Dark Dealings was a very successful Kickstarter campaign in 2015 by Nevermore Games. Dark Dealings was designed by Michael D. Kelley.
Dark Dealings is a card drafting, dungeon-esque, combat game. Card art is strong and the game plays very balanced. It also plays in under 20 minutes!
Players are Dark Lords and draft powers to help defeat those pesky Heroes that for some reason want you out of their lands.
Hero cards indicate the hero’s special combat ability, strength, vulnerabilities (traps, spells or minions) and Challenge Value. Defense cards show number of strikes, damage and type of strike (matches to vulnerabilities).
Through a drafting mechanic players acquire hands of defensive cards and then match them up against those annoying heroes. A fair amount of strategy comes into play. Constant stream of decisions.
Besides being fun we found the game generated a fair amount of tension. Good tension. This game was family Kickstarter favorite.
Last Dark Lord standing wins!
The Good: Lots of decisions and fun.
The Bad: Some memory element as you shift from draft mode to combat mode...not good for people with brain injuries!
The Dastardly: The drafting process is devilish as your decisions there can come back to strike you during the battle phase.