Welcome to Troggu

In this game, our mission is to fulfill specific trick requirements and earn points – or try not to if that’s your strategy.

We need a group of 3-8 players to play this captivating game.

To play Troggu, we’ll need a deck of 62 cards, specifically the Swiss Tarot Deck which has 78 cards but with some omissions. The rank of cards will be discussed in detail shortly.

Troggu is a Tarot/Trick-Taking game, perfect for adults looking for an exciting challenge.

Discovering Troggu

Have you ever heard of Troggu? It’s also known as Trogga or Tappä, and it’s a Tarot game that originates from Wallis, a German-speaking region in Switzerland.

Sadly, Troggu is on the edge of disappearance, mostly due to the lack of interest from younger players in the digital age.

Hey there! Let’s talk about this cool game I know. It’s got something unique – the fool. In traditional Tarot games, the fool doesn’t have any power and is just an excuse. But in modern Tarot games, the fool is the most powerful trump card. The Troggu rules are a mix of these two customs. Normally, the fool is the highest trump, but players can choose not to play it, even if it’s their only trump. Instead of playing the fool, they can hold onto it for later. When played later, the fool doesn’t have any trick-taking power, but it still has point value.

THE CARDS

I use a special type of Tarot card deck for Troggu called the Swiss Tarot deck with Italian suits. This deck normally has 78 cards, but we only use 62 of them. We leave out the I, II, III, and IIII cards of the swords and batons suits, as well as the X, IX, VIII, and VII cards of the cups and coins suits.

Let me break down the cards in the deck for you:

In the round suits (cups and coins), we have the following cards from highest to lowest: King, Queen, Cavalier, Jack, I, II, III, IIII, V, VI.

In the long suits (swords and batons), the cards go from highest to lowest: King, Queen, Cavalier, Jack, X, IX, VIII, VII, V.

There’s also a special card called “The Fool” (der Bättler), which is the highest trump card and ranks above XXI.

Lastly, we have 21 permanent trump cards that are ranked from XXI (the highest) to I (the lowest).

When it comes to scoring, each card has a specific point value:

The Fool, trump XXI, trump I, and Kings are all worth 5 points each.

The trumps II to XX are each worth 1 point.

That’s all you need to know about the Troggu Tarot card deck!

Queens: You get 4 points for each Queen card you have.

Cavaliers: You earn 3 points for each Cavalier card you possess.

Jacks: Each Jack card you have is worth 2 points.

Number Cards: Every Number card you hold grants you 1 point.

THE PLAYERS & THE DEAL

So, here’s the deal, me matey! In this game, ye be a pirate on a quest for treasure, and the cards be yer ticket to the riches of the Seven Seas! Ye’ve got four types of cards that can earn ye points: Queens, Cavaliers, Jacks, and Number Cards.

The Queens be the most valuable cards in yer collection. For each Queen ye have, ye’ll receive a mighty 4 points. Keep yer eyes peeled for these powerful ladies.

The Cavaliers be next in line. These brave souls will grant ye 3 points each. Gather as many Cavaliers as ye can to boost yer score.

The Jacks, while not as valuable, are still worth a good amount. Each Jack ye possess will add 2 points to yer tally. Don’t be a landlubber and let these cheeky scoundrels slip through yer fingers.

Last but not least, we have the humble Number Cards. Though they may not shine as brightly as their royal counterparts, each Number card ye hold is still worth a respectable 1 point. Don’t underestimate their contribution to yer treasure haul.

Keep in mind that the more cards ye collect, the higher yer score will be. So gather yer wits, sharpen yer eyes, and set sail on this swashbuckling adventure!

Hey there! Let me tell you all about this awesome game that I know. It’s a lot of fun and can be played with anywhere from 3 to 8 players. But you know what? The best number of players for this game is 6 or 7. Trust me, it’s the sweet spot!

So, when we start playing, we first need to figure out who the initial dealer is. It’s totally random, so everyone has a fair chance. Now, here’s the cool part – the dealer gets to shuffle the cards, and then the player to their left gets to cut them. It’s like a whole ritual!

Next, the dealer takes a pile of cards and puts them face-down in the middle of the table. We call that pile the Tapp or the talon. It’s like our secret stash.

After that, the dealer starts dealing the cards to each player. But hold on, the order matters! The player to the right of the dealer is the first to get cards, and then it goes counterclockwise. Each player gets a specific number of cards – it depends on how many of us are playing.

Here’s a handy table to give you all the details:

Players
Tapp
Hands

3 Players	8 cards	6+6+6
4 Players	10 cards	4+4+5
5 Players	7 cards	4+4+3
6 Players	8 cards	4+5
7 Players	6 cards	4+4
8 Players	6 cards	4+3

Isn’t this game super cool? I hope you get a chance to play it with your friends. Trust me, it’s a blast!

THE BIDDING

When we’re playing games with up to 6 players, one person, known as the Tappist, takes on the challenge of playing against all the other players. The rest of us team up to take on the Tappist. Now, the Tappist has a little trick up their sleeve – they can enhance their hand by using cards from the Tapp. But things change a bit when we have 7 or 8 players. In that case, the Tappist can choose to bring in a partner and the two of them compete against all the other players. Let’s dive into the details of how the bidding works.

Alright, let’s get started. The player to the right of the dealer gets the honor of starting the bidding. Now, you have a few choices here. You can pass if you’re not interested in the bidding. Or you can choose to play a regular game by declaring “ich nehm’s” or “ich gehe.” And then there’s the option to go solo, where you don’t even look at the Tapp. If the first player passes, it moves on to the next player, who has the same choices. The bidding keeps going around to the right until the dealer brings it to a close.

Hey there! So, let’s talk about how the game works, shall we? First off, if someone wants to play Solo, we give them first dibs. If nobody wants to play Solo, then we go ahead and play a normal game.

If there are up to 6 players and nobody wants to play, we switch things up and play a version called misere. But I’ll tell you more about that later.

Now, here’s the part about the exchange:

In a normal game, the Tappist, which is the person who controls the Tapp, grabs all the cards in there and replaces them with an equal number of face-down cards. Just remember, you can’t get rid of cards worth 5 points unless you have four Kings. Oh, and if you have any trump cards worth one point, you can toss them without telling anyone. The discarded cards count towards the Tappist’s score, by the way.

However, if someone chooses to play Solo, things work a little differently. The Soloist gets to keep the cards they were dealt and play with them. Nobody checks the Tapp until the game is over, and then the points go towards the Soloist’s total.

Now, let’s talk about the play itself:

When it comes to playing the game of Soloist or Tappist, the first trick is led by the soloist. As a player, I should try to follow suit if possible. If not, I have to play a trump card. To win the trick, I need to play the highest value trump card. But if no trump is played, the highest value card of the suit led with wins the trick. After winning a trick, I get to lead in the next one.

In this game, the highest ranking trump card is usually the fool. However, I am not obligated to play it if I can’t follow suit and have no other trumps. If I decide to play the fool, I forfeit its trick-taking power. I must keep it in my hand until the last trick and then show it to everyone before putting it in my team’s pile of tricks. If the player who holds the fool leads in the last trick, they display it as usual, and the next player gets to choose the suit to lead with.

Scoring in the Game

When we finish playing all our tricks, we need to count our points. If I’m playing solo or as the Tappist, I get to add the value of the cards from the Tapp to my score. The team that has more than half of the total points, which is 58 or more points, wins the game. We usually place a bet of 10 Rappen, and the winner gets paid by each opponent. But if both teams have 57 points, we don’t have a winner or payout.

If the losing team has less than 30 points, the payout is doubled. And if they didn’t win any tricks, the payout is triple the basic stake. This rule applies to solo games as well.

MISERE

If everyone passes, we play a Misere (Misäär). We don’t use the Tapp card in this game. The player to the right of the dealer starts the trick, and each player tries their best not to accumulate points. The player with the most points at the end has to pay each player the basic stake.

RULES FOR 7 OR 8 PLAYERS

If everyone passes, I have the fool card, so I’ll play a regular game. If no one has the fool card, the player who has the trump I card plays a regular game. But if both cards are in the Tapp, we play a Misere game.

Calling on a Partner

As the Tappist, I have the option to call upon a temporary partner by choosing any trump card except the fool or XXI. Usually, I choose XX unless I have it in my hand. The person who has the card I chose becomes my partner.

However, if the card I want is in the Tapp, I play alone as the Tappist, even though the other players might not realize it at first. If I want to play alone, I can call a trump card that I have in my hand.

If I decide to play Solo, I don’t call a partner or exchange any cards. I play alone with the cards I have in my hand.

The Scoring

The scoring and payouts work the same as usual.