The Hungry Gamer Reviews Tome

About Tome: The Light Edition, from BoardGameGeek:

Scattered all about the world, ancient books lie hidden in plain sight. Contained within these mystic Tomes is said to be the arcane secrets of life, power, and the very forces of nature. It is said that whoever finds these Tomes, can control magic itself. Classic trick taking action, with a magical twist! Tome is a fresh take on the age old genre. In the normal mode, 4 players are split into 2 teams where teammates sit across from one another. Teams compete for points each chapter (trick) by playing 1 spell (card) to see who can win victory for their team. 3-4 Players can also square off against one another in survival mode, to see who is tough enough to be the last one standing. Trump is not stagnate each round, but constantly changing each chapter. After each player is dealt 6 spells, the remaining spells are set in the center to form the Element Deck. Each chapter, a Title Spell is revealed from the top of the Element deck. The Element of the Title Spell determines what Element is trump for that chapter. Each spell has a unique effect that can be used to shift the game in your favor. Weakening your opponents spells, powering up your own, or even changing trump! In order to gain the true power of a spell rules must be followed. Following suit is not required in Tome, a player can play any spell from their hand on their turn. When the lead player plays a spell, they begin a Chain in that Element. The next player can play a spell of the same Element to continue the chain and gain the effect of their spell. If a player plays a spell with a different Element, the Chain is broken and their spell is silenced and has no effect. Within the Tome deck there are also spells of a Special Element. These spells all share a similar property. They do not start nor break a Chain, and their magic cannot be silenced. However there is a trade off: A special spell cannot be trump. In survival mode, each player is on their own. Players begin a round with 2 health, then the player who plays the weakest spell each chapter loses a health. When a players health reaches 0, they are out of the round and each surviving player score a point. Tome is built to be a modular game. Switching in different Elements changes up the strategy and will ensure that each game is fresh and exciting! -description from the publisher