Vivaldi (2019)

About this game

Vivaldi is a restoration of the traditional Italian game "Briscola Chiamata", or five-men briscola. It is a trick-taking game, starting with an auction that decides the strong set of each match. The winner of the auction will play allied with a hidden friend against the other three players. Vivaldi takes the old ruleset and adapts it into a good-looking new set of cards. It also converts into a more intuitive points system that also deepens the math and strategy.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Strictly 5 players — no more, no fewer.
• Rules load. At 2.5/5 this is a mid-weight game — expect a proper rules explanation before you start.
• Age. The publisher suggests 10 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.