If you are a fan of 2-player card games and English literature (especially the works of Shakespeare), you need to check out Shakespeare: The Card Game by Allies or Enemies.
This game is a 2-player card game where players use characters from Shakespeare’s works to become the greatest bard of all time by being the first to meet one of the three end-game conditions.
Game setup is really easy to follow. 6 cards get drafted into 2 rows of three cards, and land cards are placed in the centre between both players. The first player is the last person who soliloquized about the complexities of life while being spied upon by their uncle and girlfriend’s father (this is actually written in the rules, which I found rather amusing).
On a turn, the player chooses one of the two rows of cards displayed. Out of the 3 cards they have chosen, the player will then decide which 2 of those cards to keep and pass the other 1 to the other player. The other player who did not draft cards then plays as many cards as they want from their hand. Then, the player who drafted does the same. Obviously, in the first couple of rounds, you are building up your hand, so cards may not be played during these rounds.
There are 4 types of cards: lovers, history, tragedy, and chaos cards. When drafting cards, players need to bear in mind the following end-game conditions:
• History: Control 4 lands, have at least 1 death and 1 couple.
• Comedy (lovers): Match 4 couples, control at least 1 land, and have 1 death.
• Tragedy: Have 4 deaths, control 1 land, and 1 couple.
History cards are placed on lands. The player who has the most there owns the land. Lovers cards need to be paired with the right person to become a couple, and these are then placed in front of the player. Tragedy cards can only be played in front of you if you meet the requirement on the card. For example, dies if you have 3 history cards on one land. Chaos cards do what they say, cause chaos! These will benefit your gameplay when played but obviously aren’t involved in the end game conditions. Players need to think about which end condition is going to suit them best based on the cards they have drafted. Once a player has met one of the end game conditions, the game ends, and they win!
This game was easy to learn and set up. It was nice to see the nods to many of Shakespeare’s famous characters and the quotes they are known for displayed on the cards. I think the chaos cards adds that extra layer of strategy to the game, which I enjoyed. The artwork was awesome, and I loved the quotes. I’m not a massive Shakespeare fan, but I really enjoyed this one! Definitely one to check out or purchase for that literature-loving person in your life!
