Shadow Hunters
by ZMAN GAMES
for 4-8 players
40 mins to 1.5 hours (depending on number of players)
Setup time 10 mins
Teaching time 15 mins
They say the game breaks down at 4 people. I don't care really. Shadow Hunters is such an awesome game that I even created a variant to play with 2 or 3 (Sometimes it's just my wife and I, and sometimes mom would tag along for a session or two). And I still enjoy it. Watch out for my variants at the bottom of the blog.
Game Components 7/10
Out of the box, the board opens up pretty well. After 5 uses, it is still in good condition except maybe some movement scratch marks shining due to its printing. Markers are made of wood and painted according to various colors. The cards themselves are sturdy, but i didn't want to risk it being like my Pandemic cards (a bit damaged at the corners after 5 games), so i sleeved them up.
Game Mechanics 8/10
At setup, everyone is dealt a role card. Role cards are either a Shadow, a Hunter or a Neutral. The basics - Shadows kill Hunters, Hunters kill Shadows, and Neutrals are caught in the middle of the battle so they do what ever they need to do to achieve their own objectives to win. During the game, these roles are hidden from other players except yourself, until of course someone is forced to reveal themselves or they choose to reveal to use their special abilities (you can only use your special abilities when you reveal - unless you're someone like the unknown who can remain unknown to anyone else throughout the game)
A board is placed in the middle and on the board are everyone's hit point markers and Area cards (where each person is). Each turn, a player will roll two dice, one 4-sided and one 6-sided, add the total up and move according to where the number shows on those Area cards. If you roll a total of 7, you get to move anywhere. After moving, you resolve the Area effects (what the Area allows you to do) such as draw a card or damage/heal someone or steal an equipment card from another player.
3 types of cards can be drawn by a player during his turn - black cards for weapons (very good for Shadows), white cards for armor or healing (very good for Hunters), and green cards for identifying who someone else is. The green cards bring the kick of this game to a whole 'nother level. How you say? Well, you draw one, secretly read it to yourself, then pass it to another player. The effects of this card apply to that player. So for example if one says, "I bet you are a Shadow or a Neutral, if so take one damage", then if the player takes a damage, you are one step closer to knowing who he/she is. And here's the fun part... No one else knows what is going on between the two of you!
After resolving effects, the player may choose to Attack. To do this, he/she chooses a player on his/her "combined" Area (two Area cards are considered in a "combined" Area if they are in the same square drawn on the board), rolls the two dice and this time substracts one from the other for damage. This creative new mechanic has amazed many though it seems pretty trivial to me.
So once you have been dealt damage equal or above the hit points that your character/role has, you are out of the game (unless for some spectacular reason, your Mother's Love allows you to heal all your damage just before you die - some freaking crazy ability). Shadows win when they kill all the Hunters and vice versa. Neutrals win when they reach their own personal objective stated on their character cards.
The game board
Replayability 9/10
10+ games in and I still cannot find a reason to stop playing this. Our group went on to 2am once playing 4 games straight. The replayability is high with so many character cards (20 roles). Each player who joins your gaming group has different personalities that also make this game so replayable. Hidden role games are the best in this arena.
Game Experience 9/10
If not for the down time, the game rocks! 5-6 people, very enjoyable. Play 7+ players, still enjoyable but it will take some time before your turn comes around again. Another negative would be if a player gets killed early in the game. With 7+ players, you'll have to wait for some time before the game resets again.
Ever played Mafia or Werewolf or The Resistance? This game is very similar with some complexity added to it to spice things up. Usually in hidden role games, it is very difficult to guess who is for you and who is not. In Shadow Hunters, the green cards do this for you. So rather than lucky guessing, strategy counts more here. And the fun part is that only the both of you know this little secret.
Seriously a fun party game. It will take a few rounds before everyone is familiar with the roles, the strategies and the cards. But they will be in simply because the tension and the challenge built into the game makes it attractive, even to the non-gamers. The mechanics are easily explained and once they get the hang of the dice and the cards, it is all-round fun fun fun.
We played this 4 games straight and ended at 2am. Well worth my money.
Overall 8/10
It is a very fun game to play. I bring this to every game night hoping my friends will mention it. And it never fails to entertain. The replayability shows. Only downside is that I cannot play it solo. Casual gamers will need some time to understand everything that is happening, especially the green cards, but soon they'll catch on and have some good fun, though you'll still have to guide them along the way. Every game is memorable, like the time Joan had 1 HP left and use her Wight ability to give herself two additional turns to take out two other hunters and win the game for the Shadows.
Do i recommend this? Oh definitely. 8/10 from me is saying a lot.
Pros:
Hidden role with special abilities (everyone gets it)
Easy to understand mechanics
High replayability
Teamwork among Shadows/Hunters
Cons:
Player character cards need a bit of explaining to non-gamers
Downtime
Players killed have to sit out of the game
Game Variants
As promised, some of my Shadow Hunter variants
2-player variant:
1 hunter, 1 shadow - play with characters faced up and no green cards (landing on a green Area, draw any card)
It's a bit dull, but all in the name of hitting each other and luck. So don't expect this variant to be with much strategy. Just remember to take away any character card that does not have a special ability that can be used once revealed
3-player variant:
1 hunter, 1 shadow, 1 neutral - play as per normal
Still based on luck but with a wee bit of strategy. I played this with my wife and mom. We had quite a blast "cursing" when we got a bad card and being happy just to deal damage. The revealing part comes very fast though.
3-player variant version 2:
3 Neutrals - play as per normal without green cards (landing on a green Area, draw any card).
This will be fun trying to figure out who has which objectives. See someone collecting equipment = stop them from collecting equipment! See someone trying to die, stop this!
9+ player variant (not recommended):
Just add in more markers from other games. Downtime is increased but you can add the option to half everyone's HP (not play tested yet). Increase the fun by role playing while you take your turn and trying to deduce who everyone is by socializing when someone is taking their turn. I played this once, and it did not totally break the game but there were some observers.
What did you think of the game? Feel free to leave me a comment on your opinion of it...
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