Disclaimer: A copy of Curses & Covens was provided by Good Games Publishing for review purposes
There aren’t many One vs. Many games that hit my table. I think the only other one that I’ve talked about on this blog before has been Beast, and that wasn’t exactly a glowing review. But let’s not dwell on the past, lets focus on Curses & Covens, designed by Samara Jethwa and David Walsh, with art by Samara Jethwa, and published by Good Games Publishing (in Canada).
Tiny witch hat included
In Curses & Covens, one player takes on the role of the witch hunter while everyone else scrambles to keep the coven safe. It’s a battle of wits, whispers, and wildly unlucky guesses. The witch hunter wants to capture any five witches, while the townsfolk win if one of them reveals three witches of the same suit in their hand, or by tricking the witch hunter into snagging two ritual cards.
The game starts with the census phase. If someone has no cards, they draw one, then everyone reveals their hands. Totally open information for everyone. If someone reveals 3 cards of the same suit, game over, the villagers win. If one player has two witches matching the spell, they may cast the spell, creating an effect for the round. Then, the town players can communicate. This is the only part of the game where the townsfolk can freely conspire and strategize, but remember that the witch hunter listening to every word. Once the census is completed, everyone picks up their cards and keeps them hidden.
Next comes the arrival phase, the witch hunter observes everyone entering the town. The witch hunter draws a card, looks at it, and hands it to the player on their left. The witch hunter repeats this until everyone has received one card. Now the witch hunter has all the information, while the towns people are left a little in the dark, unsure what new card everyone else got. Once everyone has received one extra card, the starting towns person gets to choose 1 card from their hand and give it face down to another player, ask another player to choose and give them a card from their hand, or, choose one card from your hand, and swap it with the forest card, which is just a face down card set aside at the start of the game.
A ritual card, and a decoy witch
Once all players have taken one travel action, the witch hunter strikes. They take two cards from the town players. If they pull a townsfolk card, they give it to a different town player. If they find a witch, they keep it face up in front of themself, and the player they snagged it from has to discard all their remaining cards to the bottom of the deck. If the witch hunter takes a fake witch card, all the witches they’ve captured up to that point run free and are discarded to the bottom of the deck. If the witch hunter stumbles upon a ritual car, it just goes in front of them. If this is their second ritual card, the townspeople have won the game!
After the hunt, the game goes back to the census phase, where everyone reveals their hands and can freely communicate again. Gameplay follows this loop until one side claims victory!
What Curses & Covens absolutely nails is its unique inversion of the social deduction formula. Instead of mere only breadcrumbs of information to make logical leaps off of, the game thrives on open information and collaboration. This dynamic keeps the tension high and creates moments of genuine suspense, as everyone knows what’s at stake. And then when the hunter’s mental map of the cards starts to slip, the moments turn gold.
Speaking of gold, the production quality of the cards is stunning. The tarot-sized cards are a visual delight, the diverse depictions give the game a refreshingly modern touch. The gold foiling all over the cards makes it feels like you’re playing with a deluxe set, which makes it a joy to bring to the table.
Once you get going, the gameplay is quick. At just 20 minutes, it’s an excellent opener or filler game. The mix of strategy and luck means everyone has a chance to shine, and injecting information after the planning phase can make for some really fun moments. If you were handed the lynch pin of victory, how can you adjust the plan without talking? If you hand someone a card before they take their travel action, will they figure out what you’re trying to do? It has all the great moments of tension like those cooperative trick taking games like The Crew. The moments where the witch hunter flukes a capture or the townsfolk correctly double bluff and transfer a ritual card into the right position to barely pull off a win are deliciously dramatic. The game actually reminded me a lot of Now Boarding, which is a fully cooperative game where new information is injected into the game after the planning phase, during a real time segment. It’s exciting to pivot your plans to the new information, but also, chaotic and stressful.
Curses & Covens isn’t without its struggles. For one, learning the game is weirdly difficult. Not because the mechanics are complex, but because the strategy is opaque. Is it better to cluster witches or spread them out? How do you actively work toward your win condition without giving away too much? No clue. The lack of clear strategic paths made some rounds feel more like flailing than planning.
Another issue is the communication restrictions. Discussing strategy as the townsfolk is both vital and stifling. Every word has to be said in the hunter’s full view, which makes it hard to coordinate without just giving the hunter all the information they need. This isn’t a dealbreaker for me, but it can be frustrating for players who thrive on tactical planning and cooperation.
I generally don’t enjoy social deduction games. Coup and The Resistance are not my cup of tea, the genre as a whole often leaves me cold. But Curses & Covens? It’s different. It captures a unique energy that makes it stand out from the crowd.
Curses & Covens shines as a fast, accessible filler game or a convention experience. It’s the kind of game that ends with players, laughing about the wild guesses, then immediately demand a rematch. There’s a delight in its simplicity and tension that makes it perfect for casual yet competitive groups. I hope Curses & Covens finds a wide audience because it scratches a very specific itch for me. If I’m going to play a hidden movement or deduction game, this is the one I want to play. Gorgeous to look at, deceptively tense, and brimming with memorable moments. And who can resist that tiny witch hat!?
