Beggars and Thieves (1984)

About this game

A trick-taking game of unequal suits - there are three beggar suits (where most of the points are) and one thief suit (which is the trump suit). The game also features variable partnerships from hand to hand (determined by the play of one of the thief cards.) The game came packaged with two identical decks with different backs, with the exception of the Swedish edition which instead sported a plastic card tray. Beggars & Thieves is not a perfect game, but was definitely ahead of it's time, fitting in nicely with the plethora of "tweaked" trick-taking games we see today.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 2 to 5.
• Rules load. At 1.5/5 this is a light game — explain it in a few minutes, good for a table that has not played much.
• Age. The publisher suggests 10 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.