Board Games

Nevermore | The Tabletop Letters

Dear Readers,

Winter seems to have directed all of its wrath to some other dimension.

Earlier this week felt more like May than February. People kept commenting to me that they enjoyed the sunny, warm day and that they wished today was like it.

I try not to complain. When it’s cold and wet outside, I like to enjoy a cup of hot tea and a warm blanket. The only chills I want are from chilling stories. How could I mention chilling stories without mentioning Edgar Allen Poe and his poem The Raven?

This poem inspired the game Nevermore.

In Nevermore it’s important to keep your humanity. Ravens are losers. No, seriously: it’s very hard to win if you’re a raven (though not impossible). This is another game I first played at MACE West 2017.

Here’s the breakdown:

Players: 3–6

Play time: 45–60 minutes

Age: 8+

By: Smirk and Dagger

Now I’ll rate it based off its Accessibility, Mechanics, and Engagement.

Accessibility ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you’ve never heard of Edgar Allen Poe, I suspect you will still enjoy this game and not miss anything. (Though if you haven’t, I highly recommend you take a few moments to read The Raven. His other piece that most people probably recognize is The Telltale Heart).

There are reference cards reminding you of what the different cards allow you to do. Here’s one side of it:

This game could definitely be played without reading or EnChroma glasses. The cards are pretty, though, so EnChroma glasses could make the game more enjoyable. Since there’s not a lot of text and a clean serif font is used, it’s pretty readable. I am mildly dyslexic and it doesn’t take an extreme amount of focus for me.

There is a fair amount of card passing, and there are some small cubes to indicate Health (purple) and Victory Points (yellow). For someone with difficulty holding cards, my guess is that it could be pretty cumbersome even with a cardholder.

Mechanics ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

With two phases each round, this game has a lot of movement. There’s a drafting phase to build your hand and then a resolution phase.

Having the most of certain cards, or particular amounts, lets you use their abilities.

A tile in the middle of the board indicates which way the cards are passed. The cards are passed 3, 2, 1. The raven cards nullify one other card each, but a hand of all ravens has an advantage.

The resolution phase has random tiles indicating card order, which makes strategy a little more challenging.

Light and Shadow Magic cards are gained through Radiance and Ravens. The cards instruct when they are able to be played, and they can throw off the best of plans.

Engagement ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

With the constant motion of this game, it’s very engaging.

Even after you die and lose all Health, you become a raven. You may regain your humanity with some effort and win the game.

Becoming a raven offers abilities that weren’t previously available — “pecking” other players to remove one Health. It’s not without disadvantages, though. Despite being able to still play and having new options, as a raven you are not able to collect some of the bonuses of being human.

In Conclusion: This is a fast-paced game that despite its morose inspiration, is lighthearted and easily accessible.

This game is available on Amazon.com. #NotSponsored

Happy Gaming! Play On!

Originally published at melissaroserogers.com on February 10, 2019.