Deckula - a solo card game

A solo card game of decadence, death, and dreary decorating

Buy a copy

After a century of slumber, you awaken to discover your castle in a disgraceful state. This will not do! Vampires are, after all, connoisseurs of the very best that (un)life has to offer... Renovate the most imposing rooms of your lair! Fill the halls with ghoulish servants! Drink a fine wine, pose dramatically on the highest tower, and write dreadful poetry! But beware the curious and bold locals that might wander by - perhaps you can invite them in...for a drink?

Deckula! is a darkly-comic card game of high stakes (sorry) where you try to balance a decadent lifestyle with fending off aspiring vampire hunters and looters. It's quick and easy-to-play, with scalable difficulty and a small footprint.

"A great gift item for a light solo gaming present, especially for those new to the hobby. Wonderful and thematic art." -Geek Gamers

"Really delightful...very very clever and very very easy to play...a breath of fresh air" -Beyond Solitaire

"I've been enjoying the game a lot - the artwork and design are spectacular, and I enjoy the gamble of energy management" -One Player

"Delightfully macabre...look at how adorably wretched these guys are!"

"Smart, unforgiving gameplay of basically travelling through a deck, creating your own nightmare"

"Deckula gets HUGE bonus points for just how great its aesthetic is"

"A lot of interesting choices to make...each game plays a little differently"

"Crazy good art and atmosphere"

"The art is unique, the card synergies varied and fun. It just oozes a super cool vibe, and it is easy to learn and quick to play."

"Delightfully weird art style...I love it!"

"It is at the same time sinister, seductive and humorous, like a 1000-year old vampire who's had one too many glasses of the finest vintage"

"Fantastic subtle sense of humor and artstyle"

"Super fast gameplay"

"An incredibly playable experience"

"Tells a different story every time"

"Sometimes humorous/sometimes fiendish card combinations, and a devilishly fun theme"

"Deckula is full of such unique and interesting art and strategy"

"Behold my lavish ballroom, and read my indulgent memoir! Really, come right in, I always have time for visitors..."

"Wow! I love it! The simple gameplay, no hands, hilarious card interactions! More of it!!!"

GAMEPLAY

The objective of the game is to make it to the end of the deck without getting killed by any visitors to the castle. Each turn, you have a simple decision to make - draw a card and decide whether to buy it (adding it to your tableau) or discard it (gaining energy points to purchase future cards). Many cards are worth victory points and most of them feature a variety of tricky effects you can use to defend yourself and manipulate the flow of play. The visitor cards are the exception - they'll instantly enter a 'threat area' and have a couple of nasty effects that can affect your score or even destroy you, if you're not careful. The challenge is playing as many high-scoring cards as possible while still keeping the negative effects of the visitors under control.The game ends when you make it to the end of the deck - winning the game and scoring your cards - or when a visitor or other card effect causes you to lose.

In the 2021 Solitaire Print & Play Contest, the demo version of Deckula! won:1st place in Best Use of Theme2nd place in Best Graphic Design2nd place in Best New Solo DesignerThis new version of Deckula! features a complete graphical overhaul, rewritten cards, rules balancing, clarity, and lots of devious new effects inspired by the feedback from players of the PnP version.

VIDEOS

REVIEWS

Suzabella

This is my type of perfect game! Easy decisions, plays fast, interesting artwork, well written directions. A YouTube video also confirmed the directions which were very understandable. All I can say is, “Please make more! “ <3

Dollhead

It is a game, yes, (an intricately crafted one) but it’s really ‘you-the-player’ and ‘it-the-game’ together running through an interactive story; It’s a vampire RPG, expressed in 2nd person, through the medium of a solo card game. Infinitely charming.

millercrap@aol.com

Many other reviewers here have made great comments! Check out BGG for any questions and you will also see a variant I uploaded for the Mystery Guest card. Deckula will travel with me for certain!

Bigfifty

Enjoyable, but a bit luck based. If you did get frustrated but there's nothing you can do because of a bad draw, it's not the game for you. But it takes so little time to set up for playing, that bad luck doesn't really hurt too much.

Kingwooj

This game packs a lot into its tiny box. Highly evocative art helps transport you into the mind of a slightly vampire and the gameplay and short playtime lend themselves perfectly to 'one more game' type playing. If you enjoy solitaire games, this one is a gothic gem.

pdnoona

Super fun solo card game that has wonderfully dark graphics and theme but with strong dose of humor. Quick and easy to play and doesn't take too much table space. Not sure on replay over long term as there are a limited number of cards.

LeeroyumJenkins@gmail.com

Deckula has a fun theme and great art, can't wait for more from Dr. Mindflip games. There is some strategy in which cards to buy and card counting although your success is also determined by the order of cards you draw.

kthurein@gmail.com

I've played the BGG solitaire contest edition of this game before and fell in love with this gem. This edition is definitely a great refinement to the game.

curldmc@gmail.com

Its a fun little solo game. It's easy to play and quick so i can fire off a couple games at lunch. Love it.

Sutton

This was one of those 'late-night-I'm-bored-I-want-it-but-don't-need-it' purchases. And I'm so glad I did. This should be in every store that sells games. It's nifty, neat, well thought out and fun. I just played my first two games and I'm hooked. My first game I lost, right on the last card drawn. My second play through I got 3 points. This game will take a while to master, because it's about knowing the cards and remembering what you've discarded and what will come next. There is a luck element, but there is a strategic planning element to it as well. Buy it. Put on some music. Sit down and get frustrated as these pesky bloody villagers keep showing up at your door! Laugh as you kill them off or set them up into traps. Get frustrated again as they escape. Life as a lifeless vampire is hard.

BUY DECKULA!

physical copy

Full-colour 320gsm black core card stock with subtle surface texturing

print & play

Digital copy of print files for crafty creatures who want to create their own copy of Deckula!

Community

Come and chat about Deckula! on Board Game Geek

created by

Dr. Mindflip
Game designer, sound artist, and synth scientist

The Spooky King
Illustrator, comic artist, and king of the spook

contact

The best way to chat to the designer and other players is on the Deckula forum at Board Game Geek - if you'd still like to send an email use the form below.

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