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Description
In Mind Up!, you start with a line of cards on the table, with as many cards as players. Each turn, players pick a card from their hand and simultaneously reveal it to make a new line, ordered from the lowest to the highest card. Each player then takes the card in the previous line at the same position as the one they just played, adding it to their tableau. These cards will score points at the end of the round, depending on their color and the order they were picked. After being scored, they become the player's hand for the next round.
Year Published
2023
Featured Videos
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 10
This page: 10
Sentiment:
pos 9 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 1
Showing 1–10 of 10
Video 5lPfKRJLzGc
Cardboard Herald analysis at 4:47 sentiment: negative
video_pk 62701 · mention_pk 155396
Click to watch at 4:47 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
negative
Pros
- Introduces new characters and interactions tied to Mind Bug mechanics
- Brings Mind Bug concepts into King of Tokyo for thematic novelty
Cons
- Disrupts tempo and flow of the base game
- Can hijack turns and erode balance
- Adds complexity that undermines the original simplicity and elegance
Thematic elements
Comparison games
- Power Up
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- consumable Mind Bug cards — Some Mind Bug cards are one-time-use consumables with special effects when discarded
- deck integration and Mind Bug tokens — Mind Bug cards are added to the deck and interact with the Mind Bug tokens, potentially altering turn order and outcomes
- deck manipulation — Mind Bug cards are added to the deck and interact with the Mind Bug tokens, potentially altering turn order and outcomes
- Mind Bug token disruption — At the start of a turn, players may mind-bug you; upon activation, you discard the Mind Bug token and the other player takes your dice for a turn
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I love King of Tokyo
- my heart still remains with the OG King of Tokyo
- Power Up was one of the originally celebrated modern iterations of board game expansions
- This right here was viewed as one of those expansions that dramatically changes a game for the better such that it is kind of viewed as a mandatory inclusion
- I absolutely love and recommend this game
- I think it's fascinating to compare what I think is one of the best expansions ever made with one of the worst expansions that I've played for a game
- easily the worst expansion that I've checked out during expansion month
- it's extremely slight expansion
- It's terrible. Not only is there this disruption on your turn, but it can persist because everyone at the table has the opportunity to mind bug your turn after a roll
- I don't like this Mind Bug business
- That was a good roll for me
- The Mind Bug cards have a different back, so you can see what's on deck, but, you know, whatever, it's a communal deck
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video jXE2Bw7SsyA
top_10_list at 3:03 sentiment: positive
video_pk 62538 · mention_pk 155247
Click to watch at 3:03 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Intense psychological play and dramatic steals
- Elegant, compact rules with hard-hitting decisions
Cons
- The randomness of draws can swing games unpredictably
- For some, theft mechanic can feel unfair or exploitative
Thematic elements
- Direct combat with theft and deception via 'mindbug' mechanic.
- Fantasy battlefield where monsters clash with mind-control mechanics.
- Brutal, fast-paced, psychological warfare.
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Betting and bluffing — Players bluff and read intentions due to hidden mindbug threats; 'mindbug paralysis' can affect decisions.
- Bluff and mind game — Players bluff and read intentions due to hidden mindbug threats; 'mindbug paralysis' can affect decisions.
- hidden victory points — Reduce opponent's life from 3 to 0.
- Life total and victory — Reduce opponent's life from 3 to 0.
- Mindbug steal — At any moment when your opponent plays a creature, you can steal it with a mindbug, gaining its abilities.
- Play a card from hand — On your turn you simply play a card from your hand; highest power wins in the exchange.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- It's passive aggressive warfare disguised as a bakery.
- We call that mindbug paralysis.
- Oh god, the counting.
- The finale was the worst. We reached the end and we had to choose our final destiny. I realized to win I had to break up with you.
- Fog of Love forces you to operationalize selfishness.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video rDFpoG7uMxc
Stillmire Games game_review at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 60134 · mention_pk 152583
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Clever mind-control twist that balances power and disruption
- Snappy playtime (~10 minutes per duel)
- Elegant balance that creates meaningful head-to-head mind games
Cons
- Early or abrupt mind-control plays could frustrate some players
- Balance depends on timing and card mix; may feel swingy in some matchups
Thematic elements
- Mind control and direct confrontation between opposing creatures in a fast-paced duel
- Two-player card duel with a shared pool, where players draw from a common deck and form a small personal deck to duel.
- Array
Comparison games
- Magic: The Gathering
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Combat: Deck/Hand — Players draw from a common pool and form a 10-card deck before play.
- deck manipulation — Discard mindbug cards to steal a creature already in play.
- Discard to mind control — Discard mindbug cards to steal a creature already in play.
- player elimination — Each player starts with 3 life; damage reduces life until 0 is reached.
- Tie Resolution — If powers are equal, both cards are defeated and discarded.
- Two-player dueling with shared deck — Players draw from a common pool and form a 10-card deck before play.
- Victory by life loss — Each player starts with 3 life; damage reduces life until 0 is reached.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- "This is the name of the game. This is the core hook."
- "This is such a clever mechanism in this game"
- "it's like you have you have gotten into their brain and you've taken control of them instead of me."
- "Mindbug. Yeah, that really really cool mechanism here."
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video MyF00fzT3bY
Possibly Board Gaming general_discussion at 25:19 sentiment: positive
video_pk 60208 · mention_pk 152640
Click to watch at 25:19 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- snappy, quick duels
- interesting mind-control twist
- great for porch or on-camera play tests
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- dueling-card, real-time-ish take-that mechanics with mind-control twist
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Combat: Deck/Hand — each player has a hand of cards drawn from a shared deck; on your turn you play or activate cards to affect the opponent; a rare ability allows you to take control of an opponent's card twice per game
- duel-based card play — each player has a hand of cards drawn from a shared deck; on your turn you play or activate cards to affect the opponent; a rare ability allows you to take control of an opponent's card twice per game
- hidden-information and bluffing — players reveal intent through card play; timing of mind-control actions creates strategic ambiguity
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- There are so many possibilities, Jamie, even if you took it and decided to make it a campaign-based game where you took scenarios from the actual show, took the characters from the show and decided to, okay, you can play any of these characters, here's the scenario, solve the scenario with the people that you have.
- Deck builders are a good way to tell stories well. I think they tell stories well.
- There are so many subtleties that could happen.
- Paradise has been something that I have enjoyed actually.
- It's a wonderful distraction, wonderful information, wonderful source of joy when you're doing other things that require like a lot of physical attention and it's a stress reliever.
- There are so many tricks and twists you can do with the two universes; the campaign could progress season by season with an evolving core game.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video cTpxojJKY9Y
Chairman of the Board game_review at 0:09 sentiment: positive
video_pk 59349 · mention_pk 151947
Click to watch at 0:09 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Fast, light-hearted, yet clever and tactical
- No pay-to-play fatigue due to shared deck
- Mind bugs create tense mind-game shifts
- Strong thematic simplicity with elegant mechanics
- Expandable with expansions
Cons
- Potentially chaotic for new players not used to direct head-to-head duels
- Some cards may feel overpowered if not balanced in expansion sets
Thematic elements
- Mind-control dueling with creature combat and strategic hand management.
- Two-player head-to-head card duel using a shared deck, focused on timely decisions and counterplay.
- Array
Comparison games
- Magic: The Gathering
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Attacking and blocking — Players attack with creatures and the opponent can block with their creatures; power is compared to determine casualties.
- Combat: Damage Based — Some cards can bypass defenses and damage the opponent directly.
- Direct damage to player — Some cards can bypass defenses and damage the opponent directly.
- End-game tempo — A limited 10-card hand and no mana create pressure to finish the game and avoid stalemates.
- Keywords — Cards feature simple keywords (frenzy, hunter, poisonous, sneaky, tough) that add predictable interactions.
- Mind Bugs — A resource to steal an opponent's card at two points during the game.
- No mana system — Any card can be played at any time; cards have counterplay and timing.
- Shared deck draw — Both players draw from the same deck, with 10 cards drawn per player each game.
- Tags — Cards feature simple keywords (frenzy, hunter, poisonous, sneaky, tough) that add predictable interactions.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I could not recommend a game more than Mindbug.
- this is the quintessential example of kind of extracting every bit of bloat and everything or everything unnecessary from Magic the Gathering into a similar almost identical system, but it turns up the fun, the volume of the fun dramatically from a game like Magic the Gathering.
- If you want a super fast, light-hearted, fun, but clever, tactical, but with a thread of strategy, bombastic card game, then I could not recommend a game more than Mindbug.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 1qMupj18-Z0
Unknown Channel game_review at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 29802 · mention_pk 151486
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Co-design by Richard Garfield
- Extensive expansion content (Beyond and Eternity, 104 new cards)
- Strong two-player dueling core
- Exciting card reveals (Dragon in it's tough)
Cons
- Cards can be very situational
- Expansion heavy may complicate entry for new players
Thematic elements
- Mind manipulation and direct duel combat; psychic warfare.
- Two-player fantasy duel arena where players clash using mind-control and combat cards.
- Modular card-driven skirmish with episodic reveals; emphasis on quick rounds and situational cards.
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cards are situational — A large portion of cards have situational conditions that affect play.
- Combat: Deck/Hand — Two players face off in a head-to-head card battle.
- expansion integration — New cards via Beyond and Eternity expansions (104 new cards total).
- hit twice to defeat key threats — Powerful cards may require hitting them twice to eliminate them.
- life loss based on presence — If you control fewer creatures than your opponent, they lose a life.
- Multi-use cards — A large portion of cards have situational conditions that affect play.
- team play option — Two-player team variant option mentioned in promo.
- Two-player duel — Two players face off in a head-to-head card battle.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- last year mindbug was my card game of the year
- I think this is his best game ever
- it's co-designed by Richard Garfield of Magic the Gathering Fame
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video pe6N_GDsxSE
Board Games Hitting My Table general_discussion at 3:43 sentiment: positive
video_pk 7129 · mention_pk 85238
Click to watch at 3:43 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Smooth flow, quick play
- Good for casual play, approachable to new players
- Highlights the hybrid of games
Cons
- Some cards feel restrictive
Thematic elements
- ordering cards by color to maximize points
- Colorful card drafting with color-based scoring
- flowing, fast-paced card drafting with smooth hand management
Comparison games
- Six Nimmt!
- Mandala
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- color-coded card collection — Collect cards by color; numeric values determine order and scoring.
- hand reuse across rounds — The cards from the previous round become your hand for the next round.
- mandala-style scoring — The order in which you collect cards determines their point value.
- set collection — Collect cards by color; numeric values determine order and scoring.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the market is manipulated because you have these cards that are sat between you and one of your neighbors
- the rules are so thin
- it's fantastic I think it's criminally underrated
- the rich and the good definitely one of the highlights of the period
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video S7pP-givpnA
Chairman of the Board top_5_list at 7:49 sentiment: positive
video_pk 3573 · mention_pk 101703
Click to watch at 7:49 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- innovative mandala scoring twist
- tight, accessible design
- fast, 20-minute play sessions
Cons
- borrows mechanics from other games
- lacks extreme originality for some players
Thematic elements
- color matching and strategic timing
- color-collection card game with mandala-style scoring
- abstract, puzzle-like
Comparison games
- Six Nimmt!
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- blind simultaneous bidding — players reveal cards at the same time; lowest card wins order for scoring cards
- mandala-style scoring — the scoring card for each round rotates, changing the value of collected colors
- set collection — collecting color sets to maximize end-game value
- short playtime with high strategic payoff — game can be played in 20 minutes with deep decisions
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the last five new to me games that I've played and I review and rank them from my least favorite up to my most favorite
- the art is very nice on the cards
- Breezy so quick so smooth
- it's polished and it works it does what it does so so well
- this is such a cool game I I was really impressed with it more so than I was anticipating actually even though it is just borrowed mechanisms from different games but again that six niip simultaneous selection with the mandala scoring just comes together so so well
- I would definitely recommend picking up a copy of mind up
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video i7UVXtHkVxY
Board Games Hitting My Table general_discussion at 1:48 sentiment: positive
video_pk 2802 · mention_pk 124709
Click to watch at 1:48 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- punchy and quick with satisfying interactions
- integrates two familiar mechanisms well
Cons
- may feel predictable once you see the scoring patterns
Thematic elements
- pattern construction and color mastery
- color-based card interactions with strategic placement
- punchy, fast-paced card drafting
Comparison games
- Six Nimmt
- Mandala (influence on design)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card drafting — players reveal and pick cards to assemble a hand that will score around patterns
- Pattern Building — colors and order create different scoring outcomes based on a randomized order
- pattern/puzzle scoring — colors and order create different scoring outcomes based on a randomized order
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's really tight this Bard is and the opportunity cost of doing one thing
- there are so many different ways you can score in this game
- it's punchy
- the game end really does rush up on you
- polished, refined, gorgeous to look at
- you can just take the pieces off the board and go again
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video h9t4dJ1M-Mc
Unknown top_10_list at 9:18 sentiment: positive
video_pk 1177 · mention_pk 102163
Click to watch at 9:18 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- unique twist on dueling
- short, fast-paced
- accessible to new players
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- mind control duel
- competitive head-to-head
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Combat: Deck/Hand — one-on-one card-based confrontation
- deck manipulation — cards grant control over opponents' plays or alter outcomes
- duel-style play — one-on-one card-based confrontation
- life/attack economy — manage attacks and defenses to win life-point battles
- mind control — cards grant control over opponents' plays or alter outcomes
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a small card game
- it's easy to explain
- you can start playing without explaining the rules
- one of those cards is like the person you need to find
- you can mix and match these sets as well
- it's a cooperative trick taking game
- mind bug well that's freshy this is a really freshy
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–10 of 10