Deckula - a solo card game

After a century of slumber, you awaken to discover your castle in a disgraceful state. This will not do! Vampires are, after all, connoisseurs of the very best that (un)life has to offer... Renovate the most imposing rooms of your lair! Fill the halls with ghoulish servants! Drink a fine wine, pose dramatically on the highest tower, and write dreadful poetry! But beware the curious and bold locals that might wander by - perhaps you can invite them in...for a drink?

Deckula! is a darkly-comic card game of high stakes (sorry) where you try to balance a decadent lifestyle with fending off aspiring vampire hunters and looters. It's quick and easy-to-play, with scalable difficulty and a small footprint.

Gameplay:

The objective of the game is to make it to the end of the deck without getting killed by any visitors to the castle. Each turn, you have a simple decision to make - draw a card and decide whether to buy it (adding it to your tableau) or discard it (gaining energy points to purchase future cards). Many cards are worth victory points and most of them feature a variety of tricky effects you can use to defend yourself and manipulate the flow of play. The visitor cards are the exception - they'll instantly enter a 'threat area' and have a couple of nasty effects that can affect your score or even destroy you, if you're not careful. The challenge is playing as many high-scoring cards as possible while still keeping the negative effects of the visitors under control.The game ends when you make it to the end of the deck - winning the game and scoring your cards - or when a visitor or other card effect causes you to lose.

In the 2021 Solitaire Print & Play Contest, the demo version of Deckula! won

• 1st place in Best Use of Theme
• 2nd place in Best Graphic Design
• 2nd place in Best New Solo Designer

This version of Deckula! features a complete graphical overhaul, rewritten cards, rules balancing, clarity, and lots of devious new effects inspired by the feedback from players of the 2021 PnP version.

Videos:

• Deckula! Review - Beyond Solitaire
• Review - Rahdo Runs Through
• Playthrough & Review - Sir Thecos
• Deckula! Solo Review - AzureDeath
• Deckula! Wonderful solo card game - SpeedwayTag
• Deckula! Full Playthrough - MadLadDesigns
• 2021 Solitaire PnP Design Contest - One Player
  

Reviews:

"So chock-full of charm and replayability...I'm not surprised that so many channels devoted to solo gameplay have so highly lauded this game. It is a real gem!" -Rahdo

"Delightfully macabre...look at how adorably wretched these guys are!"

"Deckula gets HUGE bonus points for just how great its aesthetic is"

"Fantastic subtle sense of humor and artstyle"

"Super fast gameplay"

"An incredibly playable experience"

"Tells a different story every time"

"Crazy good art and atmosphere"

"Delightfully weird art style...I love it!"

"A lot of interesting choices to make...each game plays a little differently"

"Smart, unforgiving gameplay of basically travelling through a deck, creating your own nightmare"

"Sometimes humorous/sometimes fiendish card combinations, and a devilishly fun theme"

"Deckula is full of such unique and interesting art and strategy"

"It is at the same time sinister, seductive and humorous, like a 1000-year old vampire who's had one too many glasses of the finest vintage"

"Behold my lavish ballroom, and read my indulgent memoir! Really, come right in, I always have time for visitors..."

"The art is unique, the card synergies varied and fun. It just oozes a super cool vibe, and it is easy to learn and quick to play."