Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Easier to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
More strategic control
How it plays
How does it play?
Cast numbered spells across a moonlit forest, outbid rival fox mystics, and brew the most prestigious concoctions.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Auction / Bidding
Bid against other players to determine who receives an item, action, or priority.
Area Majority
Compete to have the strongest presence in areas that award control or points.
Grid Coverage
Place pieces to cover required cells or patterns on a grid.
Contracts
Complete specific requirements to earn rewards, income, or victory points.
End Game Bonuses
Earn additional points for meeting conditions evaluated when the game ends.
Read the full game description
Nocturne is a spatial bidding and set-collection game about fox mystics gathering enchanted objects after dark. Each round lays out a forest grid of firebird feathers, skulls, mushrooms, eggs, herbs, and special actions. Players cast numbered spell tokens beside one another, and every new bid must be stronger than the spell it follows. The path through the grid therefore becomes a tactical argument: spend a powerful token now to claim a crucial item, or preserve it for a later contest. Corner casting can secure several items efficiently, while offerings to forest sprites provide a second route to missing ingredients. Collected objects score in sets and can satisfy concoction recipes, with twilight and moonlight goals, variable powers, and a solo mode changing the puzzle from game to game. Beth Sobel’s forest art gives the competitive auction an unusually serene setting.
