# Shadows over Camelot

Shadows over Camelot is a board game for 3–7 players. It plays in 60–90 minutes and is meant for ages 10 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 6. It is rated 4.4 out of 10 by 26 Ludoya reviewers.

- **Players:** 3–7 (best with 6)
- **Playing time:** 60–90 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 10+
- **Complexity:** 2.6 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2005
- **Categories:** Medieval, Deduction, Bluffing, Adventure, Mythology, Fantasy
- **Mechanics:** Traitor Game, Set Collection, Cooperative Game, Hand Management, Take That, Team-Based Game, Dice Rolling, Variable Player Powers, Semi-Cooperative Game, Trading, Tug of War, Sudden Death Ending, Communication Limits, Player Elimination
- **Ludoya rating:** 4.4 out of 10, from 26 reviews
- **Owned by:** 66 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 120
- **Unique players:** 214

**Designers:** Serge Laget, Bruno Cathala

**Artists:** Cyrille Daujean, Julien Delval

**Publishers:** Days of Wonder

## Expansions

- [Shadows over Camelot: Merlin's Company](https://www.ludoya.com/games/shadows-over-camelot-merlins-company)
- [Shadows over Camelot: Sir Bedivere, the 8th Knight](https://www.ludoya.com/games/shadows-over-camelot-sir-bedivere-the-8th-knight)

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## Rules questions

### When and how is the Traitor chosen — can I look at my Loyalty card during setup or later?

Each player is dealt one Loyalty card and secretly looks at it before sliding it face-down under their Coat of Arms (Traitor included); unused Loyalty cards are removed unseen (p.7). In a 3‑player game, players should not look at their Loyalty cards at setup and must wait until at least 6 Swords have been laid on the Round Table before peeking (p.19).

### What happens when I draw a Black card — can we use Merlin to cancel it?

When you draw a Black card you read and apply its effect immediately; if the draw empties a pile you reshuffle discards into fresh draw piles (p.10). Special Black cards may be canceled immediately if the players collectively play 3 Merlin cards (but this cannot be applied retroactively), while Standard Black cards cannot be countered by 3 Merlins (pp.10–11).

### How and when are Siege Engines placed, and how do we fight them?

You add a Siege Engine as your Progression of Evil action by placing one on any empty Siege spot; the 12th Siege Engine placed causes an immediate loss for all but the Traitor (p.11). To fight a Siege Engine (a Camelot Heroic Action) play any number of Fight cards, roll the 8‑sided die, and remove the Siege Engine if your Fight total is greater than the die result; if not, you lose 1 Life and the Siege remains (p.13).

### If my Life points fall to zero, am I out forever — can the Holy Grail save me?

If your Life points reach zero you die and are removed from the game at the end of your turn; your White cards are discarded and any Excalibur/Lancelot's Armor you had are lost (p.12). If the Holy Grail has previously been won and its owner allows you to drink from it, you are restored to 4 Life once (the Grail is then removed from the game) (p.12; see Grail acquisition p.15).

### When resolving a Combat Quest, how do we compare White and Black cards — what about face‑down Black cards?

A Combat Quest ends when all its spots are filled and you compare the sum of all White cards played there to the sum of all Black cards played (p.14). All Black cards played on the Quest must be shuffled together before revealing to compute their total, and Black Knight/Lancelot/Dragon cards may be played face down to hide their value (pp.11,14).

### How does accusing someone of being the Traitor work — what happens if we're wrong?

Accusing forces the accused to reveal their Loyalty card immediately; this Action is available only after at least 6 Siege Engines are around Camelot or at least 6 Swords are on the Round Table, and each Knight may accuse only once (p.16). If the accused is Loyal, turn a White Sword on the Round Table to Black (if any exist); if the accused is the Traitor, add a White Sword and the Traitor is unmasked and follows the instructions on their Coat of Arms (p.16).

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/shadows-over-camelot)
- [Shadows over Camelot in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/shadows-over-camelot)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/15062)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-19. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._