9 Lives Review

[@ClaudeAndTaylor]

The bidding in this game is so fluid, it's nuts. Trick-taking from japan is getting sooo interesting now!!!

[@SolviKaaber]

Can't wait to receive this game soon enough. There's so many interesting things about this game: You can see what suits other players have. You can steal cards when you win a trick, potentially getting back into a suit. You can block other players on the bidding track, and bluff whether you're going low or high with your bet. You can look at the pretty cats.

[@christianbank393]

I always found the wrap around to be like a plan B. I'm shooting for 1 trick, but then if I go over, do I try to go for 5 knowing that if I only reach 4 I am losing 3 points. I'm with Mike on this one, great TT game and the wooden cats are adorable!

[@joewiggins5251]

That’s exactly why it wraps!

[@darbyl3872]

Wouldn't that be one away from 5, losing 1 point?

[@christianbank393]

@@darbyl3872 You count the number of spaces on the board, not just the number, and that does not wrap.

[@makerofjam]

I think the word Tom is thinking of is "prognostication"

[@PuertoGeekan]

I love this game and everyone I've played it with also likes it a lot.

[@shanedbunting]

The bid track allows for buffing? You know you can get 5 but put you marker on 1and make a sour face ? I don't know .

[@Aaackermann]

I think if you go for 5 tricks you are not really close enough to go for 1 anyways. So this setup creates a lot more cramped field. you would have more than enough wiggle room to place it on higher fields. This way you are blocking the 1 and 2 player as well and compete for it. And lastly it gives you the opportunity to change strategy midplay and go for 1 trick instead of five.

[@grog3514]

Yeah it's to allow for some breathing room after you bid and it potentially puts other players in a tight spot trying to make a bid their hand isn't suited for.

[@Cecekcz]

In the rules explanation example I'm pretty sure the brown player would lose 2 points and not 1. Just FYI, its no big deal.

[@jefff.2052]

That's correct

[@parngon]

Do you have to announce the exact tricks (so “I am going to win 5 tricks”) instead of just “pointing your token to the “1” (or “5”) spot? Perhaps this weird setup is because of, like, if you found yourself are off from your initial bet in the middle of the round then you can strategically recycle a different card from your winning turn to “adjust” the total winning tricks?

[@Wigdogger]

You don't have to announce. I think the idea is akin to Fox in the Forest, where you can either go rich or poor. It's sort of giving you a tactical option if your low number doesn't work out... and as Tom said, you can sort of adjust on the fly. In a way, you can sprint to the high number if you need to, giving you a chance to still win the round. I think it's got an interesting flexibility that way.

[@CardsUnbarred]

If you are really into the 'take a card back' mechanic, you should check out Mopsen aka Pinching Pugs! It is a neat trick taking game that uses that same mechanic. It has 2 other twists: 1) there are 4 suits, where 3 of the suits are must follow, but the other (shorter) suit is may follow. 2) the changing trump hierarchy after every trick, like Boast or Nothing. Love seeing all the coverage of trick taking games!

[@TFreckle]

The biggest gripe I have with this is that it seems to be easily played with an ordinary set of playing cards

[@play-it-or-not]

Not really, you are supposed to see the back of the opponents’ cards

[@darbyl3872]

lol

[@afrank525]

5:40 Brown player would have lost 3 points, not 1.

[@ko9]

The track wraps around, so they were just one off. The maximum you can be off is two.

[@christianbank393]

@@ko9 I'm pretty sure the wrap around doesn't come into play when losing points, just the physical distance. Brown would have lost 2 points.

[@ko9]

@@christianbank393 It does. Quote from the manual: "Otherwise, lose 1 point for every space between your trick tracking cube and your cat token remembering the betting track wraps from 4 to 5."

[@christianbank393]

@@ko9 I think my reply is not getting posted because I was linking to a thread on BGG, but here's a quote from the designer, "scoring does not loop for negative points (count the physical spaces only), this means that if you put a hard bid on 4 (for example), but only win one trick you will get 'minus 3 points'"

[@ko9]

@@christianbank393 Strange I guess they changed the rules after the Kickstarter (I got the manual from the KS page)