Sirens Review

Playing board games I love is music to my ears. And a board game which is a micro card game that lets me make a unique composition is top of the pops!

Sirens by Envy Board Games is one in a series of tiny box 18 card games that play fast and scratches a puzzly itch for 1-2 players. In Sirens, players are competing against each other (or the AI) to create the most melodious song using cards featuring a number of different icons.

The song is intended to lure sailors from the safety of their ship to your cove. Lasting 2 rounds (or 3 if there’s a tie), the first card off the deck is the “Universal Rule” in each round which moderates the general scoring in a specific way. With a hand of four cards, players keep 1 and pass the remaining three to the other player. When each player has 3, the last cards are discarded in a face-down pile next to the Universal Rule. The 3 cards are then arranged in front of the player in a row to become their “root” for the round. Then each player gets another 4 cards and the same process is repeated. But this time, the three they each have (“the progression”) may be divided between the space to the left and the right of the root to make a 6 card song.

At the end of the 6th turn, the song will be scored against 4 different conditions:

1. Hearts – the player with the most printed hearts visible will score their song first. They also get points equal to the difference between the number of hearts captured by each player;

2. Parts – the music on each card is in one of 4 colours. A “part” is a series of one or more adjacent cards of matching colour so long as there are at least 3 parts within the 6 card song. Points are scored equal to the square of the part size so a 1 card part is worth 1 (1x1), a 2 card part is worth 4 (2x2), and a 3 card part is worth 9 (3x3).

3. Flow – each card also displays an arrow with a design unique to the colour. When the colours match (also forming a “part”), you also receive points for the music “flowing” from one card to the next and these are scored progressively (1st flow is worth 1, second is worth +2, third is worth +3 and if four cards all flow into each other then that is worth 10 points!)

4. Charms – the final icon on some of the cards is a half charm. When these are paired together to form a complete charm, they are worth different points depending on the charm type.

The round winner takes the Universal Rule card used in that round, flips it over, and can use the heart printed on it towards their heart total for the next round. When a player has won two rounds, Sirens ends but the fun doesn’t. You can go to the accompanying app, scan in your song and hear it played for real!