habanero pepper
United States
Utah
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Although I have played many types of board games, I do not have much experience with the many games listed in this site. However, I came across Shadows over Camelot (and I bought Merlin's expansion as well) and it has been a terrific introduction to cooperative, themed games.
My gaming group is comprised of adults, all mostly in their 30's. We simply enjoy getting together and hanging out, and SoC allows us to do just that, as well as have a great time playing the game. Nobody is a "hardcore" board gamer, although I used to play D&D as a kid. I also have years of experience with World of Warcraft (PC Game) so I pretty much understand complexity of gaming.
When we first obtained the game, I was overwhelmed with the instructions. Sure, I have a doctorate degree, but I didnt expect the kind of academic requirement before we could play. Reading the instruction booklet 1x will allow you to wrap your mind around the game. It took me about 3x reading it, and playing the 1st game with the instructions in front of me, before we could manage the various scenarios the game presents you with. After about 3 games, we pretty much had the rules down, and we were no longer discovering little hidden rules which actually impact the game significantly.
After the 2nd night of playing, everyone involved went home and could not stop thinking and strategizing about the game. People were like "OK, why dont we all rush the Grail quest, then a couple people could split up and take on individual quests, oh, and lets get the Excalibur one done too..." We then explored traitor strategies as well. A couple of people in the group do not want to be traitors, while others fully embrace the role.
The game can vary between fairly easy to difficult. At times, people felt overwhelmed at the total inability to win. At other times, it seemed as though we were doing everything right, and the traitor(s) could not stifle the knights, no matter how hard they tried.
By now, we have played about 10 games. It is still fun, and the game of choice when we get together. My wife and I are expert at setting up the game, as it only takes a 5 minute break to go from a won or lost game to the next. We usually get in 2 sessions within about 3 to 4 hours, and people are willing to stay up later than usual in order to try to edge in one more game.
When we play, we pass out both the original game character cards, and the expansion cards, and allow people to choose which special ability out of the two they want to play (except for King Arthur, who only has 1 card). This works for us, and even if you have already played the color, you could select the guy you havent played, and check out that advantage.
We usually discuss strategy generally, and allow each player to determine how they will play. We rarely challenge someones move, unless they are new to the game. If this is the case, we usually discuss the outcome of the choice, so they can better understand game dynamics, as well as giving them permission to act, in case they are actually a traitor.
The visual engagement of the game is terrific. We have a variety of players in our group, and everyone is thrilled with the theme. We have some players who would be put off by a horror theme, so this game works great for all different types of people.
Now for a little critical exploration. One thing that can become frustrating is when you progress evil, and then have to use your heroic action to undo that progression of evil. This can happen in a few different ways. When this occurs, it feels as though you just wasted a turn, and with 8 players, it could be 6-8 minutes before you get to do anything again. This usually only happens near the end of the game, or when there are 10 or 11 siege cannons. Another minor issue is the color of the character bases. They are painted, however, the colors do not all match the color of the card, or their spot around the round table. Not a big issue, but we have had people move the "green" guy when they were actually yellow. Something else which can be frustrating are the travel cards in Merlin's expansion. You sit there, setting up your next move. You have the necessary cards, and just when you attempt to move, you get captured, or otherwise prevented from moving. It may take you 2 or 3 turns to actually move to a location because of the travel cards. The punishment by this game dynamic is hardly made up for by the positive rewards of travel cards. There should be a larger payoff for such a harsh preventative measure. Finally, we have never even started the fight against the dragon quest. We are done with the game by then, or only need 1 or 2 more swords. There is no sense in trying to place 9 or so cards at that point.
Overall, I totally enjoy this game. It is the biggest hit at our game nights, and people cant stop thinking about how they will approach the next game. The theme is great, the cooperative perspective works well, and the traitor(s) add a refreshing twist. All I need is some skill in painting miniatures!
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Chuck DePenti
United States
Ohio
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I also enjoy SoC, but must admit that I am shocked that you would play with so many at once. Almost any game with over 6 will drag (with a few exceptions like 7 Wonders or Incan Gold).
I also think you might want to work in other games into your collection to avoid burn-out on SoC (there are sooo many other great games out there, even for large groups). 7 Wonders can play up to 7. Incan Gold can play 8 (I am not sure what the rules state, but you can play it with that many). Your group might also enjoy The Great Dalmuti (can play up to 10 - even though it says upto 8). If you ever have less players (2-5) I highly recommend Ticket to Ride.
Enjoy Gaming!!!
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Arthur Rutyna
United States
Plymouth
Michigan
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Nice review!
Our group really enjoys this game also (have not played with Merlin expansion just yet). I do agree with your points about the end game where it seems you are spending a lot of your turns just undoing evil. We also haven't spent any effort at the Dragon's quest. Now I'm thinking it might be fun to try winning it. Question is, can you win the game if you do win the Dragon's quest. Sounds like another challenge! Count me in 
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LSU LSU
United States
Virginia Beach
Virginia
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Glad you enjoy the game. It really is a lot of fun. I would highly recommend mixing it up with games of similar feel/difficulty so that you do not get burned out. My group has played the game over 100 times over the past two years. But at one point we played it so often that we got burned out and left it on the shelf for 6 months. 7 Wonders is an up-to-seven player game that takes just 30-45 minutes. But of course, there are tons of great games on BGG.
Does your group really like the cooperative aspect of Shadows? If that's what is interesting about it, there are a number of great coop games out.
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Adam Rivas
United States
Louisiana
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Excellent review. I just recieved the game as a gift last night and am looking forward to playing ASAP. I might suggest to anyone that likes this game to try battlestar galactica by fantasy flight.
I am a BSG player and the dynamic of traitor/cylon is very similar. Also from what I've read in the rules and reviews the two games are very similar in overall goals/mechanics (similar but different enough to allow you to know you are playing different games)
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habanero pepper
United States
Utah
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I appreciate the responses, especially regarding the increase of variety. One couple has Killer Bunnies which is not complex or too strategic but is nice to mix things up and is a change of pace. Another couple has Ticket to Ride and we enjoy that. They also have Mystery of the Abby. Finally, we just obtained Fortune and Glory: A Cliffhanger Game. My wife and I are still reading the instructions and it is actually all laid out on my dining room table right now. I also have Mansions of Madness on my Xmas list. I will definitely take your recommendations into consideration. I don't want SoC to get over played within our group. We just finished two rounds tonight. One was lost due to Siege cannons, the other was a total Epic win for the Knights.
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