Among Cultists: A Social Deduction Thriller

Game Info

Year

2023

Collection

Ratings

Creator Score

Expansions & Family

Mechanic profile

Not enough video data yet

Vibe profile

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Description

Become a member of M, a secret society! 4-8 investigators try to prevent the arrival of a big evil in University... but watch out: evil cultists are already among us!

AMONG CULTISTS, a unique social deduction experience, inspired by the masterpiece AMONG US from Innersloth!

Combining board game elements with traditional social deduction, players are either Investigators or Cultists and move around the board, triggering events, actions and encounters. Investigators have 10 rounds to reach the necessary victory points or vote out all the Cultists. The Cultists have 10 rounds to sabotage or kill the Investigators.

Among Cultists Board Game Review

BoardGameBollocks Jan 20, 2026

Rules Teach

Among Cultists - How to Game with Becca Scott

Good Time Society Jan 20, 2026

Playthrough

Let's Play AMONG CULTISTS | Board Game Club

No Rolls Barred Jan 20, 2026

Ask a Rules Question

All mentions

Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.

Total mentions: 7

This page: 7

Sentiment: pos 4 · mix 3 · neu 0 · neg 0

Showing 1–7 of 7

Video OC83F1lumFQ Top List at 0:31 sentiment: positive

video_pk 134357 · mention_pk 382189

Click to watch at 0:31 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Had a blast playing
Managed to stay on the list despite the host getting rid of other social deduction games
Good experience

Cons

Potentially broken, seems favored towards the bad person

Thematic elements

hidden traitor/social deduction
a house or complex of rooms

Comparison games

Blood on the Clock Tower
Feed the Kraken
Among Us

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Area Movement — Players move around a board representing rooms in a house.
hidden traitor — There is a hidden bad guy among the good people.
Social Deduction — A hidden traitor game where good people try to expose the hidden bad guy.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

I'm laughing because I'm so thankful I got this game and it's like the most depressing game ever.
The way that they converted this game from video game to board game is genius.
It's more than just a game. It's teaching you. It's it's making you feel. It's giving you a catharsis as you play.
That one spin of scoring your cards in reverse just melts my brain every time.
I feel like my brain is like twisting like a sponge in two different directions while I'm playing the game.
My channel took a hit after I took a break when I started my new job. So uh please give it a like. Please subscribe to my channel. I'd love to hit 500 by the end of the year.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video CL2zamxLAQI Going Analog Discussion at 7:25 sentiment: mixed

video_pk 111572 · mention_pk 321142

Click to watch at 7:25 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

mixed

Pros

Fun social deduction moments occurred, especially at the end.
Good theme and art style.
Had fun playing with people.

Cons

Lacked sufficient social deduction tension.
The board game mechanics could have used more tension.
Did not feel the need to play it again.

Thematic elements

Investigators trying to find books and score points while cultists sabotage their efforts and kill them.
Miscatonic University (implied from Lovecraft lore)
Social deduction thriller

Comparison games

Among Us
Werewolf
Blood on the Clock Tower

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Action economy — Players manage their actions to move around the board and interact with rooms.
Deck Building — Cards are placed into decks for each room, and these decks are then searched.
Set Collection — Investigators collect books to score points.
Social Deduction — Players are secretly either investigators or cultists, with cultists trying to sabotage and eliminate investigators.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

"It's true. It's true. Although, we did feel special because at this con, we got we got this table reserved for us."
"So, uh hopefully you can hear me again. We're recording right from LFG Con. So, there's going to be some background noise."
"I walked away from that demo really not liking this game. I'm like I don't get it. I don't know what's the appeal."
"Um, and so I wanted that to be ramped up a little, but I also wanted the actual like board game part of it where you're moving around the board and collecting books to also have a little more tension."
"But I don't need to play it again. Is that okay to stay on this podcast?"
"So, the cultists are going around trying to put sabotage or fail cards into those decks to make it less likely for you to actually find the books to get the points."
"And so, you know, there's a lot of games that start with blood uh that are around. And so, I'm going to ask you which of the following is not a real board game that starts with blood."
"So, I have a pile of Kickstarter boxes from the Bloodborne board game."
"Yeah. So, we are at a convention right now and like I said at the start, we were very recently at Gin Con and it just got me thinking this convention is very different in vibe than Gin Con and there's a lot of different kinds of conventions."
"I think there are um playing cons. And I feel like this what we're at right now, LFGCON, is like a playing con."
"Um then you have like the like buying cons, more like consumer cons, and I feel like that's like a Gen Con or an Essen."
"It is like a buying market and then um yeah very different companies had the biggest booths for you know compared to what we see at Gen Con."
"So, it's funny you said you like a spiel because you get to play full games. I actually like Gen Con because uh I don't like when they're just like I'm just going to give you an overview..."
"Yeah. But we we sort of last minute decided to go. So we had no idea we're doing. We were waiting in the wrong line for like an hour and a half."
"BGcon is now my favorite way and I always have the right opinion just takes you some time to figure it out."
"Oh, that was the worst experience."
"So, that's a hot tip for Gen Con. Don't go out 3 3:00 a.m. at Gen Con unless you want to get into a street fight."
"But you are right about PEX unplugs food scene. It's like cuz Gen Con you have to like walk out of the convention to get some food."
"Um, so I was just at a convention in Iceland. It is a uh a retreat style. It was in a hotel, you. We basically had the whole hotel to ourselves."
"And then I got to see Denmark which was an incredible country."
"Um, so you can go there, you know, like there's so many things you can do and see in other places. And if you're looking for an excuse and you're a gamer, check out what conventions are happening in those areas and go and experience them and they'll be thrilled to have someone who's traveled so far to see their country and play games."
"Yeah. So, uh so that's fun. But uh before we wrap up like what's your one bucket list convention in the world if one that you haven't been to that you would like to go to?"
"Okay. What's up with your AB Con?"
"Um, yeah, I'm doing a lot of stuff that I think is fun there. I'm experimenting with different kinds of content and just trying to keep it like fun and entertaining."

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video ezC7bYQgOsE Let's Table It Crowdfunding Report at 2:44 sentiment: mixed

video_pk 87972 · mention_pk 230727

Click to watch at 2:44 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

mixed

Pros

well-known title with recent buzz
expansion value

Cons

social deduction can be hard for our group
all-in price for expansion/base may be high

Thematic elements

deception, hidden roles, social deduction
social deduction with cultist intrigue

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

expansion included — reprint with an expansion
Social Deduction — players deduce who is a cultist and who is not

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

it's a maybe
print and plays are always problematic
the great thing about the deluxe is it has the custom game trays and stuff like that
we might backing this week
it's not the cheapest but it could be a lot worse
the art is really gorgeous on this

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video B6Aw0evNUpk Board Gaming Ramblings Discussion at 13:01 sentiment: positive

video_pk 38499 · mention_pk 115925

Click to watch at 13:01 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

social deduction / thriller

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

this video is about the games that we have gotten since Spiel
it's about dogs in a home
Simo is a great game one that I highly recommend
this is a story storytelling puzzle game about Mary Shelly the creator of Frankenstein
it's a pure negotiation game
I love the Euros I love all of that but I really enjoy sitting that playing a fun story-driven game

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video zYeZRf7Ik4Y No Rolls Barred Playthrough at 0:46 sentiment: positive

video_pk 12924 · mention_pk 105821

Click to watch at 0:46 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Strong thematic cohesion with a playful, social-deduction vibe
Fast-paced, high-interaction rounds with meaningful choices
Clear win conditions and actionable information flow through encounters and room actions

Cons

Rules can be dense for newcomers and require careful setup
Some mechanisms (e.g., room tracking and sabotage) can feel fiddly or heavy-handed in practice
Potential for meta-gaming given abundant social interaction

Thematic elements

Investigation vs. cultist infiltration; social deduction with hidden roles
University campus environment; fictional university setting surrounding a murder-mystery scenario
Humorous, banter-rich, lighthearted yet tense

Comparison games

Among Us

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

book_track_and_scoring — Books gathered in explored rooms advance a track; completing the track yields points toward victory.
Encounters — If players end up alone with another player, they draw and resolve encounter mechanics that affect status and actions.
hidden_role — Players are secretly assigned roles (cultists, investigators, and Seer) with differing objectives.
information_reveal_and_camera — Certain actions reveal alive/dead statuses or identities (via cameras or seer information), influencing player trust and decisions.
movement_and_room_map — Players move around a university map consisting of rooms; movement dictates encounters and room actions.
room_actions_and_exploration — Rooms collect cards; when a room accumulates enough cards (three), it becomes explored and yields potential book rewards on checks.
sabotage_and_vote — Cultists may sabotage rooms; investigators vote to eliminate suspected cultists after a body is discovered.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

this week we're playing among cultists
the Seer will start the game knowing who the cultist is
now the game begins
we win the game
it's very difficult to know who the cultist is until the end

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video tGc6tkEUSug Good Time Society Rules Teach sentiment: positive

video_pk 3148 · mention_pk 91082

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Engaging social deduction gameplay
Multiple victory conditions
Complex role interactions

Cons

Complex ruleset
Requires careful strategy

Thematic elements

Social deduction, hidden roles
University
Investigator vs Cultist conflict

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Action Point System — Players have movement and action points to use each round
Action Points — Players have movement and action points to use each round
Hidden Roles — Players have secret identities as investigators or cultists
Social Deduction — Players must identify and eliminate cultists while cultists try to remain hidden

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Two teams of players investigators and secret cultists compete to control the fabled university
Cultists cannot reveal how many investigators have been murdered

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video ots1Yto084Y BoardGameBollocks Review at 0:55 sentiment: mixed

video_pk 106 · mention_pk 127119

Click to watch at 0:55 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

mixed

Pros

Tangible board and components give a concrete feel to a social deduction game
No player elimination, which keeps all players engaged longer
Ghost mechanics offer unique strategic options and tension
Special roles (e.g., Seer, radiant-like variants) add variety and replay potential
Board presence and room actions enhance immersion beyond pure deduction

Cons

Visually unappealing with muted art and large unused black areas on the board
Risk of premature game end via a lucky or rash vote, leading to a disappointing finish
Setup is lengthy due to envelope-card preparation and deck-building for each player
Overall activity can feel limited to drawing and placing cards rather than meaningful interactivity

Thematic elements

Social deduction, cultist infiltration, mystery
Lovecraftian style University
Hidden roles with infection/possession-like tension; players may be alive, dead, or ghost and interact differently

Comparison games

The Resistance
Werewolf
Blood on the Clocktower

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Close a portal — A portal can be opened which must be closed within a window of three rounds; failure increases victory pressure for one side
Encounter cards — Entering a room triggers encounters via draw from encounter-related decks, delivering consequences to the player and others
Envelope role setup — Each player receives a personalised envelope containing role cards (investigator, cultist, or Seer) and a pulse/death card; one player may be dead and unaware
Ghost mechanics — Dead players become ghosts; ghosts can teleport and continue to influence play without normal room interaction
Movement Points — Each player receives three movement points per turn to traverse the university map; ghosts can teleport
Phase structure — Four phases per turn: movement, event, action, and cleanup
Room actions and decks — Rooms offer actions; players place success, failure, or sabotage cards into room decks to trigger outcomes on future checks
Voting to kill — When a murder happens or during cafeteria votes, players vote to determine who dies; a simple majority ends in elimination

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

the tension is high and the accusations come in thick and vast
Among Cultists is a valiant attempt at stretching out the overly Saturated social deduction board game Market
the game is visually unappealing
there's no player elimination in this game
this is a social deduction game with actual boards is a good thing

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

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Among Cultists Board Game Review

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Let's Play AMONG CULTISTS | Board Game Club

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