Review: Tacta (The OP)

Phrases like ‘tactical strategy game” and “easy to teach” don’t usually go together, but thanks to its clever graphic design, that actually works in Tacta.

This new card game from The OP plays like a futuristic dominoes set, where players build a tableau by making matches at the ends and the sides of cards in play on the table. You win the game by keeping your point cards visible while covering up your opponent’s plays. And the graphic design makes the whole thing self-correcting so new players catch on quickly.

Get ready to find some matches and use space to your advantage as we put our cards onto the table to explore the top five things you need to know about Tacta!

Don’t Shuffle the Decks (Yet!)

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Tacta uses six decks of 18 double-sided cards, plus a black and white starting card. Each deck sports the same mix of cards, so there’s no advantage to one deck over another. You can tell the decks apart by both color (purple, orange, green, and so on) and the unique symbol paired with that color. It’s under the number in the center of each card. This symbol opens the game for any player who has trouble with colors.

Once each player picks their deck, everyone can shuffle their cards. After shuffling, you always keep the deck stacked in your hand. From this point on, you can only look at the top or bottom card in the deck. (More about that in a moment.) You never fan your deck like in a typical card game.

Lines and Colors and Dots

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The first time you see a Tacta card, you might wonder what you got yourself into. The cards have a mix of triangles and rectangles, with some filled in and others empty. The card backs show mirror images of the fronts — the same pattern of lines and such, but exactly reversed.

The filled-in spaces show the deck’s color plus one or more dots. Remember those dots — they’re the keys to winning the game.

In the middle of the card, you’ll see a number inside a circle, square, or triangle. The number tells you how many dots are on the card; the symbol is the card’s suit, which is used in one of the alternate ways to play.

Making Room to Play

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The first step to playing Tacta involves cleaning off your table. Tacta needs space to play — plenty of space. Granted, the game adapts to table edges and other obstacles, but it’s easier to begin with a nice, open table.

Place the black and white starting card in the middle of your play space. (Or to increase the challenge, put the card off-center so one side of the table has more space than the other. Bwahaha!) You’re ready to begin.

Playing the Game

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The player with the lowest number (or lowest total) on their top or bottom cards goes first. Play continues clockwise from there.

Choose either the top or bottom card in your deck and match it with a card already on the table. You match the cards based on the shapes printed on the faces. You place your card so the matching graphic overlaps its mate on the other card. It must match exactly, both in size and orientation. Putting one triangle on top of another triangle isn’t enough; the triangles must both fact the same direction for the play to work. You can only play on top of one other card. No double-dipping!

Finally, the card needs enough room on the table so it doesn’t cover any other cards. This is where things get spicy as more and more cards fill the space. If you aren’t sure about a play, ask the other players. We had several times during each game where we discussed whether a play was legal or not. Don’t argue about it — be fair and play nice, kids. (The game’s quick enough that if the ruling goes against you, you can exact your revenge during the next round, which probably starts in a few minutes.)

Dots Mean Points

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Why cover your opponent’s dots while trying to protect your own? Because dots mean points!

Once everyone plays out their respective decks, each player counts the number of dots visible in their color. That’s the player’s score for the game. To double-check the totals, each player also counts the number of dots for the player to their right.

This is why the best plays in the game involve covering up a card section that shows your opponent’s dots while positioning the card so your opponent can’t do the same thing to you. If you keep doing that consistently, you’ll clean up in the end.

Verdict

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Tacta creates a remarkable table presence through its unique graphic design and novel gameplay. Apart from the number in the middle of the cards, it’s also language-free, making it a great pick for a mixed crowd of adults and kids (although you may need to coach younger kids on preserving the tableau when they slam down their cards.

Space management is incredibly important during a game of Tacta. Since you can’t overlap cards apart from making a legal play, you need to watch your available space while making the most of each play.

The graphic design, limited deck size, and equally limited playing options (you can only choose one of two cards for each play) make Tacta easy to explain and self-correcting during play.

We see Tacta becoming a staple at our game nights, especially when engaging new players. Recommended!