Shadowlord!

I had a gift card with some funds left on it to a Half Price Books store, so I went inside one and found SHADOWLORD! in their used games area. Looked like some old school AT potential, so I picked it up.

Is this thing any good? It gets a less than stellar rating on BGG, but that probably doesn't mean too much when it comes to older AT.

Thoughts?

I applied my usual game evaluation procedures at BGG. I looked at pictures of the components and then skimmed through the remarks, focusing on the highest-ranked comments, some average-ranked comments, and then the lowest-rank comments. Also, there are certain BGGers that I take more seriously, like sisteray.

Based on those impressions, Shadowlord looks like a bad buy. A few mechanics that were very novel in 1983, trapped in a bland game that can last several hours. One big warning sign was the fantasy artwork on some components clashing badly with the science-fictiony map.

I have it and played it several times. Nothing really to write home about, but not a bad buy. The battle system is somewhat similar to Dune and the voting system for allowing the bad guys on the board (all must agree or the villains start popping up) is rather interesting. The sci-fantasy artwork is cheesy, though.

Most games end up with someone being the vanguard and attacking the Shadowlord's home base. Then, the grand mal melees start. Everyone fights over the power orb thingy, which is pretty powerful.

My score for it is a 7.

Shadowlords "This is a F'in AT masterpiece." Malloc. I have it rated a 7.5 and it's on my want in a trade list. So if you don't like it maybe we can work out a deal.

Here's some other comments from my gaming group:

"Any game with second turn wins, characters named Invincible Darkness, and art straight out of Heavy Metal gets a 9 from me." BigBien

"The Ultimate Struggle for the Ultimate Prize!" Need I say more?
12/27/08 "Raised rating 1 point because it is that cool." Malloc's Brother

"Beer Rating = 3 if you last a few turns or 6 if you knocked out in turn #2." KingPut

"These must be the most rules ever for a Parker Brothers game! Pretty darned good & fun." VuduJuie

"For a mass-market game, there’s a surprising amount of detail and complexity in Shadowlord! (Proof? The rulebook has an index, and the game comes with player reference cards.) However, this game of space conquest and elimination isn’t particularly mind-boggling, although its level of wackiness and fun is quite severe." WKover

I bought it because it was an oddity, a space game but with inappropriate fantasy artwork. It's pretty good. Dated maybe, but so what, it's still fun.

I really enjoy Shadowlord! for two reasons:

1. It has an exclamation point.
2. The Ultimate Struggle for the Ultimate Prize.

It is an older AT game, but it can still be quite fun.

Yeah, the flavor text on the inside of the box is pretty spectacular.

"The Legend of the Starlord

Once, a great man ruled the galaxies of the Universe. They called him the Starlord. He was very wise, very good and very powerful. He could move planets with a point of his finger; build space ships out of stardust blown from his hand; toss enemies aside with a simple thought. His power was supreme, yet always there was justice.

When he grew old, he created a beautiful and mysterious crystal...a crystal that harnessed all of his wondrous gifts. He called it the Power Stone. For it was the Starlord's dream, that upon his death, the power be preserved for his children. With them, a just and peaceful reign would continue. And so to that end the Power Stone was created.

But the Starlord's dream never came to pass. For when he died, his enemies the Shadows, led by the fearsome Shadowlord, stole the Power Stone and retreated to the Lost Fortress to experiment with its use. In the hands of the Shadows, a once glorious civilization crumbled into dust, darkness, and decay.

Meanwhile, the children of the Starlord, Masters of Earth, Air, Fire and Water, fled to boundaries of the galaxies-to the planets over which they governed. There they hid in fear and powerlessness.

But time passed, and the Star Masters emerged from hiding. They overcame their fears, rediscovered how to build space ships, and began to travel through space once again. The darkness had begun to lift. And through this glint of light, they saw hope. They would form alliances from among the Starlord's loyal subjects-Warriors, Merchants, and Diplomats. Together they might recover the Power Stone and defeat the enemy once and for all!

And so each Master, with one Warrior and one Merchant at his side, verntured out into the galaxies in search of others who would make them strong.

But two questions remain. If civilization is to flourish again, one-and only one- Master must emerge as the Starlord's successor. This was the Starlord's decree. Therefore, three of the four children must submit to one. Who will it be: Master of Earth, Air, Fire, or Water? Or will the Shadowlord overpower them all?"

With that kind of back story, how can you not buy it?

clockwirk wrote:

With that kind of back story, how can you not buy it?

Buy it? With that kind of backstory how can you not write a prog-rock double album based on it?

I'm somewhere in Side 3 right now. I'd be done, but I can't find my Mellotron.

Pffft! Mellotron. Moog synths all the way baby.