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Troggu is a member of the
tarot Tarot (, first known as ''trionfi (cards), trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a set of playing cards used in tarot games and in fortune-telling or divination. From at least the mid-15th century, the tarot was used to play t ...
family of card games. Synonyms for the game's name are: Trogga, Tappu and Tappä. It is played in the area of
Visp Visp (; ; ) is the capital of the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. Geography Visp lies in the Rhône valley, at the confluence of the Vispa and the Rhône, west of Brig-Glis. Visp has an area, , of . Of this a ...
,
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
, in Upper Wallis, especially in St. Niklaus and
Grächen Grächen is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Visp (district), Visp in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Valais in Switzerland. The village is situated at an altitude of on a terrace above St. Niklaus in the Ma ...
. After Troccas, it is the second most played tarot card game in Switzerland.


History

According to card game researcher, John McLeod, Troggu was probably invented in the 18th century. The reasons for this assumption concerns the rules for the Fool. In earlier Tarot card games and in modern
French Tarot The game of French Tarot is a trick-taking strategy tarot card game played by three to five players using a traditional 78-card tarot deck. The game is played in France and also in French-speaking Canada. It should not be confused with French ...
, the Fool is played as an "Excuse", a card which exempts the player from following suit. In modern Tarock games in such regions as
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
and
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
, the Fool is played as Tarock XXII, the highest ranking trump. The rules of Troggu contain a mixture of both variations and may be a transitional game from the traditional rules of the Fool to the more modern one. Troggu or a related game may have spread to Belgium in the 18th century as that would explain tarot decks sold as " Cartes de Suisses" where the Fool was numbered XXII. In 1849, for example, a pack of "Swiss Tarots, Cartes de Suisses" is advertised for sale in a catalogue. The description notes that it was made in Brussels by F. J. Vandenborre, cardmaker, and comprises 78 cards, "the Coat Cards are exceedingly curious, representing Bacchus, Love, Death, the Devil, Lightning, Sun, Moon, Stars, Day of Judgement, Fool, &c."Smith (1849), p.57. The closest known relative of Troggu is the game of ''Tape'' which was played in
Fribourg or is the capital of the Cantons of Switzerland, Swiss canton of Canton of Fribourg, Fribourg and district of Sarine (district), La Sarine. Located on both sides of the river Saane/Sarine, on the Swiss Plateau, it is a major economic, adminis ...
until the late 20th century.


Rules

The game traditionally uses the Italian suited Swiss Tarot deck but removes the 1 through 4 of the swords and batons and the 7 through 10 of the cups and coins for a total of 62 cards. Troggu players prefer the German translated version as opposed to Troccas players who use the French version. The French suited Tarot Nouveau can be a substitute if the red 7 through 10 and black 1 through 4 are removed. Like in most tarot games, the red or round suit pip cards are in reverse order. In Troggu, there are 114 points and the cards are counted individually. The value of the cards are as follows: The game can be played by three to eight players with five to seven being ideal. Like most tarot games, the
deal In cryptography, DEAL (Data Encryption Algorithm with Larger blocks) is a symmetric block cipher derived from the Data Encryption Standard (DES). Its design was presented by Lars Knudsen at the SAC conference in 1997, and submitted as a proposa ...
and
play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...
are anticlockwise. The number of cards dealt and the size of the ''tapp'' (stock) depends on the number of players involved. The player to the dealer's right makes the first bid. Players can either pass, bid for the normal game, or bid a Solo which is the highest bid. In a normal game, the
declarer Card players are those participating in a card game. Various names are given to card players based on their role or position. Position Games of Anglo-American origin In games of Anglo-American origin played in English-speaking countries, ...
is called the Tappist who can
exchange Exchange or exchanged may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * Exchange (film), or ''Deep Trap'', 2015 South Korean psychological thriller * Exchanged (film), 2019 Peruvian fantasy comedy * Exchange (TV program), 2021 Sou ...
cards with the ''tapp'' but must not discard cards with an individual value of 5 points. In games with seven or eight players, the Tappist can call a
trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
that is not worth 5 points. The player who holds this card will be the Tappist's secret partner. In a Solo game, the declarer is known as the Soloist who plays alone against the others without exchanging cards with the ''tapp''. If all players pass, each plays for him- or herself in a misère game. The declarer (or player to the dealer's right in a misère game) leads to the first trick; the others must follow suit if they can. A player who is void in the suit, must play a trump. Only when void in the suit led and in trumps can any card be sloughed. The winner of the trick leads the next one. The Fool is the highest trump but if it is the last trump in the player's possession, the player can elect to play another card instead of following suit. Once this occurs, the Fool is no longer a trump but an
excuse In American jurisprudence, an excuse is a defense to criminal charges that is a distinct from an exculpation. Justification and excuse are different defenses in a criminal case (See Justification and excuse).Criminal Law Cases and Materials, ...
that must be reserved for the last trick.


References


Bibliography

* Smith, John Russell (1849)
''Miscellanea Curiosa et Bibliotheca Antiqua: A Catalogue of a Singular and Curious Collection of Topographical Prints and Drawings..."
London: C. & J. Adlard. {{Tarot, tarock and tarocchi games 18th-century card games Tarot card games Round games