allboardgames.com
Harsh Shadows box art
2021 Ranked #6,852

Harsh Shadows

A solo espionage game in which an agent gathers clues and items, tracks a spy, and reaches the target before escape. Bombs, forced discards, and the spy’s shifting movement make one wrong deduction fatal.

Card Game Deduction Card Play Conflict Resolution Move Through Deck

Players

1-2

Play time

20-30 min

Age

8+

Complexity

1.63/5

Rating

7.18

Harder to teach Highly interactive Deep strategy

Overview

At a glance

Is this game right for my group?

ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.

Teachability 2.4/5

Harder to teach

Replay value 4.0/5

High replayability

Interaction 3.7/5

Highly interactive

Player scaling 4.1/5

Scales well

Strategic depth 4.7/5

Deep strategy

See all 5 specifications

How it plays

How does it play?

When you saw the code words Project Nightshade come across your desk, you insisted on the assignment... You were instantly reminded of the shadow operative who had slipped through the fingers of some of The Rigel Group's best agents.

Core mechanisms

Key systems that shape the decisions players make.

Read the full game description

When you saw the code words Project Nightshade come across your desk, you insisted on the assignment... You were instantly reminded of the shadow operative who had slipped through the fingers of some of The Rigel Group's best agents. Now it's your chance to catch this criminal before it’s too late. As a master agent of the elite global task force, The Rigel Group, you expertly hunt down cunning spies and deadly double agents. You’ll need to use your wits, local intel and tools of the trade to lure the spy into your trap. Just be sure you’re the predator, and not the prey! This isn't just any spy; one false move could end your mission... permanently. Harsh Shadows is a solitaire game of espionage. To set up, place nine location cards in a 3x3 grid, then place discovery cards under each location. Place three file cards near the locations, then place case cards under each file. Place decks for arrow cards and additional discovery cards nearby, along with two agent tool cards. The spy and agent cards start in different locations. You are the agent and go first, moving to an adjacent location and revealing a discovery card, which could be an item, clue, or bomb; item and clue cards go in hand, while bombs force you to discard. You can use a location's special ability and clues to reveal case cards under files. You might be able to place a tracking bug on the spy. For the spy's turn, the arrow cards move the spy to an adjacent location, where a new discovery card is placed at random. If the spy moves to your location, discard a card. If you can't discard a card or discover you've discarded an item matching a case card, you lose immediately. When the discovery deck is empty, the spy attempts to escape. You must have placed a tracking bug on the spy, have the three item cards in hand matching the case cards, and make it to the spy's current location before the spy escapes.

Browse all classifications

Shopping

Where to buy

No verified retailer offers are available yet. The references below may still help you continue your search.

Unverified shopping references

Editions

Language and publisher variants currently recorded in the catalog.

Edition Year Language Publisher / Region
No editions imported yet.

Player resources

Rulebooks, player aids, FAQs, and solo resources.

No files imported yet.

Game and edition data

All specifications (5)

Play and group

Players
1–2
Best with
2
Play time
20–30 min
Age
8+
Complexity
1.6/5
Credits and catalog connections

Credits

Designers

1
Rachel Bruner

Artists

1
Ben Flores

Publishers

1
Wonderspell

Linked items

No published linked games yet.