Fantasy Flight Games FFGMAD27 Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition: Horrific Journeys Expansion, Mixed Colours

A very nice, high quality game. The app/program which runs the whole show is very well built and designed. Played through one of the scenarios with the family and thye loved it (took it slow as it was their first time seeing the game). Games last a nice length of time, whilst still being capped to a certain length to introduce an element of difficulty. The damage and horror system works well, my family found going insane rather amusing, this adds another element of difficulty to winning the game. Building up the map as you investigate is another nice element, not knowing what will be round the corner or through the next door. All of the models are fairly well detailed and substantial, maybe a future project will be to go through and paint these. You could use you own models if you really wanted if the given ones werent to your taste. The price may appear high but the replayability is very good, you can almost always go back and play a scenario again. Whether with other people or with the same group. This is what shows a good game. I very quickly bought one of the expansions as I loved the game so much. Can't wait to play it again.

Do not let the price tag deter you from purchasing this game. As with all Fantasy Flight games, the components are very high quality and the rules are (almost universally) clear and concise. The main game comes with a number of scenarios which vary from an hour to 3 hours in length and leans heavily on the works of lovecraft to provide interesting and atmospheric adventures. The app is something that many feel is an issue but now that many people have ipads/tablets or smart phones it isnt really a problem. Now it only tracks what the game is doing, not the players. This, i imagine, is to stop people playing the game solely on their tablet for free but does mean that some elements have to be run by the players. One person running the game and reading the text boxes and instructions is reccomended. It really does help that the game responds to your decisions, or appears to, and the production quality is very high. The mechanics are also very strong, with madness and spells being very thematic and fun. Now for nitpicks and there are some despite the 5 stars. At least one more short adventure, straight out of the box would have been good. Although the longer scenarios are not boring by any means, they can eat away at time and you might end up frustrated at the end of an evening when everyone is tired and the final confrontation is taking too long. The longer scenarios can also take up a lot of table space as well so be forewarned, a six by four foot playing space is advised. The mysteries envisioned in the scenarios are also not really mysteries, you simply acquire objectives and then escape or kill a monster. I understand that one scenario from the second expansion does have a genuine mystery to solve but i have yet to buy it so i cannot say to its quality. A great game overall.

Expensive, but what a great game. The app (required) works well, randomising elements of the 4 different scenarios keeping each game as "fresh" as it can considering the underlining story/plot will be similar. Tips for playing, one person really needs to be in charge of the app, which ideally you should run on a tablet (thou' it's available on Steam if you have a laptop). It just keeps it simpler that way. The only real time to pass the tablet to other players is when they are attempting puzzles. The game can go on a bit so make sure you have a power supply for your tablet. Upon saying that when we played it the whole group loved the game, and wanted to play again straight away (we didn't but would of been happy to). Oh another tip, blue tooth to speakers, because the app has some nice atmospheric music and sound effects, really adds to the game. The only let down for this version are the models, the quality seems average at best. The wings of one of my bigger models was detached, I've re stuck it back on. They also don't stay on their bases well, again, once I've painted them I'll be sticking them to the bases. Taken the premium price of the game (and already various expansions) it is disappointing they are average. I didn't knock a star off for it, I suppose I should have, but the gameplay itself was solid and lots of fun. I playing in a group that enjoys games like Betrayal on the house on the hill and room 25. It's a good fit, and the app runs the game wonderfully.

Great game so far, based on one playthrough. Be prepared to either make your own inserts or buy one of the pre-made ones as there is a lot of stuff with little room in a suprisingly big box. The app is needed to play the game, and once you get used to it actually adds a lot of atmosphere to the game. Like the old VCR/DVD adventure boardgames of old, but a lot better. The minis are pretty good, although made of soft bendy plastic not resin ( if they were this game would be double the price i guess). They need glueing to their bases, otherwise you spend a lot of time fixing them back on. They will look better when painted anyway. Can't comment on re-playability yet, but if this gets played several times a year (especially at Halloween) then it's work here is done. Still reckon the price point is a tad high for what you get, but the accompanying App is free, so not too bad.

My wife and I regularly play this with our gamer friends but have also had just as good a time introducing friends who have only played trivial pursuit. The app removes so much of the boundaries which the first edition imposed and makes playing a much less daunting task. It's a great 4 player co-op game and has lead to some fantastic stories for example a priest, gravedigger, receptionist and parapsychologist fighting their way out of a mansion filling with unspeakable horrors from beyond, the receptionist taking down several with a knife and the gravedigger going hand to hand with a flying snake monster or two. It's very re-playable due to random nature of items, locations and enemies, don't think I've ever played exactly the same game twice. Yes it's a bit pricey especially with expansions but for pure cost versus enjoyment it's worth every penny. You don't need to know anything about the Lovecraft books to enjoy the game but for fans there are some characters, monsters and locations that you'll recognize.

No idea why the review categories for this game are "thickness' and "sheerness" but never mind. The game is a lot of fun. It is a cross between the dice rolls and stat checks from Eldritch horror, but crossed with a sort of escape room game where you have to solve puzzles and investigate the mystery. Also the general atmosphere the game creates is brilliant I haven't bought any expansions yet but the base game alone is worth the price tag with the starting 4 scenarios and the ability to buy 3 more just as paid DLC for a few £. The scenarios have low replayability due to the mystery solving nature, but each will take several hours and all are a lot of fun. A good game to lend to friends once you've played through all the campaigns! Also the models are very good quality although 1 or 2 were slightly broken for me

Very good game for Solo, never tried multiplayer. Nicely made and good atmosphere. Check out Board Game Geek for some good reviews and playthroughs - far more eloquent and details than I can be here!

We have been blown away with simple and fun this game is -right from the first session. A brilliant combination of board/role play/computer game that takes over as DM and lets you all work together to explore and fight evil. Very immersive with spooky sounds and events running smoothly on the excellent APP. I worry that some older games will now feel a bit clunky and obsolete! Not sure about the figure base system though when it comes to painting etc.-some bases are huge and rather unwieldy. Having said that all materials, cards and figures are of a brilliant quality. I debated paying this much for a game-I just wish I had bought it sooner!