Search
Rhubarbio (27 KP) rated The Resistance: Avalon in Tabletop Games
May 25, 2019
Excellent gateway game (1 more)
Amazing for playing with large groups
Great Bluffing Game!
Avalon is an enhancement to the Resistance,l (which in turn is a revision of Mafia/Werewolf) as it includes special player roles. This card game requires players to select a card each, which tells them if they are a good character (loyal servant of King Arthur) or a bad character (minion of Mordred), which defines how they play the game. As a good guy, you must try and succeed 3 of 5 missions, whilst the bad guys will try to make the missions fail. No one knows who the other good guys are, except for the player who receives the Merlin card. Merlin knows who the good guys are, and will therefore try to persuade the group towards ensuring only the good guys go on missions. However, there is a special role for the bad guys too. If the bad guys lose, the player who is the Assassin has a last chance to claim victory for the bad guys, if the Assassin can guess who Merlin is. Therefore, Merlin has to be subtle, otherwise the bad guys will win.
This is essentially a bluffing game where you just convince others that you are good and, inevitably, accuse others of being bad. This game, for the right group, is hours of fun! You need a ln engaged group of people who are willing to chat and be enthusiastic about engaging with this; the game and fun C Mrs from this interaction, and layer dissecting who was good and bad and how they fooled or misled everyone. I thoroughly recommend this game for gateway gamers i.e. those making the transition from everyday well known games such as Monopoly, to more designer games that have flourished over the past 20 years or so.
This game, whilst great, falters at lower or highest playcounts. At the lower end, it is very difficult to play as a bad guy, unless you use other roles included in the game. At the higher gamecount, things get very confusing and overly exhausting. However, this is an exceptional game and is likely only bettered as a bluffing game by the soon to be released Blood on the Clocktower.
I have played this hundreds of time, with the same group of people. Whilst I am now fatigued by the game, given this game only costs around £15, it is a solid investment for so many hours of fun.
This is essentially a bluffing game where you just convince others that you are good and, inevitably, accuse others of being bad. This game, for the right group, is hours of fun! You need a ln engaged group of people who are willing to chat and be enthusiastic about engaging with this; the game and fun C Mrs from this interaction, and layer dissecting who was good and bad and how they fooled or misled everyone. I thoroughly recommend this game for gateway gamers i.e. those making the transition from everyday well known games such as Monopoly, to more designer games that have flourished over the past 20 years or so.
This game, whilst great, falters at lower or highest playcounts. At the lower end, it is very difficult to play as a bad guy, unless you use other roles included in the game. At the higher gamecount, things get very confusing and overly exhausting. However, this is an exceptional game and is likely only bettered as a bluffing game by the soon to be released Blood on the Clocktower.
I have played this hundreds of time, with the same group of people. Whilst I am now fatigued by the game, given this game only costs around £15, it is a solid investment for so many hours of fun.
Toyota App!
Catalogs and Productivity
App
10000+ OBD-2 Diagnostic Trouble Codes special for TOYOTA: • Detailed diagnostics trouble code...
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated It's Blunderful in Tabletop Games
Jun 12, 2019 (Updated Jun 12, 2019)
Party games. We all have them, and our families all want to play them. But how many times can you stomach Apples to Apples or its harem of vomit-inducing copycat clones? Maybe you have a gamer family that can handle the Werewolf/Mafia/The Resistance line (Avalon ftw, homies). But if you just cannot get them to connect on something more gamer-y, maybe try putting them into awkward scenarios and see how they fare.
This is a straight up party game where you are bidding your VPs to answer questions about the person reading the question cards. We have all played games like this, right (Say Anything, anyone)? Well, this is in a similar vein, but the situations and scenarios printed on the cards here are a little more updated and unique. The genre and playstyle are not at all unique, mind you, but this may still have some value for some families.
On your turn you read a card that has an awkward scenario and three answers that you will need to answer for yourself how you would/or probably could see yourself reacting. Choose your answer card (A, B, C) and place it face-down in front of you. Every other player will have a score board that they will wager 5, 10, or 15 of their points to match your answer. Get it right and you gain the amount of wagered points. Get it wrong, and you fall that many points. The first player to reach 100 points is the winner!
Components: this game has a few different components, but the vast majority is a whomping stack of question cards. The cards are great Bicycle quality cards, and are easy to read. You also receive in the box eight dual-layered scoreboards with notches to keep your translucent scoring cube safe and bump-proof. The boards are great quality and the cube is a normal smoke-colored translucent cube (see below). No problems with components at all here.
I am going to just admit that I am not a huge fan of party games. Maybe once upon a time I liked them quite a bit, but it seems to me that many party games are just variations of the same game over and over. This one doesn’t really break the mold here, either, but it is enjoyable. The awkward situations are unique and the answers are mostly humorous. When we were playing my brother, Bryan, mentioned that he liked this game because it gave him alternatives to how he would normally react in these situations, so it was somewhat educational for him. I wouldn’t necessarily go that far, but I believe if you are a fan of party games, you can’t really go wrong with this one. Purple Phoenix Games gives this title an positively awkward 12/18
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/06/11/its-blunderful-review/
This is a straight up party game where you are bidding your VPs to answer questions about the person reading the question cards. We have all played games like this, right (Say Anything, anyone)? Well, this is in a similar vein, but the situations and scenarios printed on the cards here are a little more updated and unique. The genre and playstyle are not at all unique, mind you, but this may still have some value for some families.
On your turn you read a card that has an awkward scenario and three answers that you will need to answer for yourself how you would/or probably could see yourself reacting. Choose your answer card (A, B, C) and place it face-down in front of you. Every other player will have a score board that they will wager 5, 10, or 15 of their points to match your answer. Get it right and you gain the amount of wagered points. Get it wrong, and you fall that many points. The first player to reach 100 points is the winner!
Components: this game has a few different components, but the vast majority is a whomping stack of question cards. The cards are great Bicycle quality cards, and are easy to read. You also receive in the box eight dual-layered scoreboards with notches to keep your translucent scoring cube safe and bump-proof. The boards are great quality and the cube is a normal smoke-colored translucent cube (see below). No problems with components at all here.
I am going to just admit that I am not a huge fan of party games. Maybe once upon a time I liked them quite a bit, but it seems to me that many party games are just variations of the same game over and over. This one doesn’t really break the mold here, either, but it is enjoyable. The awkward situations are unique and the answers are mostly humorous. When we were playing my brother, Bryan, mentioned that he liked this game because it gave him alternatives to how he would normally react in these situations, so it was somewhat educational for him. I wouldn’t necessarily go that far, but I believe if you are a fan of party games, you can’t really go wrong with this one. Purple Phoenix Games gives this title an positively awkward 12/18
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/06/11/its-blunderful-review/
Rick Astley recommended Avalon by Roxy Music in Music (curated)
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Camelot Burning (Metal & Lace, #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
I don't know much about Arthurian Lore it's probably one of the only story I've never read in it's original form aside from the original Grimm Brothers' Fairy Tales (but those are horrifying, so I'm not even going to bother). I somehow doubt that Magic Tree House who made Morgan LeFay a harmless fly or Wizard101's Avalonian world even counts, except for maybe the latter being used as visual aid. :p
But personally that's sort of the thrill in reading a retelling without reading the original one: no judging or comparing it's a mostly complete blank slate.
Camelot Burning follows Vivienne, a lady-in-waiting and Merlin's Apprentice, who wants a way out of Camelot's way of life. She even has a plan hatched at least until Morgan Le Fay enters the picture and she has to stay to build a weapon that could ultimately save Camelot.
Merlin is actually a fun character am I weird to say that I found him drunk yet wise? It's not an easy combo since most drunk people act... well, not wise at all. While I'm not exactly warm and fuzzy with the other characters yet, Merlin is a winner.
There's a very interesting way with magic Rose introduces. Usually when it comes to magic, the price is something minor or huge, depending on whatever is asked very similar to karma (or fate or etc.). Here though... it's the ultimate price if you use magic too much: *cues ominous music* your soul. That's like selling your soul to the devil! Unless you're a creepy villain who wants to take over the world, that's not usually the ultimate price. Minor = minor payback. Major = major payback. No ifs buts or wait, what's after that? o_O
<img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dV7rlbVhpPk/UyjGVWubEkI/AAAAAAAACyA/ngeF1DAiEmk/s1600/tumblr_m5x9n1xf3D1rqfhi2o1_500.gif"; height="143" width="200">
Behind the Blog Tidbit: Camelot Burning was one of those novels who got a neutral rating (rawly speaking). I would have rounded up to a 4.5 rather than a 4, but I chose not to for a few reasons:
~ Too predictable It could just be me, but I guessed that <spoiler>Vivienne was the coordinates to Avalon and Morgan Le Fay was acting innocent as a distraction.</spoiler>
~ Too much technicalities I felt like I was reading a foreign language, and that was not the words used in magic. It all felt really confusing.
~ It said The End.
<img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lsFMKEdcrBc/UyjG4_6Sj3I/AAAAAAAACyM/Q0tKlJ9xOLw/s1600/th.jpg"; height="155" width="200">
That last bullet didn't play a major impact. It's just a minor peeve, especially when it's the first novel in the series.
I fully enjoyed reading Kathryn Rose's debut novel. Camelot Burning takes a refreshing and unique spin on Arthurian lore, or more accurately Arthurian + Fantasy + Steampunk.
-----------------
Advance Review Copy provided by Flux for review
Original Review posted at <a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2014/05/arc-review-camelot-burning-by-kathryn-rose.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
<a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gi5Rk5yLloA/UtliaUbdL3I/AAAAAAAACbE/J27z92_qrYU/s1600/Official+Banner.png"; /></a>
But personally that's sort of the thrill in reading a retelling without reading the original one: no judging or comparing it's a mostly complete blank slate.
Camelot Burning follows Vivienne, a lady-in-waiting and Merlin's Apprentice, who wants a way out of Camelot's way of life. She even has a plan hatched at least until Morgan Le Fay enters the picture and she has to stay to build a weapon that could ultimately save Camelot.
Merlin is actually a fun character am I weird to say that I found him drunk yet wise? It's not an easy combo since most drunk people act... well, not wise at all. While I'm not exactly warm and fuzzy with the other characters yet, Merlin is a winner.
There's a very interesting way with magic Rose introduces. Usually when it comes to magic, the price is something minor or huge, depending on whatever is asked very similar to karma (or fate or etc.). Here though... it's the ultimate price if you use magic too much: *cues ominous music* your soul. That's like selling your soul to the devil! Unless you're a creepy villain who wants to take over the world, that's not usually the ultimate price. Minor = minor payback. Major = major payback. No ifs buts or wait, what's after that? o_O
<img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dV7rlbVhpPk/UyjGVWubEkI/AAAAAAAACyA/ngeF1DAiEmk/s1600/tumblr_m5x9n1xf3D1rqfhi2o1_500.gif"; height="143" width="200">
Behind the Blog Tidbit: Camelot Burning was one of those novels who got a neutral rating (rawly speaking). I would have rounded up to a 4.5 rather than a 4, but I chose not to for a few reasons:
~ Too predictable It could just be me, but I guessed that <spoiler>Vivienne was the coordinates to Avalon and Morgan Le Fay was acting innocent as a distraction.</spoiler>
~ Too much technicalities I felt like I was reading a foreign language, and that was not the words used in magic. It all felt really confusing.
~ It said The End.
<img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lsFMKEdcrBc/UyjG4_6Sj3I/AAAAAAAACyM/Q0tKlJ9xOLw/s1600/th.jpg"; height="155" width="200">
That last bullet didn't play a major impact. It's just a minor peeve, especially when it's the first novel in the series.
I fully enjoyed reading Kathryn Rose's debut novel. Camelot Burning takes a refreshing and unique spin on Arthurian lore, or more accurately Arthurian + Fantasy + Steampunk.
-----------------
Advance Review Copy provided by Flux for review
Original Review posted at <a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2014/05/arc-review-camelot-burning-by-kathryn-rose.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
<a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gi5Rk5yLloA/UtliaUbdL3I/AAAAAAAACbE/J27z92_qrYU/s1600/Official+Banner.png"; /></a>
Toyota Parts Diagram & VIN
Catalogs and Reference
App
The mobile application «Toyota Parts Diagram & VIN» contains full information on spare parts and...
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Saboteur in Tabletop Games
Jun 12, 2019
Okay, so Saboteur isn’t one of the newest or shiniest board games on the market at the moment. Here’s the thing, it doesn’t need to be. It is profoundly unique, and well, scratched a BIG itch at its debut. I cannot think, off the top of my head, of a board game that is so immensely strategic, yet quick, super thrilling, and engaging for all ages.
As I said, this game may be small, it may be older, but it is mighty. If you like that element of a “sabotage character” in board games, then you will love Saboteur. The best part of this game is that being the “sabotage character” isn’t difficult to learn or teach. I remember playing rounds of “The Resistance: Avalon” or “The Resistance” thinking “what the heck am I really supposed to do?” before really understanding the sabotagey (I am making a new word here) role. At times I felt even a little incompetent because I was stuck in this role all by myself. This is where Saboteur REALLY shines! Not only is the sabotage role easy to learn, you get sabotagey FRIENDS to help you out. It only gets better with more and more players too!
So, what is this great little game all about? Well, each player is dealt a role card which is either a regular old (yes, they all have long white beards) dwarf, or a saboteur dwarf (they look slightly more sinister than the rest). Of course, our good dwarfs are on an honest quest to find some gold. (Nothing could go wrong right!?) As our dwarf friends begin to dig further into the cave of golden wonders (in the form of cards seen in the illustration below), they have to navigate to one of 3 specified cards with only 1 truly holding their golden prize. All the while our Saboteur friends, which are not revealed until the end of the game, are making attempts to play pathways and tricks to divert the good dwarves away from the treasure. The winning conditions are simple. If the good dwarves find the gold, they win. If the Saboteurs prevent the good dwarves from finding the gold, they win. Each role is then awarded with gold chunks, which they will keep for a cumulative score after 3 rounds of play. As I said, simple, but SOOOO much fun! I think the most exciting part for our game group has always been turning over the cards at the end of each round to see who the Saboteurs really were.
I think I speak for us all when I say that the excitement level and ease of teaching for this one are through the roof. If there are any drawbacks, it is the quality of the cards themselves. You will want to sleeve them…..trust us. Your game group will be begging to play multiple games in a row, lending to not so sterling looking cards. They get scratched after only a few plays. So, with the money you will save on this cheap little gem, do yourself a favor and splurge the extra $5 and get a nice stack of sleeves! The other drawback you may find frustrating is at the end when you are revealing roles to find out that someone who you thought was a Saboteur was actually a regular dwarf all along with really unfortunate card draws! Such is life, right!? Anyway, until next time, happy gaming everyone!
Purple Phoenix Games gives this a 20 / 24.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2018/12/24/saboteur-review/
As I said, this game may be small, it may be older, but it is mighty. If you like that element of a “sabotage character” in board games, then you will love Saboteur. The best part of this game is that being the “sabotage character” isn’t difficult to learn or teach. I remember playing rounds of “The Resistance: Avalon” or “The Resistance” thinking “what the heck am I really supposed to do?” before really understanding the sabotagey (I am making a new word here) role. At times I felt even a little incompetent because I was stuck in this role all by myself. This is where Saboteur REALLY shines! Not only is the sabotage role easy to learn, you get sabotagey FRIENDS to help you out. It only gets better with more and more players too!
So, what is this great little game all about? Well, each player is dealt a role card which is either a regular old (yes, they all have long white beards) dwarf, or a saboteur dwarf (they look slightly more sinister than the rest). Of course, our good dwarfs are on an honest quest to find some gold. (Nothing could go wrong right!?) As our dwarf friends begin to dig further into the cave of golden wonders (in the form of cards seen in the illustration below), they have to navigate to one of 3 specified cards with only 1 truly holding their golden prize. All the while our Saboteur friends, which are not revealed until the end of the game, are making attempts to play pathways and tricks to divert the good dwarves away from the treasure. The winning conditions are simple. If the good dwarves find the gold, they win. If the Saboteurs prevent the good dwarves from finding the gold, they win. Each role is then awarded with gold chunks, which they will keep for a cumulative score after 3 rounds of play. As I said, simple, but SOOOO much fun! I think the most exciting part for our game group has always been turning over the cards at the end of each round to see who the Saboteurs really were.
I think I speak for us all when I say that the excitement level and ease of teaching for this one are through the roof. If there are any drawbacks, it is the quality of the cards themselves. You will want to sleeve them…..trust us. Your game group will be begging to play multiple games in a row, lending to not so sterling looking cards. They get scratched after only a few plays. So, with the money you will save on this cheap little gem, do yourself a favor and splurge the extra $5 and get a nice stack of sleeves! The other drawback you may find frustrating is at the end when you are revealing roles to find out that someone who you thought was a Saboteur was actually a regular dwarf all along with really unfortunate card draws! Such is life, right!? Anyway, until next time, happy gaming everyone!
Purple Phoenix Games gives this a 20 / 24.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2018/12/24/saboteur-review/
TechApp for Toyota
Catalogs and Reference
App
This application contains the technical characteristics of Toyota, and also the general and advanced...
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Crazier Eights: Olympus in Tabletop Games
Feb 25, 2020
War. Old Maid. Go Fish. Crazy Eights. These are classic card games we probably all grew up playing. There have been many re-themes and new difficulty layers spread upon them to make them even more interesting. While UNO certainly has cornered the market on the Crazy Eights base, we have a new contender: Crazier Eights. Recoculous has published several versions of this card game with different themes: Camelot, Avalon, One Thousand & One Nights, and Shahrzad. Today we are taking a preview of Crazier Eights: Olympus.
You HAVE played Crazy Eights right? The card game where you attempt to be the first to exhaust your hand of cards, but you can only play down if you can match the suit or number on top of the discard pile? And if you can’t, you throw down an 8 as a wild and call the color to be played next? Well there you have the easy rules. Crazier Eights: Olympus (which I will from here call C8O) holds basically the same rule-set with a few new mechanics and a theme. The win condition is still the same: be the first to exhaust your hand of cards, but to win you will need to play your hand strategically against your opponents.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I do not know for sure if the final components will be any different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game. You are invited to back the game through the Kickstarter campaign, or purchase it through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
To setup, shuffle the large deck of cards and place the deck in the middle of the table. Flip the top card to begin the discard pile and dictate the first card play. Deal each player seven cards and you are ready to begin!
The turn structure is familiar: check for any “start of turn” effects and apply them, draw a card, play and/or discard a card, then resolve any “end of turn” effects. The deck is comprised of Events and Assets in different colors (suits) and numbers like in a typical deck of playing cards. After checking and resolving start of turn effects on Asset cards in your personal tableau, you must draw a card from the deck. This is where C8O strays from OG Crazy Eights a bit. You may play a card from your hand (Assets and Events) and discard a card to the discard pile (matching the suit/number/or an Eight), or simply play a card from your hand without discarding. Cards played from your hand can be Event cards that are played, resolved, and then discarded to the bottom of the discard pile, or an Asset card that is played to your tableau that cause chain reactions or other abilities on future turns. Next, resolve any end of turn effects from Assets in your tableau before the next player begins their turn.
Play continues in this fashion until one player has rid themselves of their hand and is crowned the Master of Olympus! Or at least, the winner of the game.
Components. This game is a box full of cards. Again, as I do not know if these components will be altered at all, I will comment on what we were provided. The cards are fine. The layout makes sense, and the art on the faces of the cards remind me of very classic art depicting ancient Grecian scenes. I am no art historian, so I do not know if they are existing art pieces or new ones crafted for this game, but either way, they are a joy to behold… if you can spend the time appreciating the art instead of tracking what cards you need to play and what effects you can chain together (that was me). Extra points to the Recoculous team for associating symbols with the different suit colors for our colorblind friends. This is something that unfortunately goes unaddressed far too often.
This implementation is the first Crazier Eights we have had the chance to try, and I can say that we really enjoyed our plays of it. The game comes with many interesting and varied effects to craft an ingenious strategy, and the art is stellar. Beware of playing with AP-prone gamers, as there is a lot going on and it is more than just a skinned Crazy Eights. However, now having played this several times, I can say that it is my favorite Crazy Eights derivative and certainly worthy of a look. If your game collection is sorely lacking in ancient Greek-themed card games, or if you want a hybrid game of old school rules with interesting twists, then do consider backing this one or purchasing one of its predecessors.
PS – Don’t worry if, while you are playing, you have all your Assets stolen or destroyed. I have won the game with zero Assets in front of me while opponents have had eight, ironically. Assets are great, but you still need to shed your hand.
You HAVE played Crazy Eights right? The card game where you attempt to be the first to exhaust your hand of cards, but you can only play down if you can match the suit or number on top of the discard pile? And if you can’t, you throw down an 8 as a wild and call the color to be played next? Well there you have the easy rules. Crazier Eights: Olympus (which I will from here call C8O) holds basically the same rule-set with a few new mechanics and a theme. The win condition is still the same: be the first to exhaust your hand of cards, but to win you will need to play your hand strategically against your opponents.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I do not know for sure if the final components will be any different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game. You are invited to back the game through the Kickstarter campaign, or purchase it through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
To setup, shuffle the large deck of cards and place the deck in the middle of the table. Flip the top card to begin the discard pile and dictate the first card play. Deal each player seven cards and you are ready to begin!
The turn structure is familiar: check for any “start of turn” effects and apply them, draw a card, play and/or discard a card, then resolve any “end of turn” effects. The deck is comprised of Events and Assets in different colors (suits) and numbers like in a typical deck of playing cards. After checking and resolving start of turn effects on Asset cards in your personal tableau, you must draw a card from the deck. This is where C8O strays from OG Crazy Eights a bit. You may play a card from your hand (Assets and Events) and discard a card to the discard pile (matching the suit/number/or an Eight), or simply play a card from your hand without discarding. Cards played from your hand can be Event cards that are played, resolved, and then discarded to the bottom of the discard pile, or an Asset card that is played to your tableau that cause chain reactions or other abilities on future turns. Next, resolve any end of turn effects from Assets in your tableau before the next player begins their turn.
Play continues in this fashion until one player has rid themselves of their hand and is crowned the Master of Olympus! Or at least, the winner of the game.
Components. This game is a box full of cards. Again, as I do not know if these components will be altered at all, I will comment on what we were provided. The cards are fine. The layout makes sense, and the art on the faces of the cards remind me of very classic art depicting ancient Grecian scenes. I am no art historian, so I do not know if they are existing art pieces or new ones crafted for this game, but either way, they are a joy to behold… if you can spend the time appreciating the art instead of tracking what cards you need to play and what effects you can chain together (that was me). Extra points to the Recoculous team for associating symbols with the different suit colors for our colorblind friends. This is something that unfortunately goes unaddressed far too often.
This implementation is the first Crazier Eights we have had the chance to try, and I can say that we really enjoyed our plays of it. The game comes with many interesting and varied effects to craft an ingenious strategy, and the art is stellar. Beware of playing with AP-prone gamers, as there is a lot going on and it is more than just a skinned Crazy Eights. However, now having played this several times, I can say that it is my favorite Crazy Eights derivative and certainly worthy of a look. If your game collection is sorely lacking in ancient Greek-themed card games, or if you want a hybrid game of old school rules with interesting twists, then do consider backing this one or purchasing one of its predecessors.
PS – Don’t worry if, while you are playing, you have all your Assets stolen or destroyed. I have won the game with zero Assets in front of me while opponents have had eight, ironically. Assets are great, but you still need to shed your hand.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Shadow Hunters in Tabletop Games
Jul 24, 2021
Playing board games has enlightened me so much and given me wishes to follow career paths I would not have considered otherwise. One career I would NOT want to take on is that of a Shadow Hunter: the warriors who seek out and destroy beings from the demon realms walking in our midst. I’d rather stay blissfully ignorant to their existence and simply hope we can be friends. However, in board game worlds I will seek and destroy like a good little Shadow Hunter does.
Shadow Hunters is a hidden identity survival card game for groups of 4-8 players. Each player’s drawn persona will belong to the Shadows, the Hunters, or Neutrals (common bystanders). The goals of the players may all be completely different and the game may end at any time due to fulfilling personal agendas. Players may even win when their characters are dead!
To setup place the board on the table and randomly populate the card spaces on the board with the Area Cards. Shuffle the White Cards, Black Cards, and Hermit Cards (why didn’t they just name these the Green Cards?) into their own stacks and place them on the side of the board in their slots. Players choose their preferred colors, take the boards and pieces with that color, and place one of their wooden markers on the No Damage space on the board. The other wooden marker will be used for movement on the board Area cards. Shuffle and deal each player one Character Card to be kept secret from the other players. Determine start player and the game is ready to begin!
On a player’s turn they will be completing at least one task and then possible other tasks. First, the active player will roll both the 1d6 and 1d4 together to arrive at a number between two and 10. The player will place their marker on the matching Area card on the board. Should a player roll a seven they may choose any location other than the space they are on and move. Each location will have an action printed on its card that a player may choose to complete. These could be drawing cards from the White, Black, or Hermit decks, damaging other players, or stealing equipment cards from them. Lastly, the active player may straight up attack another player within the same Area range (the three different areas are two cards linked together, so either the card the marker shares or the one that is linked).
As soon as a character has suffered damage equal to or greater than the HP shown on their Character Card, that character dies. Once a character dies, the owning player flips the Character Card over to reveal the character and, more importantly, their faction to which they belong. If this causes one player to fulfill their character’s goals, they must announce that the game is over. If not, play continues in this fashion until a player’s goal has been achieved to end the game. This could mean the Shadow team or Hunter team wins as a group, or that one player wins alone.
Components. Oddly, this edition of Shadow Hunters is now almost 10 years old, so it fall within the “older games” group. That said, the components are still excellent quality, even by today’s standards. The cards have a faint linen finish, the cardboard components are all thick and matte finished, the wooden player markers are chunky and fun to move around. The only issues I have with components are that I wish the colors matched more on the wooden markers and the player boards. Not a huge deal, but something that makes me cringe just a little inside. The other issue I have is most definitely a personal preference: the numbers on the d4 are on the bottom and I prefer them on the top. I know, purely personal preference and I’m dumb for even mentioning it.
This is a game I love but irks my wife. And not even because she doesn’t like the game. It irks her because of how I play it. Until I use the Hermit Cards to try to help figure out which player is on my team I will certainly be attacking everyone I can every chance I get. That’s not the best way to make friends, and I get it, but I’m not taking that chance of allowing a potential opponent to get a leg up on me. That bothers my wife because many times I’m attacking my teammates. Oh well.
I have played this game so many times with different groups and have had great success with it almost every single time. It’s an easy teach, the theme makes sense, and having different end goals is something that many people can rally behind. I know there are about 3,000 hidden identity games out there, but I consider this one of the best. Even 10 years later it sill holds that sheen and gives us a little different experience than just spamming The Resistance: Avalon every time. Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a hot 17 / 24. Pick this one up if you find it in the wild and want a different feel for your hidden identity collection. I love it and you might too.
Shadow Hunters is a hidden identity survival card game for groups of 4-8 players. Each player’s drawn persona will belong to the Shadows, the Hunters, or Neutrals (common bystanders). The goals of the players may all be completely different and the game may end at any time due to fulfilling personal agendas. Players may even win when their characters are dead!
To setup place the board on the table and randomly populate the card spaces on the board with the Area Cards. Shuffle the White Cards, Black Cards, and Hermit Cards (why didn’t they just name these the Green Cards?) into their own stacks and place them on the side of the board in their slots. Players choose their preferred colors, take the boards and pieces with that color, and place one of their wooden markers on the No Damage space on the board. The other wooden marker will be used for movement on the board Area cards. Shuffle and deal each player one Character Card to be kept secret from the other players. Determine start player and the game is ready to begin!
On a player’s turn they will be completing at least one task and then possible other tasks. First, the active player will roll both the 1d6 and 1d4 together to arrive at a number between two and 10. The player will place their marker on the matching Area card on the board. Should a player roll a seven they may choose any location other than the space they are on and move. Each location will have an action printed on its card that a player may choose to complete. These could be drawing cards from the White, Black, or Hermit decks, damaging other players, or stealing equipment cards from them. Lastly, the active player may straight up attack another player within the same Area range (the three different areas are two cards linked together, so either the card the marker shares or the one that is linked).
As soon as a character has suffered damage equal to or greater than the HP shown on their Character Card, that character dies. Once a character dies, the owning player flips the Character Card over to reveal the character and, more importantly, their faction to which they belong. If this causes one player to fulfill their character’s goals, they must announce that the game is over. If not, play continues in this fashion until a player’s goal has been achieved to end the game. This could mean the Shadow team or Hunter team wins as a group, or that one player wins alone.
Components. Oddly, this edition of Shadow Hunters is now almost 10 years old, so it fall within the “older games” group. That said, the components are still excellent quality, even by today’s standards. The cards have a faint linen finish, the cardboard components are all thick and matte finished, the wooden player markers are chunky and fun to move around. The only issues I have with components are that I wish the colors matched more on the wooden markers and the player boards. Not a huge deal, but something that makes me cringe just a little inside. The other issue I have is most definitely a personal preference: the numbers on the d4 are on the bottom and I prefer them on the top. I know, purely personal preference and I’m dumb for even mentioning it.
This is a game I love but irks my wife. And not even because she doesn’t like the game. It irks her because of how I play it. Until I use the Hermit Cards to try to help figure out which player is on my team I will certainly be attacking everyone I can every chance I get. That’s not the best way to make friends, and I get it, but I’m not taking that chance of allowing a potential opponent to get a leg up on me. That bothers my wife because many times I’m attacking my teammates. Oh well.
I have played this game so many times with different groups and have had great success with it almost every single time. It’s an easy teach, the theme makes sense, and having different end goals is something that many people can rally behind. I know there are about 3,000 hidden identity games out there, but I consider this one of the best. Even 10 years later it sill holds that sheen and gives us a little different experience than just spamming The Resistance: Avalon every time. Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a hot 17 / 24. Pick this one up if you find it in the wild and want a different feel for your hidden identity collection. I love it and you might too.
