Cryptid is a deduction board game that lets players assume the roles of cryptozoologists each trying to pinpoint the location of the titular cryptid, an undocumented, and possibly mythical species of animal. At the start of each game the board state is set up based on a randomly selected, pre-determined arrangement and players are each given a secret unique clue that details one facet of the creature’s habitat. These clues vary, ranging from proximity to landmarks, terrain types, or even other indigenous wildlife, but each is only a piece to the larger puzzle and is next to useless by itself. Because each cryptozoologist is vying to be the first to discover the new species, they must use their deductive reasoning skills to determine each other players’ clues while avoiding divulging their own secret information.
The core gameplay of Cryptid is simple. On your turn you can do one of two things: ask another player whether a space on the board satisfies their particular clue, or stake your claim on a space that you believe may be the correct location of the cryptid. Placing a cube on the location means it fails to meet that player’s conditions, and placing a disc means it abides by their clue. If you search an area and everyone places down a disc, then you’ve found the cryptid! Think of it like a game of Minesweeper, but everyone is looking for the location where everyone else’s minefields overlap in exactly one place.
Each pre-determined game layout is meticulously arranged in such a way that there is only ever one possible location where all clues overlap. There are 6 boards that can be arranged to make a 3 by 2 map, and 6 landmark structures (8 in the advanced rules) that are used to further randomize the setup. The game comes with 54 of these layout cards, but Osprey Games also has a web application that can supply setup and information clues without the cards. I am uncertain whether this application simply randomizes the layouts already given with the game, or if it includes more potential combinations. Seeing as this setup can potentially result in thousands of combinations, I surely hope that it’s the latter.
Looking at the box and then at the game itself, one strange thing for me about this game is the dissonance between how the game is marketed and how the gameplay itself is presented. For a game that packs so much wonderful art and personality into its packaging and rulebook, the board and components themselves feel oddly abstract and flavorless. The discs and cubes seem to be arbitrarily chosen as indicators of success and failure and on the first few times playing the game can be a bit of a struggle to remember. Rather than using playful miniatures to represent the “standing stone” and “abandoned shack” landmark structures, instead the designers opted for generic wood obelisks and triangles. Any passerby taking interest in the game would never have any idea what it was about simply by looking at the board mid-game.
It’s also a game that makes it very easy to get lost inside your own head with analyzing your turn. Several times during the game I found myself just staring down at the list of potential clues printed on the back of each clue book, mentally checking each against what the board state was telling me. Before I knew it, an unknown quantity of time had passed and I came to the realization that everyone was waiting for me to make a move. If you or someone in your group has a problem with analysis paralysis, this game may trigger something in you. Having said that, playing the game averaged around 45-60 minutes, making it a surprisingly quick game for how mentally dense it is.
Despite owning Letters from Whitechapel, Fury of Dracula, and Mysterium, Cryptid may be my new favorite deduction game in my collection. Whereas the other games take asymmetric approaches to deduction games, it puts all players on level footing, playing with the same rules and racing towards the same goal. In many ways Cryptid reminds me of a beefier, more mind-melting sibling to Clue (or Cluedo outside of North America). If you’re a casual fan of the hobby and are looking to test the waters of modern strategic board games, this might be a good place to start.
Designed by Hal Duncan & Ruth Veevers
Art by Kwanchai Moriya
Published by Osprey Games
3-5 Players, ~45 min
BoardGameGeek.com link