Miami Dice: The Mind

Tom, Sam, and Zee take a look at the newest card game rage that seems to be taking the hobby by storm...designed by Wolfgang Warsch, to be distributed by Pandasaurus Games...The Mind.

00:00 - Introduction
02:03 - Game overview
05:53 - Final thoughts

[billconlin]

The Mind would make a perfect TV Game Show where a team of players play for a jackpot. And if they don't win, they add $5000 more to the jackpot and it keeps getting bigger and bigger. I would watch the show.

[lost.transmissions-v]

"downtime is a mechanism in this game". 10/10. Sam nailed it.

[dedcove]

Got this for my bday and just played for the first time today and thought it was fantastic. It's great for people who don't play games because the rules are light. And we definitely felt like we were getting more in synch and better level by level. We enjoyed it a lot.

[Sajatzsiraf]

Sam, I will gift you a "Yes, I have played The Mind" t-shirt for conventions if you promise to wear it... :D

[bgm-]

I prefer the communication rule that Marco describes in his review video. That is, that there is simply NO communication WHATSOEVER. No voice, no body language, no noises, no signals. Nothing. And I agree that's the only way it should be played.
But despite, the group will eventually figure out how to communicate, even when abiding by the above rule. That's when this game shines.

[msmilder]

The main issue Tom seems to have is that it's an activity. What he used to describe that, can be used to describe, literally, every party game ever. The Mind is in essence a combination of card game and party game. If you don't like card game or party games...you will hate this game, but if you like one or both, this will be a gem. I do agree, the quality level of the game isn't quite to the hype-level, I get that. But that's not the fault of the game. On the other hand, this is one of the cheapest games I own, at least I don't feel like a blew $70 on a big-box board game that was way over-hyped and ended up not really liking it much.

[zed_boson]

I'm surprised they didn't mention The Game as a comparison. It's a very similar mechanism.

[jeremyoverton]

This is an amazing game and an incredible design. What’s so good about it (that wasn’t mentioned by the DT guys at all) is that like Hanabi the gameplay is emergent, in that the ‘communication’ between the players evolves during the game and subsequent games . This means that the game can play very different with different groups. It also means that groups can improve at the game, but in different ways.

I love it. It’s not for everyone, but I’ve played it with many more people who have loved the game too than not. Most groups have instantly gone and bought a copy after playing it.

[Miravek]

it is nice to see a review that agrees with me on this. I can't see why people like The Mind. Having watched it on BGG, it looks like a quasi-interesting activity but it's not a game. It looks like it gets old quite quickly. Hard pass.

[LeeTrifone]

I really appreciate how frank Sam was on his opinion of this game. Some people will like this game, some people won't. If your perspective on this type of game leans the same way as Sam's, watching this video will save you some money. If you're like Zee, you'll have a new game to teach. It's not about "getting it"; it's all about what you enjoy in your gaming experience.

[otterbot]

This went over HUGE with my family. Constant laughter. It's original, elegant, charming, and engaging enough to be worthy of an SdJ nomination. There's zero downtime if you're studying how people play and tune in to the vibe of the table. Is it for everyone? Perhaps not. For us it was cooperative anxiousness, in a good way. When it clicks with a group it serves the best outcomes of gaming—good memories and enjoying the people around the table.

[BassForever]

This is like an old drama warm up/bonding exercise we used to do. Everyone stood in a circle holding hands, stare at a spot on the floor, then you randomly say numbers in sequential order from 1 to whatever resetting if multiple people say the same number at the same time.

The mind seems like someone took that idea and made a game around it. Looking forward to getting it for my family since it seems like a very easy game to pick up.

[centuryspicysalsa]

17:41 "Have you played THE MIND yet?" #1 quote by Sam Healey.

[flyingpenguin]

I've always thought of a game as a voluntary activity with a set of rules defining unnecessary obstacles that have to be overcome in order to reach a goal. In my mind, The Mind definitely qualifies as a game, so I'd be interested to hear the definition of "game" from someone who doesn't think The Mind is one.

[adamgough]

You can’t really “game” The Mind by sacrificing a life, as playing your cards in order is a hard and fast rule. You may as well say you can “game” Hanabi by holding your hand of cards the other way round. :)

I think your view of the game has been hugely affected by your irritation at being asked about it so much. I had no knowledge of it when I first enountered it and I absolutely love the concept, and have never had anything but a great time playing.

Your patronizing laughs every time Zee brought up a positive about the game are the reason I thumbed-down the video. I get that you don’t enjoy it that much, but you not liking a game doesn’t automatically mean that it’s crap.

[SWholley]

Exactly the way I feel about this one, it's almost as if you read my mind. Tons of hype, wouldn't mind getting a copy for my family, but I don't think this one will get much play in my group. We prefer to play games over the activities.

[loneXolf]

Seems like my type of party game. Not many people like the don't talk rule however, and there doesn't seem much clues to go off of unless you go meta.

[d.b.]

It felt like "Hanabi the Party Game" to me. Very fun filler with the right group and in the right mood.

[Renzuo]

Played the Mind today with 3 other fellow gamers. If you havent played it I seriously recommend you do before commenting on whether it's good or bad. Like many I read the rules and wasn't very impressed, and then I played it and it was truly a unique experience. We had genuine moments of tension and laughs and ended up playing it 5 times in a row! A Great filler between heavier games, and one I'm adding to my personal collection.

[MichaelFischer-capovonderband]

You have to play your lowest card. You can't just play the 99 to loose a life when you have other cards.