The Six of VIII

Passions flamed and power waned. King Henry pursued Anne Boleyn for almost seven years before they were married. Those loyal to Catherine of Aragon did not accept Anne Boleyn, and considered King Henry’s first wife the rightful Queen. Those loyal to Anne Boleyn saw her as the future, the young wife who would surely give the King a son.

The Six of VIII is a trick-taking game played on a timeline. Each Queen has her own suit which is trump during her reign. Players must capture tricks containing crucial courtiers and score the most points. The suits, and the years on the timeline, are proportional to the lengths of the reign of each Queen, with Anne of Cleves being the shortest.

Players sit across from their partner and pass two cards face down to begin. Tricks are must-follow. Players win one point per trick, and any points on the cards in the trick. Four hands are played, and the team with the most points wins.

In the advanced variant, three cards are added: the King and two Spies. The King card is the highest trump. The zero cards are spies, lowly servants that go unnoticed, working to undermine the rival side. They come in black (for Catherine of Aragon) and red (for Anne Boleyn), but may reveal themselves as the 13 of the opposite suit.

There is also The Church of England card, which is given to the team with fewer points after scoring. Once per hand, it can annul a trick that does not contain the King.