1938 · 4-4 players · 60min · weight 2.03 · 2,732 ratings
At a glance — v4 wide
Controlled-vocabulary primitives + 8-axis MDA aesthetic vector. Vocab v2.
Bid trick count with partner; lead cards in turn, spades always trump; make exactly your bid to score — overbid bags accumulate penalty.
- [3]trick_taking_trump— “permanent_trump_suit — spades always trump; lead suit must be followed; standard trick structure”
- [3]exact_bid_trick_taking— “nil_bid_high_risk — bid zero tricks for bonus; partner_bid_coordination requires reaching joint target”
- [2]communication_constraint— “partner sits across; bids made independently; no discussion of hand before play begins”
- [1]attrition_clock— “bag_penalty_sandbagging — over-tricks accumulate as bags; 10 bags = -100 points penalty”
Archetype fits — v4 deep
How well this game shape maps to mobile archetype templates. Composite is a weighted sum of the 10 fit dimensions.
| Archetype | Composite | LTF | Session | Combo | Arc | Share | 5in | Onboard |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coop Partnership_bidding creates real intra-team coordination payoff (reading partner's bid + supporting their tricks) — closest archetype-fit by inter-player primitive shape, but it's still PvP across teams not vs-game. Strong combo_scaling within team. | 5.20 | 6.0 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Snap Hidden-hand trick-taking has Snap-shape info-asymmetry, but 60-min session and fixed standard deck mean no monthly meta. Async with auto-partner AI loses inter-team signaling that defines the game. | 5.10 | 6.0 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 7 |
| Balatro 13-card hands across many tricks but no engine_growth or combo_chaining — every trick independent. partnership_bidding is one-shot per hand. Multiplayer-required loop conflicts with solo-run shape. | 4.90 | 5.0 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 7 |
| Cozy BGG: Trick-taking + Predictive Bid — no Hard tier, no Tonal-cozy primitive. Unknown tier; predictive-bid penalty for missed bid creates a punishing-loss feel that caps cozy. | 4.00 | 4.0 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Wordle Multiplayer trick-taking has no daily-puzzle shape, no compact emoji output, no 60-90s solo loop. | 3.50 | 4.0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 5 |
Translation candidate
Composite fit_score = bayes×0.30 + wish×0.18 + compress×0.17 + difficulty×0.20 + headroom×0.15.
Classic trick-taking card game is one of the oldest mobile game genres; dozens of Spades apps exist.
Rules card
Synthesized from sources below. Readiness: ready. Confidence: 0.94.
Readiness
ready (confidence=0.94, rules=0.90, fun=1.00). BGG rank: 2310; year: 1938; weight: 2.03; playtime: 60 min
| Source | Quality | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
llm_memory | 0.90 | draft synthesis | sonnet-self-rated-9 |
llm_memory_opus | 0.90 | source | sonnet-self-rated-9 |
bga_tutorial | 0.85 | rules authority | BGA implementation rules summary |
bgg_comments | 0.75 | player voice | positive/player-voice sample |
wikipedia | 0.55 | context/reception | search:Spades (card game) |
tabletopia_overview | 0.30 | availability/context | Tabletopia overview; not a rules authority |
Core Loop
This trick-taking game is a standard deck playing card game and takes on many different group-specific rules. Generally speaking, each player is given thirteen cards and a partner who sits across the table. Each player bids the number of tricks they'll take, and then the partners collectively attempt to take at least as many as they bid. The tricks are fairly standard with following suit if you can, and spades as the trump suit. If you make your bid you earn ten times the number of tricks you bid, otherwise you lose that many points. Plus there is usually a nil bid, which means you personally won't take any tricks but your partner still plays as normal.
Call Break is a popular variation of Spades among card game players in South Asian countries. To win, players must score the maximum points in 5 rounds. Points equal the number of tricks bid in each hand. The player who wins that hand gains point, the loser loses the same amount of points.
Turn Structure and State
- BGA tutorial is present; useful for exact turn flow and implementation gotchas.
- BGG description anchor: This trick-taking game is a standard deck playing card game and takes on many different group-specific rules. Generally speaking, each player is given thirteen cards and a partner who sits across the table. Each player bids the number of tricks they'll take, and then the partners collectively attempt to take at least as many as they bid. The tricks are fairly standard with following suit if you can, and spades [...]
Win Condition and Arc
Win/scoring arc needs verification from a rules authority.
Decision Primitives
BGG mechanisms: Predictive Bid, Team-Based Game, Trick-taking
v4 controlled primitives: _other:trick_taking_with_trump, _other:partnership_bidding, hand_management_under_draw, _other:nil_bid_gamble
Why It Is Fun
Fun read needs player-voice synthesis.
Player-voice evidence:
- Spades has a few things going in its favour; it’s a partnership game, it rewards precise bidding and does not excessively punish errors, it’s fairly simple, and keeping the rump spades locked until the suit is broken adds a layer of...
- Standard playing card decks. I also use these to play: Skull (8/10) Pablo (8/10) Oh Hell! (7/10) Texas Hold Em (6/10) Golf (6/10) Regicide Tichu Bridge
- Good fun while sitting around and kicking it with some buddies. Not my first choice of game (or card game) but it's solid.
- Solid trick taking game for 4 (2vs2) people. Lots of fun and some teamwork required.
- Spades and I have a love hate relationship. I went cold turkey on this game because thanks to yahoo games, the addiction was getting too intense. Even though I have retired, I still view it as one of the best card games.
Friction and Failure Modes
- Treat Sonnet-memory edge rules as draft until confirmed by manual, BGA, or transcript.
Translation and Design Hooks
- Use this card to ask: which primitive carries the fun if theme/licensing is removed?
- For iOS, look for short-session compression, clear state visualization, and a digital-only twist.
- For new tabletop design, look for the tension source and decide whether to preserve or invert it.
Edge Rules and Gotchas
No verified edge-rule section yet.
Sources Used
[
{
"kind": "llm_memory",
"path": "data/llm_memory_sonnet/592.md",
"quality": 0.9,
"note": "sonnet-self-rated-9"
},
{
"kind": "llm_memory_opus",
"path": "data/llm_memory_opus/592.md",
"quality": 0.9,
"note": "sonnet-self-rated-9"
},
{
"kind": "bga_tutorial",
"path": "data/bga_tutorials/592.md",
"quality": 0.85,
"note": "BGA implementation rules summary"
},
{
"kind": "bgg_comments",
"path": "data/bgg_comments/592.txt",
"quality": 0.75,
"note": "positive/player-voice sample"
},
{
"kind": "wikipedia",
"path": "data/wikipedia/592.md",
"quality": 0.55,
"note": "search:Spades (card game)"
},
{
"kind": "tabletopia_overview",
"path": "data/tabletopia_overviews/592.md",
"quality": 0.3,
"note": "Tabletopia overview; not a rules authority"
}
]
Sources (6)
Inputs to rules-card synthesis. Click any pill with ↗ to open the original source.