CWSH is a game with what many would call flaws, but I would call beautiful, rough indie charm. It pretends to be a choices matter game when it isn't; it has the same half baked tumblr-esque political message as the rest of the deconstructeam's games; it makes you cringe on several occasions; and the actual mechanics of card reading are a little clunky. Its greatest sin is that game reviewers all praise it for being high concept, and for really "making the player think", when in reality it is the sort of faux-high-concept that can fool a game reviewer, but nobody smarter than your average fourteen year old. These are just opportunities to chuckle to yourself, though - not reasons to hate a game.
What I love most about the game is the characters. Now - these come with their own small things to giggle at as they tell you precisely what sort of people wrote them, but they do one thing brilliantly - they put you in a world where everyone is 'important', where everyone is working on some brilliant, beautiful, interesting work - the sort of work what when you're doing it scarcely feels like anything except your duty.
As your average middle-class social climber, it is just wonderful when you get a taste of this feeling in real life, as I have just begun to. It's like being in a Poirot novel - where everyone has a job like "Opera Singer", "Concert Pianist", "Explorer and Collector of Rare Artifacts", "Renowned Fashion Designer", or "Decorated Army Colnel". I've been in a few of these rooms before, and I'm trying my darndest to get a job like those instead of being a simple programmer (or at least, to be someone with a programming job which inspires as much wonder as these other professions, which I'm pleased to say I've mostly succeeded in).
The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood gives this feeling, however, better than you could ever receive in real life. Because this feeling you get in the real world - it is tainted. It is a horrible thing in many ways to sit at the top of a tall building along the Strand, or on some large yacht or in some other luxurious location, talking with those at the top of society, knowing the unfairness of it all. Knowing the mundane things most have to do for a living, hating every second. With the Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood you are not just one of the subset of people fortunate enough to do interesting work and be well compensated for it - you simply live in a world where everyone just does interesting work and are well compensated, and that's just how the world is (Or at least, the world of the witches - they talk about this a little in the game). That is what I love so much about the game, and I wish I could live in its world for that reason. You meet the architects, mathematicians, botanists, master weavers, explorers, and so much more. People at the peak of their craft, at the top of their game - doing interesting things - all of them!
Now with my main point over - I suppose I can tell you a bit about what I thought of the game generally. The ambiance of the game, like all from that deconstructed team, is impeccable. It's just such a vibe - and it makes you feel all sorts of emotions. I wish that I could have spent my whole time in the game just soaking up its vibe and doing readings for the cool people you meet, rather than having to pivot to play some silly half-baked politics simulator after I got to the half way point (it's not as bad as I'm making out here - you'll still enjoy it)
So, here is my homage to the cosmic wheel sisterhood, and the interesting people within it... Make yourself a few cards and - for the love of God - make some herbal tea, dim your lights, and spend a few hours with the game.