3 Chapters

Product Description

Every good story has three chapters — and so does this one. In 3 Chapters, players move through three distinct phases of play, each building on the last: first a closed draft where you carefully choose the hand you'll play with, then a round of trick-taking where the highest card wins but every card has a story, and finally a scoring chapter where clever combinations reward the players who drafted with purpose.

The genius is in how the three phases talk to each other. High cards win tricks. Low cards carry skills that generate bonus points and interact with characters you've drafted alongside them — Hansel scores better with Gretel, heroes and villains each have their own agendas. The decision you face every time you draft isn't just "what card do I want?" it's "what story am I trying to tell?"

At 30 minutes and accessible from age 10, it's a game that punches well above its weight. It fits the trick-taking enthusiast and the player who thought they didn't like trick-taking games in equal measure.

What People Are Saying

"Seldom does a trick-taker come along that is refreshingly new, easy to teach, and a bunch of fun." — Kevin Brantley, Meeple Mountain (4.5/5)

"3 Chapters flew under the radar, but in a sea of mediocre trick-taking games, this one's a keeper." — Kevin Brantley, Meeple Mountain

"For a little 20-30 minute game, there is a lot going on here, and it has been intriguing to explore the possibilities." — Dale Yu, The Opinionated Gamers

• Dale Yu (The Opinionated Gamers) gave it his highest rating — "I love it!" after previewing at Essen SPIEL 2024
• Meeple Mountain scored it 4.5 out of 5, calling it a standout in an oversaturated genre
• First played at PAX Unplugged 2024 to such strong reception that the reviewer played it four or five times in a single weekend

Praised equally by dedicated trick-taking fans and players who normally find the genre dry

Game Mechanisms

Closed Drafting The game opens with each player receiving eight cards and choosing one to keep before passing the rest along. This happens in silence — you can see what you're taking, but not what anyone else is building. The draft is where the game is really won or lost. Do you reach for the powerful high-value cards that win tricks, or the lower cards whose character skills chain together into something more? You're writing your strategy before a single trick is played.

Trick-Taking Chapter 2 puts your drafted hand to work. Each round, players simultaneously play a card, and the highest value takes the trick — worth 2 points. But cards also carry skills that trigger when certain conditions are met, meaning a trick lost can still generate points if your card does something useful. It's a familiar structure with a layer of texture that rewards players who drafted with those interactions in mind.

Set Collection Chapter 3 is the payoff. Your final hand is scored for character synergies — fairy tale pairings and thematic combinations that reward purposeful drafting. A player who won every trick but ignored their card skills may be outscored by someone who built a cohesive story. It's the third act twist that makes the whole game feel complete.