Politricks: Dirty Card Game is a trick card game of mind games, trickery, trading and strategy. It teaches us the basics of real-world Philippine politics. The game was designed by PJ Lim and RB Ting, and was published by Totally Wholesome Games in 2016.

First Edition (2016)

I instantly fell in love with the game when it was initially introduced to me by a friend. It is a unique game with fun mechanics. The artworks are cute and the gameplay never cease to get boring. It’s easy to learn and hard to let go of as soon as you start playing. The only downside for me was that it was only meant to be played with up to 5 people. The game had great potential as a party game, if only the game designers pushed through with expansions.

Politricks 2.0: Re-election (2019)

Don’t get me wrong, Politricks is a great game by itself. But Politricks 2.0 seems more like a cash-grab since it’s only a reprint of the original game, with a few new cards in addition to it. I wouldn’t actually say that it’s an expansion– it’s more like just an actual reprint, for those who weren’t able to get the 2016 limited prints.

I would have loved to see new artworks of the original set of cards, new mechanics and twists, and possibly an increase in the number of players who can actually play. As for the quality of cards, I think the initial print is still way better.

Politricks 2.0: Re-election, for me, is a missed opportunity for the older fans of the game.