What Quest of Shadows is
Good outnumbers evil, but evil knows exactly who everyone is. Merlin knows too — and has to spend the whole game making sure nobody works out that he does.
Every quest is two votes. First the table approves or rejects the team the leader put up, secretly and all at once, and then the whole record goes public — and five rejections in a row hand evil the game on the spot.
On the quest itself only the players who went may act, and only evil may play a fail. The result comes back as a number and never a name, which is the thing the rest of the game is spent arguing about.
Winning three quests is not winning. The Assassin then names one player, and if it is Merlin the night belongs to evil after all — so good can play a flawless game and still lose it in the last thirty seconds.
How to play Quest of Shadows
- The leader proposes a team. Everyone votes the team up or down.
- Reject five in a row and evil takes it without lifting a finger.
- On a quest, the team plays in secret. Only evil may fail one.
- At seven or more, the fourth quest needs two fails to go down.
- Three quests won and good is nearly there.
- Nearly: the Assassin then names Merlin, and getting it right wins it back.
How to win at Quest of Shadows
The vote record is evidence
Every approval and rejection becomes public afterwards, so an evil player who votes cleanly all night has still left a trail.
Merlin: be wrong on purpose
A player who has been right about everything for three quests is the easiest assassination on the board.
Reject to buy information
A rejected team costs you a leader and nothing else, and the votes it produces are often worth more than the quest was.
Evil: pass the first one
A quiet success on quest one buys a seat on quest three, which is the one that actually decides things.
Percival, protect quietly
With Morgana in the cast you know Merlin is one of two faces, so putting either on every team tells the Assassin where to look.
Count fails, not faces
From seven players up the fourth quest needs two fails, so a single fail there is a very different accusation.
Questions about Quest of Shadows
Which roles are in play?
Merlin and the Assassin always. Percival and Morgana are on by default, with Mordred and Oberon available — and when a small table cannot seat them all, they drop in that order.
How many evil players are there?
Two at five and six players, three at seven, eight and nine, four at ten. The table is told which special roles are in the cast, just never who is holding them.
Can a good player fail a quest?
No. The fail card is refused for anybody on Arthur’s side, so a loyal servant on a quest cannot sabotage it by accident or by argument.
What happens once good wins three quests?
The Assassin names one player at the table. Getting Merlin wins the whole game for evil; missing hands it to good, and the roles are then revealed.
Is Quest of Shadows free?
Yes. Every game on Table Party is free, with no accounts, no adverts and nothing to buy.
How many people do you need for Quest of Shadows?
Between 5 and 10. Below 5 there are not enough of you for the game to work.
Do we need to download anything?
No. One person opens the site and starts a room; everybody else joins by typing the room code on their own phone. Nothing to install, nothing to sign up for.
Can we play Quest of Shadows over a video call?
Yes. Share the room code in the chat and play with the call running — everything private stays on each player’s own phone.
