There’s something about a trick-taker that always feels comfortable to me. But it’s tricky! Stay too close to the genre’s essentials and a new entry can feel unnecessary; stray too far, and it loses what makes trick-takers satisfying.
Shards of Creation, a trick-taking game with some flair designed by Hayden Dillard, with art by Medusa Dollmaker… lands pretty squarely in the middle.
Shards of Creation is published by Brotherwise Games and plays from 2-4 players.
Gameplay Overview:
Shards of Creation is set in Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere. This is essentially a trick-taker played over three hands of 11 cards. With 2-4 players in about 30 minutes, you mix together cards representing Shards (the power of creation and source of all life) or, for you mortal trick-takers, suits, to build your deck. During gameplay, a small deck of “trump cards” (one of each of the suits in play) reveals which suit is trump for the round. Each trump card also introduces a special ability or requirement of the trump suit.
Play begins by revealing the trump card. The starting player leads, and the rest follow suit as usual. Some cards carry special ability text that triggers when played. Whoever wins a trick keeps one card from it for scoring later and discards the rest. At the end of the hand, every player places their 11th card into their scoring area. At the end of the third hand, players activate any end-game scoring abilities, then score for the number of Shards in a set and each collection of unique Shard types.
Game Experience:
Out of the box, Shards of Creation is pleasing to the eye and undoubtedly steeped in Cosmere lore. I’ve read a couple of the books but haven’t gotten far enough along to catch all of the references or appreciate how the art ties into that story. Not having this knowledge doesn’t take anything away from my enjoyment. I can appreciate it without fully understanding it. Medusa Dollmaker’s Art Nouveau cards are well done and add to the experience.
Not all suits are equal in this game, and the designer wisely included reference cards to explain suit ranks and both in-game and end-of-game actions. After a few hands, the reference cards start to feel unnecessary, but when I introduced the game to others, they certainly helped to level the playing field. The box contains 8 sets of 16 Shards (suits), though you’ll never use more than 5 in a 4-player game.
The trump cards provide small but meaningful twists each hand. For example, one suit allows everyone to place their 11th card in their scoring area at the start of a hand. Another announces that there is no trump suit that round.
Choosing which card to pull each trick and place in your scoring area presents some interesting decisions. Do you remove a high-value card? Perhaps taking a card with a special in-game action could make a difference in future hands. I haven’t played it quite enough to explore this layer.
That intersection of choosing which suits to play, the fact that not all suits are equal, and deciding which cards to place in your scoring area is where this game does present a bit of a twist and challenge. I don’t think I’ve logged enough plays to have fully explored this, and I think that says something good about the game’s replayability and its ability to keep my interest. I’m not sure, though, that it’s compelling enough to get it back to the table to replay in front of other games competing for my time.
As you may expect with any trick-taker, the game plays a little differently at different player counts. The tactical decisions, the sort of social deduction with player styles, and of course the luck of the deal shape the game.
The game box includes a divider for the suits and various game aids. This makes getting the game to the table fairly easy. Placing the game back in the box takes little effort since scoring means they have already been separated into suits. You’ll also find a pad of scoring sheets. I have not removed mine from the box. Overall, I’d say there’s good production value here.
The rules are fairly straightforward and so is the rule book. You’ll find helpful examples to guide first-time players through the “when played” actions as well as end-of-game scoring. Though there is a bit of debate at my table about what exactly Devotion suits number 2 when played ability allows.
Final Thoughts:
Shards of Creation feels like a familiar trick-taker, and it does exactly what it sets out to do. If that’s your jam, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, especially if the theme or art grabs you. It’s a comfortable, well-made entry in a crowded genre. I just don’t know that it’s the one I’ll reach for the next time I’m looking for a trick-taker to hit the table.
Final Score: 3.5 Stars – Shards of Creation stays close to what makes a trick-taker satisfying while pushing its boundaries to bring something interesting to the gameplay.
Hits:
• Familiar design with some twists makes it easy to get to the table.
• Beautiful and solid production.
Misses:
• If you’re looking for something new, you won’t find much new here.
• Best suited to players who already love the genre. It’s comfortable rather than essential.
