Review: Dickory

Introduction & Overview

You are competitive witch sisters brewing peculiar concoctions over a wood-fired cauldron in your cozy cottage, nestled in the heart of the Old Forest. The potency of the ingredients you toss into the bubbling broth largely depends on their freshness. But who has the time to wait for each ingredient to be in season? Bah! Your shared familiar, the mouse Dickory, manipulates the Clock of the Seasons under your command, shifting the entire world backward or forward in time to suit your precise, albeit fleeting, needs. Then, the ever-faithful—yet never appreciated—little mouse does it all over again; this time to benefit your sister. «Dickory!!!»

This is the premise behind Dickory, designed by Sean Ross (Haggis) and Hanibal Sonderegger (Bait and Switch). First published in 2025 by New Mill Industries in an English edition, it was subsequently republished in 2026 by Playte featuring artwork by Yu Uozumi (Kero Kero Pond).

It has not been published in Spain, so you will have to turn to import or the second-hand market (the game is completely language-independent, except for the rulebook). It plays strictly at 2 players, with a recommended minimum age of 10 and an approximate duration of 10 to 20 minutes. The MSRP is €17.95. For this review, we used a review copy of Playte’s multilingual edition (English, Japanese, and Korean), kindly provided by the publisher.

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.

Components

Inside a two-piece cardboard box (lid and bottom) measuring 14×10×2.2 cm (a small rectangular box, similar to Nebula Colors), we find the following items:

48 Cards (55×87 mm)
Rulebook

How to Play

Dickory is a dedicated two-player climbing card game in which the primary goal is to shed all the cards from your hand. Its defining twist lies in a central display of cards whose rightmost card determines the highest value at any given moment on a 1-to-12 numeric clock, dynamically shifting the circular hierarchy of all other cards. Over a series of rounds, players alternate turns. The player leading the trick must play a valid combination (a single card, a pair, three of a kind, four of a kind, or a three-card run of consecutive values). The opponent, in turn, must beat the previous play by laying down a combination of the matching type with strictly higher values according to the active hierarchy. To achieve this, beyond playing directly from their hand, active players may draft cards from the right end of the central row to manipulate the clock’s hierarchy to their advantage; however, they are then required to beat the prior combination. If a player cannot or chooses not to beat the play, they must pass. Passing triggers discarding the end card of the row, replenishing the display from the draw deck, and ending the trick, allowing the player who made the last play to lead the next one. The game ends immediately the moment a player sheds their final card, instantly claiming victory.

Key Concepts

The core concept of the game revolves around the Cards. The deck consists of 48 cards across twelve numerical ranks from 1 to 12, with four copies of each number. At the beginning of the game, each player receives a hand of eleven cards, aiming directly to shed every single one by playing valid combinations to the table—whether singles, pairs, triples, four of a kind, or sequences of three consecutive values. The hierarchy of these cards is never static; instead, it dynamically shifts depending on whichever card sits on the far right of the central display.

That is enough to get started.

Preparación de la Partida

Place the clock board in the center of the table along with Dickory, the mouse.
Randomly select the dealer.
Shuffle the deck of cards thoroughly and deal 11 cards to each player.
Reveal 6 cards from the deck and place them face up in a row on the table to form the queue.
Set the remaining cards aside face down as the draw deck.
Check the value of the card at the far-right end of the queue and point Dickory toward that number on the clock, establishing the highest value in the hierarchy to start the game.
The non-dealer takes the opening turn.

We are ready to begin!

Game Flow

A game of Dickory unfolds over an indeterminate number of rounds until one player completely empties their hand. Players alternate turns, with the non-dealer leading in the opening round.

Card hierarchy is circular and governed at all times by the rightmost card in the row (the queue). That card’s value marks the highest rank on the clock (where the mouse Dickory points), while the rank immediately following it clockwise becomes the lowest in the hierarchy.

At the beginning of a trick, the player with the lead must play a valid combination of cards from their hand, chosen from:

A Single card.
A Pair of equal value.
Three of a kind.
Four of a kind.
A Run of exactly three consecutive values in the active order. The rank of the run is determined by its highest card (the trailing one).

From that point on, the opposing player must take one of the following three actions on their turn:

Beat the Previous Combination: Play a combination of the matching type from hand, but with a higher value according to the current strength order set by the mouse.
Draft Cards from the Row and Beat the Previous Combination: Take the rightmost card of the row into hand, repeating this process as many times as desired (up to a maximum of 5 cards), provided the very last remaining card (the leftmost one) is never removed.
- Each removed card immediately alters the rank hierarchy, making the newly exposed rightmost card the new highest value (readjusting Dickory the mouse accordingly).
- After drafting the chosen cards, the player is obligated to beat the prior combination under the newly established order. There is no requirement to use the newly drafted cards in that play. If it is impossible to beat the previous combination after modifying the display, this action cannot be taken.
Pass and Replenish the Row: If the player cannot or chooses not to beat the previous play, they must pass, ending the trick. Proceed as follows:
- If more than one card remains in the row, discard the rightmost card. If only one card remains, leave it in place.
- Slide the remaining cards to the right and draw from the deck, placing new cards on the left until the display is restored to 6 cards (or until the deck runs dry). Passing is the only way to replenish the row.
- Discard all cards played during the trick.

The player who played the final combination gains the lead and must start a new trick with a fresh combination of cards.

Game End

The game concludes immediately on the turn a player manages to empty their hand, instantly claiming victory.

Variants

Dock Variant. This mode introduces a slight tweak to the standard rules by expanding the range of valid combinations: two-card runs and four-card runs.

Hickory Variant. This ruleset incorporates the runs added in the Dock variant (both two-card and four-card sequences) while adding a mechanism that allows players to modify the previous play by adding a single card from hand. When facing a single card, a pair, or three of a kind, the active player can either beat it with a higher combination of the same type or add one card to upgrade it into a pair, triple, or four of a kind. Similarly, against a single card or a run of two or three cards, a player may append a card to extend it into a sequence of two, three, or four consecutive numbers. However, cards cannot be added to four of a kind or four-card runs; these can only be beaten by higher-ranking combinations of the same type.

Personal Opinion

Trick-taking games and climbing (or shedding) games share an obvious common root: both center around managing an opening hand and continually fighting for table initiative. In either genre, the player opening the trick establishes a framework the rest must follow, whether by leading a suit or determining the combination type.

Yet, while trick-takers typically revolve around winning or avoiding specific cards across structured hands (generally playing one card per trick), climbing games feature tricks of variable length where players strive to beat the previous play to empty their hand first. Every turn becomes a delicate equation of tempo management and tactical concessions. This distinction is vital when identifying game categories. For instance, Tichu (read its tocho-review here) is a climbing game, whereas Skull King (read its tocho-review here) is a trick-taking game.

Consequently, both trick-taking and climbing games often struggle at two players, since tension in these genres normally springs from collective uncertainty and reading the table across multiple opponents. With three or more players, yielding initiative allows you to trust that a third party might disrupt the leader’s run or exhaust vital resources in the process.

Head-to-head, that safety net vanishes entirely. There are no intermediaries to cushion a bad lead or deflect punishment. Yielding directly benefits your rival, turning the match into a zero-sum, predictable exchange where the initial deal often dictates the outcome without leaving room to maneuver.

For this reason, designers daring enough to craft dedicated two-player trick-takers or climbing games must engineer uncertainty through alternative avenues. Common solutions include incorporating hidden cards into a shared pool, introducing dummy hands that simulate a third participant, or designing mechanisms that actively warp the relative rank of cards.

These mechanical solutions disrupt perfect information and force players to evaluate risks on shifting ground, keeping hands from descending into straightforward math right out of the deal. The design before us today tackles this challenge head-on. Let us examine how the designer of Dickory addresses this dilemma. Before that, however, special thanks go to Playte for providing the review copy that made this extended critique possible.

In Dickory, we step into the shoes of two rival sisters brewing potions over a cauldron in their woodland cottage. Ingredients draw strength from freshness, yet neither witch possesses the patience to wait out the seasons. To solve this, both rely on a shared familiar: the mouse Dickory. Through this trusty rodent, the witches manipulate the Clock of the Seasons, winding time forward or backward to satisfy their immediate recipes before the little critter scurries off to serve their sibling.

True to its climbing nature, the overarching objective is shedding every card in hand before your rival. On their turn, the player holding the lead opens with a valid combination: singles, pairs, triples, four of a kind, or runs of exactly three consecutive cards. The opponent must counter with a higher play of the identical structure, passing initiative back across the table, or else be forced to yield. Once a player passes, the trick concludes, and the last player to lay down cards claims the lead for the next trick.

The standout feature here is the ability to warp card priority. While cards are numbered 1 through 12, the highest value is never fixed. These values operate circularly, where 1 simply wraps around after 12.

Pinpointing the dominant value relies on a shared card queue and a 1-to-12 numbered clock face printed directly onto the box lid. Whichever card rests at the far-right end of that row determines the active peak rank. If that card is a 7, for example, 8 drops to the lowest possible rank while the hierarchy climbs steadily toward 7 at the top. Hand strength shifts with every single adjustment.

Inevitably, this creates scenarios where a player cannot match a strong opening play. To prevent deadlock, the rules allow active players to draft cards in order from the right end of the queue into their hand, with the sole restriction that the final card cannot be taken (as it anchors the clock). Altering the queue instantly shifts the reference card and redefines the hierarchy, suddenly turning useless cards into a winning counter.

The game thrives on continuous risk management, where taking a trick does not always justify the price paid. Drafting from the queue lets you swing the hierarchy and salvage a tough position, but it bloats a hand you are desperately trying to empty. Knowing when to take on cards to snatch the lead versus when to let a trick go creates genuinely engaging tactical decisions.

Furthermore, the card hierarchy shifts whenever a player passes, introducing an extra dose of uncertainty that dismantles any attempt at mid-term calculation. Passing causes the current anchor card to be discarded, shifting the queue and establishing a fresh peak rank. If only one card remained, this new value is impossible to predict, as the entire row gets refreshed from the draw deck.

Holding onto an apparently unbeatable combination is useless if your rival bides their time, forcing a clock rotation that instantly tanks your hand’s value. This instability upends conventional genre habits: drawing cards can open sudden escape routes, while high ranks spoil in the blink of an eye.

The two included variants refine the experience, providing extra flexibility for players seeking deeper gameplay. Dock mode loosens combination restrictions by introducing two-card and four-card runs, broadening the scope of viable plays. Hickory mode goes a step further by embracing direct interaction, allowing players to upgrade an opponent’s play by adding a single card to forge a larger set or stretch an existing run.

Success rewards real-time improvisation and the agility to constantly reevaluate your hand. Anyone trying to execute a rigid plan will run into immediate frustration as board conditions flip. Hoarding powerhouse sets feels pointless when the clock rotates and devalues them without warning, though attentive players can calculate odds using the visible cards in the queue.

Consequently, leading with combinations of two or more cards becomes essential, as multi-card sets are far tougher to match even after drafting from the display. Leading singles leaves the door wide open: unless you lead the absolute highest value, your opponent can easily draft the rightmost queue card, shift the clock, and readily beat your play.

If there is a flaw, it lies in how disorienting the system can feel during early plays. Card players are conditioned to static hierarchies throughout a hand. Watching a single card flip from useless to top-tier within the same trick creates a jarring mental friction that takes some getting used to.

Yet that controlled volatility is precisely the game’s greatest strength. Designing a compelling two-player climbing game is an elusive feat that has tripped up seasoned veterans—Tom Lehmann’s Chu Han comes to mind, bogged down by heavy randomness, convoluted procedures, and a barrage of symbols requiring constant reference checks. In contrast, Dickory navigates these pitfalls with a clean, elegant design: uncertainty stems not from hidden information, but from a visible hierarchy that both players actively manipulate.

Additionally, the brisk pace—with matches wrapping up in roughly ten minutes—makes it exceptionally easy to bring to the table. Even with clever mechanisms dampening variance, it remains an inherently draw-dependent card game. If a player is dealt natural runs, seizing the lead makes victory relatively straightforward, as odds are heavily against the opponent holding matching sequences to mount a counter-climb.

Turning to production, Playte delivers impressive component quality, highlighted by striking foil cards (though the reflective glare can occasionally hinder readability). The cardstock is outstanding, boasting a pleasant linen finish and excellent snap (sleeving is still advisable, given the constant shuffling and hand manipulation typical of the genre). Using the box cover as the clock tracker is a neat touch: while the card row alone is technically enough to play, having a clear visual marker is genuinely useful. The rulebook is clean, concise, and unambiguous.

Visually, the presentation evokes a nocturnal fairy tale, driven by an uncluttered cover dominated by a cheese-moon clock face. The cards stand out with foil treatments and gradients shifting from cool blues and purples to warm pinks and oranges. As noted earlier, the foil finish can occasionally distract, particularly since the ranks (shown in both Roman and Arabic numerals) are not overly large. Still, it is a quirk you quickly adjust to.

And let’s wrap this up. Dickory is a clever design that successfully pulls off the notoriously difficult task of making a two-player climbing game work. It relies on a shared card row that continuously upends the numeric hierarchy. The race to empty your hand becomes an ongoing exercise in risk management, where drafting cards alters the peak value to rescue a tough hand at the expense of adding cards you want gone. This volatility drives an engaging dynamic of constant adaptation. Long-term planners may find the instability dizzying, and early games will likely feel counterintuitive. Nevertheless, the tension of surrendering the lead paired with the strategic dilemma of forcing clock rotations injects just enough calculated chaos to keep every duel thoroughly engaging. For all these reasons, I give it a…