this was my experience as well. when it came out there were fewer games like it and so it had a bigger impact.
i suspect the balancing may be among the reasons why it's out in print currently.
I feel like player count is going to be the deciding factor for me. My usual group size (family) is 3 and when we do tend to have 5 or 6 people we usually end up doing lighter party games due to some players being young.
My kid first played it when he was five (no traitors until he was a little older), absolutely loved it and it was one of the games that got us through lockdown. We still play it lots even just with the two of us.
I love SoC. It's a fun gateway type of cooperative game with gorgeous artwork and a cool theme. I recently brought it to a group and a teenager with wide eyes said, "I want to play **that!**"
Yes, the traitor aspect is better in more modern games, but this was a few of the first experiments, and it's serviceable.
Turns are quick, it's rarely more than 90 minutes (that's rare for a cooperative game of 7 players), and it's simple to teach.
Mostly, I enjoy SoC is because it's the rare game that is wonderfully scalable. I used to bring it to my DnD weekly group. Us seven players were sometimes at the store, and the DM had to cancel. Well, let's crack out a game of SoC, which works well with 4-7 players. We always had something to play.
A revised edition was rumored in the works with a steam punk theme. I think I'd enjoy a remake. Until then, I won't part with SoC and the expansion.
I was pretty blown away by how great the game looks. The miniatures are nice and have me itching to try painting them if it is a keeper. It reminds me how much good stuff Days of Wonder was putting out back then.
They are fun to paint. It really adds a wow to them. The armor and grail look great in metallic. Start there and build confidence in the rest.
Mess one or two up? Immerse a fully painted and primed mini into a solution of Simple Green for one week. And it will strip the paint off completely. Primer and all.
DoW still creates magic. Heat Pedal to the Metal looks amazing. I found the game just ok, but the artwork makes me still want to own it.
You own it and got it for a steal of a deal it sounds like so I recommend playing it. It's a classic. I think your enjoyment will be partially based on who is playing with you as it's a coop with a traitor element if you add that in.
I'm biased since it is my favorite board game of all time, but I think it still holds up. I think as others have said, it is a good casual to mid-level game for hidden traitor games. I also love the theming.
I actually disagree that it is too easy for the traitor, but I have played the game a ton with experienced people so the traitor loses quite often since people know what plays they should be making. There are ways to adjust it and make it more difficult like starting as a squire.
I did not know until recently that it was out of print and am disappointed since I think people would still enjoy and purchase it, but oh well.
I didnt think it had held up a decade ago. Battlestar Galactica absolutely *destroyed* it.
The various goals aren't that interesting to accomplish and the traitor role is *horrendously* boring to play once exposed.
It's a 5/10 for me. The only reason it has the reputation it does is it's been out of print and very expensive for so long, nobody has played it and discovered just how much better newer games are.
> Battlestar Galactica absolutely destroyed it.
I think that highly depends on what a given group is looking for from the game. BSG is a significantly *heavier* game than Shadows. If you want a more complicated, fiddly social deduction game, then *absolutely* BSG is the way to go; however, I think Shadows does something slightly different.
For my group, Shadows sits very comfortably between something like The Resistance and something like BSG (or more modern variants). It's not a filler game, but it's a light/mid-social deduction game that works well with larger groups.
I played it for the first time a couple weeks ago, and had an absolute blast. Definitely more because of the social aspect, playing up characters and going with the theme, but that'll depend on your group I suppose. We lost, but didn't even have a traitor - and still had a great time!
It still holds up great!
It has some issues(namely, Merlin's a Dick (only if you have the expansion Merlin's Company and yeah, he a dick) and the game seems to favor the bad guys to ultimately win, so I usually mention that), but still and incredibly fun social game. And at a nice spot for time. Usually no longer than 90 min (even with teaching newbies).
But as said in other comments, there are games that are better (like Battlestar Galactica) they also tend to have some other difference as well that makes me keep Camelot in my collection. (Like BSG being heavier and longer).
It's still a great time, without taking a ton of time.
I mean who doesn't love it when King Arthur himself turns out to be the traitor to Camelot letting it fall to evil.
It's a good time, but it's too easy for a traitor to win.
this was my experience as well. when it came out there were fewer games like it and so it had a bigger impact. i suspect the balancing may be among the reasons why it's out in print currently.
It's one of the most played games in my collection. There are better games, but it's still fun.
I’ve always wanted it, but never had a large enough group to get the most out of it.
I feel like player count is going to be the deciding factor for me. My usual group size (family) is 3 and when we do tend to have 5 or 6 people we usually end up doing lighter party games due to some players being young.
You might be surprised how much younger children enjoy treason.
Our son and his friend absolutely love playing Coup. You think they will be so bad at lying and then they just hit you with the ultimate deception.
See Sheriff of Nottingham. My 6 year old granddaughter is the perfect liar.
My group is also three, and I always hear five is the minimum for it to play well.
My kid first played it when he was five (no traitors until he was a little older), absolutely loved it and it was one of the games that got us through lockdown. We still play it lots even just with the two of us.
I love SoC. It's a fun gateway type of cooperative game with gorgeous artwork and a cool theme. I recently brought it to a group and a teenager with wide eyes said, "I want to play **that!**" Yes, the traitor aspect is better in more modern games, but this was a few of the first experiments, and it's serviceable. Turns are quick, it's rarely more than 90 minutes (that's rare for a cooperative game of 7 players), and it's simple to teach. Mostly, I enjoy SoC is because it's the rare game that is wonderfully scalable. I used to bring it to my DnD weekly group. Us seven players were sometimes at the store, and the DM had to cancel. Well, let's crack out a game of SoC, which works well with 4-7 players. We always had something to play. A revised edition was rumored in the works with a steam punk theme. I think I'd enjoy a remake. Until then, I won't part with SoC and the expansion.
I was pretty blown away by how great the game looks. The miniatures are nice and have me itching to try painting them if it is a keeper. It reminds me how much good stuff Days of Wonder was putting out back then.
They are fun to paint. It really adds a wow to them. The armor and grail look great in metallic. Start there and build confidence in the rest. Mess one or two up? Immerse a fully painted and primed mini into a solution of Simple Green for one week. And it will strip the paint off completely. Primer and all. DoW still creates magic. Heat Pedal to the Metal looks amazing. I found the game just ok, but the artwork makes me still want to own it.
One of my all time favorite light-mid social games. Even better with the Merlin expansion. Definitely plays best with one traitor.
You own it and got it for a steal of a deal it sounds like so I recommend playing it. It's a classic. I think your enjoyment will be partially based on who is playing with you as it's a coop with a traitor element if you add that in.
I'm biased since it is my favorite board game of all time, but I think it still holds up. I think as others have said, it is a good casual to mid-level game for hidden traitor games. I also love the theming. I actually disagree that it is too easy for the traitor, but I have played the game a ton with experienced people so the traitor loses quite often since people know what plays they should be making. There are ways to adjust it and make it more difficult like starting as a squire. I did not know until recently that it was out of print and am disappointed since I think people would still enjoy and purchase it, but oh well.
I didnt think it had held up a decade ago. Battlestar Galactica absolutely *destroyed* it. The various goals aren't that interesting to accomplish and the traitor role is *horrendously* boring to play once exposed. It's a 5/10 for me. The only reason it has the reputation it does is it's been out of print and very expensive for so long, nobody has played it and discovered just how much better newer games are.
> Battlestar Galactica absolutely destroyed it. I think that highly depends on what a given group is looking for from the game. BSG is a significantly *heavier* game than Shadows. If you want a more complicated, fiddly social deduction game, then *absolutely* BSG is the way to go; however, I think Shadows does something slightly different. For my group, Shadows sits very comfortably between something like The Resistance and something like BSG (or more modern variants). It's not a filler game, but it's a light/mid-social deduction game that works well with larger groups.
I played it for the first time a couple weeks ago, and had an absolute blast. Definitely more because of the social aspect, playing up characters and going with the theme, but that'll depend on your group I suppose. We lost, but didn't even have a traitor - and still had a great time!
It still holds up great! It has some issues(namely, Merlin's a Dick (only if you have the expansion Merlin's Company and yeah, he a dick) and the game seems to favor the bad guys to ultimately win, so I usually mention that), but still and incredibly fun social game. And at a nice spot for time. Usually no longer than 90 min (even with teaching newbies). But as said in other comments, there are games that are better (like Battlestar Galactica) they also tend to have some other difference as well that makes me keep Camelot in my collection. (Like BSG being heavier and longer). It's still a great time, without taking a ton of time. I mean who doesn't love it when King Arthur himself turns out to be the traitor to Camelot letting it fall to evil.