Clanimals: A Wild Trick-Taking Card Game

What is Clanimals?

Clanimals is a fun, fast, unpredictable card game that takes the classic trick-taking formula (like Spades or Hearts) and cranks it up to eleven...with animals!

Instead of suits, you play with animal clans—Mammals, Birds, Reps & Amps, and Ocean Creatures. Each clan has dominant King of Beasts and Apex Beast cards that play by their own rules. Then you can add in expansion decks—chaotic Insect cards and Beastmaster dealer cards. So no two games are ever the same!

As part of our Kickstarter, we're also offering four exclusive Extinct and four Cryptid cards that you can mix into your deck. 

It’s part strategy, part luck, and all wild fun.

Why We Made Clanimals

We're just two guys who grew up playing cards with our buddies—on the school bus, in the cafeteria at lunch and in our basements. We love card games. 

We love animals. One of our favorite things to do is go to the zoo. 

We have kids. Kids love animals. They love games. And we love playing games with our kids. 

So we made Clanimals. We wanted to create a game that brought together the fun and strategy of card games, but also created moments of chaos where the table goes wild.  

It's pretty easy to learn. In creating Clanimals, we started with a base of other card games like Spades and Hearts. If you know those games, you'll pick up Clanimals no problem. But even if you don't, we designed Clanimals so you can start with a simple game, then add more complexity and fun as you catch on. A few hands and you'll get the hang of it. 

What if the entire animal kingdom battled it out in a trick-taking showdown?

This question was the beginning. We imagined teams of animals—clans—all competing against each other. 

The answer: A game where a honeybee can flip the rules, a grizzly bear can out-muscle a shark, and your perfect bid can collapse because someone unleashed a cockroach.

How It Works 

Play as a team or as a lone wolf. Clanimals is a game for 3 to 6 players. When playing with 4 or 6 people, you’re on a team with the person across from you. When playing with 3 or 5 people, you're on your own. 

Deal the Cards. 13 cards to each player.

Set trump. Flip the next card to determine trump. 

Card rankings: 

• King of Beasts of trump suit  
• Other Kings of Beasts  
• Trump cards 19-1  
• Cards of suit led 19-1  
• All other cards

Place your bids. Look at your cards and bid how many tricks you think you can win. In a team game, you add your bids together for a team bid.

Play the tricks. The person to the left of dealer starts by leading a card. Each player must follow suit of the card led if you can, unless you have a King of Beasts or an Apex Beast card. King of Beasts cards do not have to follow suit and are the highest-ranking cards. Apex Beast cards also do not have to follow suit, and they carry special bonus points. 

Highest card wins. With each trick, the highest card wins. The winner of the trick leads the next trick. 

Score the points. After all 13 tricks have been played, count the tricks you won to determine points. If you miss under your bid, you lose 10x your bid. If you go over your bid, you earn 10x your bid. If you hit your bid exactly, you can earn big points: 10x your bid plus 10 points for each Apex Beast card you took in your tricks.

Win the game. The first team to 500 points wins. If playing as individuals, we recommend 300 points to win. 

Unleash the wild. Once you get the hang of it, add Insects and Beastmaster cards for unpredictable chaos. 

• Insect cards alter the nature of the play. You might play an insect that changes the trump, or one that adds 2 points to a card value, or one that kills the trick altogether.
• Beastmaster cards give each player a special ability when they deal, like being able to take cards from other players. 

 Download the Instruction Manual

What’s in the Box

Base Game (80 cards)

• 20 Mammals 🐻
• 20 Birds 🦅
• 20 Reptiles & Amphibians 🐍
• 20 Ocean Creatures 🐙
• Kings of Beasts & Apex Beasts in each clan

Expansion Pack (26 cards)

• 20 Insects (each with a unique, chaotic power)
• 6 Beastmaster cards (special game-shifting abilities for the dealer of each hand)
  
   

Why Back Now

This is the first edition of Clanimals, and Kickstarter backers get:

• Opportunity to get exclusive cards only available here! 
• Early access before retail release
• Influence on future expansion packs and the next games to market from 513Games
  
   

Who Will Love Clanimals?

Trick‑taking fans craving something fresh and wild.

Families looking for a game that’s easy to learn but endlessly re-playable. 

Note: We recommend a minimum age of 8 for Clanimals. A "junior" version to introduce younger kids to the basics of trick-taking games is our next project—coming soon.

Animal lovers who want to see a bald eagle outsmart a tiger shark while a cockroach ruins everything

The animal kingdom is waiting. Will you claim the crown and become the next King of Beasts?

Back Clanimals today and let the wild begin!  🐅

I Love to Play Spades, Will I Like Clanimals?

We think If you like Spades, you’ll love Clanimals…

• You already understand the core flow—deal, bid, play, score.
• You’ll recognize the strategy of managing tricks and protecting bids.
• You get new tools to influence the hand instead of passively reacting.
• Trump changes force adaptation instead of memorization.
• The game rewards precision and timing, not just high cards.
• It keeps the social, competitive feel—but adds surprise.

Spades Player FAQ

Do I need to learn a totally new game?
No. If you know Spades, you already understand trick-taking, trump, bidding, and partners. Clanimals builds on that foundation rather than replacing it.

Is Clanimals more random than Spades?
No—just more dynamic. The core strategy still comes from reading hands and managing bids. The difference is that Clanimals introduces intentional disruption through special cards, which adds decision points rather than pure luck. You also don't deal out the full deck for each hand, creating structured variability.

Is it harder to play well than Spades?
The base game is comparable in difficulty. Optional Insect and Beastmaster cards add depth once you’re comfortable, but you don’t need them to enjoy or win.

Does teamwork matter as much?
Yes. In team games, coordinating bids and controlling tricks with your partner is just as important—if not more—because timing special cards can protect or sabotage bids.

Will experienced Spades players get bored?
Unlikely. Changing trump each hand, exact-bid bonuses, and power cards create fresh strategic problems that don’t exist in traditional Spades.

Comparison Chart: Spades vs Clanimals