These are some busy members of the gaming community, so an enormous thank you for them taking the time to weigh in. I asked several noteworthy trick-taking designers what makes trick-taking so enduring.
I also have a theory that trick-taking is the most popular game mechanic on the planet: trick takers and their climbing/shedding descendants are widely played in Asia, Europe, and North & South America.
Trick-taking is one of the oldest card game mechanics: the first entry in our Tricks & Trumps series was Pitch, which dates to around 1600.
