Pandemic meets Werewolf, and then goes to Camelot

How the game feels

For those that have played Pandemic, you know that it is a race to eradicate a disease before an outbreak triggers. Your teammates are actively working as a team, sharing resources, planning a multi-step strategy, all in the name of saving the world. But what if your teammates all of a sudden starting denying resources or played less than optimally. What if there was a traitor in your midst. Much like in Pandemic, players are working together for the common good of Camelot. Much like in Werewolf, there is a traitor among you seeking to subvert your well-intentioned plans. Well, most of the time. There will be times where you’ll play the game, but there won’t be a traitor. However no one knows that for sure, and everyone will still eye everyone else with an ounce of suspicion.

Players will be struck by the implementation of the Camelot theme into the game. Player selection is about choosing one of the Knights of Camelot. The board is complete with the famous Knights of the Round Table. Fans of Monty Python will notice the quest for the Holy Grail. Yes, Merlin is in the game as well, and how could we not talk about Camelot and King Arthur without having Excaliber there. The miniatures, cards, and board do an outstanding job of bringing you into the realm of Camelot.

If you’ve watched the show Cursed on Netflix – this is a great game to further your dive into King Arthur lore. The bottom line here is that because the theme is so relatable and recognizable. Its a great game that will be accessible to a wide audience.

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What a turn is like

The turns are interesting when you consider there is a traitor in the group. I can break down a turn like this. Each player must do one good thing and one bad thing on their turn. You can see the fact that players are “forced” to do a bad thing, that it provides some level of cover for the traitor. Now there are varying levels of “bad things” a player can do – it all adds to this umbrella of deception in the game. For instance, I could “fall on my sword” and lose one health. That is considered a bad thing. But in the eyes of the other players, it looks like I sacrificed myself in lieu of something worse happening. Quite the cagy thing to do if you were say the traitor.

In regards to good things to do, there are a number of quests that the loyal knights are trying to complete. Each of the Knights has a unique ability. It is fun to try and tailor your Knight’s unique ability to the quests at hand. In addition, your character may take on additional strengths as the game progresses. For instance, if you complete the Excalibur quest, you gain a combat bonus and may find yourself attacking the siege engines that plague Camelot. Or conversely – if you are the traitor, you claim Excalibur for yourself and deny the loyal Knights of the realm this powerful weapon. Oh, the treachery!

If they successfully complete enough quests and accumulate white swords, they will win the game. While trying to complete the quests available to gain white swords, players will also need to navigate the ever-growing presence of catapults rising at the gates of Camelot. The quests are easy to understand and have a relatively simple way of completing each of them.

But the real game is what is happening between the turns. So much of the fun happens between turns in the banter between players are they try and figure who may be the traitor. Every move is looked at through this lens. It is hilarious as accusations fly for the silliest of reasons. There are plenty of actions, or in some cases inactions, that a player can do that can cast doubt. But it is always tough to know for sure if someone is a traitor.

Learning the game

When you first get the game out of the box and onto the table it looks like there is a lot going on. Despite there being several choices a player can make on a turn, none of them are difficult to understand or execute. Another benefit is that this is a cooperative game. Aside from the traitor, it is in the player’s best interest to help each other navigate the game. Even the traitor benefits from this cooperation. Early on the traitor likely wants to be seen as helpful anyway.

I will say that if a player new to the game, or worse new to board gaming, draws the traitor card it might be a bit more difficult. Impossible? No, I don’t think so. The game, by design, will “help” the traitor because remember each round something “bad” has to happen. So even if the traitor is unfamiliar with the game, they will still have a good chance of winning, even if they play sub-optimally. Another option is to simply remove the traitor card for the first game, learn the mechanics, and then on a future game, loop the traitor in.

The game itself comes with two very detailed rule books. Frankly, it is a little overkill for what the game requires. That said, there shouldn’t be any questions on the rules if you digest both books. One outlines items such as components, setup, general game play while the other details the quests that are available.

Replay Value

The very human element of playing the role of the traitor adds all sort of replay value to the game. One player’s interpretation of the role of the traitor will be very different from another. That alone adds an incredible wrinkle into the game. Not only that, but players will enjoy being able to play the variety of Knights that come with the base game.

There is also an expansion for Shadows of Camelot. Merlin’s Company

The Upside/Downside

For me, the game starts and stops with the traitor mechanic. It takes a solid game to an epic game. Not only are players faced with “beating the game”, but they must watch their back and make sure they aren’t taken down from the inside. Frankly it is surprising how well SoC pulls this off. It was one of the first Co-Op games AND one of the first games to use a traitor role. Its inspired other great games such as Battlestar Galactica, Dead of Winter, and Pandemic.

It offers great a great theme, and the components and gameplay to back it up.