The Mind had been described as many things: An experiment, an experience, a bonding exercise. It is also a vary good board game. The concept is simple, work together to play cards in numerical order. The catch… players are not allowed to communicate anything about their cards to each other.
Things to like: Portable, easy to understand, unique.
Things to dislike: Not much of a theme, needs everyone to concentrate!
Overview of The Mind
| Number of players | 2-4 |
| Game length | 20 minutes |
| Age range | 8+ |
| How long to learn the rules | 5 minutes |
| Component quality | Basic |
What is in the box?
- 100 number cards
- 12 level cards
- 5 life cards
- 3 throwing star cards
How The Mind plays
The basic premise of the mind is stupidly simple. The came consists of 100 cards numbered from 1 to 100. Each player has a hand of cards which is hidden from all other players. Players, in no particular order, play their cards face up in the centre of the table. Cards must however be collectively played in ascending order, so 15 must be played before 32 for instance. The challenge in achieving this goal comes from the fact that you do not know what cards the other players have. If you have the number 42 in your hand, you should play it if you think it is the lowest card among all players, but not if you think someone has something lower.
So you may ask how you determine when you should play each of your cards if you are not allowed to communicate with the other players in any way? The answer is, according to the rules booklet, the secret to the game. Working this secret out as you play will lead to “a really special “Aha!” moment”.
A game of The Mind consists of up to 12 rounds (levels), with each one getting progressively more difficulty. The fist level involves each player only having one card in their hand. Each subsequent round adds one additional card to each hand. If numbers are played out of order (e.g. 15 is players when someone still has the number 15 in their hand, players collectively loose a life. A game is won by all players if level 12 is completed.
You can read the full rules of The Mind here.
Final thoughts on The Mind
The Mind is a fantastic game that often does’t feel like a game at all. For this reason, is a great experience for non-gamers. One great aspect to the game is that the more a group of people play this, the more of a feel they will get for when to play their cards. The experience will therefore change over time. I would definitely recommend The Mind for anyone looking for something a bit different.
Thoughts on The Mind from a non-gamer (my wife)
Coming soon.