Preview: Septenarius

This week we have a look at a beautiful game. Septenarius by Patrick Kelleher. This is a set collection game that Rummy lovers and mythic creature lovers will agree on. The art is stunning and the game play unique. I was able to sit down with my wonderful wife Mary and play Septenarius.

The game is filled with cards depicting various mythic creatures that have been skillfully illustrated. The focus of this game is to create melds or sets. There are wild cards that can also be used to create the melds. If you create a meld without wild cards you earn more points at the end of the hand. Melds can consist of 3 or more of the same creature the more cards you have on the table the more points you score.

There are some big point cards in the deck. If you are able to collect all 5 of the black imps it will be worth some big points. If you form a Septenarius ( 7 card Meld) you get bonus points. There are also 2 Moth cards that will give you a boost on the score card. Each creature card comes in various border colors and points are assigned to each color anywhere between 5 and 100. Dont worry there are only 5 tiers of points there. The points seemed like a lot at first but after playing the 2nd hand we were experts at adding it all up. As you progress through the game it gets harder to set down your meld. There is a minimum value for the first meld(s) of the hand. You can only play your fist meld(s) if you meet that minimum score.

You wont find a more beautiful set collection game than Septenarius

For those who enjoy set collection games and beautiful mythic creatures this is the game for you! Patrick has done a really great job designing beautiful cards for this game. The game seems complex at first but the learning curve is very short and you will be scoring without the player aid before you know it. Check out the kickstarter that goes live on October 5th. You wont find a more beautiful set collection game than Septenarius.

Designed by: Patrick Kelleher

Players: 1-8

Published by: Kelleher Games

Year Published: 2021

Recommended Ages: 8+

Time to Play: 60-120 minutes

We were provided a sample copy of this game to try out not a retail copy, things may vary slightly from the final version. This is not a paid preview and all copies of the game have been returned to the publisher after our review.