Clairvoyance is a fast-paced, psychic card game from Eye4Games studio, creators of AlakaSLAM. Based around a unique mechanic of turning the die rather than rolling it, it’s a humorous contest of furniture tossing with a lot of character.
At a glance: Clairvoyance is a card game for 2-5 players ages 13 and up, and takes anywhere between 10-50 minutes to play (depending on number of players and how cutthroat they’re feeling that day).
There are eight characters to choose from, each with their own once-per-game power. The play deck itself comprises 80 cards. They cover a wide variety of items to be thrown, from the heavy (dressers), to the pointy (katanas), to the mystical (pentagrams). Some of these items are straightforward: you correctly “predict” the die roll and toss the item at the character of your choosing. Other items offer skills that can help you if you add it to your pool of possessed items or harm other players if you force it into theirs. Scattered throughout the deck are Hexes that add some instant powers to your hand. The artwork is stylistic and well done, reflecting the humor of the concept. Likewise the flavor text for the cards is full of groan-worthy puns. The rulebook is straightforward and offers not-to-be-missed bios for the characters. Seriously. Ed’s necessitates a full spoken monologue at the beginning of each play session in my house.
The project launched on Kickstarter today. $25 will snag you a printed copy of the full game. There are also less-expensive print and play pledge levels if you’re so inclined. An expansion deck will be developed throughout the course of the campaign by backers.
New to Kickstarter? Check out our crowdfunding primer.
Components:
- 8 unique character cards
- 80 item/hex cards (36 unique)
- 5 reference cards
- Detailed rule book
- 8-sided die
- 5 health tokens
The copy I played was a demo copy, but the components were very close to final. Upgraded health tokens are part of the stretch goals, along with other hidden goodies.
How to Play: If you’d like to give it a shot now, there’s a black and white Print and Play version on Gumroad.
Each player starts with a character card and a hand of five item/hex cards. Your goal is to KO the other players before they do the same to you. Each turn, you can choose two of the following actions: possessing items (for yourself or others), throwing items (from your hand or possession pool), and discarding two cards. Possessed items (a max of three) are placed in front of you, where you can use their abilities or keep them in reserve to toss without die-turning on on your next turn.
Speaking of die-turning, this is what sets Clairvoyance apart from other card games. Your characters, being psychics, can see what the future die roll will be, and plan their moves accordingly. Instead of rolling, you turn the die face once (unless the cards tell you otherwise) to a number that matches one of the numbers on the item you want to throw or possess and, voila, you complete the action. It takes a few rounds to get the hang of it and start strategizing die turns. Thankfully, the included reference cards provide you with a cheat sheet of the potential die faces. You can also play instant abilities at any time, either from your hand or from items. Item powers are played from your possessed items and are either ongoing effects or one-time only. The ongoing item powers are rare and can either be extremely helpful or harmful as the game progresses. Instants also come in the form of Hex cards that either save your butt or deep-six your opponents’ strategies.
The Verdict
With a unique and well-executed theme, Clairvoyance is a lot of fun. It plays super-fast as well; I can easily see bringing this to game night and playing a few rounds while more-involved games got set up. Visit the Clairvoyance Kickstarter page for full details.
Disclosure: GeekDad received a demo prototype of this game for review.
