The Shadow Planet: The Board Game

When five of us got together, I did not have the energy to explain A Battle Through History — which probably would have been the proper, respectable choice — so I put The Shadow Planet: The Board Game on the table for something lighter. And I will give it this: it looks great on the table. The pulp artwork has exactly the right amount of excess to put you in the mood.

It is a semi-co-op deduction game, with a touch of Nemesis and Battlestar Galactica, but at a decidedly gentler intensity. Players have to read the situation and each other, without the game becoming one of those affairs that makes you look at your friends as though they have just hidden sabotage in the fridge.

Its freshest element is that players switch characters every round. That means that, by the end, nobody is entirely sure who exactly is what, and information remains consistently a little murky. It is a nice idea for the genre, because it keeps suspicion alive without having to rely solely on open accusations and theatrical speeches.

The first game, however, goes somewhat to waste: it is not at all obvious what everyone can do, and the rules would benefit from clearer writing. With further plays, though, I can see it settling into an enjoyable, light deduction experience. It is not earth-shattering, but it is an honest choice when I want some secrecy, some cooperation, and an evening without having to deliver a university seminar on rules.