Mozart was working on his Requiem in D Minor as his
health was failing. He died at the age of 35, and there is quite a bit of
controversy around how his composition was completed. This game’s theme ties in
with the part of the Requiem called the Lacrimosa, which was completed after
his death. Players take on the roles of patrons who are working with Mozart’s
wife to find the right composers to help complete the piece and to financially support
that endeavor.
This is a deck management/building game in which players
use card choices to take actions and earn resources over five rounds, during which
each person has four turns. The goal is to optimize each turn to generate the
most victory points. All players start with an identical deck of nine memory
cards, which can be upgraded during the game and from which their actions and
round-end reward options are chosen. On each turn, players place one card for
the action they take in a slot at the top of their player board. Another card
is placed in a slot at the bottom of their board with a reward choice to be collected
at round end.
The five actions available in Lacrimosa are:
- Document a Memory: Upgrade a memory card by purchasing a more powerful one from the main board. Some of these cards provide additional actions and awards when used in the top action slot and additional round-end awards if placed in the bottom slot.
- Commission an Opus: Purchasing these cards with resources and money (“ducats”) yields victory points and opportunities to perform or sell music for benefits.
- Perform or Sell Music: Each round, you may perform any Opus that you have purchased to earn ducats. Another choice is to sell an Opus for victory points, which sometimes increases future income at the end of each round.
- Travel: Travel to cities using ducats to pay for travel. Collect city tiles for immediate rewards or royal court tiles for end-game points if the goals are met.
- Requiem: Help commission the final requiem by choosing an instrument and composer. Pay the cost to earn rewards.
When all five rounds are completed, end-game scoring is tallied and the person with the most points wins! For 1-4 players with a dedicated solo mode available. Lacrimosa takes about 90 minutes to play, depending on the player count. - Marsha