Board game review of Obscurians: The latest hit from the deduction experts at Funtails

The Eitorfer Verlag fun tails When it comes to deduction games, no other publisher can compete withr. In addition to the excellent Feed the Kraken from our own studio and the localization of Blood on the Clocktower, Obscurians has also been available since SPIEL 2024. What's special about this game is that you can deceive your fellow players without telling a single lie—you don't even have to talk to each other. We plunged into the market hustle and bustle on the distant desert planet.

Players take on the role of the eponymous Obscurians. They are traders in a shadowy bazaar on a distant desert planet. Each has their own mysterious client who wants to own a specific combination of the goods traded at the bazaar. If you act too aggressively, the other Obscurians will realize your plans and try to thwart them. If you take too much time, you might be caught off guard by a sandstorm, forcing the bazaar to close and scoring your victory points.

Simple dice mechanism

At the beginning of each round, a round card is revealed, which usually influences the dice roll in some way. These dice – called minions – are used by the players to perform their actions. You can steal, gift, trade, secure, or transfer goods, all of which start with 10 in your own color, from one opposing Obscurian to another.

Once you've rolled all the henchmen, you must choose exactly one action type. You must then perform this action the number of times you rolled it. If you don't like the result, you can reroll any number of henchmen by discarding a suspicion chip. However, the "normal" use of these chips is at the beginning of your turn. If you think you've identified an Obscurian's role, you can place the corresponding suspicion chip in front of that Obscurian.

After everyone has had a turn, the next round begins. The player who starts the new round is determined by the magic lamp. This also counts as a commodity and can be traded like any other commodity. It's generally better to take your turn later in the round, as you simply see more of the other Obscurians' actions.

Sandstorm = End

As soon as the Sandstorm card is revealed at the beginning of a round, the game ends immediately. The Sandstorm is one of the last three cards in the seven-card round deck. The person with the magic lamp receives 5 points as compensation for the starting player's disadvantage.

When evaluating the suspicion chips, we look at who correctly guessed the roles of the other Obscurians. Regardless of how many chips were previously placed, the person who made the first correct guess receives 10 points, the second receives 5, and the third receives 2. If an Obscurian manages to unmask all the others, they receive an additional 8 points. If a player manages to conceal their role from the others, they also receive 8 points. After the points for their own mission have been calculated, the Obscurian with the most points (almost always) wins. If the "loser" role has collected the fewest points, they win.

Information about Obscurians

Conclusion

Obscurians has achieved something I haven't felt with a game in a long time: it's different, new, and not really comparable to other games. The mix of the super-simple dice mechanism for action, the deduction of the other roles, and the uncertainty of the variable playing time due to the sandstorm have absolute addictive potential.

The six roles are well-balanced. There's no role that can't be played like at least one of the others to throw the other Obscurians off the scent. However, you always have to keep the sandstorm in mind, otherwise you could find yourself in a bad position after what might already be the final fourth round.
The "Loser" role is particularly special, as everything is different here. Through the three small sub-quests, this role aims to lower its own score in order to have the fewest points at the end of the game. Bonus points for "Master of Disguise" or the Magic Lamp only get in the way. The main goal is to ensure that the other Obscurians score high points for their role, making it easier to have the fewest points.

The suspicion chips work very well in their dual role. The points for correct suspicions are important, but the lack of options due to very bad henchmen can make it worthwhile to forgo a suspicion.
When it comes to suspicions, there are many ways to confuse and deceive the other Obscurians.

The great gameplay experience comes without a large set of rules and can be explained in a matter of minutes even by casual players. The instructions are, as is typical for funtails, kept to a minimum without compromising comprehensibility.

The game moves along super fast. There's no major downtime, and even if the others spend a little longer pondering their henchmen, you can still glean some information from it. With four players, we found it a bit more difficult to recognize the other players' roles during games, as you never know which two roles are currently out of play. Unmasking the others was a bit easier with a full complement, even though the general chaos increased due to more actions between your turns.

The materials in the base edition are solid; however, the deluxe edition with the poker chips is significantly more impressive. I would definitely pay the extra for this one, as the tactile feel has a very positive effect when trading items. Visually, the game is stunning, regardless of the version.

Obscurians is the kind of game that's simply too rare. A game that's truly "different" and has a unique feel. Fun and variety never fall short, and it remains accessible enough that even those under the recommended age can join in. I hope the game is considered for this year's Game of the Year nomination.

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Price22,90

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