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"The glacial meltwater forms giant lakes. And from minuscule spores that have resided in the deeper layers of the ice, a new life form emerges. And the lakes become home to the Scyphoz.
The Scyphoz harbor vast knowledge and wisdom. We will settle near their lakes to learn from them. We will bend to their will to honor them. Complete the journeys they prepare for us. We will serve and be gifted.
That is the call of the abyss." —Nàdair
The Revive: Call of the Abyss expansion introduces the mysterious life form Scyphoz, which lives in the giant lakes that are formed by meltwater from the glaciers. By building near lakes, you gain devotion points, which let you access the new and powerful Scyphoz cards. You can also use the switch action to initiate journeys, sending out your citizen on missions to gain more devotion points.
Aside from 16 Scyphoz cards, 18 journey cards, 3 lakes, and the devotion track, this expansion contains 15 new machine tokens, 9 slot modules, 9 new citizen cards, and four new tribes, with all of the content (other then the Cordycephians tribe) being compatible with solo play. The four new tribe boards feature only an advanced side, and each has its own unique rules, advanced abilities, and technologies:
The KAIROS have two modes — day and night — and their abilities depend on the current mode. Switching between the two modes at the right time is crucial to this tribe's success.
The GIB'WARKS has access to powerful gadgets that boost their switch actions, and they may unlock more gadgets for even more flexibility. Their tribe ability lets them reset their switch, which is powerful because the switch action is even more important now that it lets you initiate journeys.
The OSTARIUS build huge gates which they can switch on and off, either helping or hindering other players. Gates require quite some space, but if placed well, OSTARIUS may temporarily block off parts of the game board, possibly securing them for themselves.
The CORDYCEPHIANS leech other players, taking advantage of their cards, their buildings, and even their technologies. The CORDYCEPHIANS must therefore adapt their strategy to the opponents they are facing.
—description from the publisher
- Adds four new tribes with asymmetric abilities.
- Introduces the Mysterious life form Skyfo, allowing players to gain devotion points near lakes to access new cards.
- Rebuilding civilization
- Post-civilization world, thousands of years after humanity collapsed
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Asymmetric Player Powers — Adds four new tribes, each with their own asymmetric abilities.
- Card Drafting — Introduces new Skyfo cards that can be accessed by gaining devotion points.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- all of the animals will score you points in different ways and there are a number of cards in it that you know keep the game replayable
- so if you want new asymmetric
- releasing circadian chaos order harbingers expansion this is a mini expansion to the game circadians chaos order which was a heavyweight game where you could play as one of six asymmetric factions battling for control of ancient relics on a distant planet
- this provides more variability and strategies to discover from within each faction so it doesn't add a new faction but it adds a couple of new things for the faction that makes it um you know a little bit more replayable
- Renegade game studios and Garfield games are releasing an expansion to circadian first light this is the specialist expansion
- circadian first light was a medium heavyweight game um that um was all about negotiation they it had open negotiations and you were building coalitions with new species in space
- Steam Forge games is releasing an expansion to their newly released Resident Evil board game this is called Bleak Outpost
- in this expansion Bleak Outpost there are six new scenarios in the game so it adds about approximately eight hours of extra gameplay to your Resident Evil campaign
- if you like horror themed games then Resident Evil is definitely a horror themed game
- so yeah lot lots more content to explore for circadian first light
- so that's it that's all the expansions I have hitting retail in October 20123
- there's a lot of expansions for well-known and well-loved games this month so it is an it's an exciting month in the world of expansions that's for sure
References (from this video)
- Adds substantial variability without overhauling the core game
- Keeps core game intact while adding meaningful tweaks and twists
- Four new factions introduce varied playstyles and synergy with devotion mechanics
- Devotion track expands scoring options and unlocks Cyphus cards
- Lakes and large locations create fresh strategic opportunities and adjacency bonuses
- Journey cards and lever interactions introduce satisfying, choice-driven decisions
- Faction asymmetry enhances replayability and keeps games lively
- Improves two-player viability without forcing expansion use
- Not an essential expansion; it does not address major base-game issues
- Adds complexity and new systems that may not appeal to all players
- Some mechanics (devotion, lakes, journey cards) can be ignored, but doing so reduces potential value
- Requires owning the base game to appreciate the expansion’s full context
- faction asymmetry, exploration, devotion-driven progression, and territory influence within a sprawling relic-ruled abyss
- A multi-factional, relic-haunted realm that blends dark fantasy with sci‑fi elements, where players explore a labyrinthine map, manage devotion, build around lakes, and unlock large locations that reshape endgame scoring.
- crunchy, modular narrative flavor that supports asymmetric play and evolving endgame objectives
- Revive (base game)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Cyphus cards (colorless, flexible activation) — Colorless cards that can be colored in when played, enabling diverse activations tied to devotion progression and track bonuses.
- Day/night cycle for faction powers — Several factions have distinct abilities that shift based on whether it is day or night, adding a dynamic timing element to planning and interaction.
- Devotion track — A new scoring track that grants two types of points and interacts with a set of Cyphus cards, providing growth pathways beyond traditional victory points.
- Hibernate phase — A phase mechanic used to refresh or redraw choices, enabling strategic decision-making around using levers and vaulting cards.
- Journey cards / QUESTs — Quest cards tied to the devotion/tracks that can be pursued by discarding a card via a lever, offering immediate or delayed rewards and specific prerequisites.
- Lakes and large locations — Lakes replace some spaces with bonus opportunities, and a new large-location mechanic creates high-impact area bonuses when built near lakes.
- Levers, gadgets and one-time abilities — Gadgets provide recurring benefits from the lever, with a one-time-use gadget option; hibernation can refresh resources and unlock more gadgets.
- New followers and cards — Additional follower tokens/cards that interact with devotion tracks and other expansion systems to broaden strategic choices.
- Once-Per-Game Abilities — Gadgets provide recurring benefits from the lever, with a one-time-use gadget option; hibernation can refresh resources and unlock more gadgets.
- Portals and range control (Astorius) — A modular “portal” system that can block or ease range for other players, depending on portal state and positioning, influencing combat and movement.
- Track Advancement — A new scoring track that grants two types of points and interacts with a set of Cyphus cards, providing growth pathways beyond traditional victory points.
- Variable Phase Order — A phase mechanic used to refresh or redraw choices, enabling strategic decision-making around using levers and vaulting cards.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I think it's a great expansion.
- I am going to give it an eight for the expansion.
- Not essential expansion in any ways.
- It's adding a layer basically to the base game.
- This is not going to be like the normal review where we go to all of the components and player count.
- This is just gonna be like a review of the expansion.