different box design because this one makes it easy to accidentally spill all of the cards (probably a good idea to use some kind of string or rubber band to avoid this or else keep the cards in a different container entirely). There are 2 packs of 56 cards each (52 normal cards plus 4 special cards): one pack has a red backing, one pack has a brown (gold?) backing. The pattern on the back of the cards is a grid of white Chinese characters. The cards include all the normal ranks A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A as well as four special cards: the Mahjong, the Hound, the Phoenix, and the Dragon (explained below). Instead of the normal suits Tichu features: Jade (green), Swords (black), Pagodas (blue), and Stars (red). The face cards of each suit have unique graphics (which you can find images of elsewhere online if you're really curious). The instructions explain the rules for 3, 4, and 6 player versions of Tichu as well as a game called Grand Seigneur for 5-12 players. The writing is clear, has interesting tidbits, and is occasionally funny. I have only played the 4 player version and the other versions seem like they wouldn't work as well (especially Grand Seigneur which is not partner-based and seems extremely unbalanced but who knows).

Tichu Nanking (4 Players):

The game is a trick-based game played by two pairs of partners. Each player starts with 14 random cards and passes one card of their choosing to each of the other players. The object of the game is to be the first to play all your cards. The mechanics may seem complicated but it's actually very simple and should be easy to pick up for anyone used to playing card games. The scoring is a bit more complex and depends on the number of 5's, 10's, K's, Phoenix, and Dragon in each trick (+5 for 5's, +10 for 10's and K's, -25 for the Phoenix, +25 for the Dragon). Also, before playing your first card you may call "Tichu" where it is possible to gain or lose 100 points depending on whether you are able to be the first to play all your cards. If you are really confident, you can call "Grand Tichu" before drawing your ninth card and gain or lose 200 points. The combinations that you can play are similar to poker combinations: singles, pairs, three of a kind, straights, stairs, full houses, and so on. There are a few key differences. There are no flushes allowed unless it's a straight flush. If you have either a four of a kind or a straight flush (of at least 5 cards), then you can play out of turn and "bomb" whatever else had been played. The "bomb" acts as a trump and can only be beaten by a higher valued "bomb". There are also four special cards: the Mahjong, the Hound, the Phoenix, and the Dragon.

The Mahjong is played as a 1 but more significantly is that it determines the player who starts and, when played, allows that player to make a wish for any normal rank (if another player has a legal play with said rank, he or she must play it on their turn).

The Hound is not a trick-taking card and can only be lead. If you play the Hound, control is passed to your partner. This is useful if your partner has called Tichu or is about to go out or if your hand is bad and don't know what to do.

The Phoenix can be played as a single card trump that has the value of the last card played plus 0.5 (so the highest possible value it can take is A+0.5) or as a wild card of any normal rank in a combination.

The Dragon can trump the single Phoenix. The only way to beat a Dragon is to play a "bomb" (four of a kind or straight flush). If the Dragon wins the trick, the player who played it must decide which player of the other team to give the trick to.

If both players from one team go out before either of their opponents, the round stops and they are instantly awarded 200 points. Otherwise, once three players have gone out, the last player hands his remaining cards to the opposing team and any tricks he won to the first player who went out.

Personal Thoughts:

I have never been really big on card games and because of that it took me longer to "get" Tichu than it should have, but it is a fun game. I enjoy that the objective is clearly defined (get rid of all your cards). I think starting with 14 cards is a bit unwieldy from a practical standpoint (how can you fit them all in your hand and still see what they are?) but from a strategy standpoint it makes the strategy more interesting (since you can devise long-term plans). I think my biggest obstacle is that the scoring is so fine-grained. In practice, I'm not sure if it matters if you keep track of every 5, 10, and K, but technically where they end up might affect the scoring. Anyway, I would vote for simpler scoring and less incentive for card counting and tedious calculation but that's just me (many games seem to be won or lost by margins of 100 points or more so it may be academic). The product itself was small enough it arrived in my mailbox and not in a big cardboard Amazon box. I think the box is neat because it's different but it seems impractical without a rubber band. I would have also preferred an instruction booklet rather than the foldout provided but it was on glossy paper and nicely written and all so that's a minor point.

Yes the rules are a bit overwhelming at first. The special cards are a bit weird at first. When you go to teach this game, people may look at you like you are speaking Chinese. BUT, and this is a big but, once you play a few games, and once your friends and family get a few games under their belt and the rules become natural, and the purpose of the weird special cards make total sense, there's no going back. Everyone will be hooked, guaranteed. For those who don't mind a little thinking with their games, and want a perfect balance of skill and luck with awesome decision making/bidding/bluffing and you're a team player, give Tichu a shot. Awesome!

If you like to trick-based card games and have three others to play with regularly, you will love Tichu! I recommend ordering at least two decks as it will make play faster (shuffle one deck while playing with the other) and you won't be so upset when your cards start to show wear from hours and hours of play.

Defininitely a fun game, although it's hard to find people who aren't intimidated by the rules (which happens with most games, since people don't like to think for some reason). Once they actually start playing the game flows easily enough, even if people always mix up the dragon and the phoenix, and there's always confusion about when to play the dog. Good game overall, although it is a necessity to find a good playgroup