V2 of Mansions of Madness - Suitable for beginners?

[Retromatic]

I have a bit of a limited experience with "alternative" board games, I'd always liked the idea and had previously been into painting 40k etc so when I saw Mansions of Madness a couple of years ago I loved the theme and jumped right in!

However, I found it a chore to setup and play/teach to others - so I ended up selling it and have since opted for lighter games :

Ticket to Ride
Forbidden Island/Desert
Takenoko
Memoir 44
Castle Panic
Cash n Guns
Pandemic

Etc etc etc

I watched a review with the app the other week and to me it looks a hell of a lot easier to play now. Do you think I'd still be out of my depth or worth spending £50 odd quid on for another bash?

 

[TheDome]

You will find it a breeze compared to the first edition. Not only has the app streamlined it but the rules are laid out far better than before using fantasy flights 2 book system.

Its a very easy game to learn and teach now and setup is far far shorter.

 

[RoyMi6]

We had the exact same problem with MoM1. The setup time (because we didn't play it THAT often) combined with it being quite an anti-social experience for the person setting up (as they had to concentrate on setting it up while keeping things secret - like where keys are etc) meant we didn't have enough time in the evening to really make the most out of it before people had to start catching busses home.

But yeah, 100% agree with TheDome. Setup time is much reduced as you literally put ONE tile down to start with and the game board only gets more pieces as you move through the mansion.

In addition, there are no "key cards" laid down in the first instance and the game only tells you when you find one, THEN you look it out.

The background music is a nice touch as well - next time we play I want to get the projector connected to the iPad to make it a little easier for everyone to see what's going.

The app also means the "dungeon master" role isn't required as they can now play the game too, as they don't know what's coming either.

Oh, my only suggestion is that you share out all the board pieces at the start (it might even recommend this in the rules?) As you play and place each piece easily the biggest delay is simply finding the correct board pieces or cards. By sharing them out you make this much quicker.