- BGG rank
- BGG #26,403
- BGG rating
- 5.6
Nosey Neighbor Card Game
- 2–6 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 1.1/5
- 1981
- BGG rank
- BGG #17,135
- BGG rating
- 6.6
The Bark Side
2018
Rules assistance for The Bark Side
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 3–6 players
- 30 min
- 7+
- Complexity 1.5/5
Rules assistant for The Bark Side
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Bark Side is a board game released in 2018 for 3–6 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 7 and up. It was designed by 円卓P (entaku_P) and its main mechanics are Trick-taking.
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About the game
In The Bark Side, you can be a bad doggie as much as you want — as long as you're not the one caught in the end. The game consists of a sixty-card deck, with five copies each of the numbers 1-12. At the start of a round, each player is dealt a hand of ten cards (or in later rounds, each player receives an equal number of cards with any remaining cards being set aside). Each player chooses two cards to pass face down to their right-hand neighbor, then the round begins. In the first round, choose a starting player at random; in later rounds, the loser of the previous round begins. The starting player chooses one card from their hand and plays it into the center of the table. Each player in turn must play a card of the same strength or higher; if a player can't play higher or doesn't want to, then they must discard their single lowest card. This is called a "tail-tucking move". After each player has played a card, whoever has played the highest card (with later-played cards breaking a tie), leads a card to the next round. If at least one player has performed a tail-tucking move, then you can play a set of cards of the same strength (from two- to five-of-a-kind) instead of a single card. If you do, in turn, each player must play a set of the same strength of higher; if they can't or won't, then they must discard a number of their lowest cards equal to the number of cards in the set. A player cannot play a set that would leave them with no cards in hand, which means that the final trick of the round must be with a single card. Whoever plays the highest single card loses the round, and they collect their card and the two lowest-valued cards, then place those cards in the doghouse in front of them. You scoop any cards not in doghouses, then shuffle and deal the next round. When a player collects seven different types of cards in front of themselves, the game ends and they lose. (Alternatively, the game ends if so many cards have been placed in doghouses that you can't deal at least five cards to each player.) When the game ends, whoever has collected the fewest cards wins.
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
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- Korea Boardgames
Questions and answers
The Bark Side supports 3–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for The Bark Side is 30 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists The Bark Side for ages 7 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
The Bark Side has a complexity rating of 1.5 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
The Bark Side belongs to these categories: Card Game, Humor, and Animals. Its main mechanics are Trick-taking. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of The Bark Side are: 円卓P (entaku_P). These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists The Bark Side as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.