This post marks my return to tabletop gaming. Two weeks ago, my brother & I drove to my uncle’s house for a Magic the Gathering draft and game night. Besides the amazing sweet corn and grilled chicken I ate, we played Shadow Hunters. This was my first time playing because I had never heard of this game prior to my brother pulling it out of his briefcase. The game itself is easy to learn, and fast-paced with excellent character art on each of the cards.

Shadow Hunters are all about the skill of negotiation and guesswork. Players are assigned one character out of three classes: Shadows, Hunters, and Neutrals. Shadows are supernatural creatures on the prowl in the evening. Hunters are humans trained to kill the Shadows. Neutrals are just humans in the town who have their own agenda. Nobody knows which class you’re in which is all a part of the fun. For shadows to win the game, they have to kill the hunters. Hunters, therefore, have to kill the shadows. The neutrals though are interesting. My uncle had a character that was neutral that would only win the game if he died first. So just because you know someone is neutral, doesn’t mean you know what’s going on.

This game is definitely a party game. I wish we had more than 4 people playing, best case scenario would be 8. It’s harder to deduce who everyone is so it makes the game go on longer. At one point I thought my brother was a shadow so I attacked him. Turns out I was wrong and he was on my side the entire time. . . oops.

Can we just take a second and admire the art on this card? Two games in a row I got dealt, Ellen. She looks so sweet and innocent, yet I’m sure she can deal serious damage. The art itself takes inspiration from Japanese culture and manga which is something I have started to dabble in lately.

Shadow Hunters is a game I want to own for myself in the future. It’s perfect for any anime or manga fan or for a general tabletop gamer.