They match in looks and quality. Photo © 2026 WargamesandWhisky.com
Pacts is the ultimate duel of wits- a fast paced, dynamic game full of tough choices and strategic timing. Over about 30 minutes, you’ll do battle as one of 8 possible mythical creatures with special abilities. You might pick the changelings for their feats of manipulation, or the selkies, who can take many forms as wild cubes. Each will help you as you place cubes on the map for territory control, scoring a number of points for each region where you have the majority at the end of the third and sixth rounds. Beware of over-committing to any one region- the values of each change after round three, and some go up to 6 points, while others might drop to just 1.
You can’t trust the changelings or the selkies. Photo © 2026 WargamesandWhisky.com
The key here is that each player gets to choose a card from their character deck, and then 5 pact cards are added to the mix. The cards may let players add cubes or move them in the matching color region or a wild region, and there are also cards that let players activate their character abilities or just opt to score 3 points. One player splits the 7 cards into two hands, one of which contains the 2nd move token. The other gets to pick the hand they want. Typically, the 2nd move token will be on the “weaker” hand, but going 2nd has huge advantages. The player with the most points after 6 rounds made the best pacts and wins the game.
This is a beautiful little game with quality components. The map is fabric, while the round marker and 2nd place pieces are big and weighty. High quality games require high quality whiskeys, and Tullamore D.E.W. (named for Daniel E. Williams, the brand’s revered master distiller) is a great fit. This triple distilled, triple blended Irish whiskey is consistently the second most popular Irish whiskey the world over, just ahead of Jameson. It’s light and ethereal, with crisp citrusy notes and just hints of toasted spice - a perfect pairing for the whimsy of Pacts.
