民の見えざる手 (Invisible Hands)

民の見えざる手 (Invisible Hands) is a trick-taking card game from Japan.

The first king was a hero of the country and a man of great faith, but he died mad because he could not accept the overflowing voice of the people. The third king devoted all his energies to the development of the country and set up many enterprises, but the unprecedented heavy taxation caused the people to protest. The fourth king reduced taxes for the benefit of the people, but he failed to produce any results and was ridiculed as an ornament king. The fifth king finally became resentful, and instead of listening to the people, he brought great prosperity to the country by his own means, but he was called a tyrant by the people with whom he colluded, and was forced to leave his throne.

And the next king is about to be chosen from the candidates.

What do the people want from their next king?

Will they be able to live up to their hopes and show what it takes to be king?

This is a confrontational, unusual trick-taking game where you have to guess your own subject while trying to sabotage your rival's subject. It's a trick-taking game unlike anything you've seen before.

The game can be played by 3 or 4 players and there are also rules for 2 players.

publisher's summary