As always, I would like to thank the author Stephen Dewey and Cavalry Games for sending us a digital copy of Ten Candles before I begin my review.

First released in 2015, the game is available in digital format from the publisher’s store for 10 $. A physical softcover copy costs 28 $. You can also find four sets of ten tea light candles created specifically for the game by Cantrip Candles.

Ten Candles is a narrative-driven roleplaying game designed for three-hour-long one-shot sessions with a horror and tragic tone. It requires a group of one narrator and one or more players.

The Setting: a Tragic World on the Verge of Extinction

Ten days ago, the sky turned black and dawn never came, plunging humanity into a state of deep shock. The moon and stars disappeared, and contact with satellites was lost. People tried to start living again, but five days ago, they arrived. No one knows exactly what they are — aliens, monstrous creatures or damned souls. What is known is that they hate light and are predators. The only way to survive is to keep moving and stay in the light.

The opening line of Ten Candles sets a mood reminiscent of the 2000 science-fiction movie Pitch Black, with one small difference. Ultimately, darkness will prevail, leading to the inevitable demise of all the characters. Therefore, the session is a race against time, and it matters little how many enemies are killed or how many obstacles the characters overcome. The last candle will go out, and darkness will fall for good.

What You Need to Play

To start playing, you need ten candles and something to light them up, some paper sheets, some black markers, ten six-sided dice for the master, and a handful of six-sided dice for the players, ideally in different colours. You will also need a fireproof bowl and a voice recorder.

The game mechanics require the candles to be lit and then gradually extinguished each time a conflict fails.

However, it is also true that if a candle is extinguished by an external element, such as a gust of wind, it cannot be relit. Therefore, pay attention to safety not only when handling candles and flames, but also to where you place them.

Another interesting detail relates to the use of a voice recorder, which could easily be a smartphone. Before starting, each player must record a short message as their character. Hearing these messages again at the end of the game is an important part of the gaming experience.

The Game Rules

Ten Candles uses a timed mechanic to advance the game. Ten candles provide light, ideally the only source of light in the room where the game is played. During the experience, each time a character fails a test, a candle is extinguished, and the game moves on to the next scene, bringing it closer to its fatal conclusion. When only one candle remains lit, the final scene begins. If the characters succeed in all conflicts, the candles will eventually extinguish themselves.

We have established that Ten Candles is a highly narrative game. Now, let’s examine the circumstances in which a test must be faced. Whenever the characters have to act with an uncertain outcome, the game master will declare a conflict, i.e. a contested roll. The player rolls as many six-sided dice as there are still lit candles, while the game master rolls some six-sided dice equal to the number of extinguished candles. If even one 6 appears in the dice pool, the conflict is resolved successfully, while 1s represent failure. If no 6s appear, the conflict is considered a failure, and one candle is extinguished.

Review of the Characters of Ten Candles

The protagonists of Ten Candles are survivors heading towards an inevitable end. It is important to note from the beginning that none of the characters will survive at the end of the session. The game manages the characters in an extremely narrative way, and their creation coincides with the beginning of the story. From a technical point of view, since there is no structured character sheet as in other roleplaying games, characters are made of Traits, a Moment and a Limit. These aspects define the characters and provide a basis for interpretation. The characteristics (which should be written down as a reference) represent the characters’ identities, their goals and their capabilities.

Paper sheets are needed to represent a character’s greatest vice and virtue, as well as an important moment in their life. After the element has been included in the narrative, the cards can be burned to replace the extinguishing of a candle.

Review of the Aesthetics of Ten Candles

Ten Candles is an aesthetically minimalist game. The illustrations are pared down to the bare essentials, and apart from the cover illustration by J. C. Park, they are all in black and white. The layout is functional, the font is easy to read, and the book is the perfect size for evening reading. This is reinforced by the modest number of pages — just over 90.

Overall, the impression is that this is an accessible game, both in terms of price and effort required to set it up. These are two important factors in such a rapidly expanding market.

Conclusions of the Ten Candles Review

If you’ve never had the chance to try Ten Candles, I highly recommend doing so. Of course, this review can’t be exhaustive because revealing more about the game would spoil the experience of playing it.

As you may have realised, this is not a game for everyone. The inevitability of things and the predictability of the ending may discourage many. However, remember that roleplaying is about telling a story together, and you “win” when you create a good plot, especially if it is profound.

In short, if you’re looking for an easy-to-set-up game with a strong emotional impact that can be played in one evening, Ten Candles is perfect for you.

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