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Cthulhu: Dark Providence box art

Cthulhu: Dark Providence

Game ID: GID0446584
Game Info
Players
1-5
Age
14+
Playtime
90 min
Collection
Rating
Mechanic profile
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Vibe profile
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Description
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 1
This page: 1
Sentiment: pos 0 · mix 1 · neu 0 · neg 0
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Video IJa_hDlt6kE The Discriminating Gamer Review at 0:15 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 37968 · mention_pk 114116
The Discriminating Gamer - Cthulhu: Dark Providence video thumbnail
Click to watch at 0:15 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
  • beautiful artwork and strong Lovecraftian theme
  • uncommon deck-building integration with area control mechanics
  • tension from hidden roles and asymmetric scoring, not a straightforward team game
  • variety and thematic depth that feels distinct from other Cthulhu games
Cons
  • rulebook can be unclear; core concepts not intuitive
  • timing and scoring mechanics can feel opaque and require a learning curve
  • not a game for everyone due to complexity and potentially long play time
Thematic elements
  • Lovecraftian intrigue, cultism vs investigators, ritual and gatekeeping
  • Eastern and Midwestern United States, with gates, mythos, and occult sites
  • hidden factions with scoring focus, asymmetric information, tension through bluff and area control
Comparison games
  • A Study in Emerald
  • Cthulhu Death May Die
  • Abraham Lincoln in Tentacles
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Area Control — place influence cubes to claim assets or locations and influence cards and mythos events
  • claim action — the act of claiming a card or asset requires majority presence; used as a pivotal early move
  • Deck building — start with a personal deck; acquire new cards from locations and decks to power actions
  • deck-building — start with a personal deck; acquire new cards from locations and decks to power actions
  • gate opening/closing — open or close gates for points and access; requires strength to perform; can trigger scoring shifts
  • gold/resource management — spend gold to travel and purchase cubes; manage resources to control board state
  • hidden roles — allegiance cards determine scoring direction; no formal teams, but deltas in scoring reveal factions over time
  • hidden roles / non-team scoring — allegiance cards determine scoring direction; no formal teams, but deltas in scoring reveal factions over time
  • influence/area control — place influence cubes to claim assets or locations and influence cards and mythos events
  • Resource management — spend gold to travel and purchase cubes; manage resources to control board state
  • sanity tests — risk of insanity tokens during events or gates; a triple token draw can drastically affect game state
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • This essentially is a remake of a Study in Emerald.
  • I think this game really brings something new and unique to the Abraham Lincoln in Tentacles genre of games.
  • I like the deck building aspect of this game... the game moves pretty quickly once you know what all the actions are.
  • I really like the notion of the hidden roles... not playing a team game and it gradually becomes more obvious to you as the game goes by who is what.
  • the rule book is kind of weak; core concepts could have been clearer.
References (from this video)
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