Full disclosure: We love board games. We have a cabinet for our games, but right now we have a stack next to the dining room table. Because we classy.
One of our (Dede’s) New Year Resolutions, host a game night for our friends at least once a month. We used it as an excuse to buy a new game that we drooled over every time we went into Barnes and Noble. (BTW, it is cruel that a place that is already full of temptation now carries board games. Evil!)
Anyway, the game costs a pretty penny, but we had a gift card and a party to host! We ended up playing a different game. We had too many people show up, and it is a game for 1-5 people.
We saved Mansions of Madness for the next day. Yes, it was fun. But also a pain in the ass to set up, so we kept the game out on the table and played another round.
Start by laying out all the pieces.
Lots of monsters, cards, more cards, little players, little tokens and more cards! We also needed a tablet/computer/phone because we play the game with an interactive app.
The first thing you do is pick your scenario on the app. With the purchase of the game, 4 scenarios are available. There are a few more available for purchase through the app while the remaining need the expansion pack.
Once you have picked your scenario, pick your character. There are 8 characters to choose from even though you can only have 5 people playing the game. Weird, right? Read the character cards. Each one has a unique ability that may help themselves or the team. A trade off between insanity, strength and the other attributes.
You can put away all the other characters. You will NEED the table space.
The app walks you through the setup of the board. Each room is a game tile that you layout. You will put tokens or little tiles where it tells you. Then place your characters where the app says.
There are two phases, Investigator Phase and Mythos Phase. You start in the Investigator Phase. They allow you 2 moves and an action each turn. An action includes looking at a clue, opening doors, interacting with someone and fighting.
Your goal in this game is to solve the mystery and escape with your life. We have played 3 times so far. We have failed to stop the impending doom 2 of the times.
Despite our inability to win, this game is a lot of fun. It challenges you to figure out the best strategy for your team. We enjoy games that are co-op based (nobody gets mad you collected Boardwalk and Park Place).
We played for ninety minutes Saturday night, stopping so Kris could watched super cross. We resumed the game Sunday morning and finished it in just under two hours for a total of three and half hours. It warned us at the beginning that it could take up to 360 minutes. (6 hours for my none math minded friends.) It may take longer if you had more players and it might be more fun with more people.
The game ended with a hoard of monster’s attacking us and our only chance of escape was on the other side of the board. We didn’t make it.
A short and sweet write up if anyone is interested. We don’t want to give to much away, it will ruin the fun of the game. We give it four thumbs up.
Deidre Bjorson 