The Pagat website does a great job describing all of the traditional card games of the world. Something like this seems useful for commercial card games as well, even if their instructions cannot be recounted. Players may like to know about all the different types of card games there are to try. Big fans of a particular game may like to explore others in the same category. The catalog may even inspire inventors to new creations.

One big problem is deciding just what to include. Many games use cards – Monopoly for instance – but few would call it a card game. Other games employ for cards smaller, thicker objects we tend to call tiles – Euphrat und Tigris for example – but few would call it a card game either. The bright line in this case seems to be that the game use no components other than cards unless they exist purely for scorekeeping. This unfortunately lets out some worthies such as Drahtseilakt and Titan: the Arena, but perhaps they will sneak in later. Games like Alles im Eimer (The Bucket Game) have been left in as its bucket tiles are really a scoring method and besides, could easily have been cards.

[Some parts still under construction]

Trick Taking:
Atlantic Storm - hand replenishment, team tricks
Auf Falscher Fahrte - hidden goal, changing trump
Black Spy - passing, special cards, special scoring
Blindes Huhn - programmed play
Chiamo! - no trump, widow
David & Goliath - card collection
Dia de los Muertos - partner, card passing, queries
Double - bid game, dual identity cards
Flaschenteufel - changing trump, card passing
Foppen - trick abstention, wild cards
Hattrick - shared tricks, special scoring
Mit List und Tücke - card collection, play limits
Mü & Mehr: Last Panther - passing, special scoring
Mü & Mehr: Mü - bid game, chosen partners
Mü & Mehr: Wimmüln - bid game
Mückenstich - card collection, changing trumps/goals
Njet! - negotiated rules and goal
Pisa - negotiated goal
Rage - bid game
Renfield - bid goal, ante-ing
Schnäppchen Jagd - optional trump, card collection
Sieben Siegel, Die - prediction, special scoring
Sticheln - card collection
Tin Soldiers - cancel cards, power loop, mystery cards, partners
Too Many Cooks - bid game, additive tricks, card collection
Twilight - partners, play for others, play restrictions
Tzuris - negotiated goal, drafting, partners
Volltreffer - drafting, melding
Was Sticht - drafting, memory, bid game
Where's Bob's Hat? - bid game, card collection
Willi - unique following, point counting, announced wins
Wizard - bid game, special cards

[top] Climbing:
Alles im Eimer - declining points
Attacke - special cards, bid or drop, individual prizes
Auf und Ab - changing card values, changing rules
Corporate Shuffle - changing seats
Elements - negotiated goals, individual prizes
Frank's Zoo - point cards, changing partners, power loop
Great Dalmuti, The - changing seats
Grosse und das kleine A, Das - once around, low cards valued, taking cards back
Ivanhoe - special cards, bid or drop, individual prizes
Löwendynastie - special scoring
Ohio - identical hands
Olé - ranked suits, changing hierarchy
Sherlock Holmes Card Game, The - story, take that
T-Rex - ranked suits, changing trumps, prize collection, uncertain ending
Tichu - partners, combinations, special cards
Uno - special cards

[top] Rummy:
Al Capone - partners, special cards, special scoring
Canasta Caliente
Earthquake
History's Mysteries Card Game
Höhlengrölen
Jack the Ripper - special cards, special scoring
Mah Jongg - fixed hand size, special combinations
Mhing - fixed hand size, special combinations
Mömmen
Murders in the Rue Morgue - partners, special cards, special scoring
Vampire

[top] Bidding:
Bleeding Sherwood
Don
Edel, Stein und Reich - secret bids, negotiation
For Sale
Hopfen und Malz
Hollywood For Sale
Katzenjammer Blues
Musketiere
Olympia 2000 - secret bids, low and high compensation
Pirat
Shit! - secret bids, bid-based rewards
Vom Kap bis Kairo - secret bids

[top] Trading:
Bohnanza - hand management, investment
Kathai - selling, market manipulation
Money
Nodwick
Pit - speed
Res Publica
Wheedle - neutral trades, speed
Zaubercocktail - speed

[top] Group Building:
Alibi [Adlung]
Aquarius
Astromagie
Café International
Change
Girl Genius: The Works
Goldrausch
Dreizehnte Holzwurm, Der - climbing, taking cards back
Hornochsen
Mamma Mia - memory
Mü & Mehr: Safarü
Pompeji - placement
Red Empire
6 Nimmt! - secret bids
Who Stole Ed's Pants?

[top] Bluffing:
Daumen Drauf
Kuhhandel
Münchhausen
Nimms Leich

[top] Deduction:
Bang! - attacks, variable powers, elimination
Gerüchte Küche
Mini Inkognito - information passing
Sleuth

[top] Induction:
Eleusis

[top] Drafting:
Coloretto
Freight Train
King's Breakfast - memory
Venture

[top] Speed:
Dutch Blitz
Falling
It's Mine!
Lift Off

[top] Roles:
Meuterer
Verräter

[top] Word/Party:
Alpha Blitz
Apples to Apples
Concerto Grosso
Elixir
Image
Probe

[top] Two-Player Only:
Al Cabohne
Bambuti
Brawl
Caesar & Cleopatra
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - special cards, Rummy
Canal Grande - divider and chooser
Ebbe und Flut
Haps
Hera and Zeus
Lost Cities - risk management
Pyramiden des Jaguar, Die
Schotten-Totten
Settlers of Catan Card Game, The
? Siege

[top] Children:
Alles für die Katz
Dschungel
Gnumies

[top] Uniques:
Dubito - risk management
Flinke Pinke
Fluxx
Get the Goods
Klunker - selling, hand management
Nicht die Bohne!
Picknick Panik
Racko
Safe Return Doubtful
Sequence
Skip-bo
Slapshot
Sorcerer's Cave, The
Space Beans
Stimmvieh
Stock Car Championship Racing Card Game
Strand-Cup
Suzerain
Take Off!
Taktvoll
Titus
... und Tschüss!
Wortelboer
Zero
Zirkus Flohcati
Zum Kuckuck!

[top] "Take That!"