Shadow Ninjas (2024)

About this game

Shadow Ninjas is a hidden movement game of one versus many for 2 to 5 players. All the Ninja players are allowed to move any of the shadow tokens, some of which hide the Ninjas of individual players. This means players can accidentally - or not so accidentally - move other players’ tokens into danger or away from victory. To be a Ninja player you will need a good poker face and an ability to bluff so that no one can guess which shadow hides your Ninja. To be a Guard player you must be prepared to be outnumbered, but not overwhelmed, by all of the shadows that need to be investigated to protect the Shogun’s prized koi carp. —description from the designer

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 2 to 5.
• Rules load. At 2.0/5 this is a mid-weight game — expect a proper rules explanation before you start.
• Age. The publisher suggests 8 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.