Designers: Blazej Augustynek, Hubert Kubit

Artist: Barbara Wiszynska (Alakazoo, The Valley of Alchemists)

Publisher: CreativeMaker LLC (Alakazoo, The Valley of Alchemists)

Genre/Mechanisms: 2 players, card drafting, card game, deck/bag/pool building, deduction, hand management

Funding Status: At the time of this posting, Clash of Minds: Holmes vs Moriarty is already fully-funded. In fact, pledges currently total more than 3x the initial funding goal with 1 day left to go on the campaign.

Player Count: 2

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: medium-high

What It’s About:  A two-player card game where Holmes faces off against Moriarty, and the two have 12 hours to compete against each other to solve (or commit) the crime of the century.

How It Works:  Gameplay is divided into rounds called Stages of Investigation, with each round consisting of 3 phases: Start of the Investigation, Course of the Investigation, and Summary of the Investigation.

During Start, players reveal the top card from the Investigation Site Deck and incorporate its effect as well as any additional hours added to the clock. Moriarty & Holmes each draw cards from their Influence Decks until they have 5 cards in hand. Starting with the first player, Moriarty & Holmes then take turns placing Influence Cards face down in any chosen Crime Thread until each of them has placed 3 cards. Then all cards are simultaneously revealed, and both players draw 3 cards from their Influence Decks, back up to 5 in hand.

During Course, players begin by turning all previously used Action Cards back to their face-up, active side. Players then take turns using their Action Cards and resolving their effects, turning each Action Card face down as it’s used. Each player must continue until they’ve played the mandatory Action Card putting one Influence Card into play. Optional Action Cards that may or may not get played depending on the individual player include: Draw One Influence Card, Use One Influence Card, and Add One Support Card.

During Summary, the players sum up the Influence Value in each Crime Thread. If Holmes has an advantage of 1 or 2, he’ll put a Deduction Token on the Crime Plan Card, or if one has already been placed there, he’ll reveal the Card and immediately resolve its effect. If Holmes has an advantage of 3 or more, he’ll reveal the Card and immediately resolve its effect. If Moriarty has an advantage of 1 or 2, one hour is added to the clock. If Moriarty has an advantage of 3 or more, two hours are added to the clock.

At the end of any given round, if the Clock Tower Card shows 12 or later and at least one Crime Plan Card has not been removed, Moriarty wins the game. If all Crime Plan Cards have been revealed before the clock has reached 12, Holmes wins. Otherwise, a new round begins. Unless the last Crime Plan Card has been revealed AND the Clock Tower Card shows 12 or later, in which case the game results in a draw.

Comparisons:   Clash of Minds: Holmes vs Moriarty plays a bit like a 2 person war game, and reminds one a bit of A Few Acres of Snow and Twilight Struggle. But with its primary focus on card play and deduction, a few other 2 player card games include Battle Line, Hanamikoji, Jaipur, and Mr. Jack. And if you’re just looking for the Sherlock Holmes theme, there’s always the Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective series.

What Should I Pledge?:
$20 Society Edition: the game with all unlocked stretch goals.
$55 Royal Edition: the Society Edition pledge, plus the Metal Set, Tablecloth and Wooden Influence Tokens, Card Sleeves, Art Book, and the Wooden Box with Flocking Tray.

Add-Ons:
$15 Metal Set: includes a Metal Clock, 8 metal Distraction Tokens, and 3 metal Deduction Tokens.
$19 Tablecloth & 3 Wooden Influence Tokens
$15 Art Book

KS Exclusives:
The Wooden Box for all components and the Flocking Tray.

All-In Total: In the continental U.S., you’re looking at $55 for the Royal Edition and $14 in shipping for a total of $69.

Clash of Minds: Holmes vs Moriarty completes its Kickstarter on Thursday, November 21st and tentatively ships in August 2020.