Back in August we posted about Shadows Over Camelot: The Card Game. Over the weekend I got a change to give the game a go with my kids, and I was surprised at how quick and easy it was to pick up and play. The rules took about 5 minutes to learn, and my 7 and 5 year old had no trouble grasping the basics of the game.

Here’s a quick disclaimer. I’ve owned the original Shadows Over Camelot for years, but still haven’t played it. So I won’t be making any comparisons between the two games here.

The bulk of the game lies in the deck of Rumor cards. Each turn players will draw a card from the rumor deck and place it on the threats pile. Certain cards show quests: The Holy Grail, Excalibur, defeating a dragon, etc… Merlin, Morgana, Morgan, and other special cards bring new rules or conditions into the game. Players keep adding cards to the Threat pile until a player decides to go on a quest. Then, adding up all the numbers from those quest cards in the pile, it is figured out if the quest succeeded or not. This will yield White or Black Swords. Sub-quests in the pile can also yield Black Swords if left to accumulate too long.

Advanced players can add in the Knights to the Rescue cards. These cards are activated when a quest fails, and each has their own special effects and time they get played. Beware, though! In the advanced rules you also keep 3 extra Morgan cards set aside to be shuffled into the Rumor deck when a quest succeeds!

The game is basically a push-your-luck memory game, with the added element of a possible Traitor. Players can freely exchange information through the game, unless a Morgan card is drawn, and a Traitor’s role is to skew that information. It’s even possible for players to switch loyalty through the use of special cards drawn. Overall, the game is light and a whole lot of fun. My kids are already asking me when we’ll be playing again.

I really expect nothing less from Days of Wonder.

A copy of Shadows Over Camelot: The Card game was provided free for review by Days of Wonder.