I went looking for Tempel des Schreckens on purpose. I love Coup, but it’s not for kids. So I wanted a really simple bluffing game our daughters could play too. After a bit of research I landed on Tempel des Schreckens (sold in some places as Temple of Terror). And it’s exactly that.
What is Tempel des Schreckens?
A card game by Yusuke Sato, published in Germany by Schmidt Spiele. The box says 3 to 10 players, about 15 minutes, ages 8 and up. In 2017 it was on the Spiel des Jahres recommendation list.
Everyone secretly gets a role. The adventurers want to explore the temple and plunder its treasure. The guardians want to stop exactly that. Nobody knows who’s on which side.
Then there are chamber cards, dealt face down: empty chambers, gold and fire traps. Everyone looks at their cards and tells the others what they supposedly have. “I’ve got loads of gold.” “Careful, mine’s dangerous.” True or a lie. Then whoever holds the key opens a chamber at someone else, and that player goes next.
If all the gold is found, the adventurers win. If the fire traps go off or time runs out, the guardians win.
The difference from Coup
In Coup, everyone fights for themselves and you knock each other out. In Tempel des Schreckens you partly play together as a group, just with two different goals. You help your side and still never know for sure who’s on it.
It’s also easier to explain. In Coup you need to know each role’s abilities. That’s gone here, though dealing and laying out the chamber cards takes one round to click. And the theme is far more kid-friendly: a temple, treasure and traps instead of plots and assassinations.
Our older daughter’s game
For us it’s mostly our 10-year-old’s game. When friends come over, the kids sometimes play it entirely on their own.
The big moment always comes at the end, when all the roles are revealed. Who’s happy, who isn’t? And almost every time someone says: “No, I was sure you were a guardian!” Turns out she wasn’t. There are perfect bluffs, and sometimes you’re just completely wrong.
The right group
Two doesn’t work, and three isn’t much fun for us either. It needs four, five, six people, and then it’s great fun. According to the box it goes all the way up to ten.
What we hear in the community
Many describe it the way we do: few rules, lots of talking, a game that lives less on the cards than on the stories and claims at the table. That’s exactly what we like about it.
The criticism is that it often never becomes quite clear why you were right or wrong. If you want a tricky deduction puzzle, look elsewhere. Some already know the idea from Time Bomb, a predecessor with the same mechanism in a different setting.
Who is Tempel des Schreckens for?
For kids from around 8 with their friends, for families and for bigger groups looking for a light bluffing game without a nasty theme. If, like us, you’re after a Coup for the whole family: this is it.
It’s nothing for small groups or for anyone who wants more depth in their bluffing. Then Coup is the better pick, just not with kids.
Over to you: who at your table bluffs so well that nobody sees through them?
Where it shines
- Explained in a few minutes, no card text
- Kid-friendly theme instead of knocking each other out
- You partly play as a team, yet you trust nobody
- The big moment when the roles are revealed
Where it pinches
- Nothing for two or three, it needs at least four
- Dealing and laying out the chamber cards takes one round to click
- Sometimes you're completely wrong and never quite know why
Fact sheet
- 3–10 (box), 4+ for us
- about 15 min (box)
- 8+
- Yusuke Sato
- Schmidt Spiele
- our 10-year-old with friends, family
FAQ
How does Tempel des Schreckens work?
Everyone secretly gets a role, adventurer or guardian, plus a few face-down chamber cards: empty chambers, gold and fire traps. You say what you supposedly have and open chambers at other players in turn. If the adventurers find all the gold, they win. If the fire traps go off or time runs out, the guardians win.
What age is Tempel des Schreckens for?
The box says 8+. For us it's mostly our 10-year-old's game when friends come over.
How many players is Tempel des Schreckens for?
The box says 3 to 10. Two doesn't work, and three isn't much fun for us. It needs four, five, six or more.
Tempel des Schreckens or Coup?
Coup is the tougher bluffing game, with role abilities and knocking each other out. Tempel des Schreckens is easier to explain, more kid-friendly in theme, and you partly play as a team. For kids, it's clearly the better choice.
