Game: Margin for Error

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seiji — 2008-06-11T09:47:07+00:00

front of box - version 2

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swuyau — 2008-05-26T10:02:22+00:00

cards

Thread: First Impression-Will the Margin hit the table again?

mike86 — 2007-03-15T16:46:49+00:00

Margin For Error is a trick taking card game for 4 - 5 players. My family and I really enjoy playing card games, especially Wizard and The Last Card and many others. So we were very eager to try Margin For Error as it allows for the 5th player, and we are a group of 5!

The Game - Bits- Nothing impressive here! And it did get an initial negative reaction from the kids in its very uninspiring box containing what is very close to a deck of cards. It actually contains 4 colored suits with cards numbered 1 to 14, plus 2 cards which indicate the 'GOAL' of each hand, High Goal or Low Goal.

The How-To- It seems the family doesn't mind playing new games, however they prefer games where I can read the directions and explain it to them in short order. Thats not to say they wont interrupt with questions wanting to know every detail...just so long as I dont start out including all of the details thus making a long how-to play speech.
Since we were playing the 5 player version I will focus on it. It doesn't differ greatly from the 4 player version. (The difference being primarily that players play as individuals with rotating partners while in the 4 player game partnerships are set and static.)

In summary the entire deck is dealt, the remaining card (in the 5-player game) is left face down in the center of the table. Starting with the dealer and proceding clockwise each player is given the opportunity to elect to be 'Captain'. If nobody volunteers it falls to the dealer.

The Captain picks the 'POINT SUIT' and the 'GOAL'. The point suit is announced to all players. The goal is secretly selected by choosing one of the 2 Goal Cards. The players are divided into two teams for the hand. The first team is the captain and the player seated 3 seats to his/her left (clockwise). The remaining 3 players are the other team. Notice in a 5-player game your partner when you are captain is not the same player that will partner with you when they are Captain.

The goal is either High or Low and refers to the number of cards that will be taken in the point suit. For the Low goal to be successfully attained at most 4 cards in the point suit can be won in tricks taken by the Captain's team. For the HIGH goal the fewest cards in the point suit won must be 10. However, as the title implies there is a 'Margin for Error'. IF the captain's team misses success by one (1), then the round is considered a draw.

Once the goal has been selected there is a 'Pass' phase. The Captain chooses 3 cards (seems I may have played wrong as other reviews mention this should be 2 cards) and the selected Goal card to pass to his teammate. The teammate looks at the cards, selects an equal number of cards to pass back to the Captiain (not including the goal card). The passed cards then become part of the recipient's hands (One is not allowed to pass back a card) The other team also gets to pass cards. The player to the captain's left passes 2 cards to the player on the captain's right. Then 2 cards will be returned to the initial left-hand opponent. The player 2-seats to the Captain's left has nobody to exchange with, so they have the option of exchanging any card in their hand with the leftover card sitting face down after the deck has been dealt.

This is a game where there is no trump suit. Thus all tricks are won by the highest numbered card of the suit led. Tricks are collected by one member of each side maintaining 2 face down piles. One pile for all cards won in the POINT suit, the other for all other cards.

OK, here are the last few details...
The initial trick is started by the player with the GREEN 1, unless GREEN is the point suit. In this case the BLUE 1 has the initial lead.

No player is permitted to lead a card in the point suit until the suit is 'BROKEN' by another player playing a card of the point suit to a trick when they can't follow suit, OR a player only has cards in the point suit

The Opposing team (3-player non-captain) gets to know the goal when the first of the following conditions is met -
Either Team has taken 5 cards in the point suit OR
7 of the 11 tricks have been played

Scoring- At the conclusion of the hand each team counts the number of cards won in the point suit. If the Captain is successful in achieving the goal each player on the captain's team earn 15 points. If the captain missed by 1 - then the hand is a draw as mentioned earlier and neither sied earns any points. If the captain's team was unsuccessful, then each player on the opposing team scores 10 points.
Bonus points are awarded for the Captain's team if the have Low goal and take 0 point suit cards or have the high goal and take all 14 point suit cards.

The winner is the first player to reach 60 points. In the event that nobody has reached 60 points after 5 hands (each player having the opportunity to deal) then the cards are cut for new seats (thus changing the possible partnerships) and the games continues.

NOTE: Ok...so I wasnt brief!

Commentary
Being a trick taking game with a trump suit really threw the family for a bit. They could figure out what significance the card passing held. After some hands of initial success I offered a little insight to them. With no trump suit the game hinges on the ability to get and relinquish the lead depending upon what your teams goal is or perceived to be. Thus there is power in long suits and shortness in others.

This helped them. And we found the LOW goal to be easier to succeed. In our game both goals were achieved. However, more times the Captin was unsuccessful. I could not conclude whether this was to mishandling the cards or simply a lack of control.

While I can't claim to have extracted enough information to be an authority on strategy. It seems that for the HIGH goal one needs the high point suit cards for success. While that may sound obvious, I state it because it is different from simply having a long suit and choosing high because you have many. Note: If you dont have the 14 of the point suit and that is ever lead and everyone follows, you can lose 5 cards right there, making your best result on a HIGH goal a draw!

Regarding the passing of cards - It 'feels' like the captains partner needs to read the following -
Low Goal and you are short with high point suit cards - pass them. The captain chose the suit because it is long in their hand. You dont want to be forced to win a point suit led trick. In fact on a high goal, pass point cards as well. Perhaps keep one if you expect to get the lead so you can lead it, as you 'know', that the captain should have the 14 (see above)

I made a few other observations, but will refrain from writing until I play more times!

Afterwards - family seemed to come away with a positive reaction. They commented that it made more sense once I aimed them toward a possible strategy as it made the game more fun! They left wanting to play again and that is always a good sign.

I think it is probably a very different game with 4 players and would need to try before fully deciding how much I like the game. And as I cant decide if a player actually has enough control to properly select a goal vs pass I am not sure how much longevity this game has. Right now I am willing and eager to play it again...so I'd rate it 8.

As this has turned out to be fairly detailed I would say you have all the information you need to decide if this game might be for you!

Thread: passing cards & the low goal

Suzy_Q — 2007-01-09T22:25:58+00:00

Here's my humble $0.02 about my strategy for passing cards. When I'm the captain and we're going for the low goal, I like to pass at least one very low point-suit card to my partner. Also, remember when you're going for low, that the Green "1" card won't help because it leads the first trick (I forget sometimes).

Thread: [Review] Margin for Error

TomVasel — 2006-11-28T09:43:14+00:00

On the onset, Margin for Error (Sagely Games, 2006 - Dean Seiji) looked rather unassuming. It's a trick taking game with rather plain looking cards in a plain looking box. Reading the rules didn't really do much more for me, as it looked like an unimaginative, typical trick-taking game. But I've seen games that didn't look like much before become rather good, and I'm always in the mood for a new trick-taking game, so I gave it a shot.

And I have to say that with four players, Margin for Error is a well-executed, clever trick-taking game. It has elements of other games, notably Hearts, and despite its simplicity allows for some bluffing, some interesting partner communication, and is rather satisfying. I enjoy trick-taking partnership games; and although I think the five player version is slightly odd, I enjoy the four player game tremendously.

The deck of cards is made up of four suits (blue, yellow, green, and red), numbered from "1" to "14". For each round of the game, these are shuffled, and fourteen cards are dealt to each of the players. After looking at and sorting their cards, the dealer decides whether he wants to be the Captain, or pass. If he declines, the next player in clockwise order gets to decide, and so on. If all four players pass, then the dealer MUST be the Captain. The Captain decides which of the four suits will be the point suit for the round and then decides on his strategy.

The Captain is either going to attempt the High Goal (gain ten or more point cards) or the Low Goal (gain four or less point cards). He chooses from the two corresponding cards and passes it to his partner, to alert them what the goal is. The Captain then passes three cards to his partner, who after looking at them, passes three different cards back. The other pair does the same thing but with two cards. The round is then ready to begin.

The player with the Green "1" leads off, unless Green cards are the point cards, in which case the Blue "1" leads off. In this trick, as in all following, players must play a card that is the same color as the card that is led. If they have no card of the leading color, then they may play any card they like. The winner of a trick is the player who plays the highest card of the suit that was led (there is no "trump"). That player then plays the leading card of the next trick, etc.

No player may lead off with the point trick, unless it is "broken" - a player plays it as a following card in another trick. After either five point cards have been taken by one partnership or seven tricks have been played, the Goal card is turned over and revealed to their opponents, after which the round is played out. At the end of the round, if the Captain's team met their goal, they receive fifteen points. If the round ended in a tie (The Captain's team takes five point cards with a low goal, or nine cards with the high goal) then neither team receive points. Otherwise, the opposing team scores ten points.

The next player becomes the dealer, and another round begins. The game continues until one team has sixty points, at which point they win. Rules for the five player game are similar, except that a single player can win, since partnerships change each round.

Some comments on the game…

1.) Components: Even though I enjoyed the game, I'm still not terribly impressed with the components. The small blue box is rather mundane, and the cards themselves simply have the numbers on them in the color of the suit, as well as a word (i.e. "blue") that states the color. I don't think that there needs to be a huge pizzazz involved with a game's production; but since the game is awfully close to a regular deck of cards (only a difference of four), I would think that there would be a bit more involved. Still, the cards are functional and easy to tell apart.

2.) Rules: The rules are on eight small pages, and clearly and quickly explain how to play the game. I understood how to play after only a quick reading, and it was fairly easy to explain (although the players kept asking "Just like Hearts?", etc.), as I went. It actually took a round for some players to finally understand, but it's a fairly simple game.

3.) High Goal / Low Goal: It certainly seems to me that the Low Goal is much more attainable than the High Goal. When you have a handful of cards in one color, it's easy to pick the High Goal; but just because you have very few cards of a color doesn't make the Low Goal accessible, since your partner may have all the cards needed. Once we figured out exactly how the game went, the Low Goal was very rarely picked. Still, it's possible, and the opponents are still left guessing.

4.) Guessing: Which goal have my opponents picked? This is my favorite part of the game, as both sets of partners jab back and forth, with the Captain and his partner trying not to reveal their goal too early, and the other set of partners attempting to figure it out. The Captain's opponents should "break" the point suit early, attempting to see if the Captain and Co. will take the cards or not. Halfway through, the goal card is revealed, but that might be too late for the opponents. This makes the game considerably different from Hearts, because a player may attempt to either take points or give them to the others. It makes for an interesting dynamic and separates Margin for Error from other trick taking games.

5.) Fun Factor: Much of the fun in this game comes not from completing the goal, but from spoiling the goal of the Captain - at least for me! I enjoy first trying to figure out what the goal is, then trying to mess it up. This was such an enjoyment that players often passed on being the Captain. In fact, the burden of the game lays on the Captain and his partner, and players will often pass the ability unless they are completely confident they can do it.

6.) Passing: There is a bit of communication between partners in the cards that are passed. The Captain's partner can tell the Captain how many cards they have of a certain color, etc. At the same time, the cards passed can perhaps rid a player of one color (allowing them to "break" the point suit faster) or give high cards to their opponents.

Margin for Error is a simple game, and one that will most likely appeal to those who play trick-taking games. I'm not sure it's the best introductory game for the genre, but it is enjoyable and easy to learn. The guessing of the goal and then trying to complete/foil it is the best part of the game, and this sets Margin apart from other card games.

Tom Vasel
"Real men play board games"
www.thedicetower.com

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Boomer — 2006-09-22T18:49:12+00:00

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Boomer — 2006-09-22T18:49:03+00:00

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Boomer — 2006-09-22T18:43:49+00:00

Box autographed by the game designer

Thread: Margin Call...

otha62 — 2006-08-29T00:36:39+00:00

Overview
Margin for Error is a partnership trick-taking card game for 4 or 5 players (NOTE: The primary focus of this review will be on the 4-player game). It has similar elements found in classic card games (i.e., Hearts, Spades), but it’s unique enough in its own right. It’s designed by Dean Seiji and self-published under the designer’s Sagely Games label. The goal of the game is to score points by either taking or avoid taking cards in the point suit over several rounds. The first team to score 60 points wins the game. Our games thus far have come in right around an hour.

Out of the Box
The game comes in a small cardboard box with a flap, containing 58 cards and a small set of rules. There are 56 playing cards in four suits (Red, Blue, Green, Yellow), with each suit’s cards numbered 1 through 14. The two remaining cards are the goal cards, one reflecting the High Goal and the other reflecting the Low Goal. The cards are not flashy but they’re functional, with the number and color easily identifiable on each card (NOTE: For those who are color blind, the color is also printed on each card, a nice touch). The card stock is not the best I’ve seen, but it’s by no means the worst either. The rules are laid out in a simple manner and are very easy to understand; they also include several handy tips on strategy. As with many other trick-taking games, there’s no theme to speak of.

Set Up
Not much to set up. Just choose partners, shuffle, deal each player 14 cards, and keep the goal cards in easy reach.

Game Play
At the start of each round, a Captain must emerge. The dealer always has the first option to be the Captain. After looking at his/her cards, the dealer either claims or refuses the Captaincy. If refused, the option then passes to the dealer’s left, and so on until some one claims it; if every one refuses, then the dealer must play as Captain.

As Captain, you must first declare a point suit. Next, you will pass, face down, a goal card (either High or Low) to your partner. Your partner will look at the goal card and keep it secret. If you passed the High card, your goal is to take at least 10 cards in the point suit; if you passed the Low card, your goal is to take no more than 4 of the point suit. You will also pass 3 cards to your teammate, who will, after looking at the cards you passed, send 3 cards back to you. The opposing team’s two players are allowed to pass two cards each. Play is then ready to begin.

The player with the Green 1 will lead it (NOTE: If Green is the point suit, then the player with the Blue 1 will lead). Play will rotate clockwise, with each player playing one card until all have played. You must follow the suit led if you have that suit in your hand; if not, you may play any card. There are no trumps, so the highest card in the suit led will win the trick; any cards in the point suit are laid aside. Similar to Hearts, the point suit cannot be led until it is broken. Once the seventh trick has been played or if at least 5 cards of the point suit have been played (whichever comes first), the Goal card of the Captain’s team is flipped up for the opposing team to see. After the last trick has been played, scoring for that round is recorded. If neither team has reached 60 points total, another round is played.

Scoring and Endgame
Scoring is pretty straightforward. If you, as the Captain, bid High and your team captured at least 10 cards from the declared point suit for that round, then your team receives 15 points; if you captured all 14 point suit cards, your team gets a 10 point bonus (for a total of 25). If you bid Low and your team captures no more than 4 cards from the point suit, then your team receives 15 points; if you managed to avoid capturing any point suit cards, you get a 5 point bonus (for a total of 20). (NOTE: If you’re wondering why the discrepancy of bonus points in making your High/Low goal, I can only guess; during our games, it seemed like it was just a tad easier to avoid capturing point cards). In either case, if the opposing partnership keeps the Captain’s team from making their goal, than they get 10 points. There are two situations in which the round will be a draw; if during a High bid the Captain’s team gets 9 point cards or during a Low bid they get 5 point cards, then neither team scores. The first team to reach 60 points is the winner.

Strategy
Margin for Error, seems to me, has less luck than many trick-taking games. Most other trick-takers you are either trying to take a lot of tricks or trying not to take any, so the cards you are dealt have a huge impact. However, in this game, due to the goal cards, when you’re Captain you have the choice. So if you’re dealt a lousy hand for taking a lot of tricks, you’ll probably have a good hand for going Low, and vice-versa.

While I’m no expert, I can tell you a few things you might want to consider when playing. First and foremost, NEVER refuse being the Captain, even if you get dealt a hand where you don’t think you could go High or Low. If you can’t make either goal, it’s more than likely your opponents can; it’s better that they get 10 points for setting you as opposed to 15 (or maybe even more if they get a bonus) for making their goal. Being the Captain is where the points are at, so whenever you have the chance, take it.

Passing cards to your partner is a key element to the game. If you’re the Captain or if you’re on the opposing team, you’ll probably want to pass cards where you’ll void yourself in one suit (that way you have a suit you can slough off on). If your partner’s the Captain, it’ll depend on the goal card. If it’s High, you’ll want to pass high-valued cards and/or point suit cards. If it’s Low, it can be harder to figure out what to pass; as a general rule with the Low goal, I tend to avoid passing point cards (unless all that I have are high number values) as well as cards in the suit that the Captain has passed me.

As far as the opposing team goes, I think it’s best for them to try to break the point suit as soon as possible. The quicker it’s broken, the quicker they can figure out what goal the Captain’s team is attempting and thus counter it; if the opposing team doesn’t find out until the seventh trick, the Captain may have gotten rid of most of his/her vulnerable cards by then.

While this game has simple rules, don’t be fooled into believing that there’s not much to it. In my first game, I dealt the first hand and chose to be Captain. I had what I thought was a strong hand (thinking that if I had a comparable hand like this in Spades or Rook, it’d be a cakewalk). I chose the High Goal and my partner passed some good cards. I started off strongly and then my opponents went on a run, I couldn’t stop ‘em, and we didn’t come close to making my goal. Remember, there are no trumps in this game; if you lose the lead, you may never get it back. And conversely, if you’re bidding Low and you get the lead, you may not be able to get out of the lead.

Variant
The rules included with the game have a variant for 5 players. Play is basically the same with a few exceptions. First, each player is dealt 11 cards with one card being out of play. Second, your partner will be the person sitting 3 positions to your left and only 2 cards will be passed. After each player has dealt a round, players swap seats so that in the next round, each player will have a different partner. Scores are individually recorded, so each player on the Captain’s team in a successful round would score 15 points (or more with any bonuses) while each player on the opposing team would score 10 points in denying the Captain’s goal. Also, instead of 60 points, the game ends when one player reaches 50. All my games have been played with 4 thus far so I can’t comment on the game play with this variant; however, this seems like it would be a good option if you have 5 people wanting to play. The only other trick-taking partnership game accommodating 5 players that I know of is Mu.

Conclusions
As trick-takers are some of my favorite card games, I must say that Margin for Error is yet another good one. It’s challenging and there’s some tough decisions to make; what point suit to declare and whether to go High or Low, in addition to what card to play on each trick. I'll also say that the game is well-named for you don't have much margin for error; one misplay and you'll probably miss your goal.

Considering the addition of goal cards as well as there being no trump, the game might have a bit of a learning curve for those used to the more traditional trick-taking games. During our first game, I noticed a lot of furrowed eyebrows (mine included) in the first couple of rounds as the players were trying to figure out what to do. In the later rounds though, I could almost see the “light bulb” switch on as each player had their “I get it!” moment. Subsequent games went much smoother. This is the first self-published game I’ve ever played, but as far as game play goes, I’d put it right alongside most of the published trick-taking games I’ve played. I currently rate Margin for Error a not so "marginal" and very solid 7. It'll never go below that, but I could easily see it moving up a point, especially if it plays just as well with five players.

Thread: Re: Review after one play.

Gargoyle — 2006-08-03T09:51:11+00:00

daw65 wrote:
After the declaration, players pass cards: Captain passes three to their partner, who looks at but doesn't add them to their hand, and then passes three from their hand back to the captain. Captain's left does the same for captain's right, but only two cards. After that, play begins.

Does captain's partner take captain's cards into his/her hand after passing cards to the captain or how does this work? Sounds like the cards would be left to the table which would cause the players to have a different number of cards in their hands.

Based on this interview it sounds like a solid, playable trick-taking game, although bit unimaginative. It might have benefited from a more diabolical scoring system Things like making the targets bit more challenging, but keeping the point suit secret for a while popped into my mind...

Thread: Re: Where to get this game?

mateybob — 2006-07-20T03:17:57+00:00

According to the publishers website only at http://www.fairplaygames.com/gamedisplay.asp?gameid=4068

Thread: Where to get this game?

shawn_low — 2006-07-20T02:31:38+00:00

So...how can we buy this game?

Thread: My first four-player attempt

daw65 — 2006-06-23T00:53:24+00:00

A four player game: Dave (yours truly) and Allan vs. Helen and Naomi. I've already posted a review of this game here: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/114950 You can check that out for general rules for the game, as well as my thoughts after this, my first play of the game.

I dealt first, and got myself a nice hand, with 14, 13,12,11,9,1 in red, and 14,13,11,10 blue. So I elected to be captain, choosing High red. I dumped off some low cards, and got passed back some red ones, including the 10, to compete my 6 card top straight flush. I won the first trick with 10 green, and played blue to try to get red broken. I finally lost the lead to the 12 blue, but got it back when Helen came right back with a blue lead. My partner finally broke red onto one of my blue leads, and I then danced down the straight flush, to take all 14 red cards. 15 points for success, plus the 10 point bonus for having all cards in the point suit. Boys 25, Girls 0

Helen dealt second hand, but passed on captaincy. Allan picked it, and chose High yellow. Helen showed void in green first trick, so when Allan led a second green card, she broke yellow. At that point, Alan led 14 yellow, and Naomi's void. Next lead was 13 yellow, and I'm void. This is a problem, because Helen has some good yellow. She won a red trick, and bled out yellow, but only for two tricks before she ran out. And here I was able to jump in. Naomi won the next red trick, but took no yellow, and then led blue. I took that, and ran out the rest of my hand with my high blue (12,10,9,8) to get the rest of the yellow and save our bacon. We ended up with 10 yellow, and therefore 15 points. Boys 40, Girls 0

Allan dealt, and passed on captaincy, as did Naomi. I was long in red, so I claimed it, choosing High red. I had 14 blue and 14,11 green, so I thought I could get into my hand, but I had a singleton 11 yellow, and that ended up being my downfall. Helen got lead and started flushing through her strong yellow suit. Eventually I had to start playing red, and I just couldn't get back into my hand before losing the sixth one. A setback for the boys, and 10 points to the girls. Boys 40, Girls 10

Naomi dealt next, and she and I both passed on the captaincy. Helen claimed it, choosing high red. She started by playing coy, dumping medium-high cards in green first and then yellow (showing void in green) but losing the tricks. When she did finally get a trick, I dumped a red to break the suit. Helen started then bleeding red, but I had the 14 and 10, so I felt pretty good about my chances, especially since Allan and Naomi both showed void in red early. Eventually, I took her 9 with my 10, and then played some high green to force more red from her hand, since by that point it was all she had. I then took another red with my 14, and that was enough to foil her plans. Failure for the girls; 10 points for the boys. Boys 50, Girls 10.

By this time we were discussing how one might try to choose a Low goal. I dealt the fifth hand, and with my cards I thought I'd try. I chose Low blue, with 14, 8,6,4,3,2 and figured I could dump the 14 on a yellow trick, in which I was void. Allan broke blue in the third trick, and I took it, trying to bluff them into taking some blue tricks. But it didn't work, as the next time Helen took a trick Allan dumped a blue there as well. Helen then led a low blue, and while I could duck under, Allan couldn't, and we ended up taking four more blue cards. After that Naomi and I were the only ones left with blue cards. I was indeed able to dump the 14 onto a yellow trick, and after that I managed to play out all my blue without taking another trick. But we had still taken five blue, which meant stalemate, and no points to anyone. Boys 50, Girls 10, and since we were out of time at lunch, that's where it ended.

We did spend a little time discussing, though, and agreed that playing a forced no-trump each hand made for some different choices than the games we usually play. Also, in the middle of our second hand Ed came by and kinda kibbitzed through the rest of the game, so I'm hopeful to try it five-player in the not-too-distant future.

Thread: Review after one play.

daw65 — 2006-06-22T22:47:14+00:00

A little while ago I received a GeekMail, asking if I wanted to receive a game for free in return for playing and rating it here on BoardGameGeek. Well, I took it, and I've played it. After that one game, here's what I thought.

Margin For Error is a trick-taking card game for four or five players. My one game was four players, so I'll explain the rules for four, and then touch on the differences with five. The game consists of 58 cards: four suits (red, green, blue, yellow) numbered 1-14, and two "goal" cards, one the High Goal, and one the Low Goal, and is played in partnerships. Partners sit across from each other.

To play, shuffle the 56 suited cards, and deal them to everyone. Everyone in turn, starting with the dealer, may choose to be "Captain" or not. If everyone declines, then the dealer is stuck with the role. Once the captaincy is claimed (or, um, bestowed), the Captain declares a "point suit", and secretly chooses a goal card, which they then share with their partner. That identifies the team's goal: the High Goal requires the team to take a minimum of 10 cards in the point suit. The Low Goal requires taking a maximum of 4. Missing either goal by one card is considered a draw. Missing by more than one is a failure. After the declaration, players pass cards: Captain passes three to their partner, who looks at but doesn't add them to their hand, and then passes three from their hand back to the captain. Captain's left does the same for captain's right, but only two cards. After that, play begins.

The first trick starts with the 1-green card, or 1-blue if the point suit is green. Rules are that you must follow suit if possible, and there is no trump. If you win a trick, you lead to the next one. And that's pretty much it. About halfway through the hand (after 7 tricks have been played, or after any one team has claimed five point cards) the opponents may reveal the goal card. Continue playing tricks until all the cards are played.

At the end, each team counts their point cards. If the Captain's team is successful, they earn 15 points. (there's additional bonus for going High and getting all 14 point cards (15 points) or going low and getting none of them (10 points). If they fail, the opponents earn 10 points. Next player to the left then deals the new hand.

The game ends when one team reaches or exceeds 60 points.

The primary change for 5 is that partnerships change. The captain's partner is the player in the third seat clockwise from the captain. Captain and partner pass two cards. Captain's left and right pass two cards as well. The remaining opponent may swap the undealt card into their hand (because 56 divided by 5 leaves one card undealt). Additionally, at the end of the hand points are the same, but awarded to each member of the scoring team, and the winner is the player to first reach or exceed 50 points.

While I read the rules, I saw some similarities to other games I've played. The captaincy looked an awful lot like the Chief from Mü. But there's no bidding; you do it or not. The passing happens in a number of games (Frank's Zoo comes to mind). The cardplay is pretty standard, although the lack of trump is pretty different from other games I've played. A forced lead of the 1-green and the restriction on leading the point suit until broken seemed a lot like hearts.

After reading the rules, my first reaction was that it was a simpler game than I was used to. No bidding, no choosing of trump. But after playing, I found that the simplicity just shifted the decisions elsewhere. Do I choose Captain? What's my point suit? High or low? How will I manage the tricks when there's no trump? Very few of the card games I play involve playing with no trump, and those that do see it very rarely. (Disclaimer time: I've never played Spades, and I've never played Bridge with any meaningful understanding of the game.) So these are choices that I don't really find in my other trick-taking games. That alone makes for a nice addition to my collection.

One concern we had in our one playing was the viability of taking the Low goal card. It only happened once, and that resulted in a stalemate. The starting hand, card passing, and card play are all likely very different to make such a goal, and I think it'll be interesting to figure out how to make that happen.

To summarize, I find Margin for Error to be a fun and interesting card game that offers enough that's different from the other games in my collection. After my one game, I think it's very solid, and worth keeping in my card game drawer.

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seiji — 2006-04-26T18:39:59+00:00

back of box

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seiji — 2006-04-26T07:03:22+00:00

front of box