Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
Dou Dizhu (literally "fighting the landlord") is very popular card game in China. Played with a standard deck (including both jokers). The bidding to determine the "landlord" makes the game work well with 3 players. The other two players team up against the landlord.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Auction/Bidding
Bid against other players to determine who receives an item, action, or priority.
Betting and Bluffing
Risk resources on uncertain outcomes while disguising intentions or information.
Hand Management
Time and sequence a limited hand of cards to preserve future options.
Team-Based Game
Players compete in fixed teams and coordinate toward a shared team result.
Ladder Climbing
Play increasingly strong combinations until opponents cannot or choose not to respond.