/pic326493.jpg)
'Tis the dawn of the 19th century; an age of science, superstition, and witchcraft. Howling fills the night as a full moon rises over the small, secluded village of Shadowbrook. Gruesome murders have become a daily occurrence and terror haunts the streets at night. An evil creature has taken up residence here and the countryside is engulfed by a tide of darkness.
But all is not lost…not yet.
A small group of heroic individuals, with the courage and strength to fight, have arrived in town. Some just passing through while others have come with a purpose; but all will be put to the test as they race to save this cursed town from falling into darkness. It will take a cunning mind and strength of spirit to determine who is friend and who is foe… to solve the mysteries and hunt the beast to its lair. But the secrets of Shadowbrook run deep. Gossip and rumors run rampant and these few Heroes may soon discover that they are outsiders here and this town is already so rotten from within there is little left to save.
"A Touch of Evil, The Supernatural Game" is a fast-paced game of fiendish creatures, dashing Heroes, and high-adventure. Each player takes on the role of a unique monster-hunting Hero, racing against time to stop the forces of darkness from claiming another foothold in the world of man. Only by investigating the town and building your Hero’s strength can you hope to hunt down the Supernatural Villain to his Lair and defeat him in an epic Showdown. Players can race Competitively to be the first to defeat the Villain and save the town, or they can work together Cooperatively to defeat a much stronger Villain.
Featuring a gameboard map of Shadowbrook and its surrounding countryside, eight Heroes to choose from, and four different Supernatural Villains to hunt; each with its own host of unique Minions and powers to drastically change the game. A Touch of Evil is designed to create an adventurous cinematic feel as the story and game unfolds.
So grab up your Wooden Stake, stuff some shot in that Musket, and hold onto your Tri-corn Hat; no one is safe from the creatures of the night and no one can be trusted…for inside everyone lies A Touch of Evil.
- strong thematic flavor
- sprawling map and locations feel expansive
- versatile play modes
- cheesy photography/art may turn some players off
- older components show their age
- pulpy, spooky, cinematic horror adventure
- hammer house of horror-inspired town investigations
- cliff-hanging, cinematic moments with varied locations
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- co-op/solo options — supports competitive and co-op/solo play with different rhythms
- expansion-driven scenery — coast and other expansions enlarge map and scenarios
- town exploration and encounters — visit different locations around a sprawling countryside map
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a really really simple game you basically do the same thing every turn you move your character into a new room you draw an encounter card you face that encounter rinse and repeat
- if you are into pulp fiction if you are into adventure fiction this is the game for you
- Dungeon Crusade has the best dungeon tile art and i've ever seen i absolutely love the way that various dungeons look
- there are a ton of expansions from the small box expansions which just kind of add a whole bunch of cards
- it's absolutely dripping with theme this game feels like you are playing an old hammer house of horror movie in a board game
References (from this video)
- Fantastic maps
- Great theme and setting
- Captures the feel of old horror movies
- Looks great
- Plays great solo, co-op, and competitively
- Expansive world with expansions
- Expansions go in and out of print
- Currently many expansions are out of print
- Supernatural horror, investigation
- Medieval village setting in the middle of nowhere with windmills and old churches
- Emergent narrative through encounters and uncovering evil
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Encounter cards — Stacks of encounter cards and weird things that are happening.
- Investigative gameplay — Uncovering what corrupt politicians are working on and the evil behind the scenes.
- Loot and allies — All kinds of different loot and things and allies to find.
- Varied characters — Great interesting characters that feel different to play.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Fallen land second edition what what can I say about this game it is perhaps the perfect Adventure game
- the best documentation I've ever seen in a board game this is the gold standard for all board games to offer this kind of documentation
- Popper's ladder feels like if um if early King Crimson and and uh like and early Genesis and and steel span and Fairport convention if all of these kind of early British kind of new wavy not New Wave but uh British folk and and progressive rock bands got together and designed a board game it would be something like popper's ladder
- it is my number one
- it's such a special game to the channel and just because it's so different and it's from one guy it's that passion project it's it's it's one guy just making his dream game
References (from this video)
- Generates fun, memorable, and interesting stories.
- Thematic qualities are tight, making randomness generate interesting outcomes.
- Does not rely on tons of text to convey narrative.
- Fantastic map boards with a nice size and great art.
- Live-action photography art on cards sells the theme.
- Bold visual style that does something different.
- Variety in gameplay through dice tests, combat, and different card decks.
- Not always combat-focused, balances various elements.
- Exciting card draws from adventure decks with unpredictable outcomes.
- Perfect amount of content and expansions without being cumbersome.
- Manageable token system.
- Less strict and overwhelming threat management compared to other games.
- Allows players time to breathe and enjoy the journey.
- Doesn't require optimal strategy to have a good time.
- Miniatures are not high quality and don't look very good.
- The showdown phase with the villain is not exciting and feels like a simple dice roll-off.
- The 'madness' affliction can be frustrating.
- Supernatural horror
- A small village called Shadowbrook
- Generates stories through randomness and player actions without reliance on tons of text.
- Arkham Horror
- Pandemic
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Movement — Characters move around the board between named spaces like the old woods, inn, monastery, manor, windmill, and abandoned keep.
- Card Drafting — Drawing from various decks like Layer cards, Encounter cards, Item cards, Mystery cards, and Event cards.
- Character upgrades — Players can spend XP or Investigation points to unlock additional powers or abilities for their characters.
- cooperative play — Players can work together, holding event cards to use their special abilities when desired.
- Dice Pool System — Players roll a pool of dice based on character stats for various tests.
- Dice Rolling — Used for stat tests (spirit, cunning, combat, honor) with varying success requirements (e.g., rolling 4d6 looking for 5s or 6s).
- Scenario/Boss Play — The game features various bosses (werewolf, spectral horsemen, ghost ship, etc.) and a focus on confronting the main villain.
- Set Collection — Players can acquire items like a cutlass, holy water, moonstone talisman, book of town history, hunting rifle, or wooden stake.
- Solo Play — The game is enjoyable when played alone.
- threat management — Minions move towards the town hall, ticking down a timer, but the reviewer finds it less strict and cumbersome than in other games.
- Variable player powers — Heroes have different abilities, stats, and strengths/weaknesses.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- And that is a Touch of Evil, the Supernatural game. I I love this game.
- This game generates really fun, memorable, and interesting stories without the reliance on tons of text to read to convey the narrative.
- But this game, A Touch of Evil, is right in the middle. It's like it's it's that perfect kind of Goldilocks game where it has just enough expansions to satisfy me wanting more, but it it doesn't have too many to make the game cumbersome.
- This is a total Goldilocks game and that's one of the things that I love about it so much.
- It's that journey. The journey is something in this game that I appreciate more than that destination.