Game Info
Year
2023
Players
2-5
Age
12+
Playtime
45 min
Complexity
2.5/5
Collection
Your Tier
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Description
A mystical engine-building game where players place crystal balls to earn coins draft cards and capture tarot cards for combos
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 10
This page: 10
Sentiment:
pos 9 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 1 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–10 of 10
Video vJPtyGb5iu0
Rolling Dice & Taking Names Discussion at 56:07 sentiment: positive
video_pk 82357 · mention_pk 206949
Click to watch at 56:07 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Clever core mechanic of taking actions and followers taking lesser actions.
- Strategic card upgrading system.
- Engaging player interaction and 'crab in a bucket' dynamics.
- Visually appealing art style.
- Tarot cards add unique powers and twists.
- Flexible gameplay with options to pass and gain gold.
- Can be taught to anyone.
- Fate tokens bought with gold cannot be stolen, providing a stable path to victory.
Cons
- Two-player game might feel too aggressive ('slap each other in the face').
- Game might drag at higher player counts (5 players) due to player interaction.
- The first player to reach the top tier in an action is 'stuck' there, limiting others' options.
Thematic elements
- Tarot and Fate
Comparison games
- Puerto Rico
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action selection — Players choose one of four basic actions: Earn, Trade, Draft, or Ascend.
- Card Drafting — Players can draft better versions of action cards from a market.
- Follower Action — When a player takes an action, other players can perform a lesser version of that action.
- Hand Management — Players manage a hand of cards used for actions and upgrades.
- Set Collection — The primary goal is to collect fate tokens, which are gained through various actions and upgrades.
- Tableau Building — Players upgrade their action cards and collect fate tokens that contribute to their tableau.
- Take That — Some tarot cards allow players to steal other players' tarot cards.
- Variable End Game — The game ends when a player reaches a certain number of fate tokens, which varies based on player count.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The best laid plans could be ruined by one flip of a token.
- It's managing of those action tokens that just really makes this game feel really cool.
- The player interaction is off the charts. Like Tony said, it's crabs in a bucket.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video o0dNu342o98
Good Time Society Other at 14:45 sentiment: positive
video_pk 82229 · mention_pk 206588
Click to watch at 14:45 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- The host is extremely enthusiastic about the game.
- Considered a potential 'hit'.
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Tarot
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Friends, welcome to another episode of Good Morning Society, your weekly dose of board games, beverages, and shenanigans.
- The first surprise is Becca.
- We're playing Baseball Highlights 2045, the bases loaded edition today.
- Tumblin' Dice. I wouldn't even say it's a hit, it's an obsession around here.
- Friends, it's time for our JACKED UP MATCHUP.
- This is one of my all-time favorite sport. Actually, it is my all-time favorite sports game, my all-time favorite baseball game.
- Baseball's so brown. Did you ever notice?
- You beat me. I only had three.
- We're going to do a two, three, two, four match, so I'll play the first two games at home. You'll play the next three games, if necessary, visitors or at home.
- You've probably seen stuff from Laser Vision come out of that.
- Go Dodgers and Go Dodgers.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video qZzzcYdSjSM
Grant Lyon Top 10 List at 0:19 sentiment: neutral
video_pk 81400 · mention_pk 201870
Click to watch at 0:19 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
neutral
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- null
- null
- null
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action selection — Features four core actions that players level up throughout the game.
- follow actions — Other players can follow the action taken by the active player.
- Payment for powerful actions — If a player takes a more powerful action, other players have to pay them the difference.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Earth Express does everything I like about the game Earth in about half of the time.
- I hate when people say like this game killed this other game, but I don't know how often I'm going to play regular Earth now that Earth Express exists.
- I finally played the beloved game Rococo for the very first time and there's a reason it's a classic.
- It is such dumb, silly fun.
- So, it's super fun just rolling meeples, but there's enough strategy to make this also interesting.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 7NVPok-W0oA
The Brothers Murph Top List at 2:30 sentiment: positive
video_pk 80422 · mention_pk 195711
Click to watch at 2:30 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Cool look and art
- Good build-up of actions
- Theme and mechanisms coming together well
- Wife really loves it
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Tarot
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action follow — This game also has action follow mechanism. So, if I choose to do a certain thing, other people can follow and do kind of a weaker version of that.
- action selection — There's like four main action types. You can like get some money, you can draft some cards from the market, you can ascend, which basically means you can strengthen up the four actions to become more and more efficient, or you can capture these tarot cards, which give you kind of game-breaking powers.
- Ascension (action improvement) — As you do the ascends, you can level it up from a one to a two, all the way up to potentially a six.
- Set Collection — If any point you have the strongest of a certain action type, you collect a fate token and put it on that card.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is our mid-year Oscars.
- This is really like the pre-Gen Con the pre-convention season list.
- So, number 10 is going to be a game that I didn't uh know anything about until I saw it pop up on Board Game Arena.
- Cascadia: Alpine Lakes. This should be delivering very very soon.
- This is a standalone version of Cascadia, where not only are you building out, you're now also building up.
- I really enjoyed the 3D aspect of it. But then you still have that kind of Cascadia goodness.
- This is Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers trick-taking game.
- This is probably truly my favorite.
- It's a cooperative trick-taking game uh that is set in the Lord of the Rings story.
- In this one there's three storylines going.
- simple polyomino game.
- cozy game for the moment for us.
- It messes with my head in a good way that I really like where it's still super super simple, super easy.
- Trismegistus second edition, baby.
- This game is really, really heavy in general. Like it's just It's one of their heavier games.
- your head will be thumping after this one.
- And now it's all reinforcing stuff. So I can I'm like oh, I know how this works. This is all this is all intuitive and makes sense.
- I think it's awesome. Like I'm so glad this was like I did never expect them to do a redo of this.
- So it's our favorite of the year so far.
- Our July is jam-packed. It's ridiculous. Absolutely jam-packed with playthroughs many of which are going to be games that are releasing at Gen Con.
- Get your favorite picks in the comments below for what you've enjoyed this year so far.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 8omSPve8FCc
Neon Gorilla Interview at 34:31 sentiment: positive
video_pk 80211 · mention_pk 194844
Click to watch at 34:31 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Sold out very quickly, surprising the publisher.
- Generated positive word-of-mouth.
- Vibrant and appealing card art.
- Included an alternate tarot deck for varied gameplay.
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card game — Primarily uses cards for gameplay, with some punch boards.
- Tarot Deck — Includes an alternate 22-card tarot deck for varied gameplay.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- It's a tough It's a lot of work. It's a lot of work, a lot of uh time, you know, a lot of upfront costs uh and things like that.
- Because in my mind, crowdfunding was, hey, I'm a I'm a person and I had this dream and I want to get my game out. Not, hey, we're a successful company, but we're going to do this thing because, you know, uh we want to use your money to buy to to get our stuff and then we'll do it and you test the the waters for us.
- They'd look at me like, 'Get another job. Get another job. You're you're in the wrong business, man. This sounds like a sucky business, right?'
- I think the fact that you can market that way and you have a platform, it makes it easier.
- the only marketing that there's two that I well three con that I would stand by conventions of course, I would go to retailers uh and do demos like you know just drive around hit a bunch of retailers do demo nights and things like that and and teach the game there and then three would be free copies to retailers to put in their library and push the game.
- I just feel it really should be for the the dreamer that wants wants their game out there kind of thing.
- the paid preview stuff just doesn't do that well.
- I think we're all just kind of collectively numb to a lot of that.
- I believe everyone I mean they have an audience. So, you know, even if they had a hundred people in their audience, but if you know me sending out review copy and I can get, you know, two three people buy it because of that, I feel like I've made you know I've made my my money back psychologically.
- There's a novelty to that tactile experience of and and being around the table with other people.
- I almost wonder actually is are board games going to continue to get more and more popular the further we go into AI tech, everyone being jacked into the matrix and that will be like this this um this haven for people to actually still have real human experiences with each other next to each other.
- Dogs of War will be the the next uh big hit uh of that line.
- It is great and it's an alien. It's a game about aliens, but also different take. They're not looking to conquer or anything. They're seeking knowledge.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 8omSPve8FCc
Neon Gorilla Interview at 1:50:42 sentiment: positive
video_pk 80211 · mention_pk 194860
Click to watch at 1:50:42 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
highly positive
Pros
- people talking about it
- many little videos highlighting the game
- people discovering and calling it a great game
- sold out at Origins
- will be back in print soon
- available on Board Game Arena (beta)
Cons
- Sold out on website
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- tarot cards — The tarot
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- It's a tough It's a lot of work. It's a lot of work, a lot of uh time, you know, a lot of upfront costs uh and things like that.
- Because in my mind, crowdfunding was, hey, I'm a I'm a person and I had this dream and I want to get my game out. Not, hey, we're a successful company, but we're going to do this thing because, you know, uh we want to use your money to buy to to get our stuff and then we'll do it and you test the the waters for us.
- They'd look at me like, 'Get another job. Get another job. You're you're in the wrong business, man. This sounds like a sucky business, right?'
- I think the fact that you can market that way and you have a platform, it makes it easier.
- the only marketing that there's two that I well three con that I would stand by conventions of course, I would go to retailers uh and do demos like you know just drive around hit a bunch of retailers do demo nights and things like that and and teach the game there and then three would be free copies to retailers to put in their library and push the game.
- I just feel it really should be for the the dreamer that wants wants their game out there kind of thing.
- the paid preview stuff just doesn't do that well.
- I think we're all just kind of collectively numb to a lot of that.
- I believe everyone I mean they have an audience. So, you know, even if they had a hundred people in their audience, but if you know me sending out review copy and I can get, you know, two three people buy it because of that, I feel like I've made you know I've made my my money back psychologically.
- There's a novelty to that tactile experience of and and being around the table with other people.
- I almost wonder actually is are board games going to continue to get more and more popular the further we go into AI tech, everyone being jacked into the matrix and that will be like this this um this haven for people to actually still have real human experiences with each other next to each other.
- Dogs of War will be the the next uh big hit uh of that line.
- It is great and it's an alien. It's a game about aliens, but also different take. They're not looking to conquer or anything. They're seeking knowledge.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video NBiugoNxm7U
People University Top 10 List at 12:29 sentiment: positive
video_pk 74197 · mention_pk 178568
Click to watch at 12:29 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- really fun game
- works best as a two-player game
- directness of the duel works best
Cons
- lead and follow games don't lend themselves well to BGA
- in two-player mode, one person does action, three people do tiny versions
Thematic elements
- engine building
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Engine Building — A really fun engine building game.
- Race — Race to seven fate tokens.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is a long game, but I feel like Terforming Mask is longer.
- I enjoy Arknova on BJ as much as I do in person, I think.
- It's a game that on paper shouldn't actually work as a turnbased game because of how much you have to remember from turn to turn, but it's always been a nice one.
- it's a very very great game on board game arena because there's less maintenance like because otherwise there are some maintenance there are some icons that can be just explained easily on board game arena mouse hovering action
- Such a great game. Like it's such a great game in real but then the maintenance also less. So in board game arena.
- A two-player cooperative game of limited communication which is that's what happened in Board Game Arena.
- We pretty much had a game of The Crew going non-stop for a year, a year and a half.
- BGA gives us the chance, even in slow turn-based version, to play those tough scenarios. I've had a lot of fun with many of those scenarios.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video UoVcrnoUWfo
Review at 0:10 sentiment: positive
video_pk 74163 · mention_pk 178476
Click to watch at 0:10 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Tons of depth despite simple mechanics
- High player interaction
- Flexible discarding of cards for capturing tarot cards
- Powerful tarot card abilities
- Zero downtime due to the follow mechanism
- Excellent game overall, with simple mechanisms but tons of depth
Cons
- Subjective dislike for the look and theme
- Can be tough to keep track of all abilities with many players
- Some tarot cards could have clearer text
- Rules omissions or errors, particularly a critical end-game rule for 4-5 players
- Tarot market can become stagnant
- Common cards can run out with 5 players if players hoard cards
Thematic elements
- Tarot cards and fortune telling
Comparison games
- Positano
- Out Fox the Fox
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Engine Builder — Players develop their capabilities over the course of the game, often by upgrading suit levels and gaining tarot card abilities.
- follow mechanism — When a player takes an action, other players can choose to follow it, potentially paying a cost based on their level in that suit compared to the active player.
- Hand Management — Players gather cards in their hand from drafting, which can then be used for actions or discarded to capture tarot cards.
- Resource Management — Money is a key resource used for various actions, including skipping cards when ascending or spending for the difference to capture tarot cards.
- Set Collection — Players aim to collect tarot cards and have the highest number in certain suits to gain 'fate' tokens.
- Tableau Builder — Players build a tableau of cards that can grant more powerful actions or abilities.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Spoiler, it's really good.
- First, this is sort of a simple tableau builder, but it has tons of depth.
- It has tons of interaction. a little bit of take that where you're taking things from other people, but it's all spread around.
- The tarot cards are part of the name of the game because they're going to give you these huge powerful abilities that all seem a little bit broken, but that's okay because they're all like that.
- The game is very tense at the end.
- Again, the game is pretty simple mechanically, but man, this game has tons of depth.
- With all that being said, this is a fantastic game. It's if you're looking for an engine building, sort of tableau building, little bit lots of player interaction with simple mechanisms, pretty easy to teach, but tons of depth.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video fl-aARSc3nc
The Dice Tower Review at 1:05 sentiment: positive
video_pk 34510 · mention_pk 102749
Click to watch at 1:05 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- clever, balanced action economy with multiple viable strategies
- two distinct tarot decks increase replayability and freshness
- clear, trackable scoring via fate tokens and tableau
- strong interaction that feels strategic rather than mean
Cons
- theme may feel drab or hokey to some players
- two-player experience may differ from larger player counts
Thematic elements
- Tarot card capture and power advancement through a token-driven action system.
- Tarot-themed mystical setting where players act as powerful mystics attempting to capture tarot cards.
- Drafting, ascent/upgrading actions, capture of tarot cards, following actions, fate tokens as victory currency.
Comparison games
- Cosmic Encounter
- Citadels
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action Following — Other players may follow the lead action; following often costs money or levels, creating strategic tension.
- ascend/upgrading actions — Actions can be improved by stacking upgrade cards; higher levels improve efficiency but may require coin expenditure to skip levels.
- capture of tarot cards — Tarot cards are captured by spending money and/or using cards with special costs, then placed underneath the appropriate column for ongoing effects.
- Drafting — Players draft common cards from the middle or top of the deck to shape available actions.
- Fate tokens — Fate tokens are the primary victory currency; players compete to accumulate a target amount based on player count.
- following — Other players may follow the lead action; following often costs money or levels, creating strategic tension.
- two-tarot-deck setup — Two separate tarot decks (weaker and stronger) provide replayability by varying card powers and timing.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's clever, with a balanced action economy and multiple viable strategies.
- the replayability comes from two completely different tarot decks that you can mix and match.
- Cosmic Encounter is the touchstone here—powers feel imbalanced but balanced in practice.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video PnwUtWnQu54
Meeple University Rules Teach at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 29967 · mention_pk 87958
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Engaging action economy with a strong lead/follow rhythm
- Tarot-based variability adds strategic depth
- Clear, escalating progression via ascend and capture
- Hidden tempo shifts through fate stealing keeps players engaged
Cons
- High setup complexity and multiple decks to manage
- Rule-heavy interactions can be intimidating for new players
- Tracking fate across columns can be intricate and may slow play
Thematic elements
- Fortune-telling and power struggle through tarot.
- A mystic tarot-fueled race where clairvoyants strive to assemble fate and ascend their powers.
- competitive, data-driven escalation with moments of fate-stealing and lead-follow dynamics
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action Following — The leader selects a core action and followers may either match the action for free or pay a cost to follow, creating a tension of resource management and timing.
- Ascend — Players strengthen their action cards by upgrading them through ascending their suits, paying coins to skip levels if allowed.
- Capture — Capture tarot cards by paying costs using cards and coins, adding cards to columns and potentially earning fate.
- Draft and common market — Players draft common cards to their hands from the market or top of the deck, expanding options for future turns.
- Lead and Follow — The leader selects a core action and followers may either match the action for free or pay a cost to follow, creating a tension of resource management and timing.
- Tarot-powered actions — Tarot cards provide special triggers (lead, follow, pass, and on-capture) that can alter standard actions and gain fate beyond simple numbers.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Tarot cards are not just about slapping down biggest number to gain fate.
- Continue playing in this way until one player has the required number of fate for victory.
- Tarot powers have different triggering rules across lead, follow, pass, and capture.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
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