Zero to Hero

To pitch Zero to Hero is easy. This is Martin Wallace's trick-taking game! He is one of the best known game designers in the world (Age of Steam, Brass, Automobile). Although this is a trick-taking card game, it is technically not a card game. It uses wooden blocks instead of cards. I think this game can be produced using cards, and I even think it would be more practical and user-friendly. However I can't deny that the visual presence is stronger when using the wooden blocks. 

The game is played over four rounds, and you play seven tricks every round. You may score points each trick, but you may also lose points. Highest scorer after four rounds wins. A trick simply means everyone having played a tile. In this game your "cards" are those triangular tiles. The players with the strongest and second strongest tiles score points or lose points, depending on the reward tile of that trick. The reward tiles are those diamond shaped tiles. They are set up at the start of every round. They specify how many points the strongest and second strongest players gain or lose at each trick. So sometimes you want to be strongest, sometimes second strongest, and sometimes you don't want to be in the top two at all. 

The tiles come in four colours. You draw them from a bag at the start of a round. Your opponents can see the colours of your tiles. Only the values are hidden from them. 

After everyone has played tiles to a trick, the basic rule you apply is that the highest tile is the strongest. However if there are two or more tiles of the same colour, their numbers are added up. You need to first determine which colour is the strongest. The highest number in the strongest colour is the strongest tile this trick. Let's say a red 10, a black 6 and a black 5 are played. 5+6=11, so black is the strongest colour. This trick the strongest tile would be the black 6, followed by the black 5. The red 10 despite being the highest number is the weakest in this trick. 

2 may be a small number, but if you play a 2 and no one else has played any tile of the same colour as your 2, the 2 becomes the strongest tile (like a trump). In the photo above, a black 2 has been played, but also a black 7. This turns the black 2 into a regular 2. It becomes even weaker than the black 7. The light green 2 is the strongest, because there is no other light green tile played. 

There is a reason why the game is called Zero to Hero. This is the shoot-the-moon winning condition. At the end of a round, if you have exactly 0 points, you are given this white Zero marker. By the end of the next round, if you manage to score at least 5 points, you win the game straightaway. This is not easy to do, but if you are far behind, this is an alternative victory condition you can shoot for. 

When you are at 0 points, and you need to lose points, you don't go into the negative. You also don't stay at 0. What happens is you bounce. You gain points instead. This is a little unusual and counter intuitive. However this is something you can make use of if you want to attempt the Zero to Hero condition. 

From the second round onwards, players will draw a different number of tiles. Trailing players draw more tiles, so they have more options. This is a clever catch-up mechanism. 

When I played this game, everyone was quiet and in deep thought. We did a four-player game. The game plays 3 to 5, and the agreed best player counts are 4 and 5. As a trick-taking game, Zero to Hero does bring several new and interesting ideas. I think the most important concept is that of tiles of the same colour getting added up to become stronger. This creates some collaboration between players. You have to pay attention to the tile colours of your opponents. 

I feel every play needs to be contemplated carefully. This is quite a strategic game. You are thinking not only about what to play to win (or not to win) the current trick, you also have to consider what tiles you are leaving for subsequent tricks. Player order is very important. Often the last player to play a tile is in a very strong position, and can decide who will get which rank. Unless you want to win the first position in the current trick for the points, try not be the strongest player, because going first in the next trick is often the weakest position to be in. 

There are many tactical considerations in this game. If you still have a 2 in hand, you probably want to use it only when no subsequent players have tiles in the same colour as that 2. Card counting will be useful. There are some tiles not in play, but keeping track still helps. I am too lazy to do card counting myself, but I can certainly imagine some people will do this. 

Looking at the game design objectively, I can see several interesting and clever aspects. This is a thinky game and it has strategic depth. I admire the game design. The game felt serious and technical from my experience playing it. It took a fair bit of effort. Maybe at the time I was in the mood for a lighter game, so the game did not excite me. Also I am not specifically a fan of trick-taking games in general. If you like trick-taking games and want to explore something a little different, and you enjoy deep strategic play, you should check out Zero to Hero.