Sepulchre: A Grave Game – The Cemetery as a Battleground

What Lies Beneath the Lid

The silence of the cemetery is deceiving. Down below, something stirs — bones clatter back together, and tombstones turn into an arena for a new contest. In Sepulchre: A Grave Game, you don’t just play cards — you command a squad of skeletons, sabotage rival corpses, and fight to make your rest the most… final.

The game’s setting draws you into the spirit of the Victorian era. Picture this: you’re exploring the attic of an old mansion once owned by a widow with a notorious taste for the occult. Amid dusty relics — a séance table, crystal orbs, a stuffed owl, a collection of moths, and perhaps a real human skull — you uncover a long-forgotten game box. Beneath a layer of cobwebs, the title reads: Sepulchre: A Grave Game.

Despite the theme of death, the tone is anything but grim. The humor is dark, playful, and deliciously morbid, making the game just as fitting for a family evening as for a late-night session with friends.



From Skull to Skeleton

Gameplay in Sepulchre: A Grave Game revolves around a modular card system built from three types of cards.

• Skeleton cards build your path to victory.

• Decay cards crumble your opponents’ progress, turning their undead back to dust.

• Cemetery Cards add unpredictability and power, twisting the rules mid-game.

Each player manages their own grave board where assembled skeletons rest. The table is always in motion — there’s no hiding, as almost every card affects everyone. Sometimes you’re strengthening your army; other times, you’re dismantling someone else’s. And often, a single well-timed play can undo everything that’s been carefully built.

The modular design allows you to adjust the game’s length and complexity. Designed for 2–4 players aged 10 and up, a session lasts anywhere from 20 minutes to 1.5 hours. Every match becomes a tense balance between building your skeletal masterpiece and wrecking your rivals’ plans. Victory goes to the first player to complete their perfect grave before others rise again.



The Mechanics of the Afterlife

Sepulchre: A Grave Game demands constant hand control and precise timing. There’s no place for chaos here — every card must land exactly when your opponents least expect it. The core decisions revolve around three main axes:

• Hand management. Seven cards sound generous, but each one carries risk. Discarding a weak card at the right time might save your strongest play for later.

• Timing aggression. Strike too early, and your rivals will have time to counter. Wait too long, and the moment will pass. Mastering tempo is everything.

• Counterplay and bluffing. Observing is as crucial as acting. Sometimes it’s wiser to hold a Decay card or a Cemetery response, saving it for a perfect, devastating move rather than revealing your intent too soon.

Beneath all this lies a layer of psychological tension. Reading opponents — knowing who’s ready to strike, who’s bluffing, and who’s just waiting to shatter your bone-built progress — is key to mastering the game.



The Art of Assembling Bones

Is this your grave? Let’s see who Sepulchre is truly for:

• Fans of gothic and Victorian aesthetics, cemeteries, and the beautifully macabre will find the game visually irresistible.

• Players who enjoy short but rich sessions full of interaction.

• Those who appreciate dark humor and stylized morbidity.

• Lovers of “take-that” mechanics and subtle psychological duels.

• Board gamers who prefer compact yet highly replayable experiences that don’t overstay their welcome.

Sepulchre: A Grave Game isn’t just a card duel — it’s a darkly comic drama where every bone can turn into a weapon and every mistake exacts a price. Its strength lies in the balance between elegant simplicity and sharp interaction. Easy to learn yet thrilling to the end, every match feels like a tale that ends — and begins — with a single card.
A crowdfunding campaign is currently running on Gamefound, there’s still time to step inside and take your place among the crypts.
It’s time to raise the dead and claim your place as master of the graveyard. Test your luck and cunning in Sepulchre: A Grave Game — now available to play on Tabletopia. Gather your skeletons, crumble your foes, and remember: in this game, death is only the beginning.