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In Trash or Cash, players find themselves scavenging through an underground world of garbage. But it’s not just any old pile of junk—you’ll face a tricky choice with each piece of trash you encounter. Will you take it and risk running out of space, or pass and let the next player deal with it for a bit of compensation?
Players need to carefully manage their limited space, balancing the need to avoid too much trash while maximizing their earnings by collecting similar types of junk. After all, who knew that even trash comes in matching sets? It’s like playing Tetris, but instead of colorful blocks, you’re organizing broken bottles and old tires. And trust me, it’s more fun than it sounds.
👥 3-4 players, ages 8+
⌛ Playing time: 15-30 minutes
📝 Designer: Erik Huang
🎨 Artwork: Shiaoteng Zhang
🏢 Publisher: Syzygy Games (Review copy provided by Taiwan Boardgame Design)
How Does the Game Work?
The objective in Trash or Cash is simple: avoid taking too much trash or you’ll be buried in penalties—but every time you pass on a piece, it’ll cost you. It’s all about timing: knowing when to take the trash that hurts you the least and when to hold out for something better.
The game plays out over two rounds, with each round consisting of a deck of 9 trash pile cards. The starting player begins by revealing the top card of the pile, showing a trash tile. On your turn, you have two choices: you can either pay a coin to skip taking the trash, passing it along to the next player, or you can take the trash tile and collect all the money that has accumulated on it.
Once a card is revealed, it stays in play until someone finally decides to take it. The key is to decide when it’s worth paying to pass on the trash, knowing that each skipped turn adds more coins to the pile, making the decision harder for the next player.
When you do take a tile, you’ll place it on your personal board. But be careful—some spaces have a cost to fill, and if you’re not paying attention, you could end up spending more than you earn. The round ends once all the cards have been revealed, and each player will take a scoring token that could dock points at the end of the game if their board is cluttered with too much junk.
After two rounds, you’ll total up your coins and subtract any penalties for trash overload. The player with the most money left over is crowned the king (or queen) of garbage!
Bonus Modules for Added Trashy Fun
To keep things interesting, Trash or Cash includes several optional modules that you can mix and match for added variety. These introduce quirky twists—like cats that need to be placed in special spots on your board (you know how picky they can be) or broken glass that forces you to take extra trash. There’s even a module with two-colored tiles to really mess with your careful planning.
With seven different modules to choose from, every game can feel a little different. It’s a great way to keep things fresh for repeat plays—because let’s face it, even sorting trash needs a bit of excitement now and then!
Our Thoughts
Trash or Cash takes the familiar polyomino tile placement mechanic and adds some fresh, unexpected twists. Unlike most games in this genre, which usually feature some sort of drafting mechanic, here you’re stuck with a more cutthroat choice: take the trash, or pay to pass it on. It creates some tense, high-stakes moments where you’re constantly weighing risk versus reward.
The scoring system is also refreshingly simple but cleverly designed, making it easy to grasp yet rewarding for more strategic players. And let’s not forget the theme—there aren’t many games out there that make trash this entertaining. It’s original, it’s quirky, and it’s surprisingly fun.
If you’re heading to Spiel in Essen this week, swing by Taiwan BoardGame Design’s booth in Hall 4, booth 4-J420—you can check out the game and maybe even take home a copy (just be sure to bring an extra bag for all the trash tiles!).
📝 Published by Syzygy Games, Trash or Cash was sent to us by Taiwan BoardGame Design for review.
