Cucumber Catastrophe

A trick-taking game where winning the trick is usually the problem.

Sixty cards numbered 1 to 60, a two-sided chip and a great many cucumbers. Designed by Michael Feldkoetter and published by dV Games, it is a remake of his earlier game Little Devils, and it is small enough to live in a coat pocket.

The lead card goes down, then the second player decides the rule for the trick: play higher and everyone must go higher, play lower and everyone must go lower. Anyone who cannot follow has to break the rule instead, which flips the chip and reverses who wins. Whoever takes the trick takes the cucumbers on it. After four hands of ten tricks, fewest cucumbers wins, so the whole game is an exercise in dodging tricks you were, a moment ago, quite happy to win.

Perfect for: The family that plays Hearts every holiday and would like to argue about something new for once.

3–6 players | About 20 minutes | Age 8+