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Description
THE GAME CONCEPT
You are an abbot of a medieval monastery competing with other abbots to amass the greatest library of sacred books. To do so, you need to have both the workers and resources to run a well-functioning scriptorium. To acquire workers and resources, you use a limited supply of donated gold. In addition, you must be on good terms with the powerful bishop, who can help you in your quest.
OUTLINE OF GAME PLAY
The object of the game is to score the most Victory Points. You win Victory Points by winning any of the 5 categories: Illuminators, Scribes, Manuscripts, Scrolls, and Supplies. You win a category by having the highest total number of workers (Scribes, Illuminators) or resources (Manuscripts, Scrolls, Supplies) in that category. This is determined by the numbers in the upper left corner on the cards. At the start of the game, each category is worth 3 Victory Points. As the game progresses, the values on the Value Board will change and some categories will become worth more or fewer Victory Points than others. The game is divided into 2 stages: a Donation stage and an Auction stage. During the Donation stage, players acquire free cards according to an established plan. In the Auction stage, players purchase cards in auction rounds. After the two stages, winners of each category are determined and Victory Points awarded. The player with the most Victory Points wins.
GAME CHARACTERISTICS
The game involves a good deal of strategic planning, some bluffing, and a little bit of luck. The rules are easy to understand, but you have to play it a few times to develop a playing strategy. It plays differently from 2-4 players, but each game is equally fun and challenging.
Year Published
2007
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 8
This page: 8
Sentiment:
pos 5 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–8 of 8
Video ERWtwYNYKC8
top_10_list at 11:06 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 62918 · mention_pk 155931
Click to watch at 11:06 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- strong card-draft and open-area decision mechanic that works well
- still fun; never had a game of Biblios that wasn't fun
Cons
- sometimes the drawn cards lead to uninteresting decisions
- when the draw leads to non-compelling choices the second round can feel less engaging
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- we're going to be doing our updated top 50 games of all time pretty soon
- be critical about the things you love because nothing is perfect
- healthy debates and discussions
- we can all be looking at things we love more critically
- this is a really important exercise
- don't tell me anything you like about it or why it's your number one; tell me what you don't like about it
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video yr9MMc4Ln_o
top_10_list at 29:45
video_pk 62914 · mention_pk 155872
Click to watch at 29:45 · YouTube ↗
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
No quotes stored for this video.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video BDXYFf8kRqM
All You Can Board general_discussion at 12:10 sentiment: positive
video_pk 62460 · mention_pk 155011
Click to watch at 12:10 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Two-phase structure that provides a crisp, elegant rhythm.
- Teaches scarcity and the importance of timing and resource allocation.
- Rich thematic flavor with monastery aesthetics.
Cons
- Auction can feel punishing if you're late to the bidding or locked out of key cards.
- Pricing can be unforgiving if you misread the table dynamics.
Thematic elements
- scholarly competition, scarcity, and timing; the drafting stage creates tension and anticipation, while the auction stage converts resources into victory points.
- A quiet, bookish market of ideas in a medieval monastery; players draft and bid for scarce resources, balancing scholarly ambition with political maneuvering.
- observational, almost poetic; the game is described as a dance between drafting and bidding, a microcosm of supply and demand.
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Auction / Bidding — In the auction phase, players bid with their accumulated resources to acquire restricted cards that drive end-game scoring and card synergy.
- drafting — During the drafting phase, players secretly choose cards to keep and pass the rest to opponents, shaping future options and potential scoring combos.
- set collection — Cards contribute to point values via color-coded sets and strategic resource management; timing matters to maximize value.
- set collection / resource management — Cards contribute to point values via color-coded sets and strategic resource management; timing matters to maximize value.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- In many ways, board games have never been as popular as they are today.
- We're not just building a board together. We're having a conversation.
- Patience isn't complacency, patience is living.
- Two phases.
- You choose what matters. Because you build the board. You splay the cards. You choose what you let go of. You choose what you keep.
- Sometimes you just need to wait for the right thing to say.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video nJHQ93IKZ2Y
All You Can Board general_discussion at 24:29 sentiment: positive
video_pk 62465 · mention_pk 155042
Click to watch at 24:29 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Compact, flavorful drafting
- Good entry into more strategic card games
Cons
- Less depth compared to heavier titles
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- set collection / drafting — Drafting and collecting cards to optimize scoring and resource balance.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Mental health is something that is really important to us and ever since then it's kind of been a big proponent of our channel and of our community.
- This allows us more opportunities to do topics like that on the podcast.
- bi-weekly podcast every other Friday.
- Carcasson being my true love in my wife's wedding vows.
- Seven Wonders Duel showed how you don't need to play a three-hour game to be completely enraptured by a board game.
- Gloomhaven opened doors to ongoing legacy and campaign experiences for us.
- There is now an entire audience that might not have found us because they don't consume YouTube or watch video content; podcast opens that door.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video ZHHvJamXnZw
All You Can Board top_15_list at 30:38
video_pk 62476 · mention_pk 155070
Click to watch at 30:38 · YouTube ↗
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
none
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Small box games can sometimes get a bad rap because there's so many board games that release every year.
- Flip Tunes is a really small box clearly.
- it's such an easy game to teach
- Scout is one of the best card games I've played in the last little bit.
- Cascadia Rolling Rivers is a really satisfying game to manage the habitat cards.
- Take Time is a cooperative game that boils down to two sets of cards, 1 to 12.
- The Crew Mission Deep Sea is a cooperative trick-taking game for three to five players.
- Stellar is a really great smallbox game that left my collection.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video LTGGMJpBU9E
Unknown Channel general_discussion at 20:04 sentiment: positive
video_pk 10562 · mention_pk 31091
Click to watch at 20:04 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Compact, a good travel pick
- Tight decision space with meaningful moments
- Presents substantial decisions in a small package
Cons
- Abstract theme may deter thematic players
- Auction phase can feel brutal to some players
Thematic elements
- book collecting and prioritization
- Medieval monastery/abbey vibe
Comparison games
- The King and I
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- auctioning / set collection — Two halves: drafting and auction phases to collect types (books) and optimize scoring across categories.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- flattening inserts and packing things within games
- rollerblades takes up one side of the inner suitcase
- you have some tips for Gen Con then some tips
- this is Sea Salt and Paper a tiny little cartoon
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video clf0DGfjWW4
Chairman of the Board general_discussion at 7:39 sentiment: positive
video_pk 3172 · mention_pk 9334
Click to watch at 7:39 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- one of the best filler games
- unique scoring system that hides opponents' goals
Cons
- randomness and lightness may not appeal to heavier gamers
Thematic elements
- card drafting and currency bidding
- flea market/card bidding theme
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- bid-based drafting — simulate bidding for cards to build set collections and accrue currency
- set collection — score based on card sets and dice-pip values
- set collection / dice-based scoring — score based on card sets and dice-pip values
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this is definitely one of those games with a bit of laborious start but great payoff after you get your head around it
- it's a wonderful family-friendly filler, a puzzly style game
- one of my favorite games that i played last year
- it's essential if you like your two-player games
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 5VRzzmZqz-c
Before You Play top_50_list at 2:54 sentiment: positive
video_pk 2336 · mention_pk 6846
Click to watch at 2:54 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- tight, elegant card game
- fast, accessible
- scales well with player count
Cons
- episodic scoring can feel opaque to newcomers
Thematic elements
- book gathering, scoring by suits
- monastic book collection and bidding
- light, elegant
Comparison games
- 7 Wonders
- Sushi Go Party!
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card drafting — draft cards and bid to acquire valuable books
- card drafting and bidding — draft cards and bid to acquire valuable books
- Set collection and scoring — score by collecting matching suits with value tracking
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a really intense game
- this is the meanest tree game out there
- it's the best trick-taking game of all time
- the economy in this game is probably one of the most interesting parts
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–8 of 8