Dark Web, Game Review

Getting the goods on the company, that is the goal. It's not the easiest task to do since companies are upping their security in this decade of the 1990s—getting prepared for Y2K. But you have the skill to get through the security, get the data, get out, and not get caught. You sit down at your computer and start making the connections to attack the firewall.

Dark Web is a card game of computer hacking set in the 1990s. The goal is for the hackers to get into the system and extract incriminating files on the company and get out without getting locked out. The twist in Dark Web is one of the players may be working for Corporate IT.

At the start of the game the players are randomly assigned a role of either a hacker or corporate IT. There can only be one company employee, but there isn't always going to be one. You know your role, but you don't know the roles of anyone else, for certain. There is always one extra role card that is not looked at when the roles are assigned. It is not until the end of the game, when it is time to score the game, which all the players find out if there was an IT employee in the game.

Dark Web is played in four rounds. Rounds have two phases. The first phase is to play a script. Scripts allow actions to be taken by the player. Some of them allow you to manipulate your hand by moving cards around with other players, others allow you to manipulate the draw pile. After playing scripts, you have a choice for the second phase.

The next phase is a decision to log out and save the data you have in your hand, or to draw a card. When you decide to save, you stop playing for the rest of the round. This can be advantageous if you are at a point of having data to score and it looks like the system may get locked down. Drawing can give you data, scripts, virus, or a lock. Locks are turned over when drawn and when five locks get turned over the system gets shut down. All the players who are still in the server are locked out and the data they have been collecting in their hand is discarded.

After four rounds scoring takes place and is based on the amount of data players have extracted. There is some strategy on how to decide to save your data. There are four types of data and you need to have more than one of the data type for it to score. Viruses lower the score for each one saved. Only the hackers score their data points. If there is an IT player in the game anything they have stored does not count. Again, this can be part of the strategy to lock out data from the hackers if they have a loaded hand.

The hackers total their scores to determine if they won. If they get a high enough score, they have overcome the system security and win. If their combined score is not enough, then the player working corporate IT or the game wins.

Dark Web was easy to learn and to get playing quickly. It is designed for ages 10+, which I think is because of the theme of breaking into a computer system. The strategy of the game, along with it written in the rules that you can do table talk (but don't have to tell the truth) would allow younger player with some gaming experience to join in. The cards use pictures instead of text so actions, once learned, are easily recognized.

Playing multiple games in a row reminded me of other card games. There is some variation in the hand you get and determining if there is an IT player. An advantage to this is the quick play. Although listed at being 30 minutes, games weren't taking that long. Dark Web is good to have on hand as a filler game while waiting because of its size.

Dark Web makes a good cabin game. It consists of a deck of 128, which can fit into a pocket or corner of a suitcase.

Overall Spider, Goat Games has another solid game.

You're working your keyboard as the data files are copying. You can tell someone is working the security as the firewall is closing the data access points. The files finish transferring as the system locks. You made it. You know you didn't get enough to stop the company. You bring up your notes from your fellow conspirators about other access points into the system and get ready to take another dive into the company's computer system.

Dark Web is designed and distributed by Spider Goat Games for 3–6 players ages 10+. A game is expected to take 30 minutes.

Thanks to Spider Goat Games for the opportunity of playing their game.

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