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Nightfall box art

Nightfall

Game ID: GID0227139
Game Info
Year
2011
Collection
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Expansions & Family
Nightfall: Martial Law Nightfall: The Coldest War
Mechanic profile
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Vibe profile
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Description

The sun has retreated from the earth. It has been a little over a week since the last hint of light shone over the horizon, and the chaos has begun. People fear for their existence, while scientists struggle to explain the phenomenon.

Until they came.

The creatures of nightmare — vampires, werewolves, and ghouls — have begun to appear throughout the world, and they show no sign of hesitation in claiming the dark world as their own!

--

Publisher Blurb

Nightfall - a new fast, furious and fun deck-building game from Alderac Entertainment Group. Featuring direct head-to-head combat, amazing art, a new AEG world, and unique mechanics by designer David Gregg, Nightfall will be the deck-building game to own.

Before the game begins, there is a draft to determine which cards are available for purchase, and by whom. During this draft players select two cards from the set for their personal archives, and they also select cards to put into the common area. The cards drafted into personal archives may only be purchased by the player who drafted them.

After the table has been set with the private and common cards, players begin play.

The meat of Nightfall is in the chaining mechanic, which was partially developed with the help of people right here on BoardGameGeek.

Each card has a main color and two linking colors. If you can match the main color of a card to one of the linking colors of the previous card, you can chain those cards together. Once a chain is started, players all get an opportunity to link additional cards onto the chain during that turn.

Cards in the chain resolve in reverse order: first in, last out. Instant effects fire off as cards come off the chain, doing damage to your opponents or bringing characters into play to defend you and attack your opponents.

The object of Nightfall is to put wounds into your opponents’ decks and end the game with the least amount of wounds in your deck. But beware: the more wounds a person has, the more enraged they become and the faster their deck works, meaning more cards and bigger chains will come your way!

Nightfall's base set releases with starting decks of 12 cards for up to 5 players, and 24 distinct cards (7 copies of each) for drafting during play.

The box contains card dividers, and is in the same format as the much heralded Wrath of the Elements box for Thunderstone.

Integrates with:

Nightfall: Martial Law
Nightfall: Blood Country
Nightfall: The Coldest War
Nightfall: Dark Rages
Nightfall: Eastern Skies

Description

The sun has retreated from the earth. It has been a little over a week since the last hint of light shone over the horizon, and the chaos has begun. People fear for their existence, while scientists struggle to explain the phenomenon.

Until they came.

The creatures of nightmare — vampires, werewolves, and ghouls — have begun to appear throughout the world, and they show no sign of hesitation in claiming the dark world as their own!

--

Publisher Blurb

Nightfall - a new fast, furious and fun deck-building game from Alderac Entertainment Group. Featuring direct head-to-head combat, amazing art, a new AEG world, and unique mechanics by designer David Gregg, Nightfall will be the deck-building game to own.

Before the game begins, there is a draft to determine which cards are available for purchase, and by whom. During this draft players select two cards from the set for their personal archives, and they also select cards to put into the common area. The cards drafted into personal archives may only be purchased by the player who drafted them.

After the table has been set with the private and common cards, players begin play.

The meat of Nightfall is in the chaining mechanic, which was partially developed with the help of people right here on BoardGameGeek.

Each card has a main color and two linking colors. If you can match the main color of a card to one of the linking colors of the previous card, you can chain those cards together. Once a chain is started, players all get an opportunity to link additional cards onto the chain during that turn.

Cards in the chain resolve in reverse order: first in, last out. Instant effects fire off as cards come off the chain, doing damage to your opponents or bringing characters into play to defend you and attack your opponents.

The object of Nightfall is to put wounds into your opponents’ decks and end the game with the least amount of wounds in your deck. But beware: the more wounds a person has, the more enraged they become and the faster their deck works, meaning more cards and bigger chains will come your way!

Nightfall's base set releases with starting decks of 12 cards for up to 5 players, and 24 distinct cards (7 copies of each) for drafting during play.

The box contains card dividers, and is in the same format as the much heralded Wrath of the Elements box for Thunderstone.

Integrates with:

Nightfall: Martial Law
Nightfall: Blood Country
Nightfall: The Coldest War
Nightfall: Dark Rages
Nightfall: Eastern Skies

Ask a Rules Question
All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 12
This page: 12
Sentiment: pos 6 · mix 1 · neu 0 · neg 3
Mentions per page
Showing 1–12 of 12
Video N5OxwJmSVSc Rolling Dice & Taking Names Event Coverage at 2:48
video_pk 93611 · mention_pk 253526
Rolling Dice & Taking Names - Nightfall video thumbnail
Click to watch at 2:48 · YouTube ↗
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Deck Building — Mentioned as a deck build card game.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • we're here both of us are here at the queen city game club tabletop day event
  • we have a game of super dungeon this year which never makes it to our regular tuesday night events but with this much time today it's hit the table
  • love letter which is the 16 card quick hit sensation that you can't buy anywhere right now because it keeps selling out
  • i think that's why it's so popular because it's such a great game for only ten dollars
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video VcOQ4yIN3HY Watch It Played Discussion at 9:45 sentiment: positive
video_pk 89600 · mention_pk 238255
Watch It Played - Nightfall video thumbnail
Click to watch at 9:45 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • Asymmetrical team game
  • Cool theme (knights vs demons)
  • Campaign mode with story elements
  • Direct to retail release
Cons
none
Thematic elements
  • An ancient order of holy knights protecting elders who sustain a seal to the underworld, battling demons emerging from a rift.
  • Thornmar Abbey, a haunted valley.
  • Campaign mode involves reading stories while exploring the map.
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • asymmetrical gameplay — Two distinct teams with different objectives and roles.
  • Campaign play — Features a campaign mode for 1-2 players with narrative elements.
  • team-based — Players are divided into two teams: knights and demons.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • this whole theme which i for one think is pretty unique just speaks to me
  • i really am excited to see big box uve farming games leave the german countryside explore something fresh
  • this new exciting marvel cinematic universe legendary expansion features characters from the first and second guardians of the galaxy movies featuring images pulled straight from both guardians of galaxy films recapturing the adventure
  • terra nova is just that a more streamlined and accessible version of terra mystica
  • Cosmos games also announced a brand new second expansion to Targi just like that out of the blue another expansion to one of my all-time favorite games
  • this thing's going to go up against charizard a carves and lacquered box metal dragon and phoenix pieces stone textured resin tiles embroidered bags fabric game boards it's a sight to behold with a price tag that's also a sight to behold 350 dollars but for a luxury item to cherish for a lifetime i think this is a pretty amazing project
  • i love the base game and this is a no-brainer to me
  • the original king's dilemma was a blast so i'm really interested to see how this one unfolds
  • that bit does sound different and exciting
  • which i have to admit is a pretty cool theme for a game it sounds like the type of anime i like
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 6w6RWiUBwqo Drive Thru Games Analysis at 8:50 sentiment: negative
video_pk 89483 · mention_pk 237671
Drive Thru Games - Nightfall video thumbnail
Click to watch at 8:50 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
negative
Pros
  • The theme of werewolves and vampires was cool.
  • The head-to-head idea was cool.
Cons
  • Not around anymore.
  • Did not particularly care for it.
  • A lot of people were very mixed on how this one actually turned out.
Thematic elements
  • Werewolves, vampires, horror
Comparison games
  • Thunderstone
  • Dominion
  • Ascension
  • Star Realms
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Deck Building — A deck-building game.
  • Player Attack — The game is about attacking other players directly.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • it's like a deck builder but also like a race for the galaxy
  • you have the deck building but then you also have like the the the lead and follow things so like in glory to rome or race to the galaxy you have that sort of concept but also married with the deck building
  • the first probably two expansions are good the ones the last couple of it's just like too much similar to the race for galaxy first couple expansions great and the last two it's like uh there's all this other stuff going on now
  • as a whole the sum of those parts it there's nothing else really that feels like this game
  • the original one really fell on its face
  • there was a lot of problems with it
  • it didn't really do well out of the gate
  • the rules would just end up being too clunky and stuff like that
  • that first edition really kind of stumbled out of the gate
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video FtIo-dMwC0M Chairman of the Board Top List at 5:09 sentiment: positive
video_pk 86499 · mention_pk 223898
Chairman of the Board - Nightfall video thumbnail
Click to watch at 5:09 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • Unique and intriguing theme
  • Fantastic art style
  • Economic elements
Cons
  • Host preference against pure deck-building games
Thematic elements
  • Profiting from cleaning streets before sewage systems
  • Victorian London
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Deck Building — Advertised as a mechanic, though the host hopes it's card-driven improvement rather than pure deck building.
  • Pick-Up and Deliver — An advertised mechanic in the game.
  • pool building — Advertised as a mechanic.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • hey everybody and welcome to my top 10 most anticipated board games for 2025
  • this is a snapshot in time but there are 10 games here that I'm really excited for and cannot wait to try this year
  • so this one I can imagine is going to be featured on quite a few people's most anticipated games list um because it seems to have this gear mechanism that is reminiscent of a game called zulin which is one of my favorite Euro games of all time
  • the main again feature here that Drew my attention was the the theme because this is Set uh in I think it's Victorian London I might beuda London um where you are trying to to profit from kind of cleaning the streets because this is before the know the sewage system came uh into place
  • so if you watch my content regularly or even see my icon you might know that I'm quite a big fan of the the medieval genre I love the kind of aruan Legends probably my favorite theme in board Gaming Full Stop
  • so this is actually um based on a conclave which is a theme that I think is so fascinating and I'm surprised this hasn't been explored at least in depth before
  • so it wouldn't be a chairman of the board list without some stefen Feld
  • normally Fel games are of course a bit more Care Bear friendly a bit more Point salad style games this one it seems a bit more confrontational
  • so I'm really into my card games and this one sounds right up my alley
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 7jwz3SBgdMw UndeadVikingVideos Discussion at 46:52
video_pk 85202 · mention_pk 217895
UndeadVikingVideos - Nightfall video thumbnail
Click to watch at 46:52 · YouTube ↗
Pros
  • Setting where the sun has been out for a hundred years
Cons
none
Thematic elements
  • 5e setting where the sun has been out for a hundred years
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • Maybe, just maybe, no one wants your $200 dice, or knockoff stickers.
  • Quit trying to tear down conventions when the problem isn't them.
  • You're controlling titans and there's like this whole Titan thing where you're training them. They're like God of War, the board game.
  • I mean, it's just uh it's crazy stuff out there, man.
  • The whole world's on fire. Nobody cares, you know.
  • It's walking money.
  • The attendance is like around, isn't it like 20,000 or 30,000?
  • I feel like the work is worth it, you know?
  • But people saw the front cover of After the Empire and they were like, "What is this?"
  • And then they want to buy it.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video wvK29aeCgiE The Dice Tower Review at 0:00 sentiment: negative
video_pk 79983 · mention_pk 193799
The Dice Tower - Nightfall video thumbnail
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
negative
Pros
none
Cons
  • The graphic design is not particularly good.
  • The cloth mat is unnecessary.
  • The printing on the cloth mat is pretty hard to read what all the symbols do.
  • The graphics themselves aren't particularly good.
Thematic elements
  • poop
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • Nightsoil is a game about poop.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 77krOuWPvGY The Dice Tower Review at 1:08 sentiment: negative
video_pk 66251 · mention_pk 161133
The Dice Tower - Nightfall video thumbnail
Click to watch at 1:08 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
negative
Pros
  • thematic concept is interesting
  • guilds with special abilities provide some flavor
Cons
  • poor graphic design/readability
  • cloth mat is unnecessary and hard to read
  • end-of-round turns can leave you with no workers
  • draggy, not engaging
Thematic elements
  • poop/sanitation/urban infrastructure
  • sanitation in Tutor, England
  • grimly thematic, somewhat bleak
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Area Control — expel waste cubes from the city while avoiding waste in your own areas
  • Card Play — play cards to gain benefits
  • Worker Placement — place workers to perform actions
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • Night Soil is a game about poop. That's all it is about.
  • This game kind of beats you down.
  • The cloth mat with the printing on is pretty hard to read what all the symbols do.
  • This is a five out of 10 for me.
  • The rules... is a very convoluted process.
  • I really dislike what Portal did with this.
  • There is a player aid per character. Yay.
  • Symbols in this game do not match what you think they might mean.
  • Redonkulously huge.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video NHVLn-ZxVWs No Pun Included Discussion at 5:47 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 38526 · mention_pk 212643
No Pun Included - Nightfall video thumbnail
Click to watch at 5:47 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
none
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)
  • This is a trick digging game. It's called Bidcoin.
  • There is a very limited amount of money in the trough and the first piggy to snuffle it all up basically just gets it.
  • This is a game that doesn’t feel like it’s trying to be something it’s not.
  • The world is a loosey goosey experience.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video RPYNzVoAmv8 Going Analog Top 10 List at 46:30 sentiment: positive
video_pk 37313 · mention_pk 209187
Going Analog - Nightfall video thumbnail
Click to watch at 46:30 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • fun and thematic, surprisingly approachable
  • strong production values
Cons
  • humor may not land for all players
Thematic elements
  • humorously grim subject turned into game mechanics
  • historic urban sanitation work with resource management
  • cleverly thematic
Comparison games
  • John Company
  • Vinhos
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Worker Placement — compete for tasks and optimize placement to gain rewards.
  • worker placement / resource manipulation — compete for tasks and optimize placement to gain rewards.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • it's like drunken mascots
  • it's a quick race, but the system is rewarding
  • the box sells itself
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video o1Gsffg8hys ON TABLE Board Games Discussion at 11:06 sentiment: positive
video_pk 29473 · mention_pk 86535
ON TABLE Board Games - Nightfall video thumbnail
Click to watch at 11:06 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • strong theme and variety of knights
  • mechanic depth
Cons
  • complex rules for new players
Thematic elements
  • asymmetric demon-hunter tension
  • mythic dungeon crawl with demon threat
  • team-based co-op vs. demon AI
Comparison games
  • Night Vault
  • Descent: Legends of the Dark
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Area Control — knights defend elders against demonic waves
  • area control / epic battles — knights defend elders against demonic waves
  • asymmetric roles — knights vs demons with unique powers
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • this is a simple card party game where three to six people will try to stay alive by playing actions from cards will push other players out hide behind cars or even make alliances so as to escape las vegas or italy
  • in the box you can expect that as many as 100 miniatures may appear on the board
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video LKQ_xtCSXrA Meeple University Top 20 List at 9:51 sentiment: positive
video_pk 29035 · mention_pk 208309
Meeple University - Nightfall video thumbnail
Click to watch at 9:51 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • tight two-part worker placement with day/night cycle
  • clear track advancement and majority focus
  • engaging theme
Cons
  • theme could turn some players off
  • tight decisions can be punishing
Thematic elements
  • night soil collection
  • old London
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • Yay. There's a rule book about it. So technically, we create our own rule book.
  • It's our video. There's a rule book about it, so technically we create our own rule book.
  • This video technically should be called Meiple University's top games of 2025 plus Terren revised game of 2024.
  • Formidably so this is a contract card shading game.
  • Kingdom Crossing is the seven bridges of Königsberg in game form.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Q3Lr5v3zYRc Board Game Spotlight Discussion at 9:26 sentiment: positive
video_pk 965 · mention_pk 2711
Board Game Spotlight - Nightfall video thumbnail
Click to watch at 9:26 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • gorgeous art
  • clear team-based goals
  • offers varied play modes
Cons
  • can be heavyweight for casual players
  • rules and setup can be intricate
Thematic elements
  • team vs team dungeon-like battle
  • dark fantasy world
  • dueling factions with modular arms and campaign options
Comparison games
  • Valor & Villainy
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • multiple play modes — includes solo and campaign/extended play variants
  • team-based competition — knights vs demons engage in a structured conflict
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • it's like the super bowl
  • christmas in august for a lot of gamers
  • the rolling right experience they've distilled from Twilight Imperium
  • the generator is amazing
  • you can print at home and play as much as you want
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
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