Tabletop Game Review – Visitor in Blackwood Grove

 

Visitor in Blackwood Grove by Resonym

Price: ~$15.00
Players:
3 to 6
Playtime:
5 to 15 minutes
Perfect for: Players who enjoy group social deduction games with a mix of cooperative and competitive play.

Visitor in Blackwood Grove is a game of unspoken communication! In a two-versus-many style, gameplay consists of reasoning out clues to break a predetermined code. Before discussing the mechanics, here’s a little more on the theme from the publisher, Resonym:

A spacecraft crashes in Blackwood Grove, and the Kid is the only one watching. Federal Agents hunt down the signal, but no one can get near the craft due to its crushing forcefield. Why can some objects pass through it, but others are repelled? Hiding in the craft, the Visitor hopes the Kid can figure out the rule before the Agents and help it escape. The agents want to dissect the Visitor and keep the ship.

To begin Visitor in Blackwood Grove, one player assumes control of the mysterious Visitor, another The Kid, and everyone else becomes a federal agent (up to four people).  The Visitor will then review a series of cards with various pictures on them to determine a secret “rule” about what types of objects can pass through the spaceship force field. Common examples would be, “things that are red,” “vehicles,” or “articles of clothing.” Players then test cards to see if they pass or fail, thus giving them more information on the true nature of the rule. If the Kid can uncover the rule first, they and the Visitor win. If the Agents crack the code, they are victorious.

RELATED: Tabletop Game Review – Mechanica

What works in Visitor in Blackwood Grove is the easy-to-pick-up mechanic, speed of the game, and replay value.  While the rulebook is a tad confusing, once players jump in the game is intuitive and does have a lot of reference points about how to navigate the interactions. Teaching a new person the basic strategy will take a matter of minutes—as the Visitor should choose a rule that isn’t so hard that the Kid can’t pick up on it, but not so easy that the Agents will recognize it immediately. This balance is assisted through a “trust track” that grants the Kid advantages the more cards they guess correctly (such being able to show the Visitor cards facedown, so the Agents don’t know what’s being tested). And even with multiple people, Visitor in Blackwood Grove goes incredibly quick meaning that after one game, players can switch roles and enjoy a new experience.

People who prefer games with less subjectivity may not enjoy Visitor in Blackwood Grove as much as others. The Visitor has to create and enforce the rule they set (although the game comes with some suggestions). This means that certain codes are subject to interpretation and this could be a focal point of consternation during the reveal—some people may disagree with how the Visitor categorized certain cards. That said, the stress and stakes of Visitor in Blackwood Grove are low, and if everyone playing accepts its subjective nature, all should go smoothly.

Visitor in Blackwood Grove is a nice light social deduction game that is an easy game for families or gaming groups to pull out and get a few rounds in.

Recommended if you like: Dixit, Mysterium

Final Grade: A-

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