Shadow House: Masquerade Game Review

The Basics:

• For ages 8 and up
• For 3 to 8 players
• Approximately 20 minutes to complete

Geek Skills:

• Active Listening & Communication
• Counting & Math
• Logical & Critical Decision Making
• Reading
• Strategy & Tactics
• Hand/Resource Management

Learning Curve:

• Child – Easy
• Adult – Easy

Theme & Narrative:

• The Viscount has been murdered! Everyone is a suspect, and time is running out to catch the killer…

Endorsements:

• Gamer Geek mixed!
• Parent Geek approved!
• Child Geek approved!

Overview

There has been a murder. All the players are possible suspects, with only one player knowing who is innocent for now. Can you deduce who is guilty and who is innocent? You might have the skills to do so but not the time. Be quick, or the murderer will escape!

Shadow House: Masquerade, designed by Pesu Nabeno and published by Blue Orange Games, is comprised of 36 cards, 23 Point tokens, and one Handcuffs token. The cards are as thick and as durable as your standard playing card. The tokens are made of thick cardboard. Illustrations by Gingerbread Dim are highly stylized and intriguing, adding a lot of visual value to the game’s theme and narrative.

A Lovely Moonlite Night

To set up the game, complete the following steps.

First, create the Starter deck. This is done by following a table of rules that identifies how many cards and what type needs to be included in the game. The number of cards is based on the number of players. Once the cards required are part of the Starter deck, shuffle them and set them aside face-down.

Second, shuffle the remaining cards and deal several cards based on the number of players. Any cards not used can be returned to the game box.

Third, shuffle the Starter deck into the remaining cards and set the deck face-down. This is the draw deck.

Fourth, deal four cards to each player face-down from the draw deck. Place the draw deck aside and make it available if needed.

Fifth, place the Points and Handcuffs tokens to one side, as well, and within easy reach of all the players.

This completes the game setup.

The Viscount Is Dead!

Shadow House: Masquerade is played in rounds and turns with no set number of rounds per game. A game round is summarized here.

Step One: Visit the Scene of the Crime

The player with the “First on the Scene” card plays it face-up in the middle of the playing area. By playing this card, the player becomes the “first player” for now. The Viscount’s body has been found, and it’s apparent that murder and treachery are afoot. But who among you is genuinely innocent?

Step Two: Play the Cards

Each player, in turn order sequence, starting with the player to the left of the first player, now plays one card to the table, face-up. Once played, the card is read out loud, and the effect is immediately resolved.

Read each card carefully before playing it! In this game, roles and cards shift position and ownership. You might be free of any wrongdoing at the start of the game but quickly be identified as an accomplice or the Culprit. Understanding what each card does will help you determine when to play it.

This continues, with each player playing a card from their hand in turn order sequence until the round ends.

Step Three: Ending the Round

The round ends as soon as any of the following four conditions are met:

• The “Detective” card is played
• The “Toby” card is played
• The last card in a player’s hand is played as the Culprit
• The “Culprit” card is played with the Handcuff token

The “Detective” Card  is Played

Once the “Detective” card is played, the player who placed it down must now attempt to identify the Culprit. If they guessed right, this player scores two points, as long as they haven’t been recognized as an accomplice—all other players who are not the Culprit or accomplice score one point each. The Culprit and all accomplices essentially lose the round.

The “Toby” Card is Played

Once the “Toby” card is played, the player who placed it down must attempt to identify the Culprit. If not recognized as an accomplice, this player scores three points—all other players who are not the Culprit or accomplice score one point each. Again, the Culprit and all accomplices lose the round.

The Last Card is Played

The last card is played, identifying the individual as the Culprit who is not caught. This guilty player and any accomplices score two points each. All other players lose the round.

The “Culprit” Card is Played with Handcuffs

The last card played identifies the individual as the Culprit. This individual is caught if they also have the Handcuff token in front of them. All players except the Cultrip and any accomplices score one point each.

New Round or Ending the Game

The game continues with a new round if no player has earned five or more points. Collect the cards, shuffle, and redeal using the same steps as when the game was first set up.

The game ends if the round ends and a player has five or more points. The player with the highest number of points wins.

Game Variant

If the game is determined to take too long or you are short on time, you can always play a single round. No points are awarded. The Culprit and their accomplices win, or all the other players win.

To learn more about Shadow House: Masquerade, visit the game’s web page.

Final Word

The Child Geeks had much fun with this game and had less trouble with this take on social deduction than other games. This is primarily due to the cards directing the action and the consequences. Many social deduction and hidden role games require the player to not only tell the truth (which all of the Child Geeks did), but also know how to answer or ask questions. That can be tricky, but the cards help a great deal. According to one Child Geek, “I liked this game, and I always find it funny when I am the Culprit. It’s hard not to smile and giggle evilly.” Another Child Geek reported, “I liked how you played the cards fast, and you saw the results at the table with all the players. It made the game fast and fun for me because all I had to do was listen to what the card did and play my cards when I thought it was the right time.” When the Cuprit was caught and sent to jail, all the Child Geeks voted and agreed that Shadow House: Masquerade was a great time.

The Parent Geeks also found a lot of enjoyment from the game. They could play it with their kids, family members, and peers without so much as a shift in complexity or holding themselves back. One Parent Geek said, “This was a game I played just as hard and as smart with my kids as I did with my gaming group. You don’t have to play nice or play easy. The cards let you know what you can and cannot do. Just ensure you maximize your points based on the cards you are dealt and passed.” Another Parent Geek said, “Great game. Great at parties and at my family gaming table. We all had a great time trying to figure out who was the Culprit or trying to stay hidden. Fun game!” When the Detective solved the case, the Parent Geeks all agreed the Shadow House: Masquerade was brilliantly executed.

The Gamer Geeks appreciated the game’s design and game play, but not the game itself. One Gamer Geek states, “This is where it is hard to decide on my vote. I think the game was a good one: easy to play, easy to learn, and easy to get to the table with a mixed group of players. But none of that made it a game I thought I wanted to play again. There are more interesting and harder social deduction games available that I would rather play.” Another Gamer Geek disagreed, saying, “I liked it. There are more difficult and deeper social deduction games available. I’ve played them, and you know what? They weren’t half as fun or as fast as this one. This game scratched my itch and left me smiling. I’d play it again.” When the body of the Viscount was taken away, the Gamer Geeks took a vote, revealing that this group of elitists couldn’t decide if the game was indeed for them.

Shadow House: Masquerade was a good deal of fun. As noted by other players, it was easy to teach and get to the table. While best with four players (in my opinion), playing it with eight players was just as fun. The only difference between the smaller and larger groups was the time played. None of the fun was reduced. The speed was always the same, and the energy never shifted down. Best of all, groups who played this with individuals of different ages and skill ranges reported that the only issue they saw was that no one could play the game if they couldn’t read or needed help determining what the card did. I fully agree with this, as players need to understand the effect of the cards to know when to play them for maximum benefit.

I very much enjoyed the game and look forward to playing it again. It’s fast and fun, and it does everything I expect a social deduction and hidden role game to do, with much less time, stress, and mess. Do give Shadow House: Masquerade a try when the opportunity presents itself. You’ll find it no mystery why so many of us enjoyed it.

This game was given to Father Geek as a review copy. Father Geek was not paid, bribed, wined, dined, or threatened in vain hopes of influencing this review. Such is the statuesque and legendary integrity of Father Geek.