
- BGG rank
- BGG #56
- BGG rating
- 8.1
Pax Pamir: Second Edition
- 1–5 players
- 45–120 min
- Complexity 3.8/5
- 2019

2021
Rules assistance for The Icarus Club
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 3 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Icarus Club is a board game released in 2021 for 3–5 players, 10–25 minutes per game, and ages 13 and up. It was designed by Hugame (符亀) / Crocotile and its main mechanics are Trick-taking and Bribery.
バックハンダー (Backhander) is a trick-taking game from Japan. It follows on from the designer's previous game インヴァージョン (!nversion), and takes a theme of an illegal casino run by gangsters. The player who wins the most money loses the game, because they get picked up by the police. So the real winner is the player with the second highest score. Before play starts, a line of cards is laid out (similar to !nversion), and this dictates the lead suit for each trick. However, players can alter the line by paying bribes. In this way, players can win tricks unexpectedly.
The Icarus Club supports 3–5 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 Icarus Club is 10–25 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 Icarus Club for ages 13 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 Icarus Club has a complexity rating of 1.7 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 Icarus Club belongs to these categories: Card Game and Economic. Its main mechanics are Trick-taking and Bribery. 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 Icarus Club are: Hugame (符亀) / Crocotile. 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 Icarus Club 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.