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Looking for a game that’s as sweet as it is spooky? Trick’n Treat delivers just that! This charming Halloween-themed trick-taking game offers both cooperative and competitive modes, so whether you’re teaming up with friends or going head-to-head, there’s something for everyone. In Trick’n Treat, players don their costumes and venture out to collect candy. But, of course, what’s Halloween without a few surprises? Watch out for those mischievous ghosts—they’re not just haunting the neighborhood; they’re here to shake up your game with their cute, yet devious, tricks.
👥 3-5 players, ages 12+
⌛ Playing time: 10-20 minutes
📝 Designer: Icerain Lin
🎨 Artwork: Trigotri
🏢 Publisher: Icerain Games (Review copy provided by Taiwan Boardgame Design)
Gameplay Overview
Before the fun begins, you’ll need to pick a game mode: cooperative or competitive.
In cooperative mode, your goal is to work together and make sure everyone’s collected candy in four different colors by the end. Easy, right? Each player starts with one candy already in their stash, but since everyone has a different color, you’ll need to work together to make sure everyone collects the right mix of treats.
For those who prefer a little rivalry, there’s competitive mode. Players split into two teams and face off to see who can avoid the ghosts and score the most points. Oh, and a word of advice—ghosts might seem cute, but they’re a real pain if your team ends up holding all of them by the end!
No matter which mode you choose, the core gameplay sticks to classic trick-taking mechanics with a few quirky twists. Each round, the starting player leads by playing a Friend or Candy card, and the rest of the players must follow suit—literally. But if you’re feeling spooky, you can play a Ghost card instead. Ghosts have special effects when played, but beware—they can really stir things up. If you can’t follow suit, feel free to play a different card, and the highest card of the leading suit (or a ghost!) wins the trick.
In cooperative mode, the winner of the trick gets to choose one of the candy cards to add to their collection, while in competitive mode, the lowest-numbered candy card is picked for scoring. Of course, if a ghost snuck its way into the trick, the winner also gets to keep that ghost card. And the reward for winning? You get to lead the next round!
Playing with three players? Don’t worry—there’s a dummy player to fill the gap, though in our opinion, this game really shines when played with a full group of real players.
The game comes to a close when a player runs out of Friend or Candy cards (though they might still be stuck with some pesky ghosts!). If you’re playing cooperatively, you win if everyone has a candy in all four colors. In competitive mode, it’s a little trickier—if your team ends up with all the ghost cards, you’re out. But if both teams have ghosts, the one with the highest total candy score takes the win.
Our Thoughts
Trick’n Treat brings a fresh twist to the classic trick-taking formula, plus, the ghost cards sneak in some clever strategy and a bit of surprise when you least expect it. Collecting candy cooperatively feels satisfying, and with a short playtime, it’s a breeze to learn and quick to set up. Plus, the artwork is adorably spooky—perfect for the theme!
One of its best qualities? The small box makes it easy to carry around, so it’s a great option for game nights or traveling. The two different modes also give it plenty of replayability, whether you want to go all-in as a team or stir up some healthy competition.
📝 We received a copy of the game from Taiwan BoardGame Design. If you’re heading to Spiel in Essen, make sure to swing by Hall 4, booth 4-J420 to check it out—and maybe grab yourself a copy!
