Dark Shadows was the first of two board games based on the TV series to come out onto the market in the late 1960s. Each player is dealt 4 cards of varying types. Players use these cards to drive their movement across the board by matching a card to a particular space. Each turn, a player either plays the appropriate card to move ahead or discards one and stays put, then draws a new card. The first player to reach the end space is the winner.Some strategy is added by the nature of the board spaces. Certain paths will call for any card that matches a number value (1 or 2) or color (red or black). Others require a specific symbol (bat, spider, poison cup, or knife), or one of the special vampire cards (Barnabas or the generic Vampire). There are alternate paths a player may choose which are shorter, but require more specific items.Equipment for the game is as follows: large paper game board 4 movers with stands 52 card deck in 4 suits (bat, spider, poison cup, or knife) each suit contains --- 1 Barnabas card --- 2 Vampire cards --- 5 'number 1' cards --- 5 'number 2' cardsIn addition, there were two extra cards not intended for game play. In some sets, there were two black and white photo cards of Barnabas labelled, 'For Your Wallet'. In others, there was one 'For Your Wallet' card and one instructional card describing game play. - BoardGameGeek