tabletoppingboardgames 
Welcome to the world of Aurum, an innovative twist on traditional trick-taking games. As a savvy alchemist, your role involves experimenting with metals and turning them into gold. You’re not alone in this quest. You’re competing with other alchemists, all striving to perfect the golden formula. The goal is simple – the winner is the one who produces the purest gold!
👥 3-4 players, ages 7+
⌛ Playing time: 30-45 minutes
📝 Designer: Shreesh Bhat
🎨 Artwork: Stevo Torres
🏢 Publisher: Pandasaurus Games
https://pandasaurusgames.com/
👥 Aurum accommodates either three or four players. In the four-player version, players form two teams of two, with teammates sitting opposite each other. In the three-player version, it’s every alchemist for themselves. Both variations of the game revolve around earning points through strategic plays and clever bidding.
🃏 Bidding is an integral part of the game. At the start, each player is dealt cards made of base metal. Players privately review their cards and estimate how many rounds, or tricks, they believe they can win. They then select a card to represent this estimate and place it face-down on the table. In the four-player version, the higher bid between teammates becomes the team’s overall bid.
🔄 The game kicks off with the first player laying down a card, followed by the others in turn. There’s a unique twist – a player can’t lay a card of the same suit as any card already on the table. The exception to this rule is the gold card, which can be used as a wild card to substitute any suit. The player who puts down the highest card secures the trick. If a player lays the lowest card, they receive a gold card to add to their collection. Gold cards act as little treasures, providing additional points.
🔚 Once all cards have been played, the round concludes and it’s time to tally the points. If a player’s bid was exact, they receive double points. Winning more tricks than the bid equals points equal to the bid. If a player wins fewer tricks, they get no points. Points accrued from gold cards are added to the total. The player or team with the most points at the end is declared the winner and receives a golden nugget! The ultimate victory goes to the player or team that first collects two golden nuggets.
🎚️ But there’s more! As players gain expertise in Aurum, they can choose to elevate the challenge. This could involve removing certain gold cards or tracking points across multiple rounds, which adds some extra strategy and complexity to the game.
Aurum, a card game designed by Shreesh Bhat, takes you on a journey through alchemical transformations and strategic maneuvers. Enriched by the colorful and elegant artwork of Stevo Torres, this game is published by Pandasaurus Games. Designed for 3 or 4 players, each play of Aurum is a fast-paced 30-minute adventure of wit and tactics.
🃏 Aurum is an easy entry into the genre, especially for players already familiar with trick-taking games. However, it brings its unique twists to the table, making it a fresh and exciting experience. One notable twist is the restriction on playing the same suit in a round. You’re required to play a different suit, one that hasn’t yet been played by any other player in the round. Alternatively, you can choose to play a gold card, which holds dominion over any other suit.
🔮 In Aurum, bidding is an essential and challenging part of gameplay. You place a bid using cards from your hand, which represents the minimum points you’re targeting for your team. Planning and strategic thinking are crucial here, as scoring exactly your bid doubles your points. Hitting your bid spot-on becomes a vital part of your strategy.
💰 The innovative element of the gold cards adds a fresh feeling to the trick-taking element. If a player lays down the lowest card, they are rewarded with a gold card, equivalent in value to their played card, provided it’s still available. These golden cards serve dual purposes – they not only up your game in the following rounds but also count as points at the end of each round. The higher the value of the gold card, the more points it adds to your tally.
🤔 The challenge lies in the delicate balance of using your gold cards. You face the strategic decision of either employing your gold card to win tricks or saving it until the round’s end to cash in its point value. This constant decision space adds depth and tension to the gameplay, ensuring no two rounds feel the same.
🌟 In summary, Aurum is a compact, fast-paced, and fun game that offers a lot of tactical depth. With its fresh take on the genre and beautifully designed cards, Aurum provides a gold standard for trick-taking games. It’s an engaging and entertaining game that promises to keep players coming back for more.
📝 Special thanks to Pandasaurus Games for generously supplying us with a copy of Aurum for review.
