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Dead Man's Cabal

Game ID: GID0452382
Game Info
Year
2019
Players
2-4
Age
8+
Playtime
67 min
Collection
Ratings
Creator Score
Mechanic profile
Not enough video data yet
Vibe profile
Not enough video data yet
Description

Necromancers compete to resurrect the most interesting party guests for their cabal using skull miniatures and bone currency

Description

Necromancers compete to resurrect the most interesting party guests for their cabal using skull miniatures and bone currency

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Review
Dead Man's Cabal: Discussion

Dead Man's Cabal: Discussion

Board Games Unlocked Aug 24, 2026
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 5
This page: 5
Sentiment: pos 2 · mix 0 · neu 0 · neg 2
Mentions per page
Showing 1–5 of 5
Video xD4-kP0VmAM Board Games UnLocked Review at 0:28 sentiment: negative
video_pk 116045 · mention_pk 328612
Board Games UnLocked - Dead Man's Cabal video thumbnail
Click to watch at 0:28 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
negative
Pros
  • The player gets their own private action to guarantee they do something they want.
  • There is a way to mitigate repetitive actions, preventing the same action from being taken over and over.
  • The skulls as a resource are a nice touch.
  • The bones as a resource are kind of cool.
  • The private action on your turn and then also getting to partake in a public action everyone else does is a cool idea.
  • The game is very simple.
Cons
  • The game is quite boring.
  • None of the actions seem to have really any meaning to them.
  • The tile system and pushing actions feels random.
  • The theme is not well-integrated.
  • Aesthetically, it doesn't even really look that good; it's just random tiles.
  • Hallways are present for no reason.
  • The tones are too dark and too heavy.
  • The game is very simple.
  • The game is not that long.
  • The game feels like a race to see who can build quicker.
  • There is not much interaction between players.
  • The best cards are ones that let you do alternative actions but don't give you anything.
  • The biggest banter was 'can you place my cubes on that'.
  • The different locations aren't interesting enough.
  • The game is automatic in any way.
  • The game is so boring.
  • The theme about necromancers is not utilized well.
  • The theme was 'beat into the ground'.
  • You could get trapped in a cycle with the officer actions.
  • Playing with an odd number of people might be a negative.
  • Actions felt repetitive and pointless.
  • The scriptorium for endgame scoring felt necessary but not engaging.
  • Drawing new cards felt uninteresting after the initial draw.
  • The characters' abilities and points felt uninspired.
  • The aesthetic components like hallways are unnecessary.
  • The game is not strategically deep.
  • The score track is present but not really utilized.
  • The game is bland.
  • Games are getting better and better, and this game doesn't stack up.
  • It's a mediocre game, and the publisher will be held to a higher standard.
  • There are hundreds of other games that take the same amount of time and are vastly superior.
Thematic elements
  • Necromancers
Comparison games
  • Abomination
  • Dinosaur Island
  • Realms of Death
  • Tapestry
  • Die Settlers
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Action Mitigation — A mechanism exists to mitigate repetitive actions, such as the same color skull being pushed out repeatedly. The rule that 'the same action cannot be taken twice' is noted as a positive.
  • Endgame scoring — Players can aim for endgame scoring, such as collecting specific numbers of points or skulls.
  • Private Action — Players get a private action after the main action, guaranteeing they can do something they want to do.
  • Set Collection — Collecting skulls to perform rituals and play cards for points is mentioned.
  • Tile system — Players draw a tile from a bag and decide where to push it. What is pushed out becomes the action taken. The pushed-out tile is then placed into the player's area, and something is put into the bag, granting a private action to the player.
  • Worker Placement — Mentioned as a desired alternative theme and mechanic, contrasting with the current game's execution.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • We weren't having any fun.
  • None of the actions seem to have really any meaning to them.
  • This game is just absolutely just so boring.
  • I don't even want to watch you play that.
  • The feeling that I got that I'm talking about is when I start a movie like off of Netflix or something and I'm like ten minutes in and I'm like like this is [ __ ] just either like a boring movie I'm just not into it.
  • This game just kind of did nothing that it doesn't even really warrant a rating really.
  • It's just so forgettable so blah.
  • The games are they're coming out or getting better and better better so these in my personal opinion these kinds of games don't like it's like you can't be making stuff like this.
  • Why would I sit down and play a game like this whenever there are hundreds of others out there that take the same amount of time and are vastly superior.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video BmhdPTbCM7g Board Games UnLocked Analysis at 7:36 sentiment: negative
video_pk 116020 · mention_pk 328571
Board Games UnLocked - Dead Man's Cabal video thumbnail
Click to watch at 7:36 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
negative
Pros
  • The theme of necromancers was appealing.
  • The art was described as cool, punk black and white drawings.
Cons
  • Bog-standard, boring, long, and tedious.
  • Very abstract.
  • Did not live up to its potential as a worker placement game.
  • Poor component quality and box organization.
  • Difficult to sell, indicating low player interest.
Thematic elements
  • Necromancy, resurrection of bodies.
  • Necromancers.
Comparison games
  • Dinosaur Island
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Bag Building — Players draw from a bag to determine actions.
  • Worker Placement — Mentioned as a mechanic the game could have benefited from but did not utilize effectively.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • This is actually the first year we're doing a disappointing list.
  • They're not bad games they just didn't live up to the hype they just didn't work for me
  • Viewer discretion is advised
  • This video is brought to you by audible
  • Coloma was I kind of it has it's kind of a Western game
  • The game was extremely I wouldn't say long but it was very very boring
  • The game was very bog-standard boring and long and just tedious
  • The game worked out and I'm more sad than mad that the game is bad
  • It's fine but it just doesn't I was hesitant and then I I got it
  • This game is too difficult for you to figure out
  • it's such a niche like oh are you an 80 year old submarine World War two veteran this is the game for you
  • basically your your thing with you had like Dragon cards but no dragons to use them for right
  • this is the most disappointing game of all time
  • This game was such I mean it was fine like you but like that what killed it was a civilization game like that's what made that's what made it so hyped up
  • I think this game was astronomically boring
  • You don't go from like oh I am a euphoria down to you know whatever the the Bronze Age it's like what like the leaps and logic that this game makes you have to be a civilization you wipe that
  • This game is not terrible functionally it works fine
  • This game had very high expectations for but ultimately fell flat
  • It's like I know is that is it or is it just like this is just a piss-poor 2019 Kickstarter game or is it like it's just like still just like damn it shows its age
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video f7VAtv9ylJY Tabletop Tokki Top 10 List at 3:56 sentiment: positive
video_pk 89284 · mention_pk 236908
Tabletop Tokki - Dead Man's Cabal video thumbnail
Click to watch at 3:56 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • Rich thematic flair
  • Lots of little puzzles
Cons
  • Can be dense for new players
Thematic elements
  • Rituals to resurrect guests for a party
  • Halloween party with rituals
  • juicy, puzzle-like
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Pattern grid and action selection — Main track slides to dictate round actions; skulls grant private actions; guests placed into a pattern grid for resurrection.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • this is the game where you're going to be putting together a spooky Carnival filled with Oddities Horrors beasts and all sorts of variety of attractions in order to shock and thrill your audience
  • it's cute it's very light-hearted but the set collection elements are actually really fun
  • it's like being at a party and going from Booth to Booth
  • one of my all-time favorite aesthetics in board gaming
  • this is a really cool game ... it has a niroshima hex vibe
  • the reference materials are so well put together that it's never difficult to know what to do next
  • this is a gorgeously punishing game that I own
  • the Bloody Inn is a card game where you lure and guests into your murder hotel
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video aLfJ2RynyM0 Beyond Solitaire Discussion at 3:07:44
video_pk 86332 · mention_pk 222989
Beyond Solitaire - Dead Man's Cabal video thumbnail
Click to watch at 3:07:44 · YouTube ↗
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • The Indie Games Night Market was a smash success, people were lining up hours in advance.
  • It really started from my experience going to the Tokyo Game Market in Japan.
  • We don't really have anything like that in the US like the design scene is very much focused on pitching to publishers.
  • I wound up getting 26 applications and then had to kind of filter out what I thought would be the best kind of group of games to have available.
  • The spirit of like just knowing that these were small Indie runs really like uh got a foothold in like a lot of people here in America.
  • It's like the quintessential problem of like making art uh which is how do you do something for yourself that you also want people to play and to buy.
  • I feel really strongly that a product that was made by hand made by one person should feel like it was made by one person made by hand and that those little Perfections actually breathe life into the thing that you made.
  • The more Tools in your tool belt for what you know how to build you actually can make more interesting games.
  • It's a Razor's Edge of like how much could you right cost versus time.
  • It's important to me that it wasn't just like folks who were already hustling wanting to find another space to sell their stuff.
  • Convincing a US audience especially to buy in is a little trickier.
  • I don't need it to last forever I'm not looking for evergreens.
  • For me it's not about leaving a mark necessarily it's about just like getting the thing I want out there and then moving on to the next thing I want to get out there.
  • The best people utilize that as much as possible.
  • Try Thinking by like subtraction right what is missing is such a good point.
  • The Indie Games Night Market is a space to have fun when you're working.
  • I got absolutely fooled by the bad guys on turn one I was poisoned and I was the investigator.
  • I have not been excited for an exploding kitten game literally ever.
  • It's definitely happening the next Pack's unplugged November 22nd.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video ldALHMKgXpY Game Night Picks - Pair Of Dice Paradise Top 5 List at 5:51 sentiment: positive
video_pk 34483 · mention_pk 102702
Game Night Picks - Pair Of Dice Paradise - Dead Man's Cabal video thumbnail
Click to watch at 5:51 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • intriguing necromancer theme with a strong narrative hook
  • promises tight action movement and programming rhythm
Cons
  • limited public information pre-launch; may affect pre-order enthusiasm
  • delivery timing uncertain with early-stage marketing
Thematic elements
  • necromancy, dark humor, and party preparation
  • necromancer party planning with undead guests
  • gruesome yet playful with a strong thematic hook
Comparison games
  • Dark Souls: The Board Game
  • Zombicide: Undead Revival
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • action movement — program actions to move your necromancer and followers on a board
  • Programming — sequence-based actions to achieve goals and manipulate the dead
  • theme-driven worker/guest management — manage guests and undead resources to maximize scoring
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • I hate excluding people from my games it's the last thing I want to do
  • I actually do appreciate and understand the tough decision that Gil Hova had to make
  • it's a game that is definitely worth a second look if you missed it the first
  • Hyperborea ... I scoop up Hyperborea when it first hit store shelves way back in 2014 and it remains on my shelves to this day
  • you have conquered death and mastered all nine dimensions of space-time reality bends to your every whim and desire you yes you are the absolute best there has ever been a necromancer at the top of their game
  • the dead back to life so they can throw a party with actual guests showing up
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
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