The Six of VIII

The Six of VIII is a trick-taking game by Carol LaGrow that puts the story of Henry VIII and his six wives on a timeline. Each queen has her own suit, and that suit is trump for as long as she sits on the throne. The length of each reign is proportional to real history: Catherine of Aragon reigns for four hands, Anne of Cleves for just one.

You play in teams of two, sitting across from your partner, and start by passing each other two cards face down. Following suit is mandatory. Each trick scores one point plus the points on the cards in that trick, so the aim is to capture the tricks holding the crucial courtiers. After four hands the team with the most points wins.

In the advanced variant three cards are added: the King as the highest trump and two Spies, lowly servants who go unnoticed and can reveal themselves as the 13 of the opposite suit. There is also the Church of England card, which goes to the team with fewer points after scoring and can annul a trick without the King once per hand. A clever and thematic trick-taker that feels familiar but comes with surprising twists.

• 3 to 4 players (best with 4)
• 15 to 60 minutes
• Ages 8 and up