Card games
The Mind
OyaWolfgang Warsch2018
- players
- 2–4
- minutes
- 20
- years
- 8+
In the box
100 cards numbered 1 to 100 · Level cards · Life cards · Throwing Star cards
Official rules (PDF, publisher's site)
Box details
- Designer
- Wolfgang Warsch
- Publisher
- Oya
- Mechanics
- CooperativeCommunication LimitsOrdering
Where to buy it
Near you and online
In a shop
Within 50 km.
Online
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The basics
Together, without ever talking, get through every level by playing the cards from 1 to 100 in the middle in ascending order. There are no turns: each player plays their lowest card whenever they feel it is time, and if someone still held a lower card, the team loses a life; each level, everyone is dealt one more card. The team wins by completing the last level, 12, 10 or 8 depending on the number of players, and loses with its last life.
Checked against the official rules · October 2026
The rules, step by step
Setup
A single team, Lives by player count, Level 1: 1 card
- Two to four players, forming a single team.
- With two players: levels 1 to 12, two lives, one throwing star. With three: levels 1 to 10, three lives, one throwing star. With four: levels 1 to 8, four lives, one throwing star.
- The other lives and throwing stars wait at the edge of the table: they are the rewards to come.
- Shuffle the hundred cards; on level 1, each player is dealt one card; on level 2, two cards; and so on.
How to play
Play your lowest card, No information, Mistake: lose 1 life
- Before each level, each player puts a hand flat on the table; when everyone has lifted it, the level begins. Anyone can say "stop" to refocus this way during a level.
- There are no turns: each player plays their lowest card face up in the middle whenever they feel it is time. Cards are played one at a time, even consecutive ones.
- No information is allowed: neither words about your cards nor agreed signals.
- If a card is played while a player still held a lower one, play stops: the team loses a life, all the lower cards still in hand are discarded, then the level resumes where it left off.
- Throwing star: a player suggests using it by raising their hand; if everyone agrees, each player discards their lowest card face up, and the throwing star is spent.
- Completing levels 2, 3, 5, 6, 8 and 9 earns a life or a throwing star, as shown on the level card. The team cannot have more than five lives and three throwing stars.
- After each completed level, shuffle the hundred cards again and deal one more card to each player.
Scoring
No points, Last level completed
- No points: record the last level the team completed.
End of the game
Last level: victory, No lives left: defeat
- Shared victory if the team completes the last planned level: 12 with two players, 10 with three, 8 with four.
- Defeat when the team loses its last life.
- Extra challenge: after a win, you may start again from level 1 blind, with cards played face down and checked at the end of the level, keeping the remaining lives and throwing stars.
Going further
Frequently asked questions · In the same family
Frequently asked questions
Can you concentrate before starting a level?
Yes: each player puts a hand on the table; when everyone has lifted it, the level begins. Anyone can say "stop" to repeat this gesture during a level.
What happens after a mistake?
The team loses a life, everyone discards their cards lower than the one just played, and the level carries on: it is not restarted.
Must you always play your lowest card?
Yes. With 21, 56 and 93 in hand, you play the 21 first.