• Designer: Carol LaGrow
• Publisher: New Mill Industries
• Players: 3 – 4
• Ages: 15 and Up
• Time: 15 – 60 Minutes
• Times Played: 3

“The reign of Henry VIII is one of the most fascinating in English history. Not only was it a time of revolutionary political and social change, but it was also dominated by one of the most extraordinary and charismatic men to emerge in the history of the British Isles. … He ruled England with some of the most intriguing personalities of the age, men and women who have left behind such vivid memorials of themselves that we can almost reach out across the centuries and feel that we know them personally. Six of these people were the King’s wives.” — Alison Weir, The Six Wives of Henry VIII

This past week, at Dice Tower West, I had the great joy of serving on a panel with ThinkerThemer and Taylor Reiner. The discussion was about the top 10 thematic trick-takers. Carol LaGrow’s The Six of VIII — the game I’m reviewing today — was second on my list, and it was (at least for me) the one that triggered the most post-panel discussion. Several attendees at Dice Tower West approached me to ask about the game, and I gave it my enthusiastic endorsement.

I’ve been a little obsessed with this game since I first learned its premise. One day, while casually reading a trick-taking focused Discord server, I took notice of a discussion of The Six of VIII. I didn’t immediately realize precisely what this was — my brain is not used to mixing Tudor history with trick-taking, so the use of numbers made me think of something more math-y — but I became enamored once I realized what the designer had done.

Then I played The Six of VIII, and I absolutely fell in love.

The game uses trick-taking to show the history of the six wives of Henry VIII, with thematic ties spread throughout. The big hook is that the cards are suited after the six wives, with each suit being trump for a period of the game approximately resembling each queen’s reign. Not only is the history great, but so is the trick-taking. This is a fresh, thematic take on so-called “track” games.

This week is Trick Taking Week here on The Opinionated Gamers, and the theme this year is innovators. The Six of VIII innovates in a devilishly clever way: in a genre littered with pasted-on themes (including all of my own designs), the Six of VIII shines by having both an ingenious thematic implementation and some fresh mechanics.

As an admission up front, I have a bit of a personal obsession with Tudor-era history. I had once thought I’d try to write this review in the style of Hilary Mantel — and I got close to finishing that endeavor and publishing it — but ultimately decided that my writing did not do enough justice to either that beloved author or this excellent game. Nonetheless, I have embedded a few hidden Tudor references herein.

A Bit of History

The suits are based around the six wives of Henry VIII. Each wife has their own suit, and each suit will be trump for a pre-determined number of rounds. As a general rule, the longer each queen’s reign, the more cards her suit has, and the more rounds for which that suit is trump. It appears that a period of roughly one year results in one round as trump.

For example, Henry’s longest marriage was to Catherine of Aragon, for more than 33 years, but that marriage was ultimately annulled by Henry (though famously not by the Catholic Church). That marriage gets four rounds as trump, a sort of lead in to the series of marriages (or, depending on the whims of the court, non-marriages) that follow.

Henry had been courting Anne Boleyn for years (even though he was married to Catherine) by the time they wed, and they remained married for nearly three years, until she was ultimately beheaded for high treason after some clever court tactics by Thomas Cromwell. That marriage gets three rounds as trump.

Jane Seymour was next, for more than a year, but she ultimately died of postnatal complications. They Seymours serve as trump for two rounds.

Henry’s marriage to Anne of Cleves was next, lasting just half a year before it was annulled, and getting only a single round as trump.

Next came Catherine Howard, who also lasted a little more than a year, getting her two rounds.

And, finally, Catherine Parr (Henry seemed to really like the name Catherine), who gets three rounds as trump for outliving Henry and serving as queen consort for about three-and-a-half years.

The trick you are on is tracked on a separate track (resembling a timeline) with a little crown.

The Basic Trick Taking Game

The fixed trump track ultimately drives gameplay, and the trick-taking game is otherwise straightforward and familiar to fans of the trick-taking mechanic.

The Six of VIII is a partnership game, with players sitting opposite their partner. The game begins with a pass of two cards to a player’s partner.

Players must follow if they can, with the highest of suit led winning unless a trump card is played, in which case the highest trump wins.

The goal is to win tricks, with tricks earning one point each. But along the way, it helps to win certain cards, such as the 8s (worth three points, to represent the marriage to Henry VIII) or cards representing the children from each matrimony (worth two points for boys, or one point for girls).

The game is designed to last one hand, but rules are also included for a longer four-hand game.

An advanced variant is included and adds three new cards (which means three cards will be out of the game). The King card is the highest trump in the game, and it is always trump. The two 0s represent spies during the fight between Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, and they count as 0 of one suit or a 13 (a high card) of the opposite suit. The advanced variant also includes rules for a Church of England card (which, thematically, comes into play at the start of Anne Boleyn’s reign): given to the team that is behind (as a catchup mechanic), it annuals a trick in the longer version of the game.

Three player rules are also included.

My Thoughts on the Game

Trick taking games often suffer from one of two major problems: (1) a feeling of obviousness, or (2) a feeling of chaos.  Some tricksters enter auto-pilot mode once you see your cards, as the strategy for playing any given hand seems obvious.  Other tricksters seem disorderly, resulting in gameplay that feels random.  Great games in this genre avoid both pitfalls.  

The Six of VIII is one of those great games. It feels like a well-developed, clever trick-taking game, even without the theme. The use of partners is a nice bonus. The scoring is intuitive and well-though out. The mechanics are rock solid.

But the theme takes it over the top: players are transported to the tumultuous Tudor court. Just as the political and religious whims of the tyrannical Henry VIII can change, so too can the strength of a player’s hand. They key is in knowing when to play one’s cards.

Most trick taking games have an aspect of hand management, but it is stronger in the Six of VIII than in most trick-takers. That’s the beauty of the trump track. We’ve seen a rise of “track” trick taking games, but most often (it seems) with the suit led driving the track. The use of it to control the trump — and act as a timeline — is fresh and fascinating. That’s why I’ve chosen to highlight this game during a week dedicated to trick-taking innovators.

The card design is functional and attractive (and I like the use of each queen’s symbols). The rulebook was clear and easy-to-understand. And the though this is a deep game (especially given its partnership aspect), learning it doesn’t come at much of a cost. Even if somebody was only vaguely familiar with trick-taking games, I could teach this to them — with examples — in less than five minutes.

But to go back to my favorite part of the design, it is the theme. The mechanics match the atmosphere here, and as an avid fan of Tudor history, I feel the tumult as each queen consort changes. The battle between Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn is ever present early in the game, particularly when the advanced variant is in play. At all parts of the timeline, the teams feel the passing of each queen, particularly when they still have trump cards of their left unplayed. It is a stark reminder that, in the words of Hilary Mantel, “[t]hose who are made can be unmade.”

And along the way, little historical reminders pop up. For example, my heart breaks a little each time for how quickly Henry discarded Anne of Cleves. When a team has the Church of England, it looms large over the game.

One of the reasons I’m enamored is because I’ve never had a trick-taking game tell a story quite this way. I’m astounded that it is possible. I know the history, and this game evokes that history. Enormous props to Carol LaGrow for both her idea and her implementation.

If you’ll forgive a terrible pun/anaology, this game may be set during the renaissance, and be released during a so-called trick-taking renaissance, but this feels more like an enlightenment. We need more games like this.

Ratings from the Opinionated Gamers

• I love it! Chris Wray
• I like it.  
• Neutral. 
• Not for me…

A Quick Note on Availability: The Six of VIII is forthcoming from New Mill Industries. That small publisher has recently focused on hard-to-find trick-taking titles, and they tend to print in relatively small batches which generally sell out quickly. Preorders are still available for this as of the the time of this article’s printing.