Review: Cry Baby

Introduction & Overview

Conspire alongside Queen Horrifida, the Jester King, the sorcerer Roger Rob-It, and the dragons Bert, Rocky, and Bianca to win and seize control of the kingdom! Ready? Set? Cry!

Thus presents Cry Baby, a design by Frédéric Vuagnat (Vivarium, Master Fox). First published in 2026 by BLAM! in a French edition, the artwork is handled by Crocotame (Odin, Piña Coladice).

It is published in Spain by Rocket Lemon Games (though the game is completely language-independent, aside from the rulebook). The game supports 3 to 5 players, with a suggested minimum age of 8 and an approximate playing time of 20 minutes. Its MSRP is €13.50. A review copy of the French edition from BLAM! was used for this review.

Important: if you already know the game and/or are only interested in my opinion about it, you can go directly to the Opinion section. The Content and Mechanics sections are especially intended for those who do not know the game and prefer to get a general idea of how it works.

Go to Personal Opinion

Components

Inside a two-piece cardboard box (lid and bottom) measuring 12.3×9.6×2.8 cm (a small rectangular box similar to Bloom Kingdom), we find the following components:

• 70 Cards (61×112 mm):
  • 25 Bet Cards (5 of each color)
  • 44 Conspirator Cards
  • Reminder Card
• Rulebook

How to Play

Cry Baby is a trick-taking game in which each participant seeks to take control of the kingdom through conspiracies and predictions over four rounds consisting of seven tricks each. At the beginning of each round, every player receives seven dual-orientation cards and must decide the permanent orientation in which they will hold their hand, while simultaneously choosing one of their bet cards in secret to predict how many tricks they will win. Once the bets are revealed, the start player leads the first trick by playing a card that determines the lead suit, and everyone else must follow suit if they hold cards of that suit; if they do not, they may play any other card, though playing black dragons is always permitted regardless of hand contents. Whoever plays the highest-value dragon wins the trick, or failing that, the highest yellow magician (which acts as standard trump), or if neither is present, the highest-value card of the lead suit, becoming the new leader. However, the player who played the lowest absolute value in the trick becomes the “crybaby” and earns a bonus: rotating one card in their hand 180 degrees or collecting a reserve card worth one point. At the end of the seven tricks, players score for a successful bet (removing that bet card from the game) plus any points accumulated from crying. After playing all four rounds, the player with the most accumulated points is declared the winner.

Key Concepts

Let’s start with the Conspirator Cards. These cards feature a vertical split on their front divided into two halves, each showing a character, a numerical value, and one of the four suits in the game: the Queen (blue), the King (red), the Enchanter (yellow, which acts as trump against blue and red), or the Dragon (black, which serves as a super-trump that always beats any other suit). Their defining feature is that they are reversible depending on orientation: at the start of the round, each player must choose which way to hold their seven-card hand, leaving only the top half of each card active and visible. During trick resolution, players are required to follow the lead suit if they have cards of that color in the active orientation of their hand (being allowed to play a black Dragon at any time, or any other card if void in the required suit), and whoever plays the lowest absolute value in the trick becomes the “Crybaby,” gaining the option to rotate one of the cards in their hand to switch its active half or draw a card from the facedown reserve deck to score extra points.

Next, we have the Bet Cards. Each participant has a personal set of five cards in an identifying color that display several columns on their front with possible trick-winning targets for a round, indicating above each value how many victory points are earned if that exact prediction is met. At the start of each of the four rounds, after deciding the orientation of the cards in their hand, each player secretly chooses one of these cards and places it facedown in their play area to be revealed simultaneously with the rest of the table. If, by the end of the seven tricks, the player has won a number of tricks matching one of the values listed on their selected card, they score the associated points and remove that card from the game for the remaining rounds; conversely, if they miss all the listed numbers, they score nothing for their prediction and take the bet card back to use again in later rounds.

That is enough to get started.

Preparación de la Partida

• Place the reminder card in the center of the table.
• Shuffle the conspirator deck and deal 7 cards to each player.
• Set the remaining conspirator cards aside facedown to form the draw deck.
• Each player chooses a color and takes the 5 bet cards of that color.
• Keep pen and paper handy to record scores at the end of each round.
• Choose the start player, who will be whoever is able to cry right at this very moment.

We are ready to begin!

Game Flow

A game of Cry Baby is played over 4 rounds. Each round consists of a hand-orientation and betting phase, followed by 7 tricks in which players take turns clockwise, concluding with a round-resolution phase.

At the start of each round, proceed as follows:

1. Orient your hand. Each player takes their 7 Conspirator cards, examines both possible orientations by rotating them 180 degrees, and chooses the final orientation of their hand for the entire round. Once set, changing the orientation of cards in hand is forbidden except through the Cry effect.
2. Place your bet. Each player secretly chooses one of their available Bet cards and places it facedown in front of them. Once everyone is ready, all bet cards are revealed simultaneously.

Next, the 7 tricks of the round are played. Each trick is resolved following these steps in order:

1. Play a card. The start player (leader) plays a card from their hand without restriction, setting the lead suit. Going clockwise, each player must play a card obeying the following rules:
   • If they hold cards of the lead suit, they must follow suit by playing a card of that suit.
   • If they hold no cards of the lead suit, they may play any card from their hand.
   • Regardless of whether they can follow suit, any player may always play a Dragon (black) card. If the leader opened the trick with a Dragon, players must follow with a Dragon if they hold one.
2. Determine who Cries. The player (or players, in case of a tie) who played the card with the lowest numerical value in the trick (regardless of suit) becomes the “Crybaby” and must choose one of two bonuses:
   • Cry for your hand: rotate one card in your hand 180 degrees.
   • Cry for 1 point: take a card from the reserve and place it facedown beneath your Bet card (it will be worth 1 point at the end of the round).
3. Determine the trick winner. The winner of the trick is the player who played:
   • The highest-value Dragon (black) card.
   • If no Dragons were played, the highest-value Enchanter (yellow) card (acting as trump).
   • If neither black nor yellow cards were played, the highest-value card of the lead suit.
   • The trick winner collects the played cards, places them facedown in their play area as a won trick, and becomes the new leader for the next trick.

After completing all 7 tricks of the round, proceed to end-of-round scoring, where each player tallies:

1. Cry card points: each player scores 1 point for each card tucked under their Bet card via the “Cry for 1 point” option. Once scored, these cards are returned to the reserve.
2. Bet check: if the exact number of tricks won by the player matches any of the values shown on their played bet card, the player scores the points indicated above that number and discards that bet card from the game (it cannot be used again). If they miss all options on the card, they score zero bet points and return the card to their hand for future rounds.

If it was not the fourth round, gather all Conspirator cards, shuffle them, and deal 7 new cards to each player to begin the next round, with the player holding the highest cumulative score starting as leader (in case of a tie, whoever cried the most times during the round).

Game End

The game ends after the scoring phase of the fourth round. Whoever has accumulated the most points is declared the winner. In the event of a tie in the final score, the tiebreaker goes to the player who scored the most points during the fourth round. If the tie persists, victory is shared.

Personal Opinion

In recent years, a trend has emerged in which cards are split into two halves with different values and suits. The success of titles like Scout or DNUP has cemented this concept, forcing players to manage their hand with both values in mind even though only one can be used at any given moment. Normally, at the start of each round, players have the option to choose which orientation suits them best. From that point on, however, they have to live with the choice they made.

In most games where we have seen this mechanism, it has appeared in ladder-climbing games, yet today we are analyzing a title that brings the idea into the realm of trick-taking. Let’s see how Cry Baby, published in Spanish by Rocket Lemon Games, performs on the table.

Palace intrigue and struggles for the throne are a familiar backdrop in board games. This time, we travel to a fantasy kingdom where rival factions scheme in the shadows to seize control of the crown. To succeed in this endeavor, one must rely on court figures like Queen Horrifida or the Jester King. Magical elements are not lacking either, embodied by the sorcerer Roger Rob-It and the dragons Bert, Nerd, and Bianca. All of them act as pieces in a conflict where ambition and weeping go hand in hand.

In Cry Baby, games are structured into four rounds of seven tricks each. At the start of every round, players receive seven dual-value conspirator cards and immediately decide the orientation of their entire hand (individual cards cannot be flipped separately). Once hands are locked in, each participant secretly picks one of their five bet cards and reveals it simultaneously with everyone else. These cards display three different trick counts along with their respective point rewards. As a result, the whole table knows from the very first turn what target each opponent is chasing and what margin for error they have.

In each trick, the start player lays down a card that sets the lead suit. Everyone else must follow suit if they hold cards of that color, though there is one exception: anyone may play a black card, even when able to follow the lead suit. Its hierarchy is quite simple. Black dragons act as super-trumps that beat any card of the other suits. If no dragons appear, yellow enchanters win, acting as standard trump. In the absence of both, the highest value of the suit led by the leader takes the trick, whether blue queen or red king.

The quirky detail that gives the game its name comes not when determining the trick winner, but when determining who cries. This will be whoever played the lowest numerical value in the trick, regardless of color and regardless of whether it was the winning card. That player becomes the crybaby and chooses between two compensations: rotating a card in their hand or drawing a card from the deck that grants one point at the end of the round. After playing all seven tricks, participants add up these points and check their bets. If they hit the exact number, they score the reward and remove that bet card; if they miss, they take it back to try again in later rounds.

And that is all there is to it. As you can see, it is a trick-taking game with betting—much like Skull King (here is its tocho-review) or Cat in the Box (here is its tocho-review)—where winning tricks matters less than hitting the exact number of tricks you predicted. Personally, these are the trick-taking games I enjoy most, because they force players to forecast how the round will unfold while accounting for the specific constraints of the design itself.

Here, the first and most important thing is that quite a few cards remain out of play, so card counting is not an option and you have to play the odds. On top of that, the cards have two values, making it impossible to memorize which two values are paired on every single card. At most, you might remember specific cards like the dragons, since there are only three in the deck and they stand out noticeably.

I really like the crybaby concept. In every round, we will look to win the trick, but if we cannot, we will try to play the lowest card—either to reshape our hand or, more likely, to lock in a victory point. It feels tremendously satisfying when a player manages not only to win a trick, but to do so with a trump card that also happens to be the lowest value in the trick, allowing them to claim a bonus as well.

I also think it is a great idea that players must discard bet cards once they score them. Obviously, if you score it for its maximum value, it was put to good use. When we are forced to discard a bet card while scoring only one of its outer values, however, the sense of a missed opportunity looms larger, because we missed the sweet spot by just a single trick and left vital points on the table.

Furthermore, it forces players to adapt, because in later rounds you have to calculate twice as carefully with your hand—one orientation might display powerhouse cards, yet you may no longer hold the three- or four-trick bet cards, making it dangerous to start the round with such a strong hand.

Admittedly, because you modify your hand mid-round, players must trust that everyone is playing strictly by the rules. It is true that a player with a good memory could catch a renege from someone who has not become the crybaby since an earlier play and later plays a card of a suit they previously claimed not to have. Still, the feeling is that tracking this is far from easy.

Moreover, it can feel too random for die-hard trick-taking fans, especially when the goal revolves around bidding on tricks won. Seeing black or yellow cards in your hand gives a decent idea of what you can accomplish during the round, yet there is undeniably a high degree of uncertainty, which may not appeal to those seeking tighter control.

Obviously, it works best at four or five players, where becoming the crybaby in a given trick or hitting your exact trick count for the round is considerably tougher. At three players, it might feel a bit watered down, though it holds up decently and works well for learning the ropes.

As for replayability, we are looking at a short trick-taking game, since only twenty-eight tricks are played in total and they resolve very briskly. Consider that, for example, in Skull King you play 55 tricks across ten rounds (each with one more trick than the last), with all the corresponding deals and bidding phases. It is snappy and can hit the table quite regularly if it clicks with your group.

Let’s move on to production. We find a small box housing a deck of generously sized cards with a smooth finish, good snap, and more than adequate cardstock weight. Sleeving them would be advisable to prevent markings that could ruin the gameplay experience. The rulebook is well-structured and leaves no room for doubt.

Regarding the artwork, the game stands out for a very expressive, modern cartoon style that reinterprets medieval fantasy tropes from a humorous, lighthearted angle. Both on the cover and on the cards, the illustrations favor angular lines, stylized silhouettes, and comical exaggeration in expressions—such as the lady’s torrents of tears or the histrionic poses of the knight and the witch—giving the whole package tremendous visual personality. Flat colors stand out in the card design through high-contrast blocks (turquoise, coral red, mustard yellow, and black), against which the black-and-white illustrations and oversized numerical typography pop to ensure great readability during play. Very eye-catching.

And let’s wrap this up. Cry Baby is a clever twist on trick-taking games with betting that combines dual-value cards with the original crybaby role to reward whoever plays the lowest number in each trick. This dual incentive system creates a very stimulating dynamic, forcing participants to plan their options from the outset and adapt shrewdly as their available bet cards run out. Being able to change card orientations mid-round or scrape together points even when not competing to win the trick is quite engaging. However, the significant number of cards left out of play and the constant alteration of hands drive up uncertainty, making both control and spotting potential reneges difficult. All in all, it is a tense, fun, and lively design that will be appreciated by anyone who enjoys managing risk and chaos in every round. For all these reasons, I give it a…