I have been gaming since I was eight years old. In that time I have learned that there are plenty of people out there that do not share my passion, but I have also learned that there are plenty of people out there that are simply diamonds in the rough. My wife would be one of the latter ones. At first she raised her eyebrows at my hobby, but over the years she has come to enjoy it.

I readily admit that I am lucky to have found a spouse willing to get drawn into my little universe and (most importantly) take the time to understand it and why I feel such passion about it. She may not always agree, but she DOES understand.

Fury of Dracula broke from the normal types of games that I had played with her over the past and I wasn’t quite sure how it would go over. To my amazement however this particular game ignited a fire within her. One so strong that whenever I have gaming sessions she will place one hand on the box and look up at me with hope in her eyes. Even beyond that when she finds out I am going to be introducing it to new players during the get together of the Utah County Boardgamers Association she will break the mold and actually come with me and be one of the few women amongst a sea of men and play. This review is from the perspective of a husband – an attempt to explain some of the reasons why I think it worked so well with my wife.

I am NOT saying this will work with every wife and I am NOT trying to stereotype all women. If there is one thing I have learned here on the geek it is that, as with euro-lovers and ameritrash fan boys – there is plenty of variety in gamers. But I can at least try to identify why I think this game might work where many others might fail.

1) Its cooperative nature: My wife prefers to avoid a large volume of player conflict. She plays a game to enjoy a bit of time with her husband and other friends. Fury of Dracula actually presents the option of a group of players actually able to work together as a team against a common goal. Something pretty rare in boardgaming. In Fury of Dracula there are four hunters that are on the trail of Dracula and they will fail if they work independently. It requires the players working together to be able to win the game. In my wifes particular case she often hates games where her losing only leaves herself to blame. An added bonus in FoD is it is the team that loses – not necessarily just them alone.

2) Its “puzzle” nature: In FoD Dracula will be placed in a hidden location on the board and it becomes the job of the hunters to puzzle out through abilities and deduction, exactly where Dracula is. This can be done by the aid of cards, but can also be done by locating his trail and then (once part of it is discovered) looking around and making determinations about where he might be. In FoD Dracula leaves a trail of cards that can be up to six deep and if a hunter stumbles onto any of those locations the hunters will know how far away from that location he is. Then they must work together in order to close the net.

3) Its rich theme: I readily admit that some of the games I put out on the table for her have a theme that is almost paper thin. This is FAR from the case with FoD however and the time you spend around this board allows you to easily immerse yourself in the game. The cards, the board, the role of actually hunting down Dracula not only help you feel the richness of this game but actually make it easier to TEACH the game as it is easy to grasp exactly what your goal as a hunter is, and how the items and events help you to achieve that goal.

4) Its beauty: There is no doubt. This is a pretty game. The cards, the board, the figures, the character sheets all point to how well built this game is and how much care went into producing it.

One of the side benefits of this game is that it also allows for the player that wants more of a challenge to ALSO enjoy themselves. Playing Dracula is, without a doubt, an adrenaline rush. As you pit your mind against four other people determined to stake you through the heart you can feel your heart pound as they get closer and tighten the noose. You put your skills to the limit as you work with your limited resources to outwit several people at once. I find it immensely satisfying – even when I lose.

There are also a few things that might work against you however and you should consider as you debate introducing this game:

1) Game length: This game can take several hours and you may be one of the unlucky ones that has a spouse or friends that don’t like games of that length. So far I haven’t had that problem as once they get into it the time flies rapidly. But it is a precaution.

2) There is SOME conflict: Battles are determined by card choice and then a roll of the die. Some spouses/friends may not enjoy that (my wife being one) but the rest of the game is so well done that she is willing to overlook this aspect.

3) Evasion: There is ONE card in the event deck that allows Dracula to reposition anywhere on the board. It almost resets the game for the hunters. You can either remove this card or WARN THEM as you start of its existence. Tell them if they have you cornered it might not be in their interest to draw from the deck due to this risk.

If you have tried all the euros and met with lack of interest, if a lot of conflict really isn’t her thing. I suggest giving this one a try with a couple of her friends. You never know – you might light that fire deep within. While without a doubt this is a good thing – just remember you are Dracula too much fire will get you killed.