- BGG rating
- 7.3
A Touch of Evil: Dark Gothic – The Dryad of Harper's Wood
- 2–6 players
- 45–60 min
- 2014
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,037
- BGG rating
- 7.0
A Touch of Evil: Dark Gothic
2014
Rules assistance for A Touch of Evil: Dark Gothic
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–6 players
- 60 min
- 12+
- Complexity 2.1/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for A Touch of Evil: Dark Gothic
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
A Touch of Evil: Dark Gothic is a board game released in 2014 for 2–6 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Jason C. Hill and its main mechanics are Deck, Bag, and Pool Building.
Expansions
- BGG rating
- 7.5
A Touch of Evil: Dark Gothic – The Forgotten Island Game Supplement
- 2014
- BGG rating
- 7.7
A Touch of Evil: Dark Gothic – Curse of the Werewolf Game Supplement
- 2015
- BGG rating
- 7.7
A Touch of Evil: Dark Gothic – Smuggler's Den Game Supplement
- 2015
- BGG rating
- 8.0
A Touch of Evil: Dark Gothic – The Harbinger of Death
- 2–6 players
- 45–60 min
- 2015
- BGG rating
- 7.1
A Touch of Evil: Dark Gothic – Wicked Woods Supplement
- 2–6 players
- 45 min
- 2019
- BGG rating
- 7.1
A Touch of Evil: Dark Gothic – Dark Keep Supplement
- 2–6 players
- 60 min
- 2020
- BGG rating
- 7.1
A Touch of Evil: Dark Gothic – Deadly Fields
- 2–6 players
- 60 min
- 2021
- BGG rating
- 7.4
A Touch of Evil: Dark Gothic – Hanbrook Manor game supplement
- 1–6 players
- 30–60 min
- 2021
- BGG rating
- 6.8
A Touch of Evil: Dark Gothic – Beacon of Doom Supplement
- 2–6 players
- 60 min
- 2023
- BGG rating
- 7.0
A Touch of Evil: Dark Gothic – Hushed Whispers Game Supplement
- 2–6 players
- 60 min
- 2023
- BGG rating
- 7.2
A Touch of Evil: Dark Gothic – Terror in the Night Game Supplement
- 1–6 players
- 30–60 min
- 2023
- BGG rating
- 8.0
A Touch of Evil: Dark Gothic – Flooded Marshes Game Supplement
- 2–6 players
- 60 min
- 2024
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About the game
Dark Gothic is a deck-building game set in Flying Frog's A Touch of Evil game series. Each player represents a particular monster-hunting hero in the game, and that hero determines the player's starting deck and grants a special ability. The heroes work together to some degree to defeat villains and monsters as they collectively lose the game if ten cards land in the shadows during play. That said, the game has only a single winner – the player who has the most investigation points at the end of the game. (Villains come in three levels of difficulty, and at the start of the game, you create a villain stack with one card of each difficulty level being chosen at random.) The game uses three currencies – combat (red), cunning (green) and spirit (blue) – with some cards having a silver cost that can be paid with any currency. Players can acquire cards from a row of six that are available from the main deck or from piles of cards that are always available. If you fight the "Hungry Dead" – an always available card that costs one of each color – you can remove a card from your deck or from the central row. "Dark Secrets" are a special type of card that get added to your deck through various means. The card is worth negative points at the end of the game, but should you draw it during play, you remove it from the game, then draw a "Shocking Discovery" – which will affect you or all players with some kind of pernicious effect.
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Flying Frog Productions
Questions and answers
A Touch of Evil: Dark Gothic supports 2–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for A Touch of Evil: Dark Gothic is 60 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists A Touch of Evil: Dark Gothic for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
A Touch of Evil: Dark Gothic has a complexity rating of 2.1 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
A Touch of Evil: Dark Gothic belongs to these categories: Card Game and Horror. Its main mechanics are Deck, Bag, and Pool Building. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of A Touch of Evil: Dark Gothic are: Jason C. Hill. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists A Touch of Evil: Dark Gothic as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.