Beautifully illustrated card drafting game for two-players that will make you long for spring time and wild butterflies that roam the wilderness.
| Fluttering Souls (2019) | |||||
| Designer(s) | Joel Lewis | Artist(s) | Dejana Louise Watson | Publisher |
Good Games Publishing |
 |
2 players |  |
14+ |  |
20m+ |
Fluttering Souls is a beautifully illustrated two player card drafting game that is nice game to pull out from time to time when you have down time or when you just want something calming to pass the time. This game is based off of the Japanese legend of "The White Butterfly" which is a heartfelt story about a merchant named Takahama, who had fallen in love with a woman named Akiko. They were engaged, but tragically Akiko passed away before they could wed. Takahama was so heartbroken that he quit his merchant job and began taking care of the cemetery where Akiko was buried at. For 50 years, he would visit her grave every day and take a single red rose. Unfortunately, as Takahama aged, his health began to decline, and he had become bedridden. His sister and niece came to care for him until his last moments, and a pure white butterfly was near by and wouldn't leave him. As Takahama took his final breath, the pure white butterfly flew to Akiko's grave and disappeared, and legend has it that it was Akiko visiting Takahama since he couldn't visit her any longer and waited until her true love could join her again.
Box and Components
The box is made of sturdy cardboard that doesn't have much give. It has a cardboard divider insert that you can separate the cards into their respective decks. The cards are made with a glossy cardstock with a slight give to the material. As I previously stated, there are two types of cards:
- Layout cards that have 15 different varieties of how you can lay the cards out in multiple games
- 21 butterfly cards that are broken down as: 8 eighty-eight butterfly, 6 blue morpho butterfly, 4 Monarch butterfly, 4 Swallowtail butterfly, 1 Great Eggfly.
The game also comes with 5 white wooden butterfly tokens that are used to track the score during the game.
Mechanics
The game is played over 3-5 rounds. The player that wins each round is awarded 1 white wooden butterfly token; the first player to collect 3 white wooden butterfly tokens wins the game.
To set up the game, you shuffle the layout cards and draw one of them. This is how you will set up the butterfly cards for this round. The card faces that are white represent cards that will be face up and the black cards will be face down. This set up is similar in style to 7 Wonders Duel, if you are at all familiar with that game.
You then shuffle the butter fly cards and lay them in the formation demonstrated on the layout card. The leftover butterfly cards will remain hidden and set aside for this round.
First player is whomever has the most colorful clothing on (selected at random via your favorite method). The second player, however, will receive the Great Eggfly card, this card can be used in the game to block your opponent from taking an "expensive card" from the layout. However, your opponent can then take the Great Eggfly card on their turn and use it in a future turn to block you as well. So use it wisely. The Great Eggfly doesn't get reward you points at the end of the round, but it can be used as a tie breaker if both players receive the same number of points in that particular round. The player with the Great Eggfly will win.
On your turn, you will select a card that is face up and open (no other cards laying across it) and add it in your play area. If you uncovered a face down card, you will then flip it face up. If you have the Great Eggfly, you can decide if you would like to place it over the face up cards or end your turn.
Play continues to the next player.
Play will follow these steps until the end the round, where all cards will be collected from the middle of the table and points will calculated. Each speciality butterfly has particular values based on how many cards of each type are in your collection.
3x Blue Morpho= 4 points- 2x Eighty-Eight= 3 points
- 2x Swallowtail= 0 points, however this pair may be used as a SINGLE wild card to add to another set. Cannot be used as a Great Eggfly.
- 1x Swallowtail= 2 points
- 4x Monarch= 8 points
- 3x Monarch= 5 points
- 2x Monarch= 2 points
- Great Eggfly= 0 points, however holder wins ties
Whomever has the most points wins the round and will receive one of the white wooden butterfly tokens.
The consecutive rounds, the starting player will be decided by the player that had lost the previous round, and they will decide if they want to be first player or second player. Whomever is second player will receive the Great Eggfly card. The first player that receives 3 white wood butterfly tokens wins the game and reunited with the soul of their loved one.
Final Thoughts
This game is such a simple game to pick up and start playing. The rulebook is straight forward and provides the rules in great detail. The artwork from the cards are beautiful. The cards themselves give you all the information you really need to score at the end of the round; however it is nice to double check yourself in the rulebook. I like that the game comes with 15 different layout cards so you shouldn't play the same game that often. This game will definitely be added to my line up of games to have on hand to play in between other games when we are able to play again with our local gaming groups and friends.
I really enjoyed reading the Legend of the White Butterfly, it added a little more to the game and made me tear up a little thinking of those that have passed on that I wish I could visit. It is a very heartfelt message that I think a number of people would appreciate especially with everything going on in the world today. Be sure to try this game out and connect with your spring time friends and maybe you'll be visited by the White Butterfly.
Links/Media
Fluttering Souls Board Game Geek Page
Disclosure
We received the product in order to write an honest review; all reviews reflect the honest opinions of the writer.
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