Smitten is a cooperative micro-game for 1-2 players designed and published in celebration of Stonemaier Games' 10th anniversary. In Smitten, players work cooperatively with limited information/communication to complete two identical 3x3 grids of cards, each inspired by a Stonemaier game and illustrated by Vincent Dutrait. There are multiple difficulty levels and separate modes for solo and 2-player games.
Smitten was inspired by comic book cards from Jamey's youth, specifically a set where various cards formed a cohesive 9-card panorama image. In trying to complete two of these images in Smitten, there is no set turn order; rather, players indicate a preference to play or not play a card. The played card has instructions for the other player to place a card, which they must do or the game instantly ends.
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- Extremely portable: 18 cards, tiny box
- Two-player mind-melding puzzle that scales in challenge
- Art ties into the Stonemaier shared universe, which is a nice touch
- Not easy for casual players; some may struggle with early understanding
- End conditions can feel elusive; skilled players win more reliably
- Array
- Two-player puzzle in a shared grid world
- Mind-melding, cooperative-competitive puzzle
- Smitten One
- Stonemaier shared universe
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- grid placement — Players place cards into two orthogonally adjacent grids, following the card instructions and adjacency rules.
- limited communication — Players cannot reveal their hands; communication is restricted to statements about intent to play or not play.
- Limited/no communication — Players cannot reveal their hands; communication is restricted to statements about intent to play or not play.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I do find this game super adorable.
- Very easy to teach.
- For such a tiny box and just like a cute little independent game, I think this does a pretty good job.
- I think it’s a really easy one to teach and to bring in new gamers as well.
- It’s a very quick game.
- We have played this, I think, 10 times so far. We have won two or three of those games.
- The two-player mode and the mindmelding is really where this shines.
- If you have played Smitten, you know how this plays already.
- The engine gets stronger and stronger as the game goes on.
- The end can come surprisingly soon.
- It’s a little bit like Machi Koro because everyone benefits from those dice rolls.