arcanenightmusic

Fury of Dracula is one of the most successful games at telling a story, that doesn’t mean that the tale is always a fantastic one.
The idea of four hunters trying to track down Dracula’s secret location creates a thrilling chase, where traps can be laid and sprung, false leads can thwart the best laid plans and where you get a real sense of urgency as the time track ticks on, slowly favouring the Dracula player’s chances of winning.
Mechanically, this game has it’s ups and downs: The combat system uses simultaneously played cards to decide which side is the stronger. There are tactics involved, but they are limited. Generally only one or two of your cards are viable to be played if you want to win. Also, it takes a few games to realise that Dracula is not the mighty combatant that we imagine… it is usually best for him to avoid fighting whenever possible (especially during his weaker “daytime” phase).
Dracula’s hidden movement and trap laying works well, creating highs and lows of discovery, loss and bewilderment. The difficulty however lies in the cards that can either favour Dracula or the hunters. Some of these cards are incredibly powerful and, if drawn at the wrong time, can kill any sense of tension that the game has been building up. Imagine that the hunters have spent 8 turns slowly tracking down Dracula, have finally got the scent of his trail only for the Vampire player to draw a card that allows Dracula to make a free move anywhere on the board thus resetting the game to turn 1 and leaving the hunters with the feeling that they have wasted the last hour.
All in all, I have played many great games of FoD than bad ones, but when you stumble into an “unlucky” game it really shows the mechanics in sharp relief. Be aware when you play that your game is much dependent on the cards and when they are drawn… if you can accept this reliance on luck, then the suspenseful, gothic tale that this game weaves is fantastic!