The Ravens of Thri Sahashri
- Players
- 2
- Best withThe player count this game plays best at.
- 2 players
- Play timeHow long a full game runs once everyone knows the rules.
- 45 min
- AgeThe minimum age printed by the publisher.
- 12+
- ComplexityHow demanding the rules are, from 1 (very light) to 5 (very heavy).
- 3.4 / 5
- Year
- 2013
About the game
The Ravens of Thri Sahashri is a two-player cooperative card game about communication and memory, casting one player as an amnesiac girl and the other as her psychic friend trying to restore her memories. Using colored, numbered cards and strict communication limits, the Feth player places cards onto a shared field while the Ren player, working from a hidden hand, must intuit where to place cards to complete hidden targets. Ravens threaten to remove discarded cards from play entirely if drawn too often. Success requires the pair to build genuine, wordless understanding across three increasingly difficult hands.
Hobbli's Notes
This is a wonderfully unusual cooperative game built entirely around silent, intuitive communication between two players rather than explicit strategy discussion. It rewards partnerships who play together repeatedly and start to develop a shared shorthand for reading each other's choices. The Japanese poem-inspired scoring structure (the 7-7-7-5 pattern) is a lovely, understated design touch. Because information is sparse on this niche title, some finer rules nuances are best confirmed via the rulebook.
What we like
- Unique communication-limited cooperative design.
- Rewards partnerships who build shared intuition over repeated plays.
- Compact card-only format is easy to carry and set up.
- Distinctive thematic and structural nods to Japanese poetry.
Keep in mind
- Very niche availability makes it hard to find.
- Strictly two-player limits group flexibility.
- Abstract theme and quiet pacing may not suit all players.
Who it's for
Best for two players who enjoy deep, intuitive cooperative deduction and don't mind a quiet, cerebral experience.
