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?
Heckin Hounds is a 2-7 player trick-taking game exploring the perils of professional dog walking in the Underworld. Players are given the task of walking Hades' collection of hounds.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Betting and Bluffing
Risk resources on uncertain outcomes while disguising intentions or information.
Trick-taking
Play one card each and award the trick according to suit and rank rules.
Deduction
Combine clues and exclusions to identify hidden information.
Turn Order: Progressive
Determine or change the order in which players take their turns.
Read the full game description
Heckin Hounds is a 2-7 player trick-taking game exploring the perils of professional dog walking in the Underworld. Players are given the task of walking Hades' collection of hounds. Do your job too well, and she'll promote you to management - a responsibility feared throughout the realm. Do your job too poorly, and you'll be demoted to professional dog food instead. The game is played with your hand facing outward, giving you no knowledge of the hounds you have. Every round has a different player serving as the shift leader, who can see both their hand and everyone else’s. The shift leader gives each player three clues as to the hounds they are holding - how helpful, useless, or beguiling the clue is up to you, but they must be true. The shift leader also assigns Cerberus to a player, a trump card pup that wins any trick he shows up to. Players have a few opportunities to try and manage their luck, and must promise how many shifts they will work (tricks they will take) based on the limited information they have of their own hand, and the hands of the other players they can see. Cards are played, tricks are won, and a new round begins. After everyone has taken a turn as the shift leader, the game is over. The player who scored the least without going negative did the least amount of work without being fired, and wins the game! Thus, Heckin Hounds is a game of being barely adequate. —description from the publisher