# Incubo ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2025 - **BGG Rating**: 5.7 - **BGG Rank**: — - **Players**: 2 - **Duration**: 45-60 min - **Weight**: — - **Designers**: Francesco Messina - **Artists**: Matteo Sorighe - **Publishers**: Mojito Studios - **Categories**: Adventure, Animals, Card Game - **Mechanics**: Cooperative Game, Deck Construction, Multi-Use Cards, Push Your Luck ## Verdict If you enjoy cooperative games with deck construction and a super original theme about childhood fears, Incubo might be your next obsession!Cooperative and engagingUnique deck buildingCreative and nostalgic themeTense time managementTwo-player onlyCan be challengingHIGHLY RECOMMENDED ## Description Get ready for a nocturnal adventure in Incubo, a cooperative game that puts you in the shoes of Tommy and his loyal cat Alpha! Together, you must dive into the dream world to rescue his sister Nina, facing the most bizarre fears the mind can conjure. Think monsters like giant balls of yarn or spooky wardrobes – yes, childhood fears brought to life! The game is all about building your deck, but with a special twist: you and your partner exchange cards, help each other clear out weak cards, and assemble the best strategy together. Each phase of the game, divided into three R.E.M. (rapid eye movement, for those who need a reminder!) moments, culminates in an epic confrontation against one of these nightmares. The cool part is that you attack the monster simultaneously, each targeting a different part of the creature. Every victory not only brings you closer to saving Nina but also strengthens your characters for the challenges ahead. Time management is crucial, with every second counting in the race against the clock to bring Nina back safely. Incubo blends deck construction with 'push your luck' elements and multi-use cards, creating a tense and rewarding experience. It's a perfect game for those who enjoy cooperative challenges with a unique theme and a touch of childhood fear nostalgia. Prepare for an exciting game night full of twists and turns! ## How to Play Goal of the Game In Incubo, you and a friend (or solo!) dive into the dream world of Tommy and Alpha, two friends on a mission to rescue their kidnapped friend, Nina. The game unfolds across three distinct Phases, each mirroring a stage of R.E.M. sleep. Your main goal in each Phase is to tackle Dream Cards, adding them to your decks to make your character stronger. At the end of each of these three Phases, you'll team up to face a formidable Monster. The ultimate victory condition is simple: if you successfully defeat the Monster that appears at the end of the 3rd Phase, you win the game! However, be warned: if you ever run out of Chime Tokens at any point, you immediately lose. Success hinges on working together, discussing the best strategies to overcome increasingly challenging Dream Cards, and building powerful decks. You can even pass Courage Cards (and Dream Cards once they're in your deck) to your partner to boost their Courage Deck or your own. Preparation (Setup) Get ready to dive into the dream! Here's how to set up Incubo: Sit facing each other. One player will be Alpha (the cat), and the other will be Tommy (the kid). Separate the 38 Courage Cards based on the small triangle symbol at the bottom right (Alpha's symbol is , Tommy's is ). Shuffle each player's Courage Deck separately. The card illustrations will also help you identify them. Remember, you can only use cards with your player's symbol. Divide the 12 Fear Cards by player symbol ( and ) and shuffle each deck face down to create two player's Fear Decks. Each player takes their own Free Cards Marker and a Bedside Table Card. This card helps organize your playing area. Then, give each player their dice (1 D4, 1 D6, and 1 D10) and their starting Courage and Fear Decks. Place these face down next to your Bedside Table Cards in their designated spots. Place the Bed Board in the center of the table. Make sure the Growth symbol () points towards one of you. This symbol indicates which player will take the defeated Dream Card next. After a player takes a Dream Card, you'll rotate the Bed Board 180 degrees to point to the other player. Shuffle all the Dream Cards and divide them into three face-down decks to form the 3 R.E.M. Phases Decks: 6 cards for R.E.M. 1 Deck 12 cards for R.E.M. 2 Deck 6 cards for R.E.M. 3 Deck Next to these three decks, separate and place the corresponding Monster Cards for the 3 Phases (as indicated on them). Stack the +2 Chime Cards in a face-up deck. Finally, place the 50 Chime Tokens within easy reach. Leave some space around them for the Fear Reserve and the Chime Token discard area, which you'll use during the game. Gameplay The game is structured into 3 R.E.M. Phases, visually represented by two colored sheep jumping over a fence in three consecutive stages. Each Phase consists of two main Sub-Phases: One where you face Dream Cards (until no more Dream Cards remain in that R.E.M. Deck). And another where you must battle the Phase Monster together. Dream Card Sub-Phase I. Choose a Dream Card First, you'll draw a specific number of cards from the current R.E.M. Deck: 1st R.E.M. Phase: Draw the top card of the R.E.M. 1 Deck. You'll face that Dream Card. 2nd R.E.M. Phase: Draw 2 cards from the R.E.M. 2 Deck. Decide which one to face, and place the other one, face down, in the R.E.M. 3 Deck. 3rd R.E.M. Phase: Draw 3 cards from the R.E.M. 3 Deck (shuffle it before drawing if it's the first time you're taking cards from it). Decide which one to face and return the other two to the box. In any case, place the chosen Dream Card in the center of the Bed Board, rotating it so that the player symbols and sheep colors match the corresponding player (/Orange for Alpha, /Blue for Tommy). This Dream Card represents an adventure you must face. II. Set the Required Courage Depending on the R.E.M. Phase you're in, each player rolls one of their dice and adds the result to the value of one of their sheep on the Dream Card: 1st R.E.M. Phase: Roll the D4 dice and add the result to the value written on the leftmost sheep. 2nd R.E.M. Phase: Roll the D6 dice and add the result to the value written on the sheep in the middle. 3rd R.E.M. Phase: Roll the D10 dice and add the result to the value written on the rightmost sheep. This sum (sheep value + die result) is the Required Courage for each side of the Dream Card. To beat your side, you must match or exceed this value! III. Play Courage Cards To confront the Dream Card, you'll play Courage Cards from your decks. There's no specific turn order, and you don't need to take turns. While there's no obligation to play the minimum number of free cards indicated on the Dream Card, each player must play at least 1 Courage Card from their Courage Deck. After that, you'll agree on how to proceed: who draws next, how many cards to play, and whether to stop once the Required Courage is met by both players. Important: If you need to draw a card and your Courage Deck is empty, shuffle your Discard Pile to form a new Courage Deck. Each player has a number of free Courage Cards, as indicated on the Dream Card (you can use the Markers to track these). Once you've played your free cards, you can choose to continue drawing Courage Cards by spending 1 Chime Token for each. Spend Chime Tokens by taking them from the common reserve and placing them in the Chime Discard area. Important: You have 50 shared Chime Tokens. If these run out, you lose the game. You can earn Chime Tokens through card abilities, but you cannot exceed the 50-token limit; any tokens gained beyond this limit are lost. When you play a Courage Card, you must immediately choose one of three available rows on the Bed Board to place it: Play, Pass, or Elimination. Once placed, a card cannot be moved. For each Dream Card, you can place only 1 Courage Card for free in the Pass row and only 1 for free in the Elimination row. If you want to place more cards in either of these two rows, you must pay 1 Chime Token for each additional card. Important: All cards you play contribute to your total Courage for the Dream Card you're facing, regardless of the row they are in. Important: Cards without a player's symbol cannot be passed. You cannot place Fear Cards in either the Pass or Elimination rows. IV. Dream Card Result You continue drawing and playing Courage Cards until one of these two outcomes occurs (or until you run out of Chime Tokens and lose the game): Both Required Courage values have been reached: You've defeated the Dream Card! The player indicated by the Growth Symbol on their side of the Bed Board takes that Dream Card and adds it to their Discard Pile, thereby growing their Courage Deck. Then, rotate the Bed Board 180 degrees so the other player will be next to obtain a won card. You agree to stop and abandon the adventure, suffering Terror: Terror is the difference between the sum of the Required Courage values for each player minus the sum of the Courage values you both managed to add with your cards, with a limit of the Required Courage +1 per player. You lose as many Chime Tokens as the value of Terror. Place half of these, rounded down, in the Fear Reserve area. These tokens will be used to remove Fear Cards from the game. Place the unwon Dream Card on top of the R.E.M. 3 Deck. In either case, add the cards in your Play row and in the other player's Pass row to your Discard Pile. Return to the box any cards you played in the Elimination row. The other player does the same. Once an R.E.M. Deck runs out of Dream Cards, you will face the corresponding Phase Monster. Important: If you have played all your Courage Cards but need to play more (i.e., you have no cards in your Courage Deck or Discard Pile), you must stop and abandon the adventure. If this happens while facing a Monster, check if you've beaten enough of its parts. If yes, proceed to Monster Result. If not, you lose the game! Monster Card Sub-Phase I. Setup the Monster Each player adds a Fear Card to their Courage Discard Pile by drawing the top card of their Fear Deck. Then, take the Phase Monster Cards (or Card) for the current Phase and place them in a straight line. The Head (with both and ) should be in the middle of the table (on the Bed Board), and any Arms should be in front of the corresponding player (according to and ). II. Set the Required Courage for the Head of the Monster Depending on the R.E.M. Phase, roll 2 dice and add the sum of the numbers drawn to the Courage value written on the Monster's Head Card: 1st R.E.M. Phase: Roll the two D4 dice. 2nd R.E.M. Phase: Roll the two D6 dice. 3rd R.E.M. Phase: Roll the two D10 dice. Important: The Required Courage for the Monster Arms is written on those cards, and you don't need to roll dice for them. III. Play Courage Cards During this Sub-Phase, you must declare which Monster Card you want to play your Courage Cards on before you draw them. Draw cards one at a time and play them beside the Monster Card you decided to face, in your playing area. The Required Courage of each single Monster Card is considered common to both players, so you will add up the Courage values of all cards both of you played on that Monster Card. Important: In this Sub-Phase, the Pass and Elimination rows are not used, and you are not allowed to exchange Courage Cards with the other player or to eliminate Courage Cards, except for Fear Cards. IV. Monster Result Once you have defeated a certain number of Monster Cards (as indicated on the Head), the Monster has been successfully beaten. Add the Monster Cards you have defeated to your Courage Discard Piles: Monster Head goes to the player indicated by the Growth symbol on the Bed Board. Then, rotate the Bed Board 180 degrees. Monster Arms, if any, go to the corresponding player (according to and ). If there's any Monster Card you did not defeat, add Fear Cards to your Courage Discard Piles: Undefeated Monster Head: Each player adds a Fear Card to their Courage Discard Pile by drawing the card on top of their Fear Deck. Undefeated Monster Arm: The corresponding player (according to and ) adds a Fear Card to their Courage Discard Pile by drawing the card on top of their Fear Deck. Important: You do not suffer Terror against R.E.M. Phase Monsters! After defeating a Monster, the next R.E.M. Phase begins. If you beat the 3rd R.E.M. Phase Monster, you win the game! Actions and How to Play Playing Courage Cards When you play a Courage Card, you contribute its Courage value to your side of the Dream Card or to a Monster Card. You can play cards into three rows on the Bed Board during the Dream Card Sub-Phase: Play Row: Cards placed here contribute to your Courage. Pass Row: You can place 1 Courage Card here for free per Dream Card. Additional cards cost 1 Chime Token each. Cards in this row contribute to your Courage and are added to the other player's Discard Pile at the end of the Dream Card Sub-Phase. You cannot pass cards without a player's symbol or Fear Cards. Elimination Row: You can place 1 Courage Card here for free per Dream Card. Additional cards cost 1 Chime Token each. Cards in this row contribute to your Courage but are returned to the box at the end of the Dream Card Sub-Phase. You cannot place Fear Cards here. During the Monster Card Sub-Phase, only the Play row is used. You cannot use Pass or Elimination rows, exchange Courage Cards, or eliminate Courage Cards (except Fear Cards). Exceeding Courage If you match or exceed the Required Courage on your side of a Dream Card, you've completed your part of the challenge. You don't need to draw more cards. However, you might choose to draw more to improve your deck or to help the other player. If you exceed your Required Courage, you can infuse up to ## FAQ ### How many players can play Incubo? Incubo was designed with pairs in mind, so it's exclusively for 2 players. ### How long does a game session typically last? A game of Incubo usually takes between 45 and 60 minutes, perfect for a game night without dragging on too long. ### What is the complexity level of the game? The weight on BoardGameGeek is not yet defined, but the deck-building and cooperative mechanics suggest a moderate complexity, accessible to those familiar with some board games. ### Do I need to know English to play? The sources indicate no language dependency, which is great for the Brazilian audience! ### What is the main objective of the game? The objective is to cooperate to face the fears of the dream world, defeat the monsters in each R.E.M. phase, and save Nina before time runs out. ### What mechanics does Incubo use? It combines Cooperative Game, Deck Construction, Multi-Use Cards, and Push Your Luck.