[Card Game]: The Testimony of Jacob Hollow, reviewed by jdrakeh (4/2)

http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/11/11383.phtml

James D. Hargrove's Summary:

A most disturbing card game that fails to live up to its promise.

Go to the full review for more information.

[Old Scratch]

Great review, and I had the same feelings on the game. The whole thing was remarkably creepy, but it never delivered.

It is essentially a Dungeon Bash in the City with the Clues as Rewards.

I wish that there had been a third deck, in which the horror is revealed gradually, a sort of "meta" deck that changes the feel of the game. In this case, I'm thinking of High Noon which alters the rules each turn. For example: "The Shadow Lengthens: All monsters have their power increased by +1" AND the last card in the deck would reveal the menace.

This game takes a traditional approach to card games in some ways, and there's one other thing about this game I wish was used: hard choices. Example: War of the Ring: the player cards have TWO effects, and by using a card you are NOT using the other power, and I thought that this game would be stronger with more difficult choices.

Man, that's too bad. *sigh* I guess I'll just keep playing my old copy of Dark Cults.

[jdrakeh]

Originally Posted by Old Scratch

The whole thing was remarkably creepy, but it never delivered.

Yeah. The game had a lot of promise and has, as I said in the review, quite a bit to recommend it - but the whole game was marketed around the premise that it would reveal the truth about what happened in Castle Bay... and it never does. In fact, the marketing had just as much to do with my crushing disappointment as the fatal design flaw did.

I wish that there had been a third deck, in which the horror is revealed gradually, a sort of "meta" deck that changes the feel of the game. In this case, I'm thinking of High Noon which alters the rules each turn.

Well, I'm working on (in my spare time) a short fan-based supplement for the game that uses Investigation Points earned by a player to determine The Truth (really, it's little more than a list of multiple endings, ala the Clocktower games - but at least it provides some story-based resolution).

I thought that this game would be stronger with more difficult choices.

Or more direct consequences as a result of choices.