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Game Info
Year
2025
Collection
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Description
In INKtentions, players become cunning octopuses vying for the most food in the treacherous depths of the ocean. Using ink clouds, sneaky hiding spots, and well-placed tentacle maneuvers, they must outwit their rivals while dodging hungry sharks and relentless eels. Strategy and deception go hand in hand as players secretly place cards, protecting themselves—or misleading their opponents—while striving to collect the most valuable food.
Each round, players take turns playing one of their 9 cards (one for each brain) facedown near a scoring pile. After 8 cards are played (one for each arm) the cards are revealed and resolved. Ink cards protect everyone in a pile, but at the cost of helping opponents. Hide cards offer personal safety but leave others exposed. Punch cards shift the tides, moving threats or disrupting well-laid plans. With every decision, players must weigh risk and reward—protecting their own octopuses while ensuring their rivals don’t get ahead.
At the end of each round, surviving octopuses claim food, with set collection bonuses encouraging competition for the best meals. After three rounds (one for each heart) the player with the most food wins. INKtentions is a game of calculated risks, clever plays, and just the right amount of betrayal, where only the craftiest cephalopod will reign supreme!
—description from the designer
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 7
This page: 7
Sentiment:
pos 4 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 1 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–7 of 7
Video fhMos63XPuQ
Rolling Dice & Taking Names Analysis at 8:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 93459 · mention_pk 317749
Click to watch at 8:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Board layout is intuitive and reduces need for reference sheets.
- Rewarding combo turns.
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
- Les Bois
- Weather Machine
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action selection — The board is laid out in such a way that the steps of each action tell you exactly what you get to do with that action, so there's no reference sheet needed.
- Combo Building — The designer's thing is being able to create combos where if you do this, I get to do this and do that and do that and make a really rewarding turn.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The board is laid out in such a way that it's one of those I'm not going to try to explain what it is you take an action but what was so cool is on the board the steps of each action of where you put your piece tells you exactly what you get to do with that action so there's no reference sheet that you're looking at it's written directly on the board which is nice
- The publisher's thing is being able to create combos where if you do this I get to do this and do that and do that and make a real rewarding turn
- It's very simple all you got to do is make it so that a dial is in each of the colors so for example if you did red and green one dial must be standing on green one must be standing on red but the thing is the rope that goes between them Well it can't touch anything and each of the team members has to put down a dial
- I got to say right now grits look gross
- it's like cake batter that fell on the floor and got sand in it
- my teeth hurt it doesn't even touch my lips but I can feel it in my lips I'm starting
- I'm starting to get quite uncomfortable
- I feel like I got a lump in my throat right now
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video IQ3xp-5VdEA
kovray Top 10 List at 10:24 sentiment: positive
video_pk 89061 · mention_pk 305728
Click to watch at 10:24 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Big box game with strategic depth
- Interesting theme related to inventions
- High anticipation for complex gameplay
Cons
- Likely to be released in 2024, possibly via Kickstarter
Thematic elements
- Capturing inventions of the world
Comparison games
- Weather Machine
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Engine Building — The description of scaling up and walking through inventions suggests an engine-building aspect.
- Resource Management — Capturing and scaling inventions implies managing resources to achieve goals.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- we love deduction Games Social deduction not so much but deduction games yeah specifically like logic puzzles logic puzzles they are brilliant and the Search for Planet X why can't I get the title is such a clever game it is one of our favorite deduction games so when we heard that there is going to be a spin on that mechanic of deduction and trying to figure out a lost species yeah hello we need this game
- it looks gorgeous
- it's essentially a worker placement at the heart of a lot of what UE Rosenberg games look like it looks gorgeous I'm excited to play it I love always games so this is gonna be great
- the pictures of this game look absolutely poor
- I'm excited for my brain to be a little bit
- brain burner I guess when you play metallic certain games your brain goes yeah like that
- I loved my city yep that was such tremendous experience
- the tile placement was like super smooth super quick
- thundergrip does is all their games are just the quality in them is remarkable
- building your own coven yeah and there's a little bit of Witchcraft but essentially you want to be the Septima which is like the High witch
- it's a brain burn similar to like calico-esque
- I love that throw away those victory points I don't want any of those Point trackers victory points are happiness no they are switch victory points to happiness points
- the board games were moving into a golden age so Golden Age so if the Washington Post says it must be they're not Liars are they
References (from this video)
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Video nO7eX2GHmks
slickerdrips Discussion at 1:32:59 sentiment: other
video_pk 86459 · mention_pk 308885
Click to watch at 1:32:59 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
interested but unplayed
Pros
- The host wants to play it.
Cons
- The host has not played it yet.
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)
- it's a great big box uh like it's a campaign right well like not it goes over several sessions but I don't think like a completely ongoing thing.
- I've heard it described as like a well I've actually heard a mix of people saying that it's like too many bones 2.0 and that it's like a mix of um too many bones and H Marcus I haven't played uh H Marcus but I've heard good things maybe I'll get stri at some point mixed together with the Elder Scrolls lured stuff I'm completely on board for this I cannot wait to play this.
- it is completely like to to try and put you off if uh if you're not familiar and you're into Euro stuff it is completely dice chucking and there there is like there is Choice there is strategy and stuff into it but more than any of that there is Dice chucking there's rooll to move there's rooll to hit there's rooll to wound there's there's so much dice in this.
- and so many things crop up in these um random cards that you're drawing whether it's the gear that you find whether it's those um events that um that come up or the the enemies that you tend to find that like you can you can see it happen even in like the the few episodes that I did of that playthrough like it's partly like just the human thing of wanting to recognize patterns but it comes up with these satisfying uh stories so often based on just a big pile of Randomness it is crazy that it can do that.
- Shout out to bromstone is so good they had a big Kickstarter I think that was a couple of years ago now and it's projected for this year who knows if it will deliver.
- if you get it and like it it is such a big rabbit hole that you can fall into like this game has been going for a long time like is like 2013 or something original Shadow to bromstone 2014 this game has been out for a long time and like 194 expansions.
- Liz Boa is winning so I think we're going to be playing Liz boa next year next week.
- is still getting disappointingly low votes that's my personal I'd like to give uh the the re revised uh Pathfinder ago uh and the reckon is actually
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video aQ0J4D53cl4
Let's Table It Playthrough at 0:13 sentiment: positive
video_pk 85325 · mention_pk 300187
Click to watch at 0:13 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- family-friendly and approachable
- short, engaging rounds with interesting decisions
- cute octopus plushy adds charm
- clear link between card actions and scoring
Cons
- scoring can be fiddly and easy to miscount
- rule balance may vary with expansions or different playgroups
- some ambiguity in early plays without reference
Thematic elements
- bluffing and set collection amid an aquatic ecosystem
- Underwater world with sea creatures collecting food tiles
- semi-abstract
Comparison games
- Krill
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action tile manipulation — Action tiles (e.g., Jet Pulsion, Octoability) allow swapping, repositioning, or modifying card layouts.
- attack/defense with sharks — Shark cards protect or attack, adding offensive/defensive interplay to hunting cards.
- Bluffing and hidden information — Players place cards face-down and reveal later, attempting to mislead opponents while tracking what others may have.
- round-based play with fixed placement limits — Four rounds for a 3-player game with a cap on how many cards can be placed in a line.
- set collection and scoring by food types — Food tiles form scoring categories; players aim to collect high-value combinations while limiting others.
- Tile/Map Shifting — Action tiles (e.g., Jet Pulsion, Octoability) allow swapping, repositioning, or modifying card layouts.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Let's Table It. We are playing Ink Tensions with the kiddos.
- The foods is what's going to score us points.
- Ink tensions.
- The octopus plushy is the first player.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video bn5HweskP_Q
Let's Table It Review at 4:58 sentiment: positive
video_pk 85326 · mention_pk 322720
Click to watch at 4:58 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- light complexity and approachable
- clever card placement and bluffing interactions
- family-friendly with accessible strategy
- unique octopus plushy & tactile components
- replayability via different end-of-round strategies
Cons
- prototype components; final version may differ
- some games rely on luck; not purely strategic
- expansion adds complexity and may unbalance solo play
Thematic elements
- bluffing and hand management in a push-your-luck style card game
- Underwater world featuring octopuses competing for food types
- abstract, procedural scoring with hidden information
Comparison games
- Krill
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Bluffing / hidden information — Cards are placed face down and value/intent unknown until reveal.
- card placement / line-building — Players place cards face down in a line behind a chosen food type; at end of round cards are revealed and resolved in order.
- end-of-round resolution order — Resolution order: ink cards, then sharks, then eel (if used), then hunt cards.
- Expansion components — Ink cards provide protection and removal of adjacent sharks; eel cards remove the hide-and-hunt card.
- Hand Management — Each player has a fixed hand and must choose which cards to play each round.
- octability tiles / round actions — Octability tiles give one-round actions and refresh each round.
- set collection / pattern scoring by food type — Different foods score points based on collected tiles; different foods have unique scoring rules.
- shark cards removing adjacent hunt cards — Shark cards remove adjacent hunt cards, affecting scoring options.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a game of trying to be clever with, you know, where you place your card so that you can gain the food that you want, but also stop the others from gaining the food that they want.
- This is a light complexity card game that, you know, can still use strategies to do well
- The kids love the game and for me it's, you know, enjoyable as well
- If you haven't played that game, check it out
- Ink tensions by Macka Games
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video tzN7N9WJpuk
Gaming Rules! Discussion at 6:37 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 84991 · mention_pk 306595
Click to watch at 6:37 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Parts of the game were liked.
Cons
- Other parts were not keen on.
Thematic elements
- innovation/invention
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Endeavor Deep Sea is very, very high to the top of the list.
- I am 90% sure they would say yes.
- My current three favorite games that don't have any kind of space or science fantasy whatever uh element to them is through the ages feast roadin and Maraca.
- So, yeah, it's very much a multiplayer solitaire game, but it's very good.
- I believe it's a much improve a much better version of Hrien's Wall and I love the way that the combat works against the actual the the puzzle of trying to defend yourself against the different forces that are attacking you. I really like it. So yeah, Anarchy gets a big thumbs up for me.
- Flam Rouge, fantastic game. Definitely Flam Rouge.
- I personally don't feel it's right for me to do them at the end of the year because most of the games I will have only played once and some of them I won't have even played.
- I personally prefer Flam Rouge to heat.
- Anything that wins Spiel Dejars will go on to sell way more copies, especially in the family category if it gets that Spiel Dejars award on it, which they have to pay for. They have to pay to have that award put on there, which is how Spiel Dejares makes its money. But it will sell many, many copies of the game.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video bjB0N5jxFg4
The Brothers Murph Playthrough at 80:16:40 sentiment: neutral
video_pk 84784 · mention_pk 338512
Click to watch at 80:16:40 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
neutral
Pros
none
Cons
- Box is noted as being thicker than Speak Easy.
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)
- If you don't know what you're talking about, it just sounds ridiculous.
- So blow so addictive that Slay the Spire for me.
- It's very slay the spire but with dice.
- The game itself in terms of the rules overhead is not that high.
- But then yeah, figuring out how you want to do it and then how you manage constantly getting more and more and more of these cards is tough.
- The artwork is a slight disappointment in this board game.
- It's very interesting the way it all works.
- I get why people dig it.
- We really like Speak easy a lot, but could very well be our favorite Lera.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–7 of 7