District Noir

A two-player noir card duel: play to the line, bluff, and pick the right moment to take the last five cards.

Designers: Nao Shimamura (シマムラナオ), Nobutake Dogen
Publishers: Spiral Éditions, 大気圏内ゲームズ (Taikikennai Games)
Editions by: Pandasaurus Games, 999 Games, Reflexshop, TLAMA games, PaperGames (III), Game Factory, MEBO Games, MTS Games, Nasza Księgarnia, Studio Supernova, Hachette Boardgames Benelux, ToyCo

District Noir is a two-player card duel of bluffing and nerve, first released in Japan as Throne and Grail. The deck has 45 cards, three go away face down, and two start a line on the table. Each turn you either play a card from your hand to the end of the line or, once per round, scoop up the five most recently played cards. After four rounds, you count what you collected. Some cards carry positive or negative scores, others are numbered five to eight and count by majority, plus points for each complete set. A 2016 push-your-luck game that takes about twenty minutes and suits anyone who likes cold, clever head-to-head games.

Two players onlyPlay to the line or take the last five cardsFour rounds with set and majority scoring

Who it's for

You want a short, tense, two-player card game with bluffing and a push-your-luck edge.

Not for you if…

You are more than two, or you want a rich theme. The noir flavour is thin and the fun is in the duel.

Vibe's take

Cold and cutting, like a staring match with cards. You always see the line, but you never quite know what your opponent holds, so every grab feels like a small gamble.