Pandasaurus Games announces the release of its new game, Aurum, a trick-taking card game designed by Shreesh Bhat. In Aurum, players take on the role of alchemists who have successfully transmuted common metals into gold and must repeat experiments to find the perfect combination of metals that produce the purest gold.
Aurum is a game for either three or four players, with a twist on the classic trick-taking structure. At the start of a round, each player bids the number of tricks they believe they will win by playing a card from their hand in front of them. On your turn, you must play a card that does not match any of the suits already played. At the end of a trick, the player with the highest numerical card value wins, and the player with the lowest gains a Gold card of that value to add to their collection. Gold cards can be used either as a trump or are worth points if left in your collection at the end of the round.
Gold cards may also be spent to swap the bid with a card from the player’s hand. At the end of a round, players gain points equal to double their matched initial bid. If they exceed their bid, they gain points only equal to the value. If they do not hit their bid, they get no points. The player or team with the most points from Gold cards in their collection earns a gold nugget. The first to win two nuggets wins the game.
According to Alex Cutler, Head of Development, Aurum’s twists on the classic trick-taking structure straddle the line perfectly, making it immediately approachable for new players while offering something very fresh for fans of the genre. The game is for anyone who enjoys Cat in the Box, Yokai Septat, Scout, or Tichu.
Players can try Aurum online with two different builds on Tabletop Simulator, the Simple Version with infinite bags of the different decks to make setup a little easier, and the Lightly Scripted Version for super easy setup. Preorders for the game are available now on the Pandasaurus Games website, and it will officially release on August 16, with shipping on July 28. Copies of the game will also be available at Gen Con.