Herzlos (2003)

About this game

Herzlos ("Heartless") is a simple "Hearts" variant using a slightly modified deck. The suits are Hearts, Cups, Flowers, and Diamonds. Each heart shows its negative value, from -1 up to -15 (rather than -1 for each as in the basic game). The Queen of Flowers is worth -25, basically a super-charged Queen of Spades. The Jack of Diamonds nets +15 points. All other expected rules apply. Simple rules for play with 3 or 5 are included, but of course this is basically a 4-player game.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 2 to 5.
• Rules load. At 1.1/5 this is a light game — explain it in a few minutes, good for a table that has not played much.
• Age. The publisher suggests 8 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.