Those wonder of wonders, the four player card game.
Brian Morris
United States
Raytown
Missouri
2nd, 6th & 7th Wisconsin, 19th Indiana, 24th Michigan
24th Michigan monument at Gettysburg Pa.
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Four to me is the perfect number for games and especially card games. It also is the number of players I have for games most of the time. Four player card games are easy to learn.....well most of the time and they tend to have balance. They usually are shorter than their board brethren which makes them a good filler game or you can get a number of games in in a short evening.
Lately I've been playing a lot of 4 or 5 player card games. Either with my business partners (A couple who are also my wife and I's best friends) or other friends. I've been sitting here thinking about what are some of the best of this genre and what are some of the one I should consider picking up for when my partners are in town. They're new to gaming but my recent introduction of a few euro games and especially Citadels has been well recieved by them.
Feel free to add card games to this list with the following stipulations. No CCGs. I have no interest in sliding down that slippery slope.
No regular card games like Bridge. I have no interest in Bridge, rummy, poker or games like that.
The games must play best with 4 or 5. I never care for games that are designed for 2 players and then because the publisher wants it to have a wider audience they squeeze in some funky 4 player rules that in the end don't work very well.
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Ed Carter
Spain
Groton
Massachusetts
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The gamer's game in our 2005 publications--very much in the spirit of San Juan but with lots of multifunctionality in the cards.
Our experience is that it works well with its entire range of players (2 to 5) although we usually play with 4 or 5 players (frequently from midnight to 7am)
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Matt Sears
United States
Adrian
Missouri
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This has been like by everyone I've introduced it to recently. Maybe best with 4, but can play with 2-10.
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Medievalbanquet
United States
Wellesley
Massachusetts
And if you never have, you should. These things are fun and fun is good.
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Check this one out folks. An Alan Moon design. Quick, simple, fun. Not much to it but it's a good filler or warm up game. Plays best with 4.
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Mitch Willis
United States
Kathleen
Georgia
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Excellent and unique trick taking game for four with a Civil War theme; we prefer playing with partners but you can play cut-throat. It's unique in the case that you compete for three tricks simultaneously, on your left and right flanks, as well as in your center. We really enjoy the basic game and haven't tried playing with the Honor cards as of yet...
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Mitch Willis
United States
Kathleen
Georgia
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Fun new card game with a Hundred Years War theme. Accomodates up to 6 players, and scales well with 4 or 5. You win battle points by bluffing and playing up to 6 cards. Strength of hands are based on Poker. I especially like the "Dogs of War" cards; they allow you to retrieve other cards after battle. Right now it's one of my favorites.
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Tim Taylor
United States
Port Townsend
Washington
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This is a wargame simulating the battle of Stalingrad in World War 2 (in four parts). Cards represent military formations. Playing with four makes the "game chores" easier to bear. Fun with two, but easier with four (two teams of two).
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Alberto Casarrubios
Spain
Madrid
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It's not a 'gamer's game', but very fun nevertheless (altough you must set your 'winning chip' off). Also, its sweet spot is with 4-5 players.
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33.
Board Game: Bang!
[Average Rating:6.76 Overall Rank:448]
Alberto Casarrubios
Spain
Madrid
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And never forget the spaguetti western card game
 In my group (3-5, depending of the day) is our favourite closer after something meatier as a Puerto Rico, a Cities & Knights of Catan or a Kings & Things.
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Rich Ochs
United States
Jackson
Wyoming
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Although some eschew this due to the theme, it really is a great game. There is a lot of opportunity for creative card play and plenty of strategic decisions to make during the gem sales. This game works very well with 4, but it is actually a great 3 player game, too. 2 is pushing it if you don't remove some gems from the game, and the gem sales aren't nearly as fun. I personally prefer the 4 player game myself.
Rich
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David Pugh
Japan
Unspecified
Tochigi Prefecture
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Recently released in Japan and designed by Alan R Moon, this game plays with up to five players. Actually, there are two separate games, one for 2-5 players and one for 2 or 3 players.
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36.
Board Game: Hictas
[Average Rating:4.50 Unranked]
David Pugh
Japan
Unspecified
Tochigi Prefecture
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Another cardgame released in Japan this year, by Grapac. Players play their number cards and special cards and try to be the first player to empty their hand when the marker is in the "Zone". So far, I've only played a 2-player game, but it would be much better with more. (Up to 6 players.)
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Poisson d'Avril
United States
Chicago
Illinois
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Should this game belong on this list?
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John Shanahan
United States
Quincy
Massachusetts
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Silly, silly, silly. And with 120 cards in the deck, a 4-player game gets to the good stuff much quicker. There IS a learning/reading curve involved, but once you know this game and you get a mental lock on your favorite cards and what they do, it moves.
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James Hutchings
Australia
Unspecified
Unspecified
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Very good collectible card game, but takes a fair bit of committment before you get good enough at it for it to be fun.
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40.
Board Game: Rook
[Average Rating:6.38 Overall Rank:1186]
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This should have been way up on the list. For a century, this has been one of the best proprietary parnership trick-taking games. Don't be fooled into thinking it's not any good just because it was created in the Nineteen Aughts. There's a reason this one's a classic. It's good. (But get the Delux set; it's got ALL the rules from the classic rulebook, not just the standard games.)
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Norwalk
Connecticut
Other great card games in no particular order:
Spades
Hearts
Geschenkt
Poker in all its varieties
Havoc - Hundred Years War
Flinke Plinke (even better as the board game with tiles called Quandry
Arche Opti Mix
Lost Cities
Enjoy!
east boston
Massachusetts