Fictional Reality Magazine
Clay Richmond
December 2006
USA

This game is definitely a came tailor made for people like me. This is a four player card game that takes the complicate game of Bridge, and makes it into a game that is a great stepping for those who might one day like to learn Bridge, but also a game that is a very competitive and fun strategic card game. For card players that like games like Spades, Pinochle, Euchre and other trick taking, trump playing games. The mechanics of Bridge are kept intact, but the complex bidding phase of Bridge is nearly completely removed (or at least brought down to something close to the level of Spades). Die hard Bridge players, I image, might have a problem with this and thus poo poo the game. For those of us though that have yet to get very deep into the full up game of Bridge, this game is an excellent stepping stone. The box contains two decks of cards that are essentially made up very similar to decks of regular playing cards. The decks have four suits (represented by colors in this game), but rather than A through King, they are simply numbered two through fourteen. You actually only use one deck to play, but in the tradition of Bridge, the second deck is being prepped while the dealer is dealing the first deck. Also included in the box are four score pads, four quick reference cards, four pencils, and of course the rules. All fit very compactly into the box so there is hardly any extra room in the box, something that is very helpful for those of us that are always trying to fit just one more game into that overstuffed closet. Something you don’t see everyday are the quick reference cards that come with the game. On one side of the card, you have the high points of the rules laid out in four easy steps. The other side gives the tables on scoring (this is kind of important, because the scoring system is NOT something easily remembered, so a table is VERY nice).

The Game
If you know only enough about Bridge to recognize it, seeing a group playing this you could possibly mistake them for playing Bridge (except for the colorful playing cards of course). All fifty-two cards are dealt out so there will be thirteen tricks up for grabs. Like Bridge, trump (or playing with no trump) will be determined by the player winning the bid. The big part of the game (in my mind) is the bidding rules. I’ve only played Bridge a handful of times in my life, but the drawback to me, being a new player trying to complete with a bunch of old pros, was always the in-depth knowledge into the bidding techniques you needed in order to be competitive. Well, I think the game of Abridged fixes that without losing some of the techniques that make Bridge what it is. In the first round of bidding the players simply say “Pass” or “Play” (Play meaning that your team can take at least ten tricks). If there are no takers in the first round, then there is a second round the players give their hand strength (done is a way bridge players will recognize) and team with the strongest hands get the bid. One player is the “dummy” (another Bridge innovation) and the other player declares how many tricks they can take and then play starts. The play is the same as with most other trick-taking games with the highest card (or highest trump) wining. The object is of course to take as many tricks as you can.

Conclusion
This is a good game for serious card players that falls in-between Spades and Bridge as far as the level of difficulty. I think that folks that don’t like Bridge because of the bidding might find that this game is a great compromise while keeping the flavor of Bridge. Players who enjoy Bridge I believe could still enjoy this game though there is at least a decent chance that they won’t enjoy it since they may well think this a just a watered down version of their “real” game. Either way, I think it’s a good game in its own right as well as a good stepping stool for those who would like to get into Bridge someday.

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