Dark Romance

Game mechanics

Secret identities and hidden desires

Each player draws a secret role at the beginning of the game – one of ten different role cards. These roles determine your own goals and intentions during the game. But the real drama unfolds when you have to find out who is sitting across from you. Depending on the encounter, the game objectives change drastically:

• When a Count meets a Countess, for example, they both want to have a fairy-tale wedding.
• If the count meets a vampire, he must flee as quickly as possible to avoid dying.

But how do you expose them without exposing yourself? This is where the core mechanics of the game come into play: assessment, deception, and bluffing. You must carefully consider your intentions: Are you acting openly and directly in pursuit of your goals? Or do you try to hide your true intentions in order to deceive your opponent?

Dynamic interactions and tactical decisions

Dark Romance thrives on the unpredictable encounters between characters. Every decision can have serious consequences, as the game is based not only on individual goals, but also on mutual interactions. The choice of a single action can build trust or sow mistrust. While some strategies are more obvious than others, the game offers plenty of opportunities for subtle influence and clever maneuvering out of sticky situations.

Gameplay

Dates with an uncertain outcome

Throughout the game, the characters arrange various meetings. These meetings are crucial for gaining clues about the other player’s true identity – but also for advancing your own goal. The trick is that each meeting involves a choice that affects the game board and the dynamics between the players.

This is how dating works:

• The active player chooses between two possible date situations. The chosen one is revealed, the other is discarded facedown.
• The other player decides how to react.
• Depending on the choice, different trackers on the board move closer to the center and influence the course of the game.

But every choice also reveals something about one’s intentions. If someone finds a carriage ride at night particularly exciting, that might indicate that he or she is a vampire. Or maybe that is the intended deception? Every move is a balancing act between caution and risk-taking.

Wendepunkte und überraschende Enthüllungen

Das Spiel bleibt bis zum letzten Moment spannend, denn erst wenn bestimmte Bedingungen erfüllt sind, kommt es zur finalen Auflösung. Hat der Graf sich rechtzeitig in Sicherheit gebracht, oder hat der Vampir sein Opfer bereits fest im Griff? Hat sich eine wahre Liebesgeschichte entfaltet oder war es nur ein tödliches Täuschungsmanöver eines Heiratsschwindlers? Eure Geschichten werden die Bücher tragischer Poeten füllen und euch noch lange in Erinnerung bleiben. Denn die Kombination aus Storytelling und sozialer Deduktion sorgt für Spaß und Nervenkitzel bis zum letzten Zug!