The Shadowlings can only move in the shadows. They can move freely to any place on the board without having to roll the die. They must stay on the game board and cannot jump or climb. The game was a TOTAL HIT with ALL three of them, their mother included! Husband was the "rules reader" and teacher, and all 6 of us played this game about five times before kids reluctantly went to bed. With simple rules and fast rounds, Shadows in the Forest is a great game for all ages. The rules aren't complex, and the novelty of using actual light and shadows as a game mechanic is really neat. It would be interesting to see this idea iterated on with a more complex game.

Everyone loved it, including the 15 yr old who wants to work a deal with her littlest sister to take it to a future slumber party. I hear that this game is a lot like an outdoor game called freeze tag, which I never played, but I do remember playing hide and seek, where if you were caught you were out. I enjoyed the game myself because the board game graphics + the lantern light reminded me of playing outside at night in the mysterious tree-shadows out in the yard. Just the experience of watching the shadows change amongst the trees on the board was nostalgic and captivating. I think that the girls loved the game because they won together. Cooperative play is unusual for them, and they seemed to relish that as well as the exaggerated finger-pointing and stage whispers they used to communicate to herd the pawns together. You think as a seeker that YOU are clever enough to hear the pawns tap or slide along the board (you CANNOT fly them over trees), but NO, it is not so easy. As a seeker I heard clues, kept the game going for a long time and found a few pawns, but they were able to buddy-up and re-mask, but finally everyone had to go to bed, so we all called the game a draw. I'm not sure if this is a rule, but we decided to play that on the first turn each pawn had to hide behind a different tree, because we beat the seeker in two turns grouping up like that, and the girls themselves seemed to like to prolong the game play/cooperation OVER WINNING. sets out a wealth of documented detail that shows how we should be super-sceptical of 'official' business statistics. This is one of the most illuminating tropical forestry books of the last decade. In the forest, the Shadowlings hide from the light. The Seeker, curious of these little creatures, ventures through the forest, light in hand. The Seeker works to find the Shadowlings, expose them, and show that the legends are true. The Shadowlings are fast and constantly avoid the light of the lantern. Will they make it through the night unseen? SETUPShadows in the Forest is a thrilling, immersive play experience that brings a distinctive twist to game night – you play it in the dark! One player moves the LED lantern around in search of Shadowlings, mysterious creatures who avoid the light. The lantern illuminates the forest and trees, casting real shadows on the game board. The rest of the players work together, strategically moving their Shadowlings to stay out of the light. Type: Family Games Logic Games Our Top Games There is really nothing wrong with this game, it is a perfect addition to your game shelf in almost any case. We've had it out two different times since we got it and each time played it five or more times in succession each time, and I can easily say we have gotten our money's worth out of this delightful and different board game. Libby is a licensed massage therapist living in Mesa, Arizona. She's someone who enjoys her quiet life, loves to hike, and help people lead a healthier lifestyle. However, one day, a regular customer of hers mentions her daughter is missing up in the northern mountains of the state. Having already planned a camping trip to the area, Libby and her dog, Shadow, offer to cruise by the area where the daughter is supposed to be. Naturally, the girl has gone missing. The player controlling the lantern must catch as many of the Shadowlings as possible. To move, the player rolls a glow-in-the-dark die and pushes the lantern along the path the corresponding number of steps. If the player sees any glimpse of the Shadowlings, they have been caught. The game ends when all Shadowlings have been captured, or have been safely reunited. The player who has most recently taken a walk in the woods becomes the Seeker. This player will move the lantern while all other players will act as Shadowlings. The game must be played with at least three Shadowlings, but players may add more if they wish. All Shadowlings work together, so players are not assigned a Shadowling.

This change of mind return policy is in addition to, and does not affect your rights under the Australian Consumer Law including any rights you may have in respect of faulty items. To return faulty items see our Returning Faulty Items policy. Players place all hiding places on the board in areas between paths. Hiding places may not touch the path.We played it last night as a family, including my eight-year-old and four-year-old daughters. I can’t remember the last time we had so much fun over a new board game. That being said, the game plays best when the adults in the room do a little fudging with the rules. The only slight issue I have and this comes from the nature of the game's premise itself and that playing it in the dark is kind of hard, yet the game requires it to be dark to play properly. The little lantern is actually incredibly bright, so in a dark room it does make it hard for the players themselves to see the board accurately and be able to make their moves. Also the game suggests that the little forest spirits masks be removed when they are discovered by the light, I would not recommend this as they are easy to misplace and lose in the dark instead we lay ours on their sides. So while these are not huge issues I found them minor inconveniences about the game, however it would never stop me from recommending this one if you want to experience the hide n seek joy this game brings.

A look at the Shadows in the Forest board. The Shadowlings are the creatures hiding by the trees ThinkFun The game can sometimes go on for a little longer than it needs to. The thin manual recommends choosing the right number of trees and Shadowlings that are right for your family, and by tinkering with the numbers you can make play go a lot faster. Created and originally self-published by Walter Kraul in 1986, Waldschattenspiel pits a small team of nocturnal dwarves against an individual searching for them in the woods. The goal is to use a small candle to shine a light on the dwarves, freezing them in place. If all the dwarves can manage to gather together in one place without being frozen, they win. This change of mind return policy is in addition to, and does not affect your rights under the Australian Consumer Law including any rights you may have in respect of faulty items.

The candle rolls one dice and moves in one direction around the board, only changing direction at a crossroads. If a gnome is illuminiated by the candle, it's enchanted (frozen) until another gnome can rescue it. After the candle moves, the player must turn around and allow the gnomes to move in the shadows. Gnomes can only move in the darkness and cannot cross the light. If all of the gnomes are frozen, the candle wins. If all of the gnomes end up behind the same tree, the gnomes win.