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Monday, August 01, 2005

Shannon: I suppose the best way that I can explain why I like this game is to outline what excites me during a turn.

To start off with, there's a decision point as to what evil action to take. *This* is the important decision during an individual turn, not the putting down of another card. I constantly measure and second-guess this, based on whether I think there's a traitor in the game or not (as siege engines are a lot more dangerous with a traitor than without). If I decide upon a black card draw, there's a lot of tension here. Am I going to have something bad or something really bad happen?

The heroic part of my turn can be relatively set, but every three turns or so I feel like I have to make a decision as to what to do next.

Then, on other peoples' turns there's constant kibitzing as to what people should or shouldn't do. Compared to tactical games, which often have terrible downtimes, this is another place that the game really shines.

Finally, if I ever have a bit of breathing space where I'm not putting down my next card, not figuring out my next move, and not plotting with other players, my brain will wander as to who might or might not be a traitor in the current game, with a full accounting of their actions runing through my head.

With all that said, I can understand your not liking the game, but I think it has to do with what you're looking for. I came in looking for a social experience with great Arthurian color. I got it, and I assure you my speech is full of flowery prose when I play. It sounds like you're coming in wanting a deeper system, with more important decisions that you can personally make each turn, and by that criteria Shadows clearly fails.