Game Info
Year
2025
Players
1-5
Age
14+
Playtime
120 min
Complexity
2.8/5
Collection
Your Tier
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Description
A thematic strategy game where players command secret societies using mancalas and rondels to maximize intrigue
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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 3 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 1 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–5 of 5
Video QI5ZMAtW5ZY
Getting Games Top 33 List at 14:06 sentiment: positive
video_pk 89514 · mention_pk 237919
Click to watch at 14:06 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
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)
No quotes stored for this video.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Z_lTKhUyMh0
Meeple University Review at 0:04 sentiment: neutral
video_pk 86912 · mention_pk 226502
Click to watch at 0:04 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
neutral
Pros
- Strong thematic flavor with secret societies and conspiratorial vibes
- Asymmetric factions with unique decks and action options
- Ascension and relic mechanics offer meaningful depth
Cons
- Video notes indicate components and rules are prototype; final components may differ
- Some terminology is presented with flavor, which could be confusing without the final rules
Thematic elements
- secret societies vying for influence and power
- urban environment with secret societies and a central city path
- asymmetric, faction-driven with secrets and relics
Comparison games
- Trading Company
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action_selection on a shared city board or your own society — On your turn you pick a space in a common area of the city or in your own society and take its action; then it passes to the next player.
- alchemy/energy and upgrades — Energy is spent to install upgrades or anoint new leaders; gold can be exchanged for energy; traits are framed as science rather than magic.
- ascension and stronger secrets — Ascend by paying eight gold and discarding matching card icons to reach level two; this adds stronger secrets, more board presence, and additional rewards.
- central city path and societal interaction — The central path has actions but overlaps with your own Society; public meeples cannot occupy private spaces and followers can move on either path depending on color.
- endgame triggers — Game ends when a player reaches level five or the Relic deck is empty.
- fundraising and gold as a resource — One action is to gain gold, a resource used for investments and advancing in the game.
- pawns/leader strength system — Actions are resolved by moving pawns (followers) with a leader at the front; strength is determined by leader plus followers; you can add a secret card for more strength or for additional abilities.
- player count scaling — The game supports up to five players with different board structures; examples are given for different player counts.
- relics and discovery — Relic cards are recruited as your action strength allows; relics are spent for ascension and points.
- risk and negative points — Some actions introduce chaos and negative points; a PCH action can clear these negatives from your Society.
- scoring and placement — Points come from relics spent on ascending leaders and followers, and from the square of your current level on the board.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- On your turn you pick a space in a common area of the city or in your own society and take its action
- Ascend by paying eight gold and discard for matching card icons
- The relics the mask the handshake
- There’s danger in your secrecy you know risk and reward some actions breathe chaos in your Society with negative points
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video ZDxLOT1HbI8
Man vs Meeple News at 4:58 sentiment: positive
video_pk 86943 · mention_pk 226565
Click to watch at 4:58 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- The rondel situation in the middle of the table is very interesting
- Huge amount of variability in the player powers
- Really leans into the idea of clandestine organizations and secret societies
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Secret Societies
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action Point Allowance — Actions are fired off at the power of the guys in a space, implying a resource or action point system.
- Rondel — Features intersecting rondels that work like gears, with both personal and public rondel areas.
- Variable player powers — A significant aspect of the game is the high degree of variability in player powers.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's very different
- it is very interesting
- it's a little game already a huge game with a ton of stuff
- I'm terrible at it but I play a lot more on the digital
- it's a Euro game it's supposed to be really good
- this is your real chance it doesn't really get into retail so this is your best chance to get it
- this is the biggest flip and right Style game I've seen
- the production on this one looks pretty insane for a blank and write
- it's so much more than that but that is the really interesting thing that's driving the whole
- huge amount of variability in the player powers
- huge upgrade yeah
- I think I can say this is the biggest flip and right Style game I've seen
- the biggest flip and right Style game I've seen
- this is the
- Sweetlands, yeah, you haven't played. This is probably right now my number one game to play and that's not just because of the way it looks but it has such a unique and cool aesthetic to it.
- it's really really cute looking it has almost kind of like an Adventure Time sort feel like it would be a cartoon in the world of Sweet Lands
- this is a pretty heavy game there's a lot going on
- there's like massive negative points if you don't reach certain spots of the map which is crazy
- a lot of the games we've been playing lately have just massive amounts of end game scoring this one had a ton
- there's some Tableau building that feels a little vaguely like some of the things you'd experience in something like terraforming Mars with tags and those tags letting you maybe get discounts or do other things
- ninth level games is releasing a Thunder Road Vendetta RPG that's on Kickstarter right now
- that polymorph system it's very easy to learn so if you're brand new to RPGs
- it is intriguing to think of a role play game setting set in that world and it has to involve a lot of car driving and stuff like that and shooting and blowing up and all the stuff
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video HvELx7M3AuI
Top List at 6:14 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 82709 · mention_pk 207785
Click to watch at 6:14 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Surprising and fascinating theme
- Unique combination of mancala and rondel mechanics
Cons
- Concern about solo mode due to interconnected mancala mechanic
Thematic elements
- Each player takes control of a powerful secret society trying to research enchanted relics that possess strange energies.
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Mancala — The main mechanism here is described as mancalas within interconnecting rondels.
- Rondel — The main mechanism here is described as mancalas within interconnecting rondels.
- Secret society manipulation — you have your own secret society that has its own rondel that you can manipulate. And you're using that to take actions.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- 2026 is shaping up to be a disappointing year for new solo games, and really games in general, but that's a topic for another video.
- There simply weren't enough games that were clearly marked for sale that I was interested in in order to complete a top 10 list.
- I have to say light to medium-weight tile-laying games have become a really crowded genre.
- I'll be honest, I just do not care about this theme at all. This game would be so much higher on this list if it had a fun and engaging theme.
- I simply just cannot wait to get this one to the table.
- This is a Eurogame that both sounds and looks like a ton of fun. That's pretty unusual.
- And with a track record of these designers, I'm confident that this one is going to be one of the best games of the year.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video HSPDSxQ0-NM
Review at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 74200 · mention_pk 178586
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Crazy rondel with Mancala mechanism
- Changing city layout based on player count
- Deep strategic manipulation of meeple paths
- Asymmetrical factions with unique abilities
- Multi-use cards (secrets and relics)
- Strong game ramp-up
- Variable powers offer high replayability
- Engaging ascension track for progression
- Intriguing end-game scoring system
Cons
- Prototype components may not fit together exactly
- Chaos accumulation is negative and limits actions
- Relying on relics seems less likely to end the game than ascension
- Advanced factions like Serpent Keepers seem more complex
- Tracking meeples and actions can take time for some players
Thematic elements
- Secret societies influencing city goings-on
- A city
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action selection — Players identify and choose one of the locations to activate and calculate the power at which to activate it.
- Area Control — Players add their own set of chambers to the board, which are actions only they can take.
- Deck Building — Secret decks improve as players level up, with set-aside secrets shuffled in.
- Mancala — A Mancala mechanism is used for moving actions.
- Player Progression — Ascending (leveling up society) is a core concept, increasing hand size and resource turning-in capabilities.
- Resource Management — Players manage coins, relics, and energy as resources.
- Rondel — A crazy rondel is a headline feature, forming on the outside public area.
- Set Collection — Secret cards have set collection symbols that can be turned in for ascending.
- Variable player powers — Factions are unique with unique decks and powers, leading to asymmetric gameplay.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The big headline here is this crazy rondel that we're going to be talking about that uses a Mancala mechanism as well.
- A huge huge part of the game is manipulating the paths that all these meeples take to try to set yourself up for some huge actions.
- The core concept of the game aside from scoring points.
- The variable powers, they're huge. They're hugely different.
- The game, we think, really ramps up quite a bit.
- Until next time, though, make sure everyone has fun at the table, and we'll see you then.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
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