When you saw the code words Project Nightshade come across your desk, you insisted on the assignment... You were instantly reminded of the shadow operative who had slipped through the fingers of some of The Rigel Group's best agents. Now it's your chance to catch this criminal before it’s too late.
As a master agent of the elite global task force, The Rigel Group, you expertly hunt down cunning spies and deadly double agents. You’ll need to use your wits, local intel and tools of the trade to lure the spy into your trap. Just be sure you’re the predator, and not the prey! This isn't just any spy; one false move could end your mission... permanently.
Harsh Shadows is a solitaire game of espionage. To set up, place nine location cards in a 3x3 grid, then place discovery cards under each location. Place three file cards near the locations, then place case cards under each file. Place decks for arrow cards and additional discovery cards nearby, along with two agent tool cards. The spy and agent cards start in different locations.
You are the agent and go first, moving to an adjacent location and revealing a discovery card, which could be an item, clue, or bomb; item and clue cards go in hand, while bombs force you to discard. You can use a location's special ability and clues to reveal case cards under files. You might be able to place a tracking bug on the spy.
For the spy's turn, the arrow cards move the spy to an adjacent location, where a new discovery card is placed at random. If the spy moves to your location, discard a card. If you can't discard a card or discover you've discarded an item matching a case card, you lose immediately.
When the discovery deck is empty, the spy attempts to escape. You must have placed a tracking bug on the spy, have the three item cards in hand matching the case cards, and make it to the spy's current location before the spy escapes.
- Fun solo game
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- solo — Fun solo game.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Don't let your games just sit untouched in rooms for extended periods cuz they get really filthy.
- I love Castles of Burgundy. One of my all-time favorite games.
- This is a narrative campaign dungeon crawl gloom havenesque type game that I want to make the time to play all the way through.
- If I was being really harsh, I'd probably call this.
- I just don't know that I'm going to get it played.
- I really love New Frontiers.
- I'm feeling really discouraged. I'm feeling really overwhelmed.
- The problem is you just it's unrealistic for some people.
- I need to get rid of games. I can't keep them all.
- And for every day I don't play one of these games, I'm keeping that potential of fun from someone else who might love the game.
- It makes me sad to look at games that I want to play and know I'm not going to be able to play them.
- They don't have feelings. They're in they're inanimate objects, you know.
References (from this video)
- Captures theme well
- Quick gameplay
- Works well solo
- A little easy
- spy
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Deduction — trying to track somebody out there
- Tracking clues — you're going to be kind of going around setting up locations and sort of tracking down and collecting clues
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- thanks again to ed for having me on his channel to chat today
- so these are not games that i rated like a 10 and everybody else said it's a four these are ones that are just kind of lesser known
- this is what happens when you have too many games
- but i digress
- hopefully this was fun and enjoyable to see these sure i'll be back again take care enjoy playing solo bye