This game is awesome! I love this awesome game! And while I realize I’m starting to look like someone who falls for every game I meet, calling all my reviews into question, I just want to say that you’re wrong and actually I’m just a pro when it comes to judging a game by its cover.
I, like many, came to know Trevor Benjamin and David Thompson through their Undaunted series and came to Witchcraft! later out of curiosity about the theme difference, a real departure from the WW2 stories. Swapping tanks for tarot cards requires some designer flexibility, and I was curious to see how the game would hold up. Add the design talents of Roger Tankersley and suddenly these three are casting spells instead of shooting shells (sorry).
It’s been a while since I was instantly and consistently caught up with a game. There was no awkward “getting to know you” period, no second-guessing whether we were really compatible. I was into it right away, from the first witch combo to the final card flip. There were no missteps here, no off notes or dull parts or things that I felt were wrong or missing. It’s a seamless design and a satisfying challenge with no wasted moments.
At its core, Witchcraft! challenges players to manage their hand of witch cards ever so delicately. Each witch has a split personality. Her “hidden” side has a sneaky ability and a modest strength number, while her “revealed” side is her magical haymaker, but it comes with the cost of sending her straight to jail. Yes…jail. The whole goal of the base game is to sway 3 jury members into believing in the witches’ innocence, while simultaneously saving the town from evil forces that want to wreak havoc.
The fun twist with the witches is most are part of a “family”, meaning other witches with the same last name can be used to create some cool arcane synergies. It’s exhilarating, until you realize that going all out leaves fewer family members in your deck, because you just sent half of them to jail.
Don’t expect to breeze through the challenges of this game. It is delightfully difficult! Often, your hand won’t have enough power to clear both the mission and its attached challenges all at once. You’ll be forced into agonizing decisions about which sacrifices to make and which witches to keep in reserve. Every “reveal” carries the weight of strategy and survival.
What makes this game sing is its perfect tension. The escalating difficulty keeps you on edge without feeling unfair. It forces tough but meaningful choices.
There’s a fun interplay between short term survival and long term planning. Revealing witches now means fewer opportunities to build powerful combos later. Your deck evolves as the game progresses, but every card draw also risks running out of witches and ending the game. You feel every decision deeply, nodding to the thematic strain of battling dark forces while protecting your fragile coven.
Was my love of this game high passion? No, it wasn’t high passion. I don’t think this was the greatest thing ever made, and I’m still not really sure what was so wonderful about it. I just know that for some reason, I kind of fell in love with it.
Falling in love, like playing a great game, means trusting someone enough to let that person take your hand and then lead you gently, firmly, adoringly right off a cliff- and somehow land right where you need to be. Witchcraft! did exactly that and at the end of the day, that’s all I want. I’d gladly take this plunge again and again.
Andy