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Tycoon is a card game based on the Japanese game "Daifogou". It's included as a minigame in the Atlus RPG "Persona 5 Royal", accessible from the Thieves' Den. I've spent more time than I care to admit ignoring the entirety of the role-play mechanics and throwing myself at this minigame. Here are the rules it uses, and strategies I've developed.
- The game consists of three rounds, each containing tricks.
- The game has exactly four players.
- The game is played with a standard deck of 52 playing cards with Jokers.
- A deal shuffles the cards and deals them to the players until none are left.
- Players may look at their hand and arrange the cards in their hand however they wish.
- All players start as "commoners".
- The player who has the three of clubs in their hand goes first.
- Play goes clockwise.
- The order of card values, from lowest to highest, is 3-10, jack, queen, king, ace, 2, joker. Jokers can also be used as wild cards.
- The starting player begins a trick by choosing a card and putting it in the center, forming a pile of cards.
- The startig player can put down up to four cards of the same value at once (i.e. three fours).
- The next player must put down a higher-value card than the current value on to of the pile.
- If the previous player played more than one card at once, the current player must put down the same number of cards (i.e. three sixes).
- If a player cannot put down a card (does not have a higher-value card or does not have enough high-value cards), he passes.
- Players can pass voluntarily, even if they are able to play.
- Play continues until one player puts down a card and all other players pass. This ends the trick.
- Even when a player plays all the cards in his hand, if at least two other players can still play, the trick continues.
- The cards in the pile are discarded at the end of a trick.
- The player who laid down the last card starts the next trick.
- Tricks continue until only one player has cards left (with one exception--see "Bankruptcy" below). This ends the round.
- The first player to put down all the cards in his hand becomes the "tycoon". The second becomes a "rich man", and the third a "poor man". The remaining player becomes a "beggar".
- The tycoon gets 30 points, the rich man 20, the poor man 10, and the beggar none.
- At the start of the next round, the beggar must give the tycoon the two highest-value cards in his hand, and the tycoon gives the beggar any two cards he wishes. Similarly, the poor man must give the rich man the single highest-value card he has, and the rich man gives the poor man one card of his choice.
- After three rounds, the player with the most points is the winner.
- "Eight Stops"
- Playing any number of eights immediately finishes a trick.
- "3-Spade Reversal"
- The three of spades overrides a lone joker.
- "Revolution"
- Starting a trick with four-of-a-kind (including with wild cards) causes the order in which cards must be played to reverse--instead of being played inincreasing value, the cards must be played in decreasing value.
- This continues to apply after the end of the current trick and is reset at the end of the round.
- Playing another four-of-a-kind at any time before the end of the round undoes the reversal. This is known as a "counter-revolution".
- "Bankruptcy"
- If the previous round's tycoon does not remain tycoon at the end of the current round, he becomes "bankrupt". he immediately becomes the beggar and cannot play any more cards.
- When this happens, the remaining two players continue to play tricks. The last of them to have cards in his hand becomes the poor man.
- If I can help it, I don't break up multiples of the same card. If I can end a trick but it requires that I break up a multiple, I almost always pass.
- When I have my choice of what cards to pass, I would rather pass some cards that are worth a little more if it means I don't pass a double or break up multiples. For example, if I have a three and two fours but a single five, I'll pass the three and the five so that I can keep the fours.
- I don't pass the three of spades.
- I try never to play a single joker unless I know for a fact that the three of spades is already played.
- For the first few tricks, I try not to play the highest two or three values in my hand, even if it requires me to pass.
- I save eights until close to the end, but not the very end. In general, I try to make eights my penultimate play.
- I try to get rid of all my singles first, then play the doubles and triples.
- Revolutions are somewhat rare. I don't rely on them.
- On the other hand, if I know I have a revolution in my hand (such as two queens and two jokers) and the rest of my hand is low, I'll sometimes pass my high cards and go for the big play.
- Being the beggar (or even going bankrupt) doesn't seal my fate. Based on what is passed to me, I might actually end up with a better hand than what I started with. I'm only really in trouble if I become the beggar again, or if I only make it to being the poor man.
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[Last updated: 2021-10-28]