Lunar Trick (2025)

Overview

In Lunar Trick / ルナトリック, you need to win exactly one, three, or five tricks in a round to score points — and to collect tricks, you need to manage the phases of the moon.

To start a round with three players, deal ten cards to each player and set the remaining card aside. Cards are 1-15 (rising moon), 16-30 (falling moon), and the lunar eclipse card.

Each player reveals a numbered card at the same time to determine the trump and three suits. For example, if rising moon had more cards played, then it's trump. If the cards are, e.g., 5, 12, and 24, then the three suits are 6-11, 13-23, and 25-30+1-4. Whoever played the highest card of these three collects this trick, then leads the next one. You must follow suit, if possible, or play the lunar eclipse card. If any trump is played in a trick, then the highest trump wins; if no trump is played, then the lunar eclipse wins; otherwise the highest non-trump wins. (The lunar eclipse card counts as a trick on its own, apart from the other cards won.)

Whoever wins one or five tricks scores 2 points, and whoever wins three tricks scores 1 point. Play multiple rounds until someone has at least 5 points and wins.

With four players, add the solar eclipse card to the deck. Whoever gets this in hand must play it during the first trick; they win this card, which counts as a trick, then determine trump and suits based on the other three cards, with the highest card winning that trick.