---
key: mechanic/tabletop-systems--t178
type: mechanic
id: tabletop-systems--t178
lang: en
title: 'Trick-taking, shedding and set collection'
summary: >-
  Tricks, shedding and set rules change a card's value according to turn order
  and previously revealed cards.
updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
status: active
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/tabletop-systems--t178/'
jsonUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/tabletop-systems--t178.json
markdownUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/tabletop-systems--t178.md
aliases:
  - 'Tricks, shedding and card sets'
tags:
  - 'Cards, dice and tabletop mechanics'
  - Mechanics and variants
sourceIds:
  - source-eceba0e40b661634
  - source-1701f69d697ae522
  - source-5b7a5303aa889762
sources:
  - id: source-eceba0e40b661634
    title: 'PuzzleScript: Rules'
    url: 'https://www.puzzlescript.net/Documentation/rules.html'
    verifiedAt: null
  - id: source-1701f69d697ae522
    title: 'Wizards of the Coast: Magic rules'
    url: 'https://magic.wizards.com/en/rules'
    verifiedAt: null
  - id: source-5b7a5303aa889762
    title: UNO
    url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/470220/'
    verifiedAt: null
relations: []
placements:
  - catalogId: tabletop-systems
    id: t178
    title: 'Cards, dice and tabletop mechanics'
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/tabletop-systems/#t178'
    categoryIds:
      - mechanics
supersededBy: []
attributes:
  preview:
    updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
    title: 'Tricks, shedding and card sets'
    description: >-
      Tricks, shedding and set rules change a card's value according to turn
      order and previously revealed cards.
    image:
      src: images/mechanics/general-uno-01.webp
      width: 1440
      height: 810
      game: UNO
      sourceUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/470220/'
      originalUrl: >-
        https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/470220/5a91a8b28031df04725dc2de316bbc89cf3f66e9/ss_5a91a8b28031df04725dc2de316bbc89cf3f66e9.1920x1080.jpg?t=1791965305
      credit: Ubisoft Entertainment / Ubisoft Entertainment
      rights: >-
        Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed
        screenshot from Steam; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY
        4.0.
      caption: Cards in hand are compared with the discard pile
      alt: Cards in hand are compared with the discard pile
      markers:
        - x: 51
          'y': 48
          label: The face-up seven sets the context for the next discard
        - x: 48
          'y': 85
          label: The player’s hand contains possible continuations
    tips:
      - Show which properties of the previous card constrain a legal response.
    examples:
      - title: UNO
        url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/470220/'
endsAt: null
provenance: >-
  Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on
  2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design
  examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests.
  Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not
  every proposed variant.
license: CC-BY-4.0
codeLicense: MIT
attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors
catalogKey: catalog/tabletop-systems
---
# Trick-taking, shedding and set collection

id: tabletop-systems--t178
type: mechanic
key: mechanic/tabletop-systems--t178
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/tabletop-systems--t178/

Tricks, shedding and set rules change a card's value according to turn order and previously revealed cards.

## At a glance

![Cards in hand are compared with the discard pile](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/general-uno-01.webp)

[UNO](https://store.steampowered.com/app/470220/) · Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed screenshot from Steam; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.

1. The face-up seven sets the context for the next discard
2. The player’s hand contains possible continuations

- Show which properties of the previous card constrain a legal response.

- [UNO](https://store.steampowered.com/app/470220/)

## How it works

Tricks, shedding and set rules change a card's value according to turn order and previously revealed cards.

## Variants

### Mechanic variants

<a id="t178-variants"></a>

- Following suit requires a compatible response. <a id="t178-v1"></a>
- Trumps change the normal strength order. <a id="t178-v2"></a>
- Discarding frees a hand but removes an option. <a id="t178-v3"></a>
- Sets value combinations over individual strength. <a id="t178-v4"></a>

## Design example

A player keeps a weak card of one suit to avoid spending a trump later.

Prototype check: Test legal responses when a suit is absent and consistent rank interpretation in the interface and scoring.

## Context and limits

Tabletop mechanisms allocate limited actions and hidden information through cards, dice, positions and commitments. Each overview separates player actions, state changes and alternative rules. Examples are hypothetical design scenarios, not claims about a named game. A prototype check states an observable question for the next iteration. Existing detailed references remain separately linked from the direction map.

## Connected materials


## Sources and provenance

Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests. Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not every proposed variant.

- [PuzzleScript: Rules](https://www.puzzlescript.net/Documentation/rules.html) (id: source-eceba0e40b661634)
- [Wizards of the Coast: Magic rules](https://magic.wizards.com/en/rules) (id: source-1701f69d697ae522)
- [UNO](https://store.steampowered.com/app/470220/) (id: source-5b7a5303aa889762)

CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors