Post originally by Frank Branham at 2004-08-04 08:02:46
Converted from Phorums BB System

Nice review, and thanks. A couple of notes:

The cards are coated, but *I* really wanted them on thicker stock with a linen finish. They are comparable to Adlung cards, both of which do feel a little cheap to me.

The terrifying thing about Muertos/Four Dragons is that it is so freakishly unlike most trick taking games (but does have a strong kinship to Twilight.)

Traditional trick taking skills almost completely don't apply, though--and the way I finally figured out how to play the game is by screwing up a lot. I've not even found a good way to teach the game because it is really is a game of figuring out what play is the least horrible.

You also hit upon the swapping, which is my personal pet peeve with the game as well. The card exchange between opponents is seemingly the most noxious, but it balances the hands based on scoring in a manner similar to the new History of the World. Without it, one good hand can wreak havoc on the final outcome.

The partner swaps turn out to be so useful to me in play with good players that I felt I had to leave them in. In my last game, I had the stronger hand, but discovered early on that my partner had no scoring cards. Mercifully, he also had a couple of swaps so I was able to feed him a scoring card and a high card.