Bonfire of the Vanities

Bonfire of the Vanities

Florence, 1497. A mad friar has convinced the city that beauty is a sin. Paintings are dragged into the streets, books vanish from shelves, and instruments, scientific papers, and luxury goods are piled in the square and set ablaze. Not everyone agrees. As the flames rise, a secret resistance takes shape. Some hide books. Some cut paintings from their frames. Some smuggle forbidden treasures beyond the city's reach under the cover of darkness. The most trusted become Keepers.

Lead a secret network of Smugglers rescuing forbidden masterpieces before they disappear forever.

Bonfire of the Vanities is a competitive card game of tableau building and set collection. Each player runs a clandestine network of Smugglers, rescuing Treasures from four categories: Vanities of Beauty, Idle Pleasures, Heresy and Defiance, and Pagan and Profane.

On your turn, take a Treasure and either entrust it to one of your Smugglers or hide it beneath your Floorboard for later. Every Smuggler has unique requirements. Complete their demands to earn valuable Resources.

You may also refresh the available Treasures, recruit new Smugglers, recover hidden Treasures from beneath your Floorboard, or spend Resources to gain Virtue. As the game progresses, Raid cards force every Keeper to pay the price for protecting what others would see destroyed while opportunities become increasingly scarce.

When no more Treasures can be safely hidden, the Keeper who has built the most successful network and earned the most Virtue preserves the greatest legacy.

Not every masterpiece can survive. What burns is forgotten. What survives becomes history. What will you save?

1–5 Players | 30 Minutes | Ages 14+