Into the King’s Tomb and Endless Treasures with Crypt

Aug 27, 2024 | Sessions | 0 comments

Collect the best treasures from the king’s tomb as a rather tiresome and greedy heir focused on making a profit with Crypt.

Stealing treasures from a tomb might seem like an odd sort of theme, yet I always have a little laugh over Crypt because the heirs are all so terrible! The artwork is rather comical in a sense, and the mechanics offer up an interesting challenge to collect the best treasures without knowing what each one might be… Onward to the king’s resting place!

Game Overview

Game Name: Crypt
Publication Year:
 2018
Designers:
 Jeff Chin and Andrew Nerger
Artist:
 Jeff Chin
Publisher: Road To Infamy Games
Solo Mode:
 Included in the Base Game

A trio of treasures is on offer each round, with 2 of 3 fully known. Dice are placed to bid on the effort to collect each one, which can be risky when they may become exhausted. Collectors provide additional ways to score, along with unique abilities to make the treasure-hunting even better!

Heir to the Throne and on a Mission to Pillage in Crypt
R

First Play

April 25, 2019

Complexity

2

Latest Play

August 25, 2024

Expansions

0

Setup Time

Almost None

Lifetime Plays

38

Play Time

5 Minutes

:

High Score

55

1

Game Area

16" x 16"

;

Low Score

25

Visiting the Rooms

Gameplay is centered around sending servants deep into the tomb to collect treasures. Many of these are face-up and known, but there is always an unknown chamber.

The type of treasure is known, so this can be a very fun push-your-luck mechanic of possibly picking up a rare and more valuable treasure. Lots of cool deductions!

A solo opponent blocks some treasures, or makes them very difficult to pick up without exhausting any dice.

It’s all very quick and seemingly simple, yet scoring well against the king’s ghost is anything but easy!

Figuring Out What Treasures to Try to Collect in Crypt

Collectors Galore

All of the treasure types correspond with different collectors. These double-sided cards provide some nice variety in the overall goals and value of the treasures.

Some offer abilities, while others can provide a very powerful boost in victory points with the right collection.

Randomizing these during setup changes gameplay just enough to keep everything interesting. Finding the right assortment of treasure is a very fun little challenge!

Alas, some of these collectors never seem to pan out for me… They clearly know not to trust a suspicious heir. Ha!

Making Decisions Based on the Treasure Values and Abilities from the Collectors in Crypt

A Toast to Treasure

My heir character looked pretty snarky, but I suppose that paid off… I managed a very respectable score during one of these plays when a lot of treasure was hauled out!

I love the artwork on all of the pieces, as they seem to glow or have mysterious stories behind them. Just what is inside this manuscript book? Why does this heir want it?

Alternating an extra turn with the solo opponent also gave me many interesting decisions about taking risks.

Still chasing after a high score! Everything will need to go well for that to work… And this heir can settle down. Ha!

Celebrating a Successful Journey Into the Tomb for Lots of Treasure in Crypt

Collector Questions

Most of the treasure collectors make a lot of sense. Things like pottery, jewelry, and tapestries seem like logical items with a good deal of intrinsic worth. I got those!

But the remains collector? I always pass by this market stall with a worried look and extra speed in my step. Whatever are you going to do with all of these remains?!

Maybe this is why the king’s ghost isn’t laid to rest and keeps a watchful eye over his constantly looted tomb.

It was fun to bring this back to my table again after a couple of years: Always worth it for a few laughs!

Wondering Just What the Remains Collector Might Be Up to in Crypt

Finding the Fun Outside of My Favorite Games

Creating a list of my top games, or favorites, is always a great experience! Probably about time I started thinking about doing that for this year… But I digress. I think the biggest takeaway over time is that most games won’t become favorites. Reaching the top of the pile, so to speak, is a difficult feat that really only allow for about 10-20 games.

So, what happens to the rest? Is it only worth playing my favorites? Not at all! Some of them only get played once every couple of years. Part of what makes them so special is that I don’t saturate my time with endless plays… While there is one that is approaching 3,000 lifetime solo plays. Ha ha! It really depends on the game, yet most are not favorites.

I still love playing all sorts of games, though, even the ones I know don’t have a chance of entering the top of my list. No problem! There are little bits of fun to discover in these plays, whether it’s a silly turn or a piece of art I smile at. And I often enjoy escaping the pressure of trying to figure out if a game is a favorite. It’s fun: That’s what matters to me!

Session Overview

Play Number: 35-38
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Outcome: 45, 33, 34, 39 (1 Win & 3 Losses)

Maximizing the value from the collectors was a key part of some of my better scores. As much as I love to win, I also enjoy losing and imagining the heir lamenting over their lost fortune… That probably never actually belonged to them! Ha ha! This is a neat little solo game that I don’t play all that often, yet it offers some clever decisions and the right sort of variety to keep it interesting. Let’s just hope the remains collector isn’t too skilled… Ha!

Maximizing the Victory Points from Certain Collectors in Crypt

%

30 Plays

Affordability

Price & Value

8

Functionality

Challenges & Mechanics

9

Originality

Design & Theme

8

Quality

Components & Rules

6

Reusability

Achievement & Enjoyment

7

Variability

Distinctness & Randomness

4

+ Pros (Positives)

  • The artwork is beautiful with unique illustrations for all of the treasures that make them look amazing.
  • Decisions feel meaningful when it comes to choosing which treasures to collect and how much effort to expend.
  • Combining dice for higher values or less risk of exhaustion allows for many interesting choices.
  • Alternating an extra turn with the solo opponent adds just enough to gameplay with push-your-luck mechanics.
  • Setup is very quick and the total time needed to play flies by, making this easy enough to pick up almost whenever.
  • Many of the collector abilities are situational, yet can be the key to picking up valuable treasures later on.

– Cons (Negatives)

  • There is a lot of reliance on luck with the dice rolls, which can mean significant differences in final scoring.
  • Although the collectors offer some variety, gameplay typically proceeds in a pretty predictable fashion.
  • Not all of the rules are as clear as they could be, and it takes a few plays to completely understand how to play.
  • Some collectors are more interesting or challenging than others, making some combinations a bit bland.

More Crypt

Explore related posts about Crypt!

Victory Conditions

Score 40+ Points

  • Overall Goal Progress 67% 67%

Goals and Milestones

R

Score at least 40 points.

R

Score at least 50 points.

Q

Score at least 60 points.

Continue the Conversation

What do you like about Crypt? Have you managed to achieve an amazingly high score? This doesn’t come to my table all that often and might not be a favorite, yet it offers a solid experience with some neat push-your-luck elements. I had a wonderful time! Technically, maybe I’m on the side of the king’s ghost and enjoy seeing the heir lose a lot. Ha ha!

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