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Game Info
Year
2012
Players
1-4
Age
13+
Playtime
120 min
Collection
Ratings
Creator Score
Expansions & Family
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Mechanic profile
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Vibe profile
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Description
Darkest Night, by designer Jeremy Lennert, is a fully-cooperative board game for one to four players (up to six with variants), set in a kingdom broken under a necromancer’s shadow. Each player takes on the role of one of the kingdom’s last heroes (nine playable characters), each with a unique set of special abilities, just as they hatch a plan to save the realm.
Searching the kingdom provides new powers and equipment to strengthen you and your party, as well as the keys that can unlock the holy relics and defeat the necromancer. You can acquire many powerful abilities—unique to each hero—that can help to fight the undead, elude the necromancer’s forces, accelerate your searches for items and artifacts, and more. The knight is a brave and powerful warrior; the prince can rally and inspire the people; the scholar excels at locating and restoring the treasures of the past.
But ravenous undead roam the realm, and as the necromancer continues to build his power base, he blights the land and his army steadily grows. As the game wears on, the necromancer becomes more and more powerful, creating blights more quickly and effectively. If an area becomes too blighted, it gets overrun—and the monastery receives the spillover. And if the monastery is ever overrun, the necromancer wins and the kingdom is swallowed in darkness!
Before the monastery falls, it's up to you and your party to defeat the necromancer in one of two ways: If you can gather three holy relics and bring them all back to the monastery, you can perform a powerful ritual to break the necromancer’s power and scour the land of the undead. Alternatively, you can try to defeat the necromancer in direct combat—but be warned, he will readily sacrifice his minions to save himself.
Can you save the kingdom from darkness? Do you have the courage, the cunning and the will to withstand the necromancer and his forces? Strategize, plan and bring out the best of your abilities to end our Darkest Night!
Game Data:
Complexity: 4.5 on a 9 scale
Solitaire Suitability: 9 on a 9 scale
Scale: Each unit represents a Hero, the Necromancer or blights in a guerilla war over a small kingdom. Each round represents approximately several days to a week.
Darkest Night Family
(2 games)
This page includes videos and mentions from the whole Darkest Night family. Drill into a specific game below.
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Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 11
This page: 11
Sentiment:
pos 6 ·
mix 2 ·
neu 1 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–11 of 11
Video Lj2xlaJtLrQ
Board Games UnLocked Top List at 10:02 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 117047 · mention_pk 330119
Click to watch at 10:02 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
none
Cons
- Uses symbols instead of words, requiring prior knowledge.
- The rulebook is organized in a weird, out-of-order way.
- Uses shorthand and symbols that aren't explained upfront.
- Gameplay symbols lack clear explanation, leading to confusion.
Thematic elements
Comparison games
- Seven Wonders
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The rulebook can kill even the best game.
- The Glorious Fall rulebook is the worst, if you can even call it a rulebook.
- I have no idea how to play your game.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video EzZg50es3us
Board Games UnLocked Review at 0:13 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 116879 · mention_pk 329810
Click to watch at 0:13 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Unique characters with thematic decks
- Good balance of feeling hopeless but still being able to prevail
- Clue system is an appreciated mechanic
- Objective completion can be satisfying
- High quality production in the second edition
- Includes all expansions in the base game for the second edition
- Compendium showing character playstyles
Cons
- Boring gameplay
- Too much reliance on dice rolls
- Actions feel the same across characters
- Letdown compared to prior positive memories
- Lack of strong theme immersion
- Extremely difficult, backs against the wall feeling
- Slow pace due to one action per turn
- Lack of deep cooperative strategy/thought process
- Items are not very exciting
- Quests are not exciting and feel like just another task
- Poor scaling for two players
- First edition quality was very poor
Thematic elements
- Stopping a necromancer from winning
Comparison games
- Arkham Horror: The Card Game
- Eldritch Horror
- Talisman
- Assault of the Giants
- Mansions of Madness
- Battle CON
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action selection — Players typically perform one action per turn, which is a point of criticism for the slow pace.
- Bligh/Threat Management — Players must deal with 'blights' that appear and pose a constant threat.
- cooperative play — The game is designed for players to work together against the game's challenges.
- Deck Building — Each character has their own unique deck of 13 cards.
- Dice Rolling — The game heavily relies on dice rolls for actions and resolving challenges.
- Item/Artifact Collection — Players can find items or artifacts that can aid them.
- questing — The game includes quests that players can undertake.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- It's a natural consensus that it is boring
- It's such a letdown because I remember liking this game
- The game is difficult extremely difficult
- There's no real thought process to like there's no really cooperative nature
- You're gonna feel like all hope is lost which matches the theme very well but you can still prevail
- What carries this game is just the fact that I'm a Chandler and I feel like I actually have Chandler abilities
- This one went on Kickstarter for their second edition and it is quality-wise a lot better
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video _qmmNMijjs8
Board Games UnLocked Unboxing at 8:38 sentiment: positive
video_pk 116873 · mention_pk 329796
Click to watch at 8:38 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- very excited for the second edition
- has all the expansions
- complete upgrade to the first edition
- really liked darkest night
Cons
- learning to control myself about getting the miniature six expansion
- don't know if I'll like the actual game if I don't get all the expansions
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- at this point I'm pretty sure Fantasy Flight doesn't even make new games they just kind of uh stick to their IPs and just keep expanding those until it's just bogged down with stuff and they release a new edition
- so this is seem like a really fun game about flicking stuff you know to to to flip them onto things could be a neat you know dexterity game that or it could totally suck
- as if I didn't have enough games that make me feel stupid Sherlock Holmes I had to get more
- like without I had to get like everything smash up and AEG puts out for this game I have to get like they're gonna release a bigger a bigger geeky box a bigger geekier box for it to add just a lot more stuff
- I've heard the the production quality and and gameplay this is fantastic like it's not all about arena fun but you can also do that I've heard it's really good
- I played this again recently and it wasn't a fluke because I played it once and liked it a lot actually which if you're a fan of the show you know I don't care for those kind of games but this woman I really enjoyed
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 9rJgQmuc2SM
The Dungeon Dive Analysis at 9:03 sentiment: positive
video_pk 99363 · mention_pk 279703
Click to watch at 9:03 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Minimalist action economy strengthens the theme.
- The game is better for its mechanical minimalism.
- Minimalist action economy helps sell the theme of desperation and stealth.
Cons
- No component minimalism; the box is jam-packed full of stuff.
Thematic elements
- Heroes trying to defeat a necromancer by sneaking and gathering relics.
- Land taken over by a powerful necromancer.
Comparison games
- Dragons Down
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action economy — Players have only one action per turn.
- Relic collection — Heroes need to find holy relics to destroy the necromancer.
- Stealth — Players must try to sneak around and not draw attention from the necromancer.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- And so sometimes a game that just has a little bit of stuff or employs a certain kind of minimalism can be a breath of fresh air.
- And so it's kind of a minimalist in its component quality and quantity.
- This game is so minimal in what it provides and in its mechanisms. You know, I if you took just one thing away, it would kind of stop even being a game.
- The game doesn't construct things for you. It leaves a lot up to the players to determine how things look, how things feel.
- So, Darkest Night takes the complete opposite uh direction there. And you only get one action on each of your turns. So, it uses a kind of minimalist action economy.
- Well, Dragons Down takes the opposite approach.
- And so by employing that kind of narrative minimalism, I think Dragons Down is a much better game for that.
- And it is so minimal in every way that we've already discussed in artistic minimalism, in component minimalism, and in mechanical minimalism.
- But this game has everything I look for in an adventure game.
- And all three of those things combined to make this an awesome game. I love it. It is so much fun.
- There is nothing to get in the way of the adventure that I want to feel.
- But these kinds of games that I'm talking about really prove that that's not true.
- And you know, it's just I I wish I could embrace that more often.
- But maybe we just need a bare minimum of art, of components, and of mechanisms because sometimes a really small, very simple game is exactly the game that I want to play.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video AmYVHRf2Aq8
The Dungeon Dive Top 50 List at 12:59 sentiment: positive
video_pk 89786 · mention_pk 239037
Click to watch at 12:59 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- lots of characters and unique powers
- variety in enemy design and encounters
Cons
- rules can be weighty to learn
- thematic intensity may not appeal to all
Thematic elements
- dark fantasy outbreak-style crisis management
- cooperative fantasy threat-management with adventuring elements
- team-based planning with evolving perils
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- character decks — each character has a unique powers deck
- Combat: Deck/Hand — each character has a unique powers deck
- Cooperative Actions — team-building to balance strengths and weaknesses
- multi-character synergy — team-building to balance strengths and weaknesses
- Risk Management — players manage crises and global threats
- threat management — players manage crises and global threats
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
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)
No references stored for this video.
Video keYeekasjI8
The Dungeon Dive Top List at 28:19 sentiment: positive
video_pk 87523 · mention_pk 228875
Click to watch at 28:19 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- looks beautiful on the table
- gorgeous board
- love that about Darkest Knight Second Edition
- characters are so different
- feel different
- really fast brisk at game
- lot of different options where you can tailor the difficulty
- Darkest Knight Second Edition is great
Cons
- it's out of print right now
- prices on it have been going up
Thematic elements
Comparison games
- Arkham Horror
- Eldritch Horror
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Character Power Decks — all of the characters are so different I think there's something like 27 different characters and they all have a deck of cards of powers that you can unlock
- Single Action — In Darkest Night you only get one action you can move or you can do a thing in your space that's it
- threat management — it is a threat management style game
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Fallout with the expansions with the California expansion and the atomic bonds um Atomic bonds expansion the small expansion that basically fixes the game uh yeah out of the box wasn't a great game I liked it more than most people did but those expansions greatly Elevate the game it is a great great post-apocalyptic game that does have that unique Fallout feel
- The combat is a little fiddly and just never really feels natural I always forget uh how to solve combat in that game but uh everything else I really like the questing is super cool and just it's a neat world to be in and I think they did a really good job of capturing the uniqueness of Fallout
- But once you start adding in all of the incredible expansions for Defenders of the realm then the game really does feel like this Grand epic adventure game
- It's a cliffhanger game fortune and Glory the Cliffhanger game it has that old Cliffhanger serialized feel to it where you jump for a cliff and you fail that roll and you miss and then on your next turn you have to pick up on that Cliffhanger and you're hanging on by a thread
- This is probably the most unique game on this list and that is B in one aard game all about Brighton and that is the 2022 it's the uh 10th anniversary edition I believe it's the newest edition that he just put out and this is a game all about having a adventurous day in the city of Brighton and it's a modernday urban Adventure game and it is so Charming
- It really is it's impossible to keep up it's impossible to play all the games it's impossible to play the games I want to play enough to to satisfy me because there's just so many things coming out and so many things competing for for our hobby intention
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 1Sfa6xe1IfA
Rob's Tabletop World Analysis at 5:29
video_pk 81368 · mention_pk 201595
Click to watch at 5:29 · YouTube ↗
Pros
- unopened
- sealed
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The hard thing is I can't do it. I've got to rely on my wife to do it. So that's why we're kind of juggling things and it's kind of hard to get everything together.
- I added more stuff to the mystery lots. So, we're going to go over it here and make sure that you understand what's going on here.
- When you make a bid, it is for lots two and three. Okay.
- I can't show you the games because I just can't move on this thing.
- It is what it is. Um
- It's been like a machine but with this ankle completely torn up. It is really really hard. Okay.
- The rules don't take that much. They really don't take that much.
- I think it's a really really special game. And I can't believe I missed it for this long.
- We're going to end it this Thursday. So um this Thursday 12 noon it's the last time you can get your bids in.
- And lot 11, don't forget that Neuroscape game. That thing that that game is hot and expensive and, uh, good luck because it'
- Big time hockey. Big time boxing. I'll take a look at it. I'll write him if he'll bring he'll send it to us. I'm a big- time hockey guy. You know that. Very painful. Very painful.
- If you want to bid, email me novarapime860@hotmail.com.
- Galaxy Defender. Okay, at 250. We combined the two lots, two and three. Okay, they are going to be one lot now.
- Uh, Lot number four has no bids on it. That's the Memoir 44, Ace Armor, Flames of War starter set, uh, coin game, um, uh, D, uh, D-Day, uh, solo game from Decision Games. A great, great, great lot. Expensive lot, too.
- Lot number 11, Last Night on Earth, Darkest Night, the miniature expansion for it, Naroscape, and Risk. I threw that in there. Brand new copy. Nobody can ever have enough uh Risk.
- That thing that that game is hot and expensive and, uh, good luck because it's a low print run, so the cards are worth cash, but we need the cash.
- See, I got to talk more about that Dynasty baseball game. this there's certain games that just get get me a certain way and I go, "Yeah, that's that's gonna be a classic."
- Schnickel Fritz is if you just want to donate money. Snickler Fritz64@yahoo uh.com. If you don't want to bid on anything, you just want to send five bucks to help us out. Uh, we would appreciate that. You can do that, too.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 1Sfa6xe1IfA
Rob's Tabletop World Analysis at 30:59
video_pk 81368 · mention_pk 201611
Click to watch at 30:59 · YouTube ↗
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
none
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The hard thing is I can't do it. I've got to rely on my wife to do it. So that's why we're kind of juggling things and it's kind of hard to get everything together.
- I added more stuff to the mystery lots. So, we're going to go over it here and make sure that you understand what's going on here.
- When you make a bid, it is for lots two and three. Okay.
- I can't show you the games because I just can't move on this thing.
- It is what it is. Um
- It's been like a machine but with this ankle completely torn up. It is really really hard. Okay.
- The rules don't take that much. They really don't take that much.
- I think it's a really really special game. And I can't believe I missed it for this long.
- We're going to end it this Thursday. So um this Thursday 12 noon it's the last time you can get your bids in.
- And lot 11, don't forget that Neuroscape game. That thing that that game is hot and expensive and, uh, good luck because it'
- Big time hockey. Big time boxing. I'll take a look at it. I'll write him if he'll bring he'll send it to us. I'm a big- time hockey guy. You know that. Very painful. Very painful.
- If you want to bid, email me novarapime860@hotmail.com.
- Galaxy Defender. Okay, at 250. We combined the two lots, two and three. Okay, they are going to be one lot now.
- Uh, Lot number four has no bids on it. That's the Memoir 44, Ace Armor, Flames of War starter set, uh, coin game, um, uh, D, uh, D-Day, uh, solo game from Decision Games. A great, great, great lot. Expensive lot, too.
- Lot number 11, Last Night on Earth, Darkest Night, the miniature expansion for it, Naroscape, and Risk. I threw that in there. Brand new copy. Nobody can ever have enough uh Risk.
- That thing that that game is hot and expensive and, uh, good luck because it's a low print run, so the cards are worth cash, but we need the cash.
- See, I got to talk more about that Dynasty baseball game. this there's certain games that just get get me a certain way and I go, "Yeah, that's that's gonna be a classic."
- Schnickel Fritz is if you just want to donate money. Snickler Fritz64@yahoo uh.com. If you don't want to bid on anything, you just want to send five bucks to help us out. Uh, we would appreciate that. You can do that, too.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video nREwzfWIfMY
The Dice Tower Analysis at 6:13 sentiment: neutral
video_pk 81110 · mention_pk 199721
Click to watch at 6:13 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
neutral
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- necromancy
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is a pile of mid games as I take a look at board games on boardgamegeek.com, a repository of all things about board games.
- These are games that don't get talked about as much.
- it really is a very simple game from Prospero Hall.
- This is kind of one of those games I wish I had played back in the day.
- This is one of the best fillers out there where you have a bunch of swimmers out there.
- I think A Fell is a fine game. I just think it's sort of broken.
- It's a classic for a reason.
- what a fantastic party game.
- Phoenicia Tom Lehmann killed his own game. He eventually came out with Race for the Galaxy, which was a much, much better Phoenicia, which is why this game has kind of disappeared.
- one of the longest rule books in history.
- It is so complex.
- Of all the games I talked about today, I actually I think Lynx City I like Asking for Trouble's a lot, but Lynx City is my favorite.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video v-_NvH3bEv0
Box of Delights Playthrough at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 3747 · mention_pk 11018
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Massive variability due to expansions and large pool of powers.
- Quest deck adds sub-objectives and thematic flavor.
- Open-world feel with multiple objectives and strategies.
- Expansions add more blights, artifacts, and map content.
Cons
- Card backs differ between expansions (a minor aesthetic issue).
- Not a deep rules tutorial in the video; relies on other videos for rules.
Thematic elements
- Cooperative exploration and escalation against a spreading darkness, balancing relic collection, power-ups, and blight management.
- Kingdom under the shadow of the necromancer, with a monastery as a safe haven, and locations like castle, ruins, swamp, forests, and mountains to explore.
- Open-world, quest-driven with sub-quests and evolving threats.
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Blight tracking and dark influence — Blights and the darkness track threaten the monastery and can cause a loss if not managed.
- Combat: Deck/Hand — Quests have durations and rewards or punishments based on success.
- Cooperative Game — Players work together to defeat the necromancer.
- cooperative play — Players work together to defeat the necromancer.
- Event deck — Event cards introduce challenges and narrative moments.
- Events — Event cards introduce challenges and narrative moments.
- Exploration and search actions — Search locations to obtain keys, powers, artifacts, and other resources.
- Holy relics and ritual — Collect relics and perform a holy ritual to win when conditions are met.
- Modular map and locations — Different locations (castle, ruins, swamp, etc.) affect available actions and resources.
- Power-up system — Characters gain powers, with an epiphany mechanic allowing choice-based upgrades.
- Quest deck and sub-quests — Quests have durations and rewards or punishments based on success.
- Variable player setup — Multiple characters with distinct powers and stats; mismatched combos add replayability.
- Variable Set-Up: Player — Multiple characters with distinct powers and stats; mismatched combos add replayability.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- There's tons of game here. And we've got a whole set of blights.
- Really like it. It's really neat. Adds a great lot of flavor because it means that you've got an objective, but you've got these subobjectives.
- Open world games that you play where there's these little sub quests to go on.
- It's a team game. You're working together.
- We only need one relic to win.
- There are four holy relics on the on the board. We only need one and defeat the ne necromancer to win.
- If we collect three of holy relics and make it back to the monastery, then we can as a team perform a holy ritual that will cleanse the land of the necromancer.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video zujNM2C5MYg
Box of Delights Playthrough at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 3553 · mention_pk 10561
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Tense tension from the darkness track and stealth mechanics.
- Dynamic action economy with clear hero positioning choices.
- Treasure maps and power cards create meaningful, evolving options.
- Tactics in combat add strategic depth beyond simple luck.
Cons
- Some events can be punishing or unpredictable, creating variance.
- End-of-turn management can feel fiddly for newcomers.
- Card-driven randomness can overshadow player skill in long runs.
Thematic elements
- Dark fantasy teamwork under threat, balancing stealth and bold action to thwart creeping evil.
- A haunted kingdom where heroes operate in a nocturnal, peril-filled landscape to fend off a rising necromancer and forsaken blights.
- Procedural, scenario-driven with episodic threats (blights, cultists, necromancer) and location-based challenges.
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Combat dice pools and tactics — Combat uses dice, with one tactic permitted per combat to modify outcomes; higher dice results improve success odds.
- Combat: Dice — Combat uses dice, with one tactic permitted per combat to modify outcomes; higher dice results improve success odds.
- Darkness track and blights — A darkness track advances with necromancer activity; blights spawn in locations, hastening game pace.
- Elude vs. fight — Players can choose to elude or fight foes; elude often requires multiple dice and can incur secrecy changes.
- end-of-turn effects — Certain threats or status effects apply at the end of a turn, influencing subsequent decisions.
- Event/deck management — Events and blights are drawn from decks, with possible ability to refresh or shuffle decks mid-game.
- Movement and action economy — Each hero turn yields limited actions with power cards affecting movement, with secrecy bonuses for moving.
- Secrecy/visibility — Hero secrecy levels determine how easily the necromancer or enemies detect them.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Let's get cracking with our darkest knives.
- we elude with four dice.
- we've just made it. We've defeated this blight.
- the necromancer is going to create a blight in the village.
- desecration, the location doesn't really matter.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–11 of 11