Shadow Play

Description

Our game isn’t for the easily offended.

Shadow Play: Where truths are told, secrets are spilled and people’s true colours are exposed.

Discover what lurks in the shadows of your friends and family. Can you face the raw truths of those closest to you? More importantly, are you ready for them to see your own?

Exposing personal secrets, taboo topics, moral dilemmas…. And just plain fucked up shit. It’s the game that will leave each player confronting, confessing and revealing it all.

So the question is… can you handle it?

What’s in the box?
A game board
Instruction manual
173 Exposed question cards
55 Ruthless cards (that you want to avoid at all costs)
52 Spanner in the Works cards to really shake things up

THE BASICS
Each player takes turns pulling a card, reading and answering out loud.
Questions must be answered quickly and honestly (we won’t let you get away with being vague).
If a player successfully answers the question, they keep their question card and the game continues to the next player on their left.
After everyone has answered their first Ruthless Card, all players revert back to pulling from the standard Exposed deck for the remainder of the game, unless directed otherwise.
If a player can not answer their question as it’s not relevant to the group (e.g. ‘which player’s parenting style do you admire the most?’) then their card should go to the bottom of the deck and they draw a new card.
If a player says “I don’t know” or simply can’t/won’t answer – their question needs to go back to the bottom of the pile and they need to pick up a Ruthless card.
If a player takes too long to answer or doesn’t answer a question fully and honestly (e.g. gives a vague or generalised response), the question needs to go to the bottom of the deck and they must pick up a Ruthless card and answer immediately).

Some Spanner in the Works Card need to be actioned immediately, and others you can hold onto. (See Spanner in the works description)
If you choose to not immediately action a Spanner in the works card (i.e. you want to save the card and use it later), you are required to have another turn by picking up an additional Exposed card and answering a question immediately. If you pick up a second Spanner In The Works card it must be actioned immediately and can not be saved to use later.

HOW TO PLAY WITH 2 PLAYERS
Although Shadow Play is designed to be played in groups, by adapting a few rules for a more intimate setting, it can also be enjoyed with just 2 players.
The set up of the game is the same, i.e. ensure the Exposed and Ruthless cards are separated, shuffling both decks of cards at the beginning of the game. Then, place each deck in the appropriate spaces on the board. The youngest player starts the game by pulling the first card from the Ruthless deck.
If a player draws a card and it contains an irrelevant question, place it at the bottom of the pile and draw another one.
For ‘Which player’ questions, interpret them as ‘Out of the two of us, who is more likely to…’.
Alternatively, some ‘Which player’ questions can be modified to ‘Who in your life…’.
Remember, the goal is to have fun learning more about each other whilst simultaneously learning more about yourself, so feel free to adapt the questions in a way that suits the dynamic between the two of you!

3 – 8 Players
Ages 15+
60 Minutes