- Publisher(s) : Repos Production
- Designer(s) : Yohan Goh, Hope S. Hwang, Gary Kim
- Artist(s) : Davide Tosello
- Players : 2–4
- Playing time : 25 Min
- Weight BGG : 1.67
What's this?
Carnuta is a competitive card game in which players take on the roles of druids participating in a sacred ceremony. Their goal: to create the most powerful potion by skillfully combining different ingredients. Each card played enriches your concoction and earns points based on the combinations made between ingredients.
The core of the game lies in a system of collection and optimization: it’s not enough to simply accumulate cards, you must also build effective combinations to maximize your score.
How do you play?
A game of Carnuta is played in a series of turns, in a clockwise direction. On your turn, you must perform 2 actions from the 4 available, in the order of your choice (and you can repeat the same action).
🔹 The 4 possible actions
1. Take a card.
You choose one card from the 8 visible in the center of the table (Day or Night), then immediately replace it. There is no limit to the number of cards you can draw during the round, but you must reduce your hand to a maximum of 3 cards at the end of the round.
2. Take runes.
You fill the empty spaces on your board with runes (Sun or Moon). Note: you can only take one type of rune per action.
3. Play a card.
You play a card from your hand in front of you by paying its cost in runes (turning them face up or discarding them).
The cards are arranged in columns by ingredient type, which will influence your final score. Some cards have special effects (like wild cards or double ingredients).
4. Flipping Runes
You can standardize your runes by flipping them so that only Suns or only Moons are visible, making it easier to pay future costs.
🔸 Important elements of the tour
- The Sickles : usable at any time to completely renew the visible cards (Day or Night).
- Hand limit : 3 cards maximum at the end of the round.
- Progression : your counter advances according to the number of cards played and can unlock bonuses (additional spaces or bonus ingredients).
🏁 End of game
The game ends as soon as a player plays their 11th card .
The current round is completed, then a final full round is played.
Next, the players count their points based on the ingredient combinations they created. The one with the highest score wins the game.
Is it good?
Carnuta shines in several aspects. Firstly, its double-sided rune management system requires real planning: you have to optimize their use by trying to maximize the switches between the Sun side and the Moon side in order to save as many actions as possible.
Building its point system using ingredients is particularly satisfying and works very well. You’ll accumulate raw points, but also points in batches or combinations, which creates real dilemmas in your choices.
All these mechanics are fluid and elegant, without any unnecessary rules: here, the focus is on the essentials to make the game as accessible as possible. Another great idea is that the players dictate the pace of the game: as soon as a player plays their 11th card, the end is triggered. This encourages players to carefully monitor their opponents’ moves.
The plastic runes are particularly pleasant to handle, and the whole set is supported by quality components and attractive illustrations. In terms of value for money, the game clearly delivers.
There is, of course, a certain reliance on drawing cards, especially when good combinations are slow to appear. However, the game encourages us to adapt and be opportunistic. Furthermore, its accessibility, which is a real strength, can also give the impression of limited strategic depth, with games sometimes feeling repetitive.
But none of this spoils the fun. Carnuta is a clever and fast-paced combo-based card game that relies on optimizing actions and ingredient combinations to maximize points, all supported by an effective rune system. Accessible and fluid, it offers interesting tactical choices, despite limited long-term depth.
A big thank you to my online partner store, Espritjeu. To discover their catalog, I invite you to visit their website:
Carnuta review
Positives
- Simple and accessible rules
- Fast and dynamic laps
- Effective dual-action system
- The original double-sided rune mechanic
- Satisfactory combo building
- Short parts
Negatives
- Card-drawing addiction
- Limited interaction between players
- Moderate strategic depth
- Can become repetitive in the long run
