Carmony

Carmony is a competitive and educational card game that turns music theory into an engaging challenge for 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up. Whether you're a seasoned musician or just starting out, Carmony invites you to explore the relationships between notes, intervals, chords, and scales in a playful, strategic way. With a unique visual system based on the chromatic wheel, players use NOTE cards and MELD cards to build musical structures. Each MELD card corresponds to a specific interval, chord, or scale, represented by a numbered sequence that can be aligned with the CHROMATIC WHEEL to visualize and assemble the correct combinations. How it’s played: Each player starts with a chromatic wheel, 5 MELD cards, and a set number of NOTE cards, depending on the number of players. On their turn, players draw NOTE cards and try to complete one or more MELDs—musical structures like a minor third interval, a diminished seventh chord, or a Lydian scale. Melds are played by laying down the matching NOTE cards along with the corresponding MELD card. Players may also "eat" melds previously played by others—if they can play a more powerful structure using their own MELD card. This mechanic adds a layer of strategic depth and player interaction. Each turn ends by discarding a NOTE card, and the round continues clockwise. How to win: The game is played over 3 rounds. Points are scored based on the complexity of the melds played—more notes mean higher scores—and penalties are given for unused NOTE cards. Going out (i.e., playing all your NOTE cards under certain conditions) earns bonus points. At the end of the third round, the player with the highest total score wins the game. —description from the designer