Cthulhu the Great Old One: Deluxe Edition Review
Information:
Mechanics: Set Collection, Memory
Player Age: 10+ Player Count: 2 - 6 PlayersTime to Play: 15 - 25 Minutes
Game Designer: Dan Kriss
Player Age: 10+
Game Designer: Dan Kriss
Objective:
Throughout Cthulhu the Great Old One you are trying to connect seven stories. This is done by finding pairs of either matching stories or linked stories. If you get The Great Old One in your hand you will lose no matter what points you have. There is a saving grace for this though, if you also have the Cultist in front of you you will instantly win.
Card Anatomy:
Story Cards:
Story cards are the pairs you will be looking for throughout the game. At the top of the card is the title and below that is the name of the linked story card. The two types of pairs you can obtain from these cards are the matched pair which is two of the exact same card, and a linking pair which is a card with the linked card that is shown below the name. A matched pair is worth two points and a linked pair is worth one point at the end of the game.
Horror Cards:
Horror cards can be played during the horror phase of the game and come with different single effects such as swapping a pair or stealing a card from another player. Each played horror card is worth one point at the end of the game.
Sign Cards:
Sign cards can be played at any time to cancel the effect of the currently played horror card.
Great Old One and Cultist Card:
There is one Great Old One card and one Cultist card in the deck. If you have the Great Old One in your hand at the end of the game then you lose. It's that simple so when this card comes out of the deck you want to lose his card to the other players as soon as possible. Certain horror cards can help players pass on the great old one. There is one other opportunity though, if you play the cultist card in front of you in combination with having the Great Old One in your hand then you win the game. These cards add a level of push your luck and tension to the game.
Set up:
- Shuffle the card deck and deal nine cards to each player.
- Turn the top three story cards from the deck into the centre of the table, if these are not stories then keep revealing until you reveal stories and then reshuffle the non-story cards back into the deck.
- Any matched or link cards you start the game with can be played into your area right away.
- The youngest player will start the game.
How to play:
Players will play in turns of four phases until a player has ended the game by creating seven pairs. In any phase on your turn, whenever you have a linked or matching pair in your hand you can play the pair in front of you.
Draw Phase:
The draw phase is simple, the active player draws one card from the top of the deck.
Call Phase:
Choose an opponent and then name a story card, if they have that card they have to pass it over. Otherwise, you choose and take a card randomly from their hand.
Recruit Phase:
In this phase you have two options; swap any story card in your hand with a card in the display area in front of the deck or draw a card from the top of the deck.
Horror Phase:
You can now play any horror or cultist card in front of you. This will have the effect occur immediately. Remember that each horror card is worth one point at the end of the game.
The game will end once a player has seven pairs in front of them. The players will now tally their scores. Two points for each matched pair, one point for each linked pair or horror. The game will also be lost for a player if they have the Great Old One in their hand without the cultist paired.
Final Thoughts:
Pros:
- Great family game.
- More engaging version of the classic card game; ‘Go Fish’.
- Cthulhu changes the dynamic once the card comes into play.
Cons:
- Great family game but could scare younger players with the art.
Cthulhu the Great Old One is a re-imagining of the classic game Go Fish. They have done a great job of elevating the classic game to a fun filler/family-weight game. The Great Old One and Cultist add an interesting change when they emerge from the deck, and the horror cards add an interesting chaotic feel. The one setback that the game has is the art style is a bit dark for some families which may be an issue as this setting is where the game would shine. If you are looking for a step up from Go Fish and the art doesn't bother your family then this is a good addition to your collection.
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