We continue on the tabletop horror track with another game that I find fascinating to play. Tabletop horror games that have sanity stats are mighty interesting. Some of them, like Betrayal, are just a straight stat. Other games have...some unfortunate consequences. This is such a game with those unfortunate consequences. 'Course, all this maddening stuff happens in a haunted house that twists your mind...and hopefully not your body. Gotta have the essentials as you enter the Mansions of Madness.
(Disclaimer: For the purposes of this article, I'm using the 1st edition of the game, as there is a newly released 2nd edition.)
Before I begin, yes, this is game is VERY Lovecraftian. Aside from the actual mystery that the players are trying to solve, there are numerous pitfalls, puzzles, monsters and even dark rituals to overcome. Depending on the story that you aim for, the mansion grounds (tiles) that are set may be completely different. You may start off in the foyer, or the dark garden, or even an (un)holy chapel. From there, you and three other intrepid investigators must solve the mystery that forces unseen have bestowed upon you.
All 8 investigators that you can choose from have their own strengths and abilities: some are more suited for combat, while others have a keen ability to solve puzzles. Both are needed as the mansion houses numerous clues, puzzles, and dangers. Once you have your investigator, you choose a story. At it's core, Mansions has 5 stories; however, each story can have up to three variations with lots of minor (yet crucial) changes, so you technically have 15 total. It's the investigator's job to solve the mystery. It's the keeper's job to keep them from doing so.
Those “forces unseen” that I mentioned earlier are the keeper's doing. Not only do they set the mansion up for the players to go through, they also set the prologue, which will give the players an idea as to what's in store for them. They set up clues and items, as well as traps. They can choose to have something happen to any of the investigators or send in dark monsters to attack and slow them down. And as the night goes on, the evil gets stronger...and closer. The keeper knows what they need to do in order to win (whether finishing their objectives or just killing), while simultaneously knowing what the investigators need in order to win. As time passes in the game, however, shit starts going down in the form of events. There are a set amount of events per story, and they serve as a reminder that the mystery needs to be solved quickly. If the investigators take too long and the final event card is revealed without the proper clues, then it is highly possible for everyone to lose the game. Even if the investigators fail, the plans of these unseen forces may be unraveled, thus bringing doom upon those that act poorly in seeking their knowledge. This game can be played in any number of ways, and the keeper themselves can be quite the storyteller, not unlike a dungeon master. However, said keeper can also be ruthless as hell in unleashing dark horrors in which man was not made to know. It's a hard game to play, but it's quite good…
...so long as you keep your sanity...
--Choco (10/11/16)
Image credit: BoardGameGeek.com (For the box cover)
www.fantasyflightgames.com (For the woman)
http://lovecraft.wikia.com/wiki/Cthulhu (For the great old one)