- Publisher(s) : Bombyx
- Designer(s) : Bruno Cathala, Charles Chevallier
- Artist(s) : Xavier Colette
- Players : 2–4
- Playing time : 30 - 60 Min
- Weight BGG : 2.32
What's this?
Abyss is a strategy and card game by Bruno Cathala and Charles Chevallier, beautifully illustrated by Xavier Collette. Playable by 2 to 4 players, it plunges you into a struggle for influence to become the king of the depths. Recruit Lords, control Locations, fight Monsters, and amass Influence Points (IP) to win.
How do you play?
🌀 A player’s turn
A tour takes place in three stages in this order:
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Scheming at Court (optional)
The player can spend a pearl to add a Lord to the Court, as many times as they wish (if slots are available). -
Perform an action (mandatory)
The player must choose only one of the following three actions:-
Explore the Depths
It reveals the Exploration cards (Allies or Monsters) one by one. Allies can be bought by opponents (with a price increase for each successive purchase). Otherwise, the active player keeps them or continues exploring.
➕ If a Monster appears, the player can choose to fight it (automatic victory) to obtain rewards (pearls, keys, influence points). If he leaves it, the Threat marker advances. -
Requesting Council Support
The player takes all of a People’s cards from the Council (without looking at them first) to strengthen their hand. -
Recruiting a Lord
The player uses his Allies (and possibly pearls) to pay the cost indicated on a Lord card of the Court. He keeps the lowest value Ally (federated) and discards the others.
⚠️ Some Lords have Powers (immediate or permanent), Keys, and bring Influence Points.
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Controlling a Location (mandatory from 3 Keys)
As soon as a player obtains 3 keys (via Lords or battles), they must take control of a Location. They can choose from those visible or draw several to choose one of them. The Lord (or Lords) used to activate the Location lose their powers.
🏁 End of game
The game ends when a player:
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recruits his 7th Lord , or
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must fill the Court but cannot (empty draw pile).
Each other player takes a final turn. Then:
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We unite the weakest Allies of each People still in control.
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We count the IPs of Lords, Locations, Federated Allies and Monster tokens.
The player with the most IP wins!
🐉 Abyss: Leviathan
Leviathan is the second major expansion for the Abyss game , designed to intensify the experience by introducing a new strategic dimension.
🆕 Mechanical innovations
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The Frontier : Replacing the Threat track, this new area is the setting for battles against Leviathans. These imposing creatures have three defense levels. To defeat them, players must use Allies and succeed on dice rolls.
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Specialized Conscripts and Lords : Each caste benefits from new Lords and Conscripts, experts in border defense. These cards add strategic depth, offering unique abilities to counter the Leviathans.
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Martial Law : A rule limiting players’ hands to 12 Ally cards, increasing tension and forcing more tactical choices. It is possible to spend pearls to hold excess cards.
Is it good?
Abyss has become, over time, a must-have for many players, thanks to its beautiful illustrations , its fluid gameplay and its accessibility .
The game combines hand management , card collection , stop and a bit of memory , especially for the Council cards.
It remains accessible, because each turn, you will only have the choice between three actions : explore the depths to recover allies, take cards from the Council , or recruit a Lord .
The exploration phase, which is based on a stop or encore mechanic, brings a new level of risk-taking to this type of game. It is also interactive , because the revealed cards are first offered to other players before being kept. A subtle and original mechanic .
Special mention goes to the Leviathan expansion , which replaces the base game’s threat track – which was deemed uninteresting – with a Leviathan combat system . Players then face more tense decisions , adding a layer of strategy and danger . On the other hand, this expansion makes the game slightly more complex , which may confuse beginners .
It also introduces new Lords , which greatly increases replayability .
Lords and Places each possess specific powers. It will take several games to master them and refine your strategies.
Finally, the game creates constant tension , as the game ends as soon as a player recruits their seventh Lord . You therefore constantly monitor the progress of your opponents.
In summary , Abyss is an accessible strategic game , with fluid mechanics and a beautiful aesthetic .
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Review Abyss + Léviathan
Positives
- Sublime illustrations
- Stop mechanics or even original and interactive
- Good combination of hand management, collection and risk taking
- Easy to use, suitable for beginners and experienced players alike
- Leviathan expansion that renews the threat track
Negatives
- The universe is visually very strong, but not always felt in the game mechanics
- Nothing really revolutionary in the game
- Leviathan Expansion adds rules and may be confusing for new players
- Can become repetitive without the extension
