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Do You Dare Return To Warwick Manor?
Despite a period of relative normalcy at the old Scottish mansion after the grand séance the previous Samhain night, the ghostly presence that once stalked the halls of the sprawling house is back and trying to communicate with the manor's owner; leaving Conrad MacDowell little choice but to once again call upon his friends and follow psychic mediums... Alma Salvador, Jessalyn, Madame Wang, Alphonse and Ardhashir... to help figure out what his ghostly house guest is trying to say. Perhaps together, they can finally solve the thirty year old mystery of the ghost's untimely demise. Obviously, the only way to offer the spirit peace is to conduct another séance. So come in, take a seat, and follow your intuition, in Mysterium Hidden Signs.
On The Surface
Following on from Libellud's much loved Mysterium, an innovative bestseller that pulled players into an immersive game of cooperative investigation, Mysterium: Hidden Signs is the first expansion that continues to follow the original mechanics, with seventy eight beautifully illustrated cards, manufactured to the same high quality that players expect from a Libellud game. Featuring artwork from illustrator Xavier Collette, who worked on the original game, and M81 Studio, Mysterium: Hidden Signs introduces six new brooding suspects, six new intriguing locations, six new detailed objects and forty two exquisitely eccentric visions that are full of surrealism and open to interpretation by the players.
A Little Backstory
The original Mysterium is a deeply engaging, cooperative 2 – 7 player game (which is as enjoyable with only two players, thanks to it's special rules for duos, as it is in a larger group), where players share a common objective: interpret the ghost's visions to discovered who the murderer was, where the crime was committed and what the murder weapon was; which ranges from something as obvious as a gun, to as unexpected as a fork.
It's a race against time, with game play divided into two phase. The first phase consists of seven turns as the clock counts down from midnight, creeping closer to dawn when the ghost will disappear and the murder will remain unsolved. Each psychic has a unique set of clues they most uncovered, and all suspects, potential crime scenes and possible murder weapons must be discovered before players can move on to the final phase... the ghost's final vision to the group, that will hopefully resolve the murder once and for all. If they don't, the spirit will be unavenged and left in limbo forever.
The Second Séance
Mysterium: Hidden Signs doesn't add any new mechanics to the base game, so for those who love the original game just the way it is, you don't need to worry about any additional rules being introduced. The player who embodies the ghost still cannot talk, only being able to communicate with the clairvoyants by knocking on the table, whilst the player(s) taking on the roles of one the beautifully diverse psychics are still required to work with the ghost and each other to help solve the mystery. As Mysterium: Hidden Signs is a set of illustrated cards that simply add more variety to the already highly replayable base game, it's safe to say the expansion is still aimed at players 10+, with an average game continuing to take a minimum of forty minutes to complete.
As stated, Mysterium: Hidden Signs is a set of extra cards, so the same easy game set up that takes less than five minutes still applies. Simply find a flat surface with enough room to comfortably set up the ghost's screen (that hides the unique set of 'clues' from the psychic players), along with the clock, hourglass, three progress boards... plus the clairvoyancy track and final progress board that are required if you're playing with three of more players. Game play also remains unchanged. The ghost player knows the suspect, location and object each psychic needs to find, and helps the other players throughout the investigation via the illustrated vision cards. The psychics must follow the clues given by the ghost through the vision cards in order to find the suspect, location and object cards assigned to them; with the psychics discussing between themselves how to interpret the visions given by the ghost.
Thinking Out Of The Box
One truly fascinating part of the game is seeing how your companions' minds work. The vision cards are often so surreal that its hard to see on the surface what the ghost is intending to convey when playing as a psychic, whereas the ghost player may be surprised to hear the meanings the psychics give to details they hadn't even considered on the vision cards they gave the psychics.
With Mysterium: Hidden Signs, the forty two new vision cards are perhaps even more surreal than the original eighty four included in the base game, leading to even wilder speculation and potentially hilarious misinterpretation. It's definitely a game that can bring you closer to your family and friends, and give you an unexpected peek into the ways their minds work. Even playing as the ghost during the discussion phase is enjoyable, despite not being able to talk, and you'll likely have a hard time keep a straight face as you listen to the psychics speculate on the meaning of the cards you've given each of them.
Considerations
The only negative aspects of Mysterium: Hidden Signs are the same mild criticism that affect the base game; younger players may struggle with interpreting the vision cards and need extra help from other psychics. Which arguably isn't much of an issue, as the game is an enjoyable way to help children expand their critical thinking and communication skills, without them realising they're learning something whilst they play.
Though from experience, teenagers as young as thirteen pick up the mechanics and rules easily, with often insightful interpretation of the vision cards; which makes it an excellent game for families with older children, as well as a perfect game for adults to enjoy during a get together with friends.
For added emersion, having some atmospheric music playing in the background certainly adds to the experience (there's even an official soundtrack available on Libellud's website if you don't fancy trolling through playlists on YouTube or Spotify), and if you have a small group of friend's who are into role play games, Mysterium and Mysterium: Hidden Signs could be a great starting point for a murder mystery evening at home.
That concludes our thoughts on Mysterium: Hidden Signs. Do you agree? Let us know your thoughts and tag us on social media @zatugames. To buy Mysterium: Hidden Signs today click here!
