Septima

Septima struck me as Mindclash’s most “casual” release, in the sense that it feels more immediate and thematic than what I usually expect from the company—not that it is a light game. The production is, as usual, superb: a carefully made manual, deluxe components, and an overall table presence that screams Mindclash. Naturally, it also comes with the expected sky-high price.

The theme is delightfully odd. Each player runs a coven of witches trying to help the sick people of a village, while witch hunters pursue them with intentions that are, let’s say, not exactly friendly—BBQ, perhaps. It does not feel like just another dry euro hastily dressed in a theme; the premise gives real character to what happens at the table.

At its core, the game blends resource management, worker placement, and racing. Its mechanisms are tied together in a way that makes sense, and the game has that pleasant feeling of everything clicking into place and flowing smoothly, rather than repeatedly stopping for awkward procedural busywork.

Interaction comes through the shared pressure of the race and the presence of the witch hunters, while everyone tries to advance their own coven and help the village. Even so, the game felt lighter and somewhat more random than I wanted, especially next to Voidfall and Perseverance.

I would not call it bad—far from it; it is well made, and I would happily play it again. It simply did not excite me as much as I expected from a Mindclash game, nor did it leave me with that urge to set it up again immediately after the game ended.