Andy De Mulder
Belgium
Gent
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"Aye, Dark Overlord" is a fun little cardgame for 4 - 10 players. Game time varies greatly depending on the players, and how many there are.
Artwork
The artwork on the cards is quite good, and funny in a cute kind of way. There are many different cards, most of them downright silly.
I especially like the Overlord cards. You can just feel his frustration.
Well, not much more to tell. It's a cardgame. Get a look at the pics section if you like, but there aren't that many pics there, I think. Still, it gives you some idea.
What's it about, and how does it work?
One player is the Dark Overlord, and all the others are his goblins. The Dark Overlord gave them a mission, which they completely failed to complete, of course. Now, it's a time of grovelling, begging, and most of all: blame the other goblin.
The game is about roleplay, and nothing else, actually. The Overlord selects one player as the first one to start explaining why the latest mission failed. (Also, it should now become clear what the latest mission was, which is also up to the Dark Overlord)
The player now selects one of his cards to explain why it failed. He/she can use the title of the card, the picture, or the description for the explanation. A "pointed finger" card can also be used in conjunction with such a card, to blame another goblin for the failure. Now it's that one's turn to start babbling 
You can also use a "stop" card to interrupt somebody, also in conjunction with a normal card. This can be a very mean thing to pull, as the explanation is now interrupted, and the goblin must now find a way to talk himself out of yet another accusation!
When an explanation is not sufficient, or the Overlord gets annoyed with a particular goblin, he can frown upon that goblin. At the third frown, there is a very small chance to beg for the Overlord's mercy. If this fails as well, you lose and the game is over.
The good and bad points
You can only play this game with roleplayers, as there are very few rules, and everything depends on roleplaying. Although it seems the game is lost or won on the whim of the Overlord, that is not exactly so. Sure, the Overlord holds all the power, can interrupt a goblin at will, and decides who gets frowned upon. But he will be too curious to find out how a certain explanation is going.
A big plus is the amount of laughs this game will get. The mission can be plain absurd, and the various goblins will be as well, trying to shift the blame in the most illogical ways. This will make sure the game will be played again in the near future.
And that brings us to the last downside. There are only a limited number of cards, so after a few plays, placing the blame or explaining your own actions will start to sound the same. An expansion pack with new cards would not be a bad idea. Or you can make your own, of course.
So, in the end, this is a fun game to play with a group of people who don't mind roleplaying and using wit and humour instead of strategy.
Don't play it often, and it will remain a fun game to play.
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Surya Van Lierde is pure Eurosnoot and proud of it!
Belgium
Gijzegem
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Yeah, we found that the game evolved into a simple "yes, but it's his fault because of (insert card reference here)" after about 20 or 30 minutes.
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but that isn't the way it has to be played. like the op said... play with roleplayers and you are going to have a fabulously funny time. play with strategy gamers and you are going to wish you never played.
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So true, so true. I played at a con with a group of strangers but who all seemed very focused on the rules and the exact manner to earn a "withering look" card. The Dark Overlord was played by one of their staff. Now he was great, but the other gamers (presumably strategy types) bored us and the others to tears, but in the end I heard them blame it on the game.
Now I have played it with non-gamers and my RPG group and wow! It just gets so funny and convulted and we always play the Dark Overlord so that he likes to be reminded of what was said a few minutes before so you have to keep on your toes. Also form of address is important. And each Overlord has a work ethic that they favor... say team work, and naughty goblins who don't follow that ethic are punished with withering looks.
Excellent bare bones story game and it certainly depends on who you play it with.
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Wow, looked up and just saw that I was agreeing with myself. hahaha! Must be going crazy.
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Haha interesting, its always great writing your own reviews
Just kidding, seams like this game could suit my group, we liked fairytale and this seams similar so 
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John Wray
United States
Unspecified
California
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I would love to see a session of this game on YouTube. It might help me understand the rules more, plus it sounds hilarious.
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Diego Molina
Chile
Santiago
RM
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gamer in japan wrote: Wow, looked up and just saw that I was agreeing with myself. hahaha! Must be going crazy.
You deserve a "withering look"  for dragging the story and not passing the bucket!
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