Dark Cults

Game Review

Review by Sam Shirley


Written by Kenneth Rahman
Dark House PO. Box 140-A, Theilman, MN 55978
Released: August, 1985
Price: $7.00
Complexity: Low
Solitaire, Suitability: Medium
**** 1/2

Before I say anything about Dark Cults I want to get one thing straight; I don't like card games or games that have anything to do with cards. Dark Cults, on the other hand, is tremendous; it is a brilliant innovation in gaming and story telling. The cards are used as prompts in a story created by the players, Through the course of play, the protagonist explores the world of Dark Cults, possibly encountering a sinister black- cowled figure within the cemetery, then fleeing in blind terror only to find himself standing before the feared mausoleum as its door slowly creaks open.

All that is needed to play the game is the special deck of cards, a background reference sheet for the character, and a piece of scratch paper. The cards are the heart of the system. There are 108 of them, and they are divided into 89 story cards, 15 pace cards, and 2 point reference cards. The story cards are further divide into 10 story element categories, such as locality, danger, evil character atmosphere, etc. During play, a story card category can only be s lowed by other specific categories.

For example, after the creaking hinges threat card, the only play possibilities are a neutral character card like the Drunken Derelict, an evil character card such as a Ghastly Undead, a save card like the Dawning Sun, or a further threat such as Echoing Footstep. The pace cards are fillers designed to add dramatic pacing.

The two players, one representing the force of life and the other the force of death, try to turn the story to their advantage by playing cards to diffuse the situation or to set up for a ghastly ending. Each story card category has a different point value for each player; when all the cards have been played the winner is the player with the most points.

The character reference sheet is to be filled out before hand to provide background material on the protagonist. This makes it easier to include new elements in the story, or to bring in a succeeding character in case the present one dies.

As the title implies, Dark Cults was designed with Gothic horror in mind. it can also be used to play a detective mystery with a horror twist, or a UFO invasion like Plan Nine. Hopefully, future spinoffs will allow other story telling genres like '30s gumshoes or swashbuckling space opera.

The rules are easy to follow and can be learned quickly. They are printed on a sheet of paper, but the cards are of high quality, similar to a deck of playing cards. The art work on each card is very moody, and works well to inspire the players' imaginations. They also included a Dark Cults sticker with which you can identify yourself to other cult members. The first issue of the Dark Cults companion magazine was also in my copy.

The magazine is small and typewritten. It includes the designer's notes, rules for solo or four person variants, rules for a new class of cards to be used with the game, and fiction by Felix Bremer.

Dark Cults is really like two games in one. When I first played, I thought it was a card game. But as I played I realized that the real fun is in the story telling. Soon I found myself playing tactically poor cards because I had thought of an interesting plot twist. This game would be a great tool to introduce novices to the art of story telling, or (with a slightly tamer theme) to help children exercise their imagination.

Because it is a story telling game, Dark Cults has great replay potential. The more you play the better the game gets as your story telling skills develop. Unfortunately, as you play more frequently, the situations become more familiar, and you may find yourself inventing new cards to expand the plot possibilities. The authors have promised to bring out new games and expansion decks, which should alleviate this problem.

Dark Cults is an innovation in games; I have never seen anything like it. Don't be fooled by the cards; it is really a story telling game. My friends and I have had some very bizarre stories come out of Dark Cults sessions.

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© Copyright 1986 by Dana Lombardy.
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