Ok, so first off, I'm going to start by saying I REALLY like this game. It is a ton of fun, and very characterful. That said, there are things that are particularly good (or not so) about it.

Construction:

Overall, the construction of the game is good. Sturdy game board, well cast plastic pieces, with just enough give so they don't break, heavy cardboard counters, and sturdy glossy cards. I have already had a few of the cards have little flakes of their gloss coating come off around the edges, which peels away the printing as well. Not a game killer, but it does offend my OCD.

Setting:

As said in other posts, this game does do a good job of setting the stage. The town elders each have a Secret dealt to them at the beginning of the game. They might be a servant of the monster, they might be the monster, they might just be a drunk. All of the locations, Villains, Heroes,and cards are characterful. Take into account the bundled CD with period music, and you've got a reason to turn the lights down low and enjoy the game!

Gameplay:

Overall, the game is slick. It has consistent mechanics that are much easier to learn than the relatively big rulebook would have you believe. It works primarily on a "skill" system where you roll a number of dice equal to a statistic (Honor, Combat, etc) and any roll of 5+ is considered a success. Occasionally 5+ is not the target, but that is the base dice mechanic for the whole game.

Most of the game occurs at the four corner locations on the board, the Windmill, the Abandoned Keep, the Old Woods, and the Manor. You go to these locations and "encounter the space" to draw a card from the location. These are either; "Puzzles" which are all different, require rolling skills, and reward with Investigation (money); Fights, where you try to beat up monsters for Investigation; Items which help out in a number of different ways from increasing statistics.

After all players have taken a turn, the villain gets a turn, which releases its minions onto the board, kills an elder, or unleashes weather effects which pretty much all suck when they are in play (move slower, or fight with fewer dice, for instance).

Event cards are typically held in your hand and are played to alter or cancel effects as they occur in game. They boost your health in combat, and pull useful things out of discard piles.

The only portion of the game that I'm not fond of is just how random the cards are. The goal is to build yourself up with items and statistic boosts until you can fight the monster.Every game I have played (two 6 player, two 4 player, two 2 player, and a single 8 player) has had one person strongly out in front at the end of the game. I would like to see some more town items for people to buy who are overflowing with Investigation and haven't managed to draw the right equipment cards.

Villains:

There are four villains, the Scarecrow, the Horseman, the Werewolf, and the Vampire. They are each very different from one another both in their specific abilities and in their Minions. I still don't know which one sucks worse to have to fight (which is a good thing), although you need to play the advanced rules to really get the "whole experience". The Scarecrow and Werewolf are decidedly hardest in the Easy rules.

Scarecrow: he gets tougher as the town descends into darkness, gaining fight dice and health. Additionally, his minions are VERY annoying, and move the darkness track even faster than usual.

Vampire: He isn't all that hard, but he is REALLY tough to hurt, and if you don't hurt him he can run away. His minions are a bit tougher and he has several of them.

Werewolf: An absolute beast to fight (no pun intended), his minions are very straightforward and not too difficult. He also infects the heroes with lycanthropy which makes them periodically have to fight each other.

Spectral Horseman: This guy is my least favorite. Not because he isn't cool, or because he is too hard, but because you see him ALL THE TIME. Every couple turns, he pops up at a random location and rides directly to Town hall, fighting everyone on the way. Additionally, his hounds don't always go away when you fight them, and his soldiers are tough.

Heroes:

They did a pretty good job of balancing the Heroes out, with a couple notable exceptions. There are a few abilities that seem overpowered. The Lady's ability to buy off wounds, the Outlaw's ability to fight on a 4+, the Inspector who gains one extra Investigation from pretty much everything, and the Courier who gets +2 to his movement all the time. I don't think they are out of line, only because everyone has things like that.

The exception is the playwright. His abilities are very useful in a couple specific cases, and pretty much worthless otherwise. At least that is the way he has played out for us.

In Conclusion:

Definitely worth picking up if you like games with a bit of "meat", but not as much as Axis & Allies. Play seems to be a bit long, at about 2 hours a play (1.5 with two players). There are quite a few extra pieces included with the express purpose of use with House Rules. Check it out... This game is tons-o-fun.

-R