【BlendersTricks】　English Rules

2026/9/7 0:47

ブログ

These are the rules for the new game we will be unveiling at Game Market 2026 Autumn.
As this text has been generated by a web translation tool, there may be some subtle differences in nuance, so I’d be grateful if you could take a little extra care with it.

Booking Form：
https://forms.gle/PjZtugb6VgGbS4q49

Blenders Tricks

• Players: 3–5

• Play Time: 30+ min

• Age: 9+ (No alcohol involved for minors)

As an up-and-coming blender, you spend your days and nights pouring over glasses—and polishing your craft—to bring the finest blended whisky to the world. You are in pursuit of a flavor combination that is rich, sharp, aromatic, and above all, perfectly balanced.

You will need the standard White Oak cask spirits for their sweet aroma, the Common Oak cask spirits for their distinct astringency, and the prized Mizunara Oak cask spirits for their unique, bold character. Make respectful use of the spirits aged in casks by your predecessors, and craft a fine whisky that surpasses all your fellow blenders.

The future Master Blender is you!

COMPONENTS

• 40 Spirit Cards (88×63 mm)

  • 36 Standard Cards (3 Suits × 12 Cards)

  • 4 Wild Cards
    (Card numbers: 1–40. Example distribution across suits: White Oak / Common Oak / Mizunara Oak / Wilds)

• 3 Barley Tokens

• 5 Player Summaries (88×63 mm)

• 4 Score Boards (105×148 mm)

• 15 Score Markers (5 Colors × 3 Markers each)

• 1 Rulebook

  

ABOUT THE GAME

Blenders Tricks is a trick-taking game with a must-follow rule. Players play cards to the center of the table according to the rules and resolve "tricks" by comparing card ranks.

By managing your hand effectively, you must win tricks (or intentionally lose them) over the course of 3 rounds to collect cards in a balanced manner. Cards feature Point Icons (Cask Icons). At the end of the 3rd round, the player who has the smallest difference in accumulated points among the three suit colors wins the game.

For Experienced Trick-Taking Players (Game Summary):

• Mechanics: Must-Follow / 3 Suits / No Trump / Highest Rank Wins (regardless of suit) / 4 Wild Cards.

• Trick Resolution: The trick winner claims 2 cards: the card they played, plus 1 other card of their choice played in that trick (with minor exceptions).

• Objective: Accumulate points (shown on claimed cards) across 3 rounds. The player with the most balanced point total across all 3 suit colors wins.

SETUP

1. Distribute Components:
   Give each player 1 Player Summary and 3 Score Markers matching the player color shown in the bottom-right corner of their summary.

2. Set Up the Score Track:
   Connect the 4 Score Boards in numerical order in the center of the table. Each player places their 3 Score Markers on the cask icons marked "C" (Common Oak), "M" (Mizunara Oak), and "W" (White Oak) to the left of space "1". Place the 3 Barley Tokens near the score track.

3. Deal Cards:
   Shuffle all 40 Spirit Cards face down and deal them equally to each player as their starting hand based on player count:

   • 3 Players: 13 cards each (1 card remains; set it aside face down without looking at it)

   • 4 Players: 10 cards each

   • 5 Players: 8 cards each

4. Card Drafting / Passing:
   All players inspect their hands, then simultaneously choose 2 cards from their hand to pass: 1 card to the player on their left, and 1 card to the player on their right.
   (Note: You cannot look at the cards you receive before choosing which cards to pass.)

5. Determine First Player:
   The player who has most recently visited a whisky distillery (or chosen by any random method) becomes the lead player for the first trick.
   (In Rounds 2 and 3, the player who earned a Barley Token in the previous round will become the first player.)

GAMEPLAY

A single game consists of 3 rounds. Each round follows steps 1 through 5 listed below.

1. Playing a Trick

Starting with the First Player and proceeding clockwise, each player plays 1 card from their hand face up to the center of the table. This complete sequence is called a Trick.

The color (suit) of the card played by the First Player is the Lead Suit.

• First Player: Plays any 1 card from their hand.

• Subsequent Players: Must follow the rules below:

  • Must-Follow Rule: If you have cards matching the Lead Suit in your hand, you must play a card of that suit.

  • Wild Cards (10, 20, 30, 40): Can be played at any time, regardless of the Lead Suit.

  • If the First Player plays a Wild Card: The second player may play any card from their hand, and that card’s suit becomes the Lead Suit for the trick. If the second player also plays a Wild Card, continue until a non-Wild card is played; that card establishes the Lead Suit.

  • Multiple Matching Cards: If you have multiple cards of the Lead Suit, you may choose any one of them to play.

  • No Matching Cards: If you have no cards matching the Lead Suit, you may play any card from your hand.

2. Resolving the Trick

Once all players have played a card, compare the numerical ranks on the cards. Regardless of suit, the player who played the card with the highest numerical rank wins the trick.

3. Claiming Cards

The winner of the trick claims their own played card plus 1 additional card of their choice played in that trick.

• Organize your claimed cards by suit, stacking them so the Point Icons (Cask Icons) at the bottom-right of each card remain visible.

• Wild Card Restrictions: Wild cards cannot be claimed. If a trick contains multiple Wild cards, you may end up claiming only 1 card or 0 cards.

• If the Winner Played a Wild: The winner claims all non-Wild cards played in that trick instead.

• Discard Pile: Any unclaimed cards are discarded face down into a single discard pile. Keep them separate from all players' claimed cards.

  

CASK ICON VALUES

Cards with higher single-digit numbers feature more Cask Icons, while lower single-digit numbers feature fewer. Wild Cards have no Cask Icons.

4. Ending the Hand & Barley Token

• If players still have cards in hand: The winner of the trick becomes the Lead Player for the next trick.

• If hands are empty: The player who claimed the most total cards during this round earns 1 Barley Token.
  (In case of a tie, the tied player who played the higher-ranked card in the final trick wins the token.)

5. Token Bonus & Round Scoring

• Barley Token Bonus: The player who earned the Barley Token may choose whether to use its bonus now. Then, proceed to Scoring.

BARLEY TOKEN BONUS

The player holding a Barley Token may spend (return) it to ignore 1 Spirit Card claimed during the current round when counting Cask Icons. Return the used token to the supply.

SCORING

Each player counts the total number of Cask Icons on their claimed Spirit Cards for each suit color. Advance your 3 Score Markers to the right on the Score Board by that number of spaces (toward higher numbers).

END OF ROUND

After Scoring, gather all 40 Spirit Cards, shuffle them, and repeat Setup steps 3–5 to begin the next round.

(The player who earned the Barley Token in the previous round becomes the First Player for the new round.)

If the completed round was the 3rd round, proceed to Game End & Victory Determination