Pyramid Review
Army of Darkness Card Game
Published by Eden Studios, Inc.
Designed by M. Alexander Jurkat & George Vasilakos
120 full-color cards, rules sheet, 2-4 players, $20; requires one six-sided die (not included)
If you're not a fan of the classic and cult-favored Evil Dead series, here's a spoiler for Army of Darkness: The plot involves our seemingly indestructible hero, Ashley, going back to the Middle Ages to smack the stupid out of a legion of risen dead. The card game is pretty much the same thing, only with all the fun sucked out of it.
The object of the game depends on who (what?) you are at the moment. To win, you must possess the Necronomicon. If you're currently good, you must also be free of Monsters. If you're evil, you must have at least five Monsters.
Players start with a hand of cards, a character card in front of them, and a Monster card in front of that. You can play movie heroes Ash, Sheila, Arthur, or Henry. On your turn you draw a card, play a card, and may or may not have to attack a Monster. Cards include Items, Events, Allies, and Monsters. You're limited in what you can use; you may have any number of Items and Allies in play, but you can only use one or two at a time. Switching your active card is a free action, and that one is placed on top of your layout.
The gear is the sort of thing you see throughout the film, like swords, crossbows, and horses, but also more exotic things like the Necronomicon and the Death . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: June 17, 2005
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