Medusa's Vigil

Medusas Vigil - Solo - 10-20 mins - Ages 12+

Mint Tin Size Solo Print and Play Game - Downloadable Files Only

CORE MECHANICS

Spatial Puzzle

Resource Management & Light Engine Building

Game Overview: 

In Medusa's Vigil, you play as the legendary Gorgon defending her home from escalating invasions. Through strategic movement, resource management, and meaningful choices, you'll turn invaders to stone, befriend potential allies, and sanctify chambers to restore power to your labyrinth. Every game tells a new story of protection, redemption, and the strength found in solitude.

Medusa's Vigil

Game Description:
Medusa's Vigil is a solo, 10-20-minute card game where you defend Medusa's labyrinth from invaders. Using a 3x3 grid of chamber cards and a deck of 9 intruder cards, you'll manage two key resources: Serpent's Eyes (to turn enemies to stone) and Memory (to sanctify chambers or befriend commoners). The intruder deck acts as an automated opponent, deploying Warriors, Priests, and Commoners with unique behaviors that create dynamic threats and moral choices.

How to Play:
On your turn, you move Medusa to an adjacent chamber, then take one of these actions:

• Turn an intruder to stone (Spend Serpent's Eyes → Gain 1 Memory)

• Befriend a Commoner (Spend Memory → Gain an ongoing ally ability)

• Sanctify the chamber (Spend Memory → Flip card for powerful ongoing effect)

After your action, draw an intruder card and place its token on the board, resolving any "when placed" effects. Different intruder types create strategic challenges: Warriors escalate threats if ignored, Priests disable your abilities and corrupt Commoners, and Commoners can become allies or foes depending on Priest influence.

How to Win:
You win by sanctifying The Outer Gate chamber while all intruder tokens on the board have been turned to stone.

How to Lose:
You lose if:

• You need to spend a Serpent's Eye but have none

• You cannot place a new intruder token because all chambers are occupied or you have run out of intruder tokens and your labyrinth is overwhelmed.

Designer's Notes: The Heart of the Labyrinth

Finding Medusa's Voice
This game began with a question: What if we saw the myth through Medusa's eyes? Not as a monster to be slain, but as a guardian protecting what's hers. That simple shift changed everything. The mechanics needed to feel like protection, not predation. The infamous "gaze that turns men to stone" became a defensive tool—costly, powerful, but used only when necessary.

The Solo Experience I Wanted
I love solo games that tell stories. Not just puzzles to solve, but worlds to inhabit for 10 or 20 minutes. I wanted players to feel Medusa's isolation, her connection to her space, and the weight of her choices. Should I befriend this lost traveler, or turn them to stone? Do I deal with the noisy warrior now, or risk him attracting more attention? Every turn should feel like a meaningful decision, not just optimal play.

Why the 3×3 Grid?
The small grid creates intimacy. You know every chamber. You feel invaders encroaching. But within that tiny space, the adjacency rules and movement choices create surprising depth. It's a microcosm of a larger world—a complete labyrinth in just nine cards.

The Resource Loop That Tells a Story
The Serpent's Eyes → Memory → Sanctification cycle emerged from the theme:

• Serpent's Eyes represent Medusa's power—finite, precious, defensive

• Memory represents her resolve—growing with each victory

• Sanctification shows her reclaiming her space—chamber by chamber

This isn't an economic engine; it's an emotional one. You're not building points—you're rebuilding a home.

Intruders as Characters, Not Just Obstacles
The three intruder types each represent different kinds of violation:

• Warriors = Violent intrusion (deal with them quickly)

• Priests = Ideological intrusion (require strategy)

• Commoners = Complicated intrusion (moral choices)

Their interactions—especially Priests turning Commoners hostile—create emergent stories every game.

What Surprised Me in Playtesting
The game found its soul when players started talking about their "favorite Commoners" or feeling genuine tension when a Priest appeared. The mechanics faded into the background, and the story took over. That's when I knew the design was working.

Sometimes the best mechanics come from asking: "What would this character do?" rather than "What's the most efficient system?" Every rule in Medusa's Vigil exists to serve her story. The tight resource limits, the chamber powers, the intruder behaviors—they all make you feel like you're thinking like Medusa.

This game is my love letter to misunderstood characters everywhere. May we all find the courage to protect what's ours, and the wisdom to know when to show mercy.

—Tracey.J.Phillips, rewriting myths one game at a time