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?
The game where it pays to be different! Niche is a quick, fun and deceptively simple card game.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Pattern Building
Place elements to create arrangements that satisfy scoring or action patterns.
Pattern Recognition
Identify recurring visual, spatial, or logical arrangements.
Set Collection
Gather related items that become more valuable when scored together.
Trick-taking
Play one card each and award the trick according to suit and rank rules.
Read the full game description
The game where it pays to be different! Niche is a quick, fun and deceptively simple card game. It is a game of bucking the trend, keeping your options open and closing down the opposition. Will you play safe and pick up your points where you can or take a risk and hold out for a better score? During Niche you play cards from your hand restricted by the previous card played. Players create an irregular grid pattern that is limited only by the edge of the table and score points depending on the length of the lines they create. The rule structure of Niche involves a restriction of choices, each player must select cards from their hand, and it is these choices that give the sense of control. On a reasonably basic level this becomes a gentle balance between puzzle solving and tactics whilst at the same time I hope that players are having so much fun they don’t realize quite how much they are using their brain. Niche takes between 10 minutes and a whole evening to play. The game aims to promote and support The Foundation for Conductive Education. This method works with children and adults who have conditions such as Cerebral Palsy, Stroke, M.S. or Parkinsons, helping them to lead more independent lives.