Lovecraft Letter puts you in the middle of an H.P. Lovecraft horror story.
You'll be investigating mysteries, reading forbidden books,
and facing horrible creatures from beyond the stars.
To be a bit more truthful,
you'll be outsmarting your opponents, managing your hand of cards, reacting to moves,
and avoiding elimination.
Set the Mi-Go Braincase aside, then shuffle the deck.
Take the top card, and set it off to the side as well.
Deal one card to each player.
Put the deck in the middle, and the Braincase next to it.
Oh, and keep those Sanity Tokens nearby.
Player one will draw another card, then play one of the two cards. The effects are applied.
Sometimes you'll have to choose a card even if it hurts you.
Most of the time, a card will allow you to interact with another player in some way.
If you have played an Insane card, all future cards can use the Sane or Insane effects.
If you've been lucky enough to only play Sane cards, congratulations.
Most of the time, you're going to go Insane. My dad says this is pretty Lovecraftian.
Anyhow, at the start of your turn, you'll need to do a Sanity Check.
Draw a card from the deck for each Insane card in your discard line.
If you passed, draw your second card, and play your turn.
If you drew an Insane card, you've lost your mind, and you are out for the round.
Don't do the effects of cards drawn during Sanity checks.
A round ends when only one player remains.
If the cards were all Sane, (you) get an Elder Sign token. Win two of these, and you win the game.
If the winner was Insane, they get a Cthulhu token.
Win three of these, and you win the game.
Some rounds -- and even games -- can end differently due to the cards.
Otherwise, the game is pretty straightforward.
Draw cards, play ones to hurt your opponents and protect yourself, and win one of the two ways.
That's Lovecraft Letter.
Lovecraft Letter is definitely a weeknight game.
Including set-up and take-down, games will usually be 30 to 40 minutes.
Up to six players can play Lovecraft Letter, and it doesn't take up more space than a typical card game.
There's no board, just a centre deck and your play area.
This is a good game to take with you on trips.
The box says 14 and up. Seriously?
There's a bit of reading, and maybe one or two cards are kinda creepy.
It's not like it's a heavy strategy game. You're just deciding between two cards based on the (abilities).
Even BoardGameGeek users say 12 and up.
I'd say 8 to 10 and up. It depends on the kid.
One card's Insane effect protects you from pretty much everything.
Mom played it, and felt pretty safe.
I was knocked out a few cards later, so it was just her and Dad.
Somehow, he avoided going Insane during checks, and eventually draw deck ran out.
The winner's the player with the higher-numbered card in their hand.
Mom was like, "Bam! Seven!"
Dad nodded quietly, and revealed his Eight.
The Sane and Insane mechanism is so cool.
Those powerful Insane effects are better at knocking out your opponents,
but you risk losing in the Sanity Checks.
I also love how you win the game differently depending on if you're Sane or Insane.
AEG didn't need to make those poker chips and custom sleeves,
and they certainly didn't need to make such amazing art,
but it is appreciated.
The tokens aren't just something nice to look at. They also show how close players are to winning.
This makes later rounds really exciting.
You only need to read the rules once, or maybe if you haven't played in some time.
The double-sided reference cards -- also sleeved -- and the card text cover pretty much everything.
You may need to look up some game-end rules, and some card powers.
Thankfully, the rulebook is easy to use.
Set-up and take-down is maybe three minutes.
Filler games are best when you can jump into the action quickly.
Turns are fast too.
There is a lot of luck.
Plan all you want, but someone's lucky guess, or a card exchange, can end your round quickly.
If you hate even a little bit of luck in games, stay far away.
Lovecraft Letter is an excellent filler game.
I keep repeating myself, but it's fast, easy to learn and play, and lots of fun.
Despite the luck, you'll soon be able to recognize some neat card combos.
Those Investigators are better than they first seem.
If you had asked me after my first couple plays, I would've given it one thumb.
We always play a game at least five times before reviewing.
The more I played Lovecraft Letter, the more I liked it.
Two thumbs.
