The Call of The Wild expansion really turned the game around and it made it a lot more fun, and not just a race to get to each objective as fast as possible. That said, I'm happy I sold my entire collection like a month ago. I liked the game, and played most of the scenarios, but most of the people in my game group didn't like it. Guess I off-loaded it just in time.
The absolute biggest issue with MoM was the long set up time and how fragile it was. If you took 30 mins to set up the game and you placed the wrong item in the wrong room...well the whole session was toast. MoM needed to be played like an event game. You know, you walk into Larry's house and Mansions is all set up and ready to go. Problem is that the payoff often wasn't worth that sort of commitment Also, the 1 vs all aspect wasn't balanced in the slightest bit. If the Keeper wanted to murder someone there wasn't much to stop it from happening. I distinctly remember FFG publishing an article stating that the Keeper role was meant to pull punches and make the game as interesting as possible for the investigators in order for it to be fun. It's part of the reason why they tried to patch the whole thing with Call of the Wild.
The app looks to fix two big issues. First the long complicated and fragile set up is GONE. Second they've made it co-op so you don't need to go easy on the investigators as the Keeper. Also, as a bonus it looks like they've upped the replay value while they were at it. You can play the same mission and the map tiles might be different while exploring and the items you get will also be in different locations. So far I like what I'm hearing about it.
I still can't believe that it's going to be available next Thursday. That's some GW type shit.
When we played MoM, we always (ALWAYS) had the game set up ahead of time. Anyone who did otherwise is insane. Or mad, whatever. That also allows time to doublecheck everything to make sure that you didn't screw anything up.
Yeah, the balance was off. When I played with family, we either gave the 'keeper' one less threat token each turn, or increased the value of all actions/cards by one threat to make it more fair. I forget which.
My kids still request MoM, so clearly they liked it. Out of nowhere my kids were asking to play just this week.
Disgustipater wrote: There is a benefit to owning both editions. If you have the first edition, you'll get a lot more options an variety.
Is the conversion kit extra, or included? Even if it's included, I'm not sure that makes me more inclined to buy the working version after I already bought the kinda broken version first.
But this is the eternal argument whenever a new version of anything comes out and buyers of the first version get kinda frosty if the second one is an improved/fixed version.
Chaz wrote: Is the conversion kit extra, or included? Even if it's included, I'm not sure that makes me more inclined to buy the working version after I already bought the kinda broken version first.
I don't think it is included (see in bold):
They’re Back To Haunt You
If you are no stranger to the investigations of Mansions of Madness and are still in possession of the investigator minis, monster figures, and map tiles from the first edition of the game, you can incorporate them into the adventures in this edition. You do not need the conversion kit in order to play Mansions of Madness Second Edition, though its contents combined with the first edition components will greatly expand the possibilities within your game. The terrifying Dunwich Horror, the haunting Cthonian, and fifteen other monsters from the first edition may linger to haunt you in the second. You may also make use of sixteen additional investigators, by pairing the new cards with your existing figures in order to further customize your second edition investigative team. In order to use these first edition components, simply input which items you already have into the app, and the horrors within will haunt and expand your game.
The picture shows a different box, although it's not yet listed in the list of products.
From the FAQ at the bottom of the page, the conversion kit is included.
Can I combine this with my first edition of Mansions of Madness?
Mansions of Madness Second Edition includes a conversion kit, which is designed to incorporate your first edition Mansions of Madness investigator figures, monster figures, and map tiles into the game. These additional components will significantly expand the app’s choices when generating maps and monsters, as well as the set of investigators from which you can choose.
Hmmm... Once bitten, twice shy. Even so, I picked up a copy of that Wilderness expansion on the cheap via Craigslist.
I spent too much damn time and love painting my first edition, so I hold onto it. I'm stubborn that way.
I'll await reviews (especially from that BGG Roberta person), and an online sale before I consider the next sanity check.
This mentioned, should I buy XCOM when I see it deeply discounted at Gencon next week?
drewcula wrote: This mentioned, should I buy XCOM when I see it deeply discounted at Gencon next week?
I don't think so. The game doesn't feel to have much variety. Actually it kind of does, but because it plays at breakneck pace, it doesn't allow you to wallow in the theme. It's like going around the world in a race car, everything looks the same when blurry.
Loved the game when I played a prerelease game at arkham nights ffg convention. Great time. I was eager to buy.
Bought it, regretted it as a I always play the oveelord type of thing, sadly. So I hated the experience from the moment I opened the box to play a game and try to get everything right.
Back when ffg had thumbs up and thumbs down on their site, this article was the most disliked thing ever, with hundreds of down votes. The game that made peterson realize that consumers don't just buy anything and everything they put out.
Meh. I love the concept and this may be great, but I'll pass. I traded mine away years ago for a new in shrink AH nexus ops. I know who came out ahead in that deal.
Evergreen ameritrash defeated the dragon of peterson that day.
MoM 1E was probably the first board game I bought that I sold almost immediately after playing it one time. The Overlord had such a huge advantage that the players were overwhelmed easily and this was with quite a bit of easing up on the Overlord's part. Also, all the silly puzzles where the other players just sat around and did nothing felt like a big disconnect. Maybe the expansions helped, but it certainly wasn't something I was interested in spending more money to try out.
I like the idea of the app-driven Overlord, but I wonder about the balance again. Also, FFG wanting $85, and that's the sale price, is a huge turn-off.
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