Karmaka

A reincarnation card game where the cards you play can end up in your rival's next life.

Designers: Dave Burke, Eddy Boxerman
Published by: Hemisphere Games
Editions by: FoxGames, Gameland 游戏大陆, Lumberjacks Studio, Chronicle Books

From the creators of Osmos comes a competitive card game about reincarnation. Everyone starts as a lowly dung beetle and climbs the Karmic Ladder, life after life, racing to Transcendence. Each life is one hand of cards, and you juggle three goals at once: score enough points to keep climbing, stash good cards for your Future Life, which becomes your opening hand next time, and play cards for their abilities to help yourself or hinder others. The catch is the title: after you play a card for its power, a rival may snap it into their own Future Life. What goes around comes around. Expect clever combos, sly take-that moments and about an hour of cosmic scheming.

Climb the Karmic Ladder from dung beetle upwardStash cards for your Future LifeRivals may claim the cards you play

Who it's for

You like tactical card games with combos and take-that and enjoy a theme that is a bit unusual.

Not for you if…

You want a calm card game. The take-that and the constant weighing of cards can feel mean.

Vibe's take

Clever, mean and a bit mystical. Every play helps you now and may hand a rival a gift for later, so you are always weighing both.