The rules, step by step
- 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.
Scoring and the fiddly bits
Approving a team
A strict majority carries the proposal and an even split is a rejection. The counter resets on every approval, and the fifth rejection in a row ends the game in evil’s favour.
Team sizes are fixed
Quest sizes come off the board and depend only on how many are seated. The leader chooses who goes, never how many.
The two-fail quest
At seven players or more the fourth quest needs two fail cards to go down. Smaller tables never see this rule.
Who sees whom
Merlin sees evil except Mordred. Percival sees Merlin and Morgana without knowing which is which, and evil sees its own except Oberon, who sees nobody and is seen by nobody.
The Assassin’s shot
They may name any player but themselves, their own side included — a shortened list would quietly tell them who evil is.
Questions about Quest of Shadows
Is Quest of Shadows free?
Yes. It is free to play, with no adverts. An optional Plus membership opens bigger tables and extra packs.
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.
What do we need to play?
A phone or laptop each, with a web browser. One person opens a room and everybody else joins by typing the room code on their own phone. There’s also an iPhone app if you’d rather.
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.
Play Quest of Shadows online
Free, in the browser, with everyone on their own phone.