This is a preview for Logic and Lore designed by my friends Darren and Jason at Durdle Games. It was originally a game known as Constelle, but it will now fit into the same universe as Fertessa Allyse's Wicked and Wise and will be published by Weird Giraffe Games. I recently played a prototype copy and also taught the game to a few different people. It will be hitting crowdfunding in early 2024.
The game is a competitive deduction game for two players. Players attempt to match their number cards with the correct placement. Each player is limited in the questions they can ask, and once they receive a positive response on their turn, the turn ends. There are two modes to the game "Star Light" and "Star Bright." Star Bright is the harder mode and tends to take a little bit longer to play. The game will also have reminder tokens which can be used by each player to remind them in whatever way they choose.
We found the easier version of the game to be quick and games would last about 10-20 minutes, depending on how many cards had an initial, random placement that lined them up correctly. In the harder version of the game, we found games to sometimes go closer to 30 minutes, depending on the randomness of the initial setup relative to the cards' correct positions.
One of the interesting changes to the game was the addition of black hole cards. These cards are meaningless and belong nowhere, except to obfuscate the solution. Instead of just having cards that have a place, these cards make the answer to your question less precise by adding meaningless information. I'm not sure everyone will like playing with these, but fans of deduction will enjoy them as it adds to the challenge.
One of the problems we had in the early version of the unfinished game was some language in the rulebook and also helping new players remember the symbols in Star Bright. In the final version, I'm sure this will largely be a non-issue but it may be another layer of frustration for those who are new to deduction. The biggest example of this was two star symbols which were the same shape, but which had different parts filled in with a white background.
Overall, the game is a light, joy filled exploration of deduction which will appeal to those with a sense of curiosity. The artwork is a nice touch on a game many will find appealing for a two player game that won't require a ton of reference to the rules. There is enough randomness that the whole thing isn't just about skill either. The different modes of playing also give players enough mental room to enjoy their time without having to play the exact same game every time. I found myself wanting to play different modes depending one how tired I was myself, and yet the game itself never outstayed its welcome despite about twenty total plays.
I would recommend this game for families, couples, and friends looking for a light to medium introduction to logic puzzle games. The familiarity of the concepts will be good for gamers and non-gamers alike and I see this becoming a staple of many game collections. It won't be for those who prefer zero randomness in their logic puzzles, but for those who don't mind it will maintain its luminosity.
Logic and Lore
Designed by Darren Reckner and Jason Hager
Artwork by Jason Hager
Published by Weird Giraffe Games
Teaching 9/10
Aesthetics 9/10
Strategy 7.5/10
Gameplay 8/10
2 Players
15-25 Minutes