Crits & Tricks: A Dice-Powered Trick-Taking Game With D&D Classes
A trick-taking game where your card is the suit but your die is the number sounds like a gimmick until you feel the decisions stack up fast. We're talking Crits And Tricks from Inside Up Games, a tabletop game that pulls Dungeons & Dragons class flavor into every hand: rogues, barbarians, wizards, paladins, druids, and bards that stay trump no matter what. I'm joined by Clayton Gable, who admits he jumped into a Board Game Arena match before fully knowing what he was doing, and that becomes the perfect doorway into explaining why this design clicks.We break down the core system in plain language: you play a class card, you choose a die from your d4 to d20 set, and that die becomes the value for the trick. The twist is that each class has its own win condition, so you're not just chasing the biggest number. On top of that, you get “crits” as special powers that can bend a single trick with effects like swapping dice, forcing rerolls, or tweaking values. It's interactive, tactical, and full of those table moments where one choice changes everything.Then we zoom out to the quest structure that drives scoring: personal quests, shared barkeeper challenges, loot, and gold across three rounds. We also talk production, including the premium book-style Kickstarter presentation, as well as a few real-world quirks like shipping mix-ups and a surprisingly strong box smell. If you love trick-taking games, dice decisions, Board Game Arena play, or D&D-inspired board games, this one deserves a spot on your radar.Subscribe for more deep dives, share this with your favorite trick-taker group, and leave a review so more players can find us. What's the best trick-taking player count for you: two, three, or four?We want to hear from our listeners! Send us a text with recommendations, weigh in on discussions, or just say hi!Support the showAs always, come interact with us online, let us know if you have any feedback, and leave us a review/comment anywhere you get your favorite podcasts!https://www.instagram.com/operation_game_night_podcast/Show your support for the OGN Crew by contributing to the OGN War Chest:https://www.buzzsprout.com/2396881/support
