Pass Pass

There’s something about trick-taking games that always clicks with my gaming group. At least one hits the table every time we meet. The genre offers a wide variety of themes, each with its own unique twist. PASS PASS stands out by adding a bit of cooperation as you try to lure others into playing the same colors as you. The twist? You aim to play the second highest number in the trick!

PASS PASS is a trick-taking card game from designers Alexandre Droit and David Paput and published by Funnyfox and Hachette Games. It’s for 3-6 players age 8+ and takes about 20-30 minutes to play.

Gameplay

To start, shuffle the deck and deal eight cards face down to each player to form their hand. Place the remaining deck within reach.

Play Pass Pass over no more than three rounds, each consisting of eight tricks. The starting player begins the trick by playing a card face up near them.

Moving clockwise, each player then plays a card face up. Players can play any card, regardless of the color and value of the leading card. The backside of each card denotes which color the card is, so everyone can see what colors are likely to get played.

Winning the trick

Once all players have played into the trick, follow these steps to determine the winner:

1. Identify the color majority, which is the color with the highest total value.
2. Among the players who played the majority color, the one with the highest value card picks any card from the trick and places it in front of them.
3. The player with the second highest value card of the majority color takes the two lowest value cards from the trick. If multiple cards tie for the lowest value, the player chooses which ones to take.

Discard the remaining cards; they won’t be used again this round. The player who collected two cards starts the next trick.

Getting a Pass Pass

A player earns a Pass Pass by collecting four different colored cards in front of them and marking it on the score pad. If a player marks off their third Pass Pass at any time, they win immediately!

Round End and Game End

After eight tricks, the round is over, if no one won immediately with a third Pass Pass. Players count their points. Each card earns a point, and diamond cards earn an extra point per diamond.

Deal eight new cards to each player and play another round of eight tricks.

If you reach the end of the third and final round, tally up the points from all three rounds. The player with the highest total wins!

Impressions

I’ve played and reviewed plenty of trick-taking games over the years. Some flop, while others become regulars at game nights with friends. Trick-taking games always offer a unique twist, whether through a quirky theme or an inventive scoring system that sets them apart.

Pass Pass definitely isn’t a flop. The addition of an alternate win condition rocks! Securing a Pass Pass victory feels attainable, and I’ve seen it happen during play. Each card you play carries a risk of setting up another player to cash in, and that tension brought a fun edge for me and my group.

When scoring each round, it’s no surprise that lower-value cards have more bonus diamonds—they’re harder to grab. First and second place winners always aim for cards with more diamonds or those that help achieve a Pass Pass. The real challenge lies in finishing second and leading the next trick. While gaining two cards scores more, being the first player to lead a trick can be tough. Personally, I dreaded leading!

Pass Pass provides some extra information since card backs show their colors. If you notice an opponent missing a color, you can use that to your advantage.

A Pass For Families?

Pass Pass is very family friendly, especially for those who already enjoy and play trick-taking games. A fundamental understanding of trick-taking basic certainly helps. But honestly the most challenging thing to grasp is who wins the trick. When playing with younger kids, the adult at the table can easily referee this.

Do I see a group of kids playing Pass Pass? Probably not, and I don’t think that’s the prime audience for it. That said, it’s an awesome trick-taking game that I’ll take to game nights with friends. 

Pickup a copy of Pass Pass from Hachette Games, on Amazon, or at your friendly local game store.

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The Family Gamers received a copy of Pass Pass from Hachette Games for this review.

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