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Description
Great news! The Supreme Appliance is dead! You've made your mournful public statement ("tragic day," etc), and now you're ready to hatch your devious plot to steal the newly vacant Supreme Seat and claim Absolute Power for yourself. You only need to outmaneuver your fellow ministers - but they're a heap of low-watt gizmos, how hard could that be? Let the machinations begin!
Power Vacuum is a 1-5 player trick-taking game with some treacherous twists. The game is played over several rounds, and in each round players use tricks to adjust the Power levels of other players to work toward their hidden Agenda cards. Power is gained by winning tricks with the highest number of the led suit, but it is also gained, lost, and exchanged between players through shrewd use of the Control Board, which is manipulated by the player of the lowest card of ANY suit. If at the round's end you have fulfilled your Agenda card, successfully picking the players with the most and/or least amount of Power, you get a large bonus payout. End-of-round points are exchanged for pieces of a great statue you are building to yourself. The first player to complete their statue becomes the next Supreme Appliance!
Power Vacuum is not about winning every trick, but choosing the right card at the right time to engineer the rise or fall of your opponents in the short term so that you can profit the most in the long term. Additionally, each card's suit is visible on the back side, reducing the need to count your opponent's cards, so you can focus instead on the most cunning move - but watch out for Spies, the fifth suit hiding amongst the other four which will trump the trump suit. In this game, timing is everything.
Power abhors a vacuum - will you plug it?!
—description from the publisher
Year Published
2025
Featured Videos
Playthrough
Let's Play Power Vacuum
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 8
This page: 8
Sentiment:
pos 8 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–8 of 8
Video WlmaahJ9FeA
Unknown Channel general_discussion at 5:37 sentiment: positive
video_pk 38485 · mention_pk 115817
Click to watch at 5:37 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Innovative trick-taking with power dynamics
- Hidden agenda adds strategic tension
- Exquisite corpses-style scoring is unique
Cons
- Potential teaching complexity for new players
- Early-stage production may vary
Thematic elements
- Hidden agendas, power transfer, alliance-building
- Political power struggle after a vacuum
- Negotiation and manipulation with hidden agendas
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- End-game statue-building (Exquisite Corpses) — Players build statues from joint components; the first to complete a statue claims victory
- Hidden agenda card — Each player has a hidden agenda card; reveal to earn points; early reveal increases points
- negotiation — Temporary alliances can form to influence outcomes and power dynamics
- Negotiation and alliances — Temporary alliances can form to influence outcomes and power dynamics
- Power transfer via plugs — Losing a trick transfers power between players connected by plugs; power is moved around the table
- Trick-taking — Four suits, with a hidden suit that can trump revealed suits; winners of tricks gain power transfers
- Trick-taking with hidden trump — Four suits, with a hidden suit that can trump revealed suits; winners of tricks gain power transfers
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a dice based combat which is fantastic
- it's a one-versus-min game like I said
- fantastic stuff
- I am dead keen on this
- this looks amazing
- Power Vacuum, on the surface level, is a trick-taking game
- the suits on the backs of the cards
- you transfer power between one player and another
- the statue to their Glory wins the game
- I read through it and I took a look on BTG and I thought this sounds amazing
- this is a Velodrome cycling game
- it's so smooth
- the route building is really elegant
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 0J-yQa_gZ5A
Our Games playthrough at 0:51 sentiment: positive
video_pk 13630 · mention_pk 39836
Click to watch at 0:51 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Innovative twist on trick-taking with power manipulation
- Delightful art style and humorous character design
- Solid player interaction and strategic depth
- Hidden agendas add long-term planning and bluff elements
Cons
- Complex to learn; initial round may feel chaotic
- Requires 2-5 players; not ideal for solo play
- Scoring and tracking can be fiddly for new players
Thematic elements
- Power, manipulation, hidden agendas, and strategy
- A satirical, high-stakes political power struggle among ministers in a stylized leadership court
- Humorous, cabal-like plotting with spies and secret agendas
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- control board manipulation — Players move power between factions via plugs on a board to influence outcomes.
- Secret Agendas — Hidden agenda cards create personal goals and scoring twists.
- spy cards and trumping — Black back spy cards are hidden; red cards trump spies and other suits.
- statue construction scoring — Points are earned to assemble a statue; different body parts score differently.
- Trick-taking — Winning tricks determines power and triggers scoring on the control board.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Power Vacuum is not about winning every trick but choosing the right card at the right time to engineer the rise or fall of your opponents in the short term so that you can profit the most in the long term.
- it's a real chess game
- The game is really quirky and the characters are quirky and funny going off of Russia
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video FhKXo3NvSZQ
Family Play Games general_discussion at 23:14 sentiment: positive
video_pk 11751 · mention_pk 34466
Click to watch at 23:14 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- unique twist on trick-taking
- family-friendly theme
- engaging power dynamics
Cons
- rule complexity
- setup time
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Trick-taking — players use tricks to adjust power levels and influence hidden agenda cards
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- we're all safe and we hope everybody else out there in other parts of the country are safe
- this hobby is for any and everybody who wants to participate
- we're going to keep coming with love... diversity inclusion having fun in this board game lifestyle
- look at that front page news yeah we were front page for the Wednesday Omaha World hero yes we were so excited about the story
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video WMYztpGCiBY
Power Vacuum Streams playthrough at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 9539 · mention_pk 28232
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Engaging blend of trick-taking and area-control with tension from hidden agendas
- Fun thematic flavor around power tokens and appliances that invites playfulness
- Solid player banter and live-stream energy enhances entertainment value
Cons
- Rule nuances (spies vs red trumping) can be confusing for new players
- Scoring can feel opaque until the board is set and the agenda timing is understood
- Can run long if players over-explore the mechanics or argue over board manipulations
Thematic elements
- Power politics, resource control, deception, and dynamic area influence
- A stylized, retro-futuristic control room where players manage power tokens to influence districts as a competitive grid and timer-driven agenda scoring.
- Abstract thematic veneer with humorous appliance-themed flavor
Comparison games
- Skull King
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area-control — Winning tricks allows players to move power tokens along a linked board to different color regions to affect scoring regions.
- hand_management — Players decide when to reveal their agenda status and what cards to keep or draw for the next round, influencing scoring opportunities.
- resource_tracking — Power tokens and color-aligned resources are tracked on a modular board; balance between immediate VP and long-term statue building is essential.
- secret_agenda_scoring — Each round begins with agenda cards that determine scoring cues; players reveal them to score points if the revealed counts align with in-round outcomes.
- Trick-taking — Players follow suit with colored cards; red trumps other colors unless spies alter the outcome, with spies only winning when a red is present in the trick.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Power vacuum today and that is from Keen Bean
- shoot for the moon
- Power vacuum is a trick taking area controlly type game
- Skull King strategy
- the Brave Little Toaster grew into an outstanding potential dictator
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video OndB3Qjrcb8
No Rolls Barn game_playthrough sentiment: positive
video_pk 8487 · mention_pk 24982
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Unique thematic concept
- Interesting power manipulation mechanics
- Humorous artwork
- Strategic depth
Cons
- Complex rules
- Potentially long gameplay
Thematic elements
- Political power struggle among household devices
- Appliance world competing for power
- Satirical
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Agenda betting — Players bet on which characters will have most/least power
- Power manipulation — Players move power between different characters/devices
- Trick-taking — Players play cards to win tricks and manipulate power
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The first rule of Board Game Club is if you want a guarantee, buy a toaster.
- They're fighting over the power supply.
- Anything can happen if you let it.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Ca0BW6tYNFo
Dice Tower review at 1:28 sentiment: positive
video_pk 5535 · mention_pk 16455
Click to watch at 1:28 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Neat game
- Impressive what it does with trick-taking
- Clever mechanics
- Interesting way to approach trick-taking
Cons
- Sometimes weak hand where you can't do much
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 really lightning fast
- The expansion is fantastic
- Just tremendous card game
- I quite enjoyed Brink
- Real great production, very solid game
- Absolutely fabulous game
- Eight great characters
- The expansion that we always needed but didn't know we wanted
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video -ss_mvhsilg
Ricky's Board Game Roundup top_list at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 2377 · mention_pk 6968
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Unique dual trick-taking scoring system
- Power manipulation adds interesting metagame
- Hidden agendas with timing rewards
- Clever balance between trick-taking and manipulation
- Has solo mode available
- Modern trick-taking innovation
Cons
- Deluxe version statue monuments not necessary
- Expensive deluxe add-ons
Thematic elements
- Political intrigue
- Power manipulation
- Political influence in parties
Comparison games
- For Northwood
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- you don't take my word for it folks I was watching the uh Dice Tower Essen excitement list
- I vouch for each of these quite highly
- so much game play depth in less than 15 minutes
- one of the prettiest games you will ever see
- a good tile layer needs to be so kind of connected together
- I want a statue to myself
- it just really seems like a very exciting modern trick-taking game
- beautiful and then you see the completed thing that's one of my favorite things
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video KovxP1Qqmeg
Foster the Mele top_10_list at 8:58 sentiment: positive
video_pk 406 · mention_pk 1206
Click to watch at 8:58 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- distinct spatial/mechanical tension
- unique theme
Cons
- hard to find copies
Thematic elements
- industrial/energy grid
Comparison games
- Inside Job
- Claim
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Trick-taking with area/zone control — Win tricks to move power tokens along a grid; claiming zones and building statues.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Skull King is an incredible party-esque trick-taking game with a rowdy, highly engaging energy.
- Trick and Snipers is an incredibly fast trick-taking game.
- Inside Job is the highest cooperative trick taker on my list.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–8 of 8