Aurum

I love trick taking games and I have reviewed lots of them for Zatu, and Aurum is another to add to the list. Amazing games like Cat In The Box which removes colours from the cards, St Patrick which requires you to not win certain cards, and Skull King which turns trick taking up to 11. I even did a 5 Trick Taking Games blog where I talk about all of the different ways trick taking is used as a mechanism.

You would think I have enough trick takers by now, but you would be wrong. I was super excited to pick up a copy of Aurum at the UK Games Expo in June and I have been playing it as often as I can ever since.

Read on to find out why I think you need this lovely little game about turning metal into gold in your collection.

Who’s Counting

Lets get something out of the way immediately. This game is for 3 or 4 players only and my preferred player count is 4. If you want to play a trick taker specifically made for 2 players there are plenty of options available, but Aurum has no rules for two players.

When you play at 4 players you play in teams of 2, otherwise at 3 players it is all vs all. Regardless of the player count, the objective of the game is to win 2 out of 3 rounds. You score points by making correct predictions on how many tricks you will win as well as claiming valuable gold cards, the player with the most points at the end of the round wins a gold nugget. Win 2 of those and the game is yours.

At the beginning of the round you have a hand of cards from which you will choose and place one card on the table face down. These cards are then revealed and the number represents how many tricks you are predicting you will win. In the teams game the highest number between each member is the prediction.

Stop Following Me

This is a ‘must not follow’ trick taking game which means if the first player plays a blue card no one else can play a blue card that trick, then if the second player plays a green card no one else can play a blue or green card, and so on. The highest number wins and ties are resolved in favour of the player who played the card last. The same is true for ties of the lowest value cards as well, the importance of which will be explained soon.

There’s Gold In Them Low Numbers

If ever you can’t ‘not follow’ the round ends. However, in each trick the player who played the lowest card receives the equivalent same numbered gold card (if it is available as they are in limited supply). This gold card can be played to ‘trump’ the trick, i.e. win it automatically (as long as it is the highest played gold card), or it can be used to change your trick prediction before a trick commences. Finally, gold cards have a points value which can be very important when working out the final score.

If you / your team predicted the exact number of tricks you score double that number plus the points on the gold cards. If you score more tricks than you predicted you will only score the prediction plus the gold cards. If you score less than your prediction you only score for your gold cards.

It’s All Good

I enjoy so much about Aurum, but what keeps me coming back for more is the trick predictions with the ability to change it mid game. You would think this would make it very easy to win but you would be wrong. Everyone is aware of the number of tricks you want to win so they will go out of their way to make sure your prediction fails. Also, changing your prediction later in the game is a dangerous tactic as the round can end abruptly and without warning if someone can’t ‘not follow’.

I also really enjoy the multiple uses for the gold cards. There is always a difficult decision to make when you could win the trick with your gold card but it is also worth a lot of points on its own. Little moments like this occur throughout the game.

Final Thoughts

The price is low, the quality of the cards / components are high (thanks Pandasaurus Games), the trick taking is clever and thoughtful, and the rules are clear and concise. There really isn’t anything to complain about. If I had to be picky I would say some of the cards colours tend to blend in a bit on your first few games, but it is something you get used to after a while.

I really like Aurum and it has been a great success whenever I have taught it to someone. The must not follow combined with trick predictions and the special gold cards make for a really interesting game.