A Touch Of Evil Supernatural Game

by Flying Frog Productions

Product Features

• For 2-8 players
• For 1-2 hours
• Supernatural adventure board game

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 12 x 12 x 3 inches ; 4.4 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: 0979658535
• Item model number: FFP 0201
• Manufacturer recommended age: 12 - 16 years
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #57,587 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Tis the dawn of the 19th century, an age of science, superstition and witchcraft. Howling fills the night as a full moon rises over the small, secluded village of Shadowbrook. Gruesome murders have become a daily occurrence and terror haunts the streets at night. An evil creature has taken up residence here and the countryside is engulfed by a tide of darkness. But all is not lost not yet. A small group of heroic individuals, with the courage and strength to fight, have arrived in town. Some just passing through while others have come with a purpose, but all will be put to the test as they race to save this cursed town from falling into darkness. It will take a cunning mind and strength of spirit to determine who is friend and who is foe to solve the mysteries and hunt the beast to its lair. But the secrets of Shadowbrook run deep. Gossip and rumors run rampant and these few Heroes may soon discover that they are outsiders here and this town is already so rotten from within there is little left to save. For 2-8 players. For 1-2 hours. Supernatural adventure board game.

Product Description

Tis the dawn of the 19th century; an age of science, superstition, and witchcraft. Howling fills the night as a full moon rises over the small, secluded village of Shadowbrook. Gruesome murders have become a daily occurrence and terror haunts the streets at night. An evil creature has taken up residence here and the countryside is engulfed by a tide of darkness. But all is not lost...not yet. A small group of heroic individuals, with the courage and strength to fight, have arrived in town. Some just passing through while others have come with a purpose; but all will be put to the test as they race to save this cursed town from falling into darkness. It will take a cunning mind and strength of spirit to determine who is friend and who is foe... to solve the mysteries and hunt the beast to its lair. But the secrets of Shadowbrook run deep. Gossip and rumors run rampant and these few Heroes may soon discover that they are outsiders here and this town is already so rotten from within there is little left to save.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another solid hit from Flying Frog Productions, August 11, 2009

By 

L. Louden - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Firstly, I may unfairly compare this game to Flying Frog's previous release, Last Night on Earth The Zombie Game, but the production, art and presentation are very similar, so it is hard to divorce the two. However, if you have seen Last Night On Earth, you'll know that Flying Frog, if nothing else, presents a very solid, thematic game.

Speaking of comparing games, this game is almost a plagiarism of Arkham Horror. There is only one thing that saved A Touch Of Evil from my disappointment at such a blatant copy - it is much more user-friendly (which one could as easily translate into simpler). Anyone who's played, or tried to play, Arkham Horror, has found that unless you know several hardcore gamers who understand the game well and have several hours wide open, you're not likely to play it much, if at all. A Touch Of Evil strips some of the more cumbersome gameplay of Arkham Horror, to give a more streamlined and cleaner version. Don't get me wrong, Arkham Horror is a very rewarding game, but it's not something I'd introduce to many people. A Touch Of Evil plays the line between inclusion and depth very well - there's always something almost intuitive about Flying Frog's rules, so that I've never failed to impress diverse groups of people with a board game.

The contents are, as is Flying Frog's reputation, near extraordinary. I say near, because there are a few (a few, mind you) unfinished edges. The pieces themselves are thick plastic, which means you'd have to try to actually break them, but inevitably I find one or two pieces who, through packaging or storage, bend at the base, creating a leaning effect which corrupts the otherwise flawless immersion. This can be solved by applying a bit of heat and bending it back the other way, but in a perfect world, this would be unnecessary. However, Flying Frog does offer replacement parts on all of its games on their website, so, really, they're going beyond 99% of what I'd expect from them. Also, and this is a hint I learned the hard way, if you do buy the game, make sure to push out the cutouts against the grain - this may be common sense to most of you, but I nearly ruined several pieces. It may be a bit too perfectionist, but it's not a cheap game. As well, a CD of "mood" music is included in the game, which is a concept I think is ridiculously good. The music itself? Well, it's not Beethoven, but this attention to truly immersing the players in the world should be applauded and I hope this continues in future releases.

The rulebook is impressive in its scope, and as in Last Night On Earth, Flying Frog provides several "helper" materials, including putting important rules on the back of the rulebook, a trend I thought died with 3M Bookshelf Games. Also, though I've not personally tried it, they have extensive online support for any fuzzy rules, though part of the beauty of Flying Frog's games is, again, the intuitiveness of their games. Whatever seems to "make sense" is usually right, which is appreciated.

Finally, and I cannot stress enough how great it is, this game includes some radically different ways to play. The game supports both cooperative AND competitive gameplay. As with the "teams" following dissimilar rules and multiple scenarios in Last Night On Earth, this twist to the board game genre breathes incredible depth and life into the game, and it is a trend I pray Flying Frog continues and more games pick up.

If Last Night On Earth is like Raiders of the Lost Ark, then A Touch Of Evil is like the Temple Of Doom - not quite as good when compared to the first, but taken by itself, better than most anything else out there.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Horror Board Game I've Played, June 15, 2010

By 

Baron Von Cool - See all my reviews

I love A Touch of Evil and all its expansions (including A Touch of Evil Something Wicked Expansion, A Touch of Evil: Hero Pack One, and The Allies and The Madness card expansions, the latter two which are web exclusives from the manufacturer). I have played a lot of Arkham Horror and Last Night on Earth The Zombie Game but I enjoy A Touch of Evil more. These other games are both fun but I think A Touch of Evil better captures the fun and flavor of a horror adventure game, dripping with theme and atmosphere. Arkham is best appreciated by those familiar with H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos and Last Night can be too one-sided if you are the Heroes instead of the Zombies. Where A Touch of Evil really shines over Arkham is that the Minions are all tailored specially to the Villain, not a random monster mash that doesn't make any sense. Another big plus over Arkham and Last Night is you can play it solo, competitive, cooperative or competitive teams whereas Arkam is only cooperative and Last Night on Earth is competitive teams (heroes vs. zombies). Various "use what you like" add-on rules are provided to increase the challenge (particularly important for cooperative mode which is way too easy to win unless you use the Cooperative Mystery Chart to throw more challenges at the Heroes).

Play time averages 2-3 hours once you learn the rules and it supports up to 8 players (although having a large number of players is probably best served by playing as competitive teams).

There are a bunch of cool Heroes to play. Some are balanced while others are better at one skill or another (Combat, Cunning, Honor, Luck, or Spirit). You use your stats to fight monsters and to pass skill tests. Heroes take their turns moving and encountering different creepy locations and then the Villain gets his turn in the Mystery Phase, where really bad things can happen! The villain might send his evil minions to ambush the heroes, or cause horrible events, or even appear and try to murder one of the Heroes! Basically, you deal with the Villain's evil deeds as best you can (negating some when you can), while traveling around the village map collecting investigation (used as money to shop for items or activate certain items or abilities) while trying to beef up your Hero's items and skills enough before challenging the Villain to a showdown in his (randomly determined) lair. To assist you in your final battle, you can recruit up to two of the village Town Elders into your hunting party. The problem is, they all have (randomly determined) secrets, some of which can make them run away or even turn evil and switch sides to aid the villain! You can (and should) investigate the Elders' secrets before you attempt to recruit them; this costs investigation but more secrets can be added throughout the game. Just to be clear, there is no villain player; the players are all playing against the game (like Arkham Horror).

The female Heroes include a corrupt noblewoman, beautiful outlaw, and determined schoolteacher. The male Heroes include a cunning police inspector, battle-hardened soldier, mysterious drifter, and hideous, scar-faced courier. The villains include the Werewolf, Spectral (Headless) Horseman, Vampire, and Scarecrow, each served by various evil minions and events. You can get two more "official" villains free online from Flying Frog (the rather nasty Delion Dryad and the Christmas-themed Volgovian Nutcracker). Other fan-made villains like Frankenstein's Monster, a Haunted House, The Grim Reaper, Mr. Hyde, and a lady Ghost can be found at Boardgame Geeks). The most challenging villain in the base set is the Werewolf but the others are a bit weak compared to those in the expansion sets. The Banshee, Bog Fiend, the Gargoyle, and the Unspeakable Horror from A Touch of Evil Something Wicked Expansion really ramp up the challenge level at the cost of having more special abilities to keep track of). The Necromancer (from A Touch of Evil: Hero Pack One) is also challenging, sending waves of tough zombies at the Heroes. You can choose your Heroes and Villain or flip their cards over and choose them randomly (like Arkham or Last Night On Earth). It's also easy to create your own Heroes or Villains (blank templates and examples can be found online).

A Touch of Evil Something Wicked Expansion adds an extra map (game board) that links up to the main one (via the Shadowbrook Village Crossroads and a secret passage for speedier between board travel). The new map, Echo Lake, adds new locations (including an Inn, Monastery and the super-dangerous Forgotten Island). Another expansion set is planned for 2010 so the game is being well supported.

The rules are not nearly as complex and fiddly as Arkham Horror so it's easy enough to get new players up to speed. The rules include a competitive or cooperative basic game (which covers 90% of the game's rules with scaled down versions of the villain and his minions) and an advanced game. The advanced game mostly adds in extra secrets to provide more Hero interaction with the Town Elders, tougher villains and minions, an add-on rules toolbox to customize the game and rules for Solo and Team play. Team play is probably where the game shines the most, combining the best aspects of competitive and cooperative play. Rules for solo play are included in the Something Wicked expansion.

The artwork and components (boards, cards, die-cut counters and miniature Hero figures are all gorgeous and durable, just like Flying Frog's previous zombie game, Last Night On Earth. You really get your money's worth here! The cards are all illustrated with full color photos of real models dressed up like 17th-century characters, complete with powdered wigs, swords and flintlock pistols. Some of these images (like the Vampire villain) can be a little goofy or heavily photoshopped for my taste but most are pretty cool. Overall, the photos are a lot of fun, adding to the game's already rich atmosphere and being consistent with the spooky adventure theme and time period. The game beautifully evokes the look and feel of the Tim Burton movie, Sleepy Hollow, and the old Dracula or Frankenstein movies from Universal Studios and Hammer Films).

I highly recommend A Touch of Evil (including its expansions) for fans of Gothic horror and those looking for an alternative or companion to Arkham Horror or other horror-themed board games.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Feels Like You're in Tim Burton's SLEEPY HOLLOW, December 24, 2009

By 

Shelley Stoker - See all my reviews

This game is gorgeous! It's filled with atmosphere, mystery, interesting heroes, nasty villains and creepy beasties. Every time I play it, I do feel like a character in Tim Burton's SLEEPY HOLLOW!

My husband and I play it together often - just the two of us - and have a BLAST every time. It's a role playing game in a way, but not like D&D, because it's easy to understand and learn along the way. It's definitely challenging, but in a fun way, not frustrating, and it's never really the same game twice.

It also comes with a CD full of atmospheric music, which is actually quite well done! Of course, we like to load up iTunes with tons of spooky music as we play, and have actually included the songs from the game's CD on that "paranormal playlist."

We have found that The Werewolf is the most challenging villain. There is also a Vampire, Spectral Horseman and Scarecrow. I'm looking forward to trying some of the expansions soon! So far, we've only played in competitive mode, but soon, will play in cooperative mode. Tonight, we played advanced mode, and it was just advanced enough to give the challenges a little kick, but again, not SO challenging to ruin the fun.

I highly recommend this to anyone that's into Hammer Horror, old Vincent Price movies and Gothic horror. The presentation is more romantic and classical, rather than modern and urban. LOVE IT!