New Game Release – Onstage
Arcane Wonders has released Onstage, a trick-taking board game, into retail!
Onstage is a thrilling trick-taking board game that puts players in the center of a constantly shifting performance, where timing, adaptability, and clever card play decide who truly steals the show. While rooted in familiar trick-taking mechanics, Onstage introduces dramatic twists that keep every round fresh and unpredictable.
The trump suit is not fixed—instead, it is determined by the performers currently on stage and can change at any moment, even during a trick. One card can completely rewrite the rules of engagement. Players compete across a number of Casting Rounds equal to the number of players. Each round consists of a series of tricks, with players taking turns in clockwise order.
The leader begins each trick by playing any card, and other players must follow suit if possible. If they cannot, they may play any card, including a trump card. Because trump is determined by the performers showing the highest number of Golden Blossoms on the stage, the dominant suit may shift multiple times throughout a round as performers enter or leave the spotlight. Winning a trick is only the beginning. The victorious player claims a performer from the stage that matches both the color and Golden Blossoms shown on the winning card. If no exact match exists, the player may instead choose a performer of the matching color.
These collected performers form the foundation of each player’s strategy, as Golden Blossoms directly translate into Scoring Tokens at the end of the round. With powerful card abilities that manipulate the stage, dynamic trump conditions, and meaningful decisions in every trick, Onstage delivers a highly interactive experience full of surprise and momentum swings. After the final Casting Round, the player who has accumulated the most Golden Blossoms claims victory, proving they truly deserved the spotlight.
Designed by Michael Orion, Onstage is for three to five players, ages fourteen and up, and plays in fifteen to thirty minutes. It retails for $19.99!
Arcane Wonders also previously released Chang’an (see Chang’an board game).
