Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
In Totem, players reveal each others' strengths and qualities by forming totems, combinations of an animal card (representing a strength) and a quality card. Every player contributes one animal card and one quality card to each other player's totem.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Read the full game description
In Totem, players reveal each others' strengths and qualities by forming totems, combinations of an animal card (representing a strength) and a quality card. Every player contributes one animal card and one quality card to each other player's totem. Players can earn more points if the cards that they played were considered to be especially relevant and accurate, either by the active player or by the other players. The favourite animal and quality cards for that round stay in front of the active player and become their totem. The game ends when everyone has a totem. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins, but everyone else gains something as well: a greater awareness of how others perceive and appreciate them!