The Mind is a seemingly inconspicuous little game. It consists of a deck of 100 numbered cards, and a few other cards. And that is it. So, you would be forgiven for getting a sudden onset migraine when you unfold the dense sheet of rules. But fear not, I am here to help condense it into a more manageable read.
The Mind is a cooperative game where players aim to place all their collective cards in ascending order. Each round sees you having more and more cards and so the difficulty ramps quickly. You win if you successfully beat the last level. For note, I have played this game to death and never once won.
Set Up
Set up for this game is incredibly simple but requires slightly different amounts of cards based on player count. To start, shuffle the number cards and place the deck in reach of all players. Place the level cards in a stack in order with level 1 face up on top, for higher player counts some will be removed. Place the throwing star cards and life cards to one side and then place a number of each by the deck based on the number of players:
- 2 players – all level cards in play, 2 lives and 1 throwing star.
- 3 players – take out levels 11 and 12, start with 3 lives and 1 throwing star.
- 4 players – take out levels 9, 10, 11 and 12, start with 4 lives and 1 throwing star.
Everyone receives 1 card from the number deck and that is it. You are ready to go.
Important Notes
The Mind is a game played with absolutely no player interaction. That means no talking, no strategizing, no counting (it makes sense trust me), no grunts, no moans, no visual clues. Nothing. You can choose how much you want to bend this rule I suppose and it all depends entirely on your fellow players. I have never played a single game where at least one person doesn’t start straining their eyes and nodding slightly trying to encourage me to play a card, only for me to play a card and we lose. The game is supposed to ‘get you in sync’ with other players subconsciously. Communication breaks this immersion.
The Mind is intended to be played with no communication. The only interactions allowed are for specific moments. After you have looked at your cards you are to place your hand on thetable to signify you are ready to play. And you are to raise your hand if you want to use a throwing star. These will both be explained more further on.
You are allowed to talk between turns, but when a new round begins the communication is to cease again.
Playing the Game
The Mind is played simultaneously. This means everyone is playing their cards at the same time. The goal of every round is to collectively play out your cards in ascending order. At the start of the round, everyone draws the amount of cards equivalent to the round number. Round 1 gets everyone 1 card each. Round 10 gets everyone 10 cards each.
When everyone has looked at their cards and placed their hand on the table to signify that they are ready, the round begins. You then all start playing your cards into a pile from lowest to highest. If you have a single digit card you will want to play it pretty quickly for example, and if you have a high numbered card it is usually best to save it for an appropriate time to play. You can also only play cards one at a time. Even if you have a card sequence in hand (such as a 17 and an 18). If that is the case, you have to make sure you are quick to play them!
If someone plays a card that is higher than one in your hand you are to stop the game immediately. The rules state you are allowed to say ‘stop’ at this time. You place your cards down that are lower than that which was played. Everyone else does the same if they were holding cards of lower value. You then loose a single life, refocus, and continue the round. Refocus refers to getting yourself mentally ready and must include placing your hand on the table again to signify you are ready to continue. You are allowed to say ‘stop’ at any point if you feel that you or your team need to refocus.
If your team seem to be in a bit of a stalemate where nobody is playing, or you have started the round with all high cards then you may consider using a throwing star. If you wish to use it, you raise your hand. In order to use it, every other player must agree and raise their hand. If even a single player doesn’t raise their hand, the game continues as it is. When a throwing star is played, every player places their lowest card to the side face up. You can then use this knowledge to help you through the round. You refocus and keep playing. It is important to realise that even having a player raise their hand is valuable information in itself. And in return, it is information worth knowing if someone refuses to raise their hand.
If you have successfully played all your collective cards in order, you win the round. You also win the round if you hobbled your way through after losing a few lives, so long as you have at least one left.
If you have discarded your last life, you lose.
If you successfully completed a level with a depiction of a life card or throwing star card on it then congratulations! You just won the depicted card to add to your supply. You can never have more than 5 lives or 3 throwing stars.
That’s it!
That is all you need to know if you want to play The Mind. It is a simple and deceptive little game that has brought me hours of fun.
If you manage to finish the game and win, then well done! But the game hasn’t quite finished yet. You see, if you complete the levels, then you are only technically halfway through. As at this point, you now start the levels again from 1 keeping your current lives and throwing stars. You now need to play the whole game again but placing the cards facedown in the centre and reveal them all after all cards are played. Any mistakes will lose you a life. I have never reached this part of the game before, but if you do, good luck!
Happy gaming!
