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Gamehelptricktothefuture
Trick to the Future
Overview
Trick to the Future is a competitive trick-taking game about time travel.
Players use Fuel Rods to modify the values of cards they play. Winning tricks represents successful jumps through time and can earn points, while collecting spent Fuel Rods provides additional scoring opportunities.
However, you must manage your fuel carefully.
At the end of each round, compare:
- The number of tricks you won.
- The number of unspent Fuel Rods remaining on your Player Board.
If you won more tricks than you have unspent Fuel Rods, you are Lost in Time and score no points for the round.
The game lasts 3 rounds. The player with the most points after the third round wins.
Players: 2–5
Playing Time: Approximately 40 minutes
Ages: 12+
Components
- 36 Playing Cards
- Values 0–8
- 4 suits
- 5 Player Boards
- 25 Fuel Rods
- 54 Point Tokens
- 1-point tokens
- 5-point tokens
- 10-point tokens
Suits
The four suits represent different points in time:
- Past — Yellow
- Present
- Future
- Beyond — Purple
The purple Beyond suit is the trump suit.
2-player exception: The Beyond suit is removed, so there is no trump suit in a 2-player game.
Setup
1. Prepare Point Tokens
Place the Point Tokens in a common supply.
2. Player Boards
Give each player 1 Player Board.
3. Prepare the Playing Cards
Modify the deck according to the player count.
| Players | Cards Removed |
|---|---|
| 2 | All purple Beyond cards, plus all 4s, [rank unclear in supplied rules text], and 8s |
| 3 | All 4s, [rank unclear in supplied rules text], and 8s |
| 4 | None; use all 36 cards |
| 5 | Yellow Past 1 |
Shuffle the remaining cards.
4. Deal Cards
Deal cards to each player according to the player count:
| Players | Cards per Player |
|---|---|
| 2 | 6 |
| 3 | 9 |
| 4 | 7 |
| 5 | 6 |
Keep your hand hidden from the other players.
5. Distribute Fuel Rods
Give each player Fuel Rods according to the player count:
| Players | Fuel Rods per Player |
|---|---|
| 2 | 6 |
| 3 | 8 |
| 4 | 6 |
| 5 | 5 |
Place your Fuel Rods on the spaces of your Player Board.
6. Determine the First Leader
The player holding the yellow Past 0 leads the first trick.
2-Player Exception
In a 2-player game, 6 cards remain undealt.
It is therefore possible that neither player has the yellow Past 0.
If neither player has the yellow 0, the player holding the lowest yellow Past card leads the first trick.
Gameplay
The game consists of 3 rounds.
Each round consists of a series of tricks.
During each trick:
- One player leads a card.
- All other players play 1 card, following suit if possible.
- Players may spend Fuel Rods to modify their played cards.
- Determine the trick winner.
- The winner collects the cards and spent Fuel Rods.
- The winner leads the next trick.
Continue until all players have played every card in their hands.
Then score the round.
Playing a Trick
Lead
The leader plays any card from their hand face up.
The suit of this card becomes the lead suit.
Follow Suit
Proceed clockwise.
Each other player must play a card matching the lead suit if they have one.
If you cannot follow suit, you may play any card from your hand.
Important: Modifying a card's value does not change its suit.
Fuel Rods and Card Values
When you play a card, you may modify its value by:
- Rotating the card.
- Spending Fuel Rods.
- Using a combination of rotation and Fuel Rods.
Only Fuel Rods currently on your Player Board are available to spend.
Place spent Fuel Rods directly onto the card you played.
Legal Modified Values
The edge of each Playing Card shows the values into which that card may be transformed.
After modifying the card, its resulting value must exactly match one of the values shown on that card.
You cannot simply add Fuel Rods to a card to create any arbitrary value.
Rotating Cards
Some card values can be changed by rotating the physical card.
For example, rotating certain digital-style numbers can transform them into a different value.
A card's final orientation determines its value for that trick.
Spending Fuel
Fuel Rods spent on a card remain with that trick.
They do not return to the player who spent them.
Instead, the player who wins the trick collects all Fuel Rods spent during that trick.
Determining the Trick Winner
After every player has played a card, determine the winner in this order:
- The highest Beyond trump card wins.
- If no Beyond card was played, the highest card of the lead suit wins.
- If multiple qualifying cards have the same value, the card that was played later wins the tie.
Cards that are neither trump nor the lead suit cannot win the trick.
2-Player Exception
The Beyond suit is removed in a 2-player game.
Therefore, there is no trump suit.
The highest-valued card of the lead suit always wins.
Ties are still won by the card played later.
Winning a Trick
The trick winner collects:
- All cards played during the trick.
- All Fuel Rods spent on cards during the trick.
Place the cards in a facedown pile beside your Player Board.
Place the collected Fuel Rods on top of that pile.
Do not return collected Fuel Rods to your Player Board.
They count as collected spent Fuel Rods for scoring purposes.
Keep Tricks Separate
If you win multiple tricks, keep each trick in a separate pile.
You need to know exactly how many tricks you won when scoring the round.
The winner of the trick leads the next trick.
End of a Round
The round ends when all players have played all cards from their hands.
Each player now determines:
- How many tricks they won.
- How many unspent Fuel Rods remain on their Player Board.
- How many spent Fuel Rods they collected from tricks.
Use these values to determine your scoring category.
Round Scoring
There are four possible scoring outcomes:
- Lost in Time
- Safe Journey
- Perfect Journey
- Inoperative
Lost in Time
If:
Unspent Fuel < Tricks Won
you are Lost in Time.
You score:
0 points
You do not score points for your tricks or collected Fuel Rods.
Safe Journey
If:
Unspent Fuel > Tricks Won
you complete a Safe Journey.
Score:
- 2 points per trick won.
- 1 point per spent Fuel Rod collected.
Example:
A player finishes with:
- 4 unspent Fuel Rods
- 3 tricks won
- 4 collected Fuel Rods
Because 4 unspent Fuel Rods is greater than 3 tricks, this is a Safe Journey.
Scoring:
- 3 tricks × 2 = 6 points
- 4 collected Fuel Rods × 1 = 4 points
Total: 10 points
Perfect Journey
If:
Unspent Fuel = Tricks Won
you complete a Perfect Journey.
Your normal scoring is doubled.
Score:
- 4 points per trick won.
- 2 points per spent Fuel Rod collected.
Example:
A player finishes with:
- 2 unspent Fuel Rods
- 2 tricks won
- 3 collected Fuel Rods
Because the number of unspent Fuel Rods exactly equals the number of tricks won, this is a Perfect Journey.
Scoring:
- 2 tricks × 4 = 8 points
- 3 collected Fuel Rods × 2 = 6 points
Total: 14 points
Inoperative
If you win 0 tricks during the round, your time machine is Inoperative.
Instead of using the normal Safe or Perfect Journey scoring rules, score:
3 points per empty Fuel space on your Player Board
This includes every empty Fuel space, including any Fuel space that began the round empty.
This is especially important in 3- and 5-player games.
Example:
A player wins:
- 0 tricks
They have:
- 2 Fuel Rods remaining
- 4 empty Fuel spaces
They score:
4 × 3 = 12 points
Round Scoring Reference
| Result | Condition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Lost in Time | Unspent Fuel < Tricks Won | 0 points |
| Safe Journey | Unspent Fuel > Tricks Won | 2 per trick + 1 per collected Fuel Rod |
| Perfect Journey | Unspent Fuel = Tricks Won | 4 per trick + 2 per collected Fuel Rod |
| Inoperative | 0 Tricks Won | 3 per empty Fuel space |
Preparing the Next Round
After scoring:
- Take Point Tokens equal to the points you earned.
- Collect and shuffle the Playing Cards.
- Prepare and deal the cards again according to the player-count setup.
- Redistribute the starting Fuel Rods according to the player-count setup.
- Determine the first leader again.
The player holding the yellow Past 0 leads the first trick of the new round.
In a 2-player game, if neither player has the yellow 0, the player with the lowest yellow Past card leads.
Game End
The game ends after 3 rounds.
Add the values of all your Point Tokens.
The player with the most points wins.
Tiebreaker
If players are tied, the tied player who scored the most points during the third and final round wins.
If still tied, the tied players share the victory.
Quick Reference
Trick Order
- Leader plays any card.
- Other players must follow suit if possible.
- Players may modify played cards using rotation and/or Fuel Rods.
- Highest Beyond trump wins.
- If no trump was played, highest lead-suit card wins.
- Tied values are won by the card played later.
- Winner collects all cards and spent Fuel Rods.
- Winner leads the next trick.
Fuel
- Only Fuel Rods on your Player Board may be spent.
- Fuel modifies card values only according to the values printed along that card's edge.
- Spent Fuel is collected by the trick winner.
- Collected Fuel does not return to the winner's Player Board.
- Remaining Fuel determines whether your journey is Safe, Perfect, or Lost in Time.
Round Scoring
Lost in Time
- Unspent Fuel < Tricks
- 0 points
Safe Journey
- Unspent Fuel > Tricks
- 2 points per trick
- 1 point per collected Fuel Rod
Perfect Journey
- Unspent Fuel = Tricks
- 4 points per trick
- 2 points per collected Fuel Rod
Inoperative
- Win 0 tricks
- 3 points per empty Fuel space
Game End
After 3 rounds:
- Highest total score wins.
- Tie: most points in the final round.
- Still tied: shared victory.
Credits
- Game Design: Taiki Shinzawa
- Development: Paul Salomon and Pete Wissinger
- Illustration: George Bletsis
- Graphic Design: Jon Merchant
- Playtesting: EJ Ash, Laura Dunn, Tyson Gajewski, April Herrick, Braxton Herrick, Patrick Logan, Darren Neely, Tommy O'Brien, Nelson Oliver, Chris Porter, Matthew Roberts, Alex Sarkissian, Paul Watson, and more
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