If you’d ever like to add some awkwardness to a social gathering, ask the table what they feel the difference is between a religion and a cult. The soundbites are guaranteed to be insufferable. And to answer your forthcoming question, I avoid dinner parties at all costs. I’m too much fun.

These days, I’ll confess to some wariness when it comes to trick-takers. It’s a lovely, storied genre, and I can play them with my in-laws, but too many of the things put only the slightest spin on the formula. I’ve reached the point where I can’t even keep these myriad trick-takers straight. Wait, was this the one where you want to take your chosen suit or avoid it? Are there fourteen ranks or only ten? And what’s the deal with these blank cards? It’s a jumble.

But then along comes a title like CVLT. It’s pronounced “cult,” by the way. That’s how we earn Alex Garland’s love. Anyway, CVLT was designed by Ashley Hauenschild and Taylor Fontaine, and it’s one of the most distinctive non-hybrid trick-takers I’ve played in recent memory. At the very least, I won’t be confusing it with any of its peers.

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