- BGG rank
- BGG #1,289
- BGG rating
- 7.2
A Study in Emerald
- 2–5 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 3.5/5
- 2013
- BGG rank
- BGG #6,509
- BGG rating
- 6.6
Shadow Blades
2017
Rules assistance for Shadow Blades
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 30–45 min
- 10+
- Complexity 1.9/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Shadow Blades
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Shadow Blades is a board game released in 2017 for 2–4 players, 30–45 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Richard Garfield and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Area Majority / Influence, and Team-Based Game.
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,148
- BGG rating
- 6.9
A Study in Emerald (Second Edition)
- 2–5 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.9/5
- 2015
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,205
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Treasure Hunter
- 2–6 players
- 40 min
- Complexity 1.9/5
- 2015
- BGG rank
- BGG #85
- BGG rating
- 7.9
Android: Netrunner
- 2 players
- 45 min
- Complexity 3.4/5
- 2012
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,823
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Vampire: The Eternal Struggle
- 2–5 players
- 120 min
- Complexity 3.4/5
- 1994
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,419
- BGG rating
- 6.4
Secrets
- 4–8 players
- 15–35 min
- Complexity 1.5/5
- 2017
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,526
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Impulse
- 2–6 players
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 2013
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,350
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Hollywood 1947
- 1–9 players
- 20–40 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2023
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,603
- BGG rating
- 7.0
The Message
- 3–9 players
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 2.4/5
- 2009
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,636
- BGG rating
- 6.3
Lifeboat
- 4–6 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 1.8/5
- 2002
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,843
- BGG rating
- 7.0
All-Star Draft
- 2–6 players
- 45 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2021
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,410
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Bunny Kingdom Town
- 2 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 2.2/5
- 2026
About the game
You are a spymaster. Your mission: Dominate the world of undercover intelligence by deploying agents to complete vital missions. To complete your mission, you must first build an underground network of highly trained agents from different branches of espionage. In the card game SpyNet, two to four players work alone or with a teammate to gather the information they need to recruit the best agents and disrupt their opponents' plans. With clever play and careful coordination, you can rise to the top of the intelligence community and become a dominant force in the world of covert espionage. In more detail, the deck contains agents, funding, and missions. Players draft cards from a face-down line-up: Look at the first pile and take it or put it back in order to look at the second pile; look at the second pile, etc. After you take a pile, you add one card to empty spot in the line-up as well as each pile that you passed over, thereby enriching the haul for the next player. Players lay down color-coded agents in order to gain strength in four fields: tech, infiltration, counterespionage, and enforcement. Funding can be applied to any agent, and some agents have special powers that take effect when played. A player can complete a mission only when their strength in that mission's field is stronger than all other opponents.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Hobby Japan
- Korea Boardgames
- Don't Panic Games
- Z-Man Games
- Evrikus
Questions and answers
Shadow Blades supports 2–4 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 Shadow Blades is 30–45 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 Shadow Blades for ages 10 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.
Shadow Blades has a complexity rating of 1.9 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a 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.
Shadow Blades belongs to these categories: Card Game, Bluffing, and Spies / Secret Agents. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Area Majority / Influence, and Team-Based Game. 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 Shadow Blades are: Richard Garfield. 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 Shadow Blades 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.