Mice and Mystics

Wait! Go to http://www.plaidhatgames.com/games/mice-and-mystics and watch the instructional video on how to play the game. You'll get to see everything in the box and see if it's right for you. Please read on to see my input. I just bought 3 big dungeon crawler type games: Descent (2nd ed), D&D Wrath of Ashardalon, and Mice and Mystics. Of the three, I am fascinated the most by this game. The mechanics of the game play are simple yet smart. The characters are just inspiring. The mice are smaller than I thought, but well made and detailed none the less. The card stock for the character cards are a bit flimsy, so I recommend a protector sheet of some sort to store them in, otherwise beautiful. Everything fits nicely in the box with room to spare (compared to Descent where I needed an extra box to out the tile pieces in). You'll want a couple of sandwich bags to segregate some of the pieces, though. Hats off to plaid hat games for making an instructional video (see their website) that actually teaches you the whole game! There's a sticker on the cover of the rules book that directs you there too. No way to miss it. This doesn't mean the rule book isn't any good. You can actually follow along. The materials and video are well thought out and top notch (love the index!). The presentation of the video alone eludes to the quality and effort spent in the design and production of the game. The miniatures are a bit small (like the tab of a soda can), but it makes sense. Mice are all so unique and cool. The game will play well on most dining tables. The board "tile" placement doesn't get too out of control so space isn't the primary concern (in contrast to Wrath of Ashardalon where the dungeon goes all over the darn place and you wind up moving things around just to make more room). So what is the primary concern? The game is marked as ages 7+. True, my kids are already broken-in on dice rolling games (ages 7 and 5). By no means would I ever expect my 7 year old to grab this off the shelf and play by himself or with his sister. There are a great deal of rules and pieces. There are 2 books. The rules, and the adventure book (how to set up each unique story). Sure, my kids could both put pieces on the board and make their own adventures. Learning the dice combat and cheese system is easy: That I agree, but to play the game "as intended by the books" I find it hard to believe. Some lego sets are labeled 7+, and my kids can figure those out, but this is a different animal. This isn't Candyland. Notice my rating stays 5 stars. I bought this as a family story telling game, so the kid-solo-play issue is a non-issue. We will only pull it out together. You have to understand why the designer made the game to understand the 7+ rating. He made the game to help his daughter learn to read and overcome a reading disability. This game has several "pick a player to read the following passage" sections. This is intended get kids interested in creative storytelling and reading. If your child is already a great reader, let him or her read all of the passages. It will only make him better. If he struggles with reading, let him read all of the passages. It will take time, but he will get to play out the adventure afterward with you and begin to enjoy reading. The connection from story to characters to game will grow the more they progress through the adventure book. Please don't pass this opportunity to get involved with your kids to read and play games together. You won't regret it. Last, but not least, the average play time labeled on the box is 60-90 minutes. Good luck keeping younger kids focused that long on anything. In my experience though, games like this keep their attention longer than any other similar type of entertainment. As a side note, if you're an old school gamer (tabletop or whatever) and you're looking to grow your home-based play-group, grab this game. The whole family (kids and spouse included) will get hooked on the concept of story telling, dice-based actions and combat, and leveling up. A stealthy and sure-fire way to make nerds out of everyone. Where's the 6th star?

I have been looking for a fun and engaging alternative to video games for me and my kids. We like board games, but we all really like role playing games, and bulk of them are video game platforms - which are not providing enough imagination or personal interaction amongst our family so we're boxing up the wii and ps3 for something more tactile... I wasnt ready for something as complex as Dungeons and Dragons and have never been into the really harcore RPG's that require tons or modifiers, stat sheets and seriously in-depth role playing - which doesnt often fit younger kids attention spans anyway... I saw this title listed in a few different websites and finally bit the bullet. Other reviews of this game do a fab job of describing the game overall, the guality of the product pieces, etc. My purpose here is for parents considering this game for them and their kids. I have 5 kids, ranging from 3-10. My 3 yr old is curious and really wants to play, but is just not ready. My 5 yr old however, is really into it and while he doesn't comprehend all of it - the story line and the fundamental game mechanics (rolling dice) are well within his age range and he plays whenever we do. My 8 and 10yr olds totally love this game - we just wish our weekends were longer! The game is more complex than I realized. While its basically a dice game, the role playing aspect and the story line require a variety of rules that can be overwhelming at first. the first night we tried to play - it ended up with no actual playing and a lot of frustrated kids waiting on an overwhelmed Dad, reading, re-reading and re-reading the rules... That said, parents - if you buy this game, download the rules before it arrives and read, re-read and re-read them again and again - it will totally help. there are also some very useful online guides, including a "watch it played" video that really helps. Several posts - and possibly even the game itself - indicate a 60-90 minute play time. Not even close! We've probably invested 8-10 hours of game time and are not even half-way through the story. Yes, we've had to re-play a few chapters (got captured) and yes, we've chosen to replay a few chapters simply because we missed some really important chapter rule. But, even a seasoned player would spend several hours on this game, if playing the entire story. A single chapter alone could take an hour, depending on the luck of your die rolls and the decisions you make in between rolls. It is rich and detailed and totally awesome, like a good RPG should be... I would also suggest that you consult the Mice and Mystics Forum sponsored by either boardgamegeek.com or plaidhat.come (cant remember which) a few visits there helped answer some of the less intuitive quandries we ran into while playing. Things I like as a player and parent. @No one dies. They're just captured. @You work together, as a team, and while it is subtle in the rules - you can really improve your chances by "sharing and helping" your party members. @Rolling dice is easy - even if driven by luck (or statistics if your a math lover). @Its a good story line that most 8-yr olds should be able to read aloud (even if they can't understand all of the vocabulary used) @six different mice characters with very different skills will likely allow for some very fun replay value over many months to come @ a great way to spend rainy day or cold winter evening - without commercials or contollers in your hand... awesome! Things I did not like and got over quickly: @Lots of rules to remember - thankfully, the kids are starting to help with that @Lots of pieces to lose or extract from the mouths of younger children (I have a 3yr old) @requires a fair amount of table space to play @limited to 4 players, though more can techinically play if they chose to be the minion, or in a few chapters where all six mice are used @harder for kids to play and pay attention to when playing with 4 or more players... it can take a while to move through all of the turns when playing with many players... (I love the notion of an expansion pack that would allow up to 6 players, but am certain it would be painful to have that many people trying to play - at least in my house) If you like story based games and/or RPG's - this one will be a hit.

The game is probably described in detail in other reviews, so I won't do that. Also, there are videos on-line where you can see a play through of the first chapter. That's what prompted me to buy the game, and glad that I did. The miniatures are very detailed. So much so that people detail paint them. The only downside with the figures is that they are a soft, bendable plastic. For painting I prefer a harder plastic. Another downside is the inside of the box. The box begs for a molded inside piece for the various components. But what's inside? The same lame cardboard divider (that I threw into the trash) that's inside the Summoner Wars game box. Exact the same! And, it does NOT work for either game! So many games get this aspect right. There are compartments for the different sized cards, for the miniatures, for the dice, etc. It's not brain surgery to design and produce, so I'm thinking is that Plaid Hat is simply skimping. I never understand why companies do almost every aspect great and cut corners on some things. Why not have high standards with every aspect? Why not quality from top to bottom? If I could give the game 4.5 stars I would. Because of the soft plastic and lame inside. But, the game gets 5 stars instead of 4, because the rest of the game is awesome. The best part is the story. The RPG aspect is nothing new and most any game manufacturer can develop simply RPG rules and components. But, the story line of this game is a rarity and very well done. Also, this is NOT a hard core RPG game, but enjoyable none the less.

I got this to co-op play with my 7 year old daughter, and we have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The storyline is really well done and very engaging. The difficulty/challenge level is fairly high, and if you remain strict to the rules you will not sailing through this game. The game is quite complex and 'rule heavy' so it really helps to have an adult helping out the child. Each of the 11 chapters/scenarios will take around 60-90mins. If a kid was playing it by themselves then I would say an 8/9 year old should be able to cope with it, but they would have to like reading. The storyline is the best thing about this game, this creates a really engaging and immersive world. The model figures are good, and the game components overall are really well done. Really worth getting to play with a kid to get them into TTRPGs, or a good campaign game for a group that wants to run around bash some monsters and explore some tunnels!

I bought this for my daughter (and myself) based on the stellar reviews it got. I have now owned the game for about 6 months and have played it about a dozen times with 2 different groups, but because I am forcing myself to successfully finish a chapter before progressing with any of the groups, I am only up to Chapter 4 in the story so far. My impressions so far: Pros: - I really like the aspect of playing a story, but with a randomness thrown in via the dice to keep it more interesting. - Excellent quality game boards, and being able to mix up the number and using both sides makes for a large number of playfields for the various chapters in the story. - Excellent quality playing pieces, but there are a lot of them! - Able to play with elementary-aged kids since it is cooperative. Cons: - A lot of rules to remember, I still find myself forgetting several each time I play and there are special rules within each chapter of the story to make it even more complicated. - Rules say up to 4 can play, but then there is at least one chapter where the 4th character (Lilly) is trapped for the entire game and has very little it can do, making playing that character quite boring. - The fact that there are different numbers of characters used in some chapters of the story is annoying if you are trying to go through the entire story with the same group of players. The story should have been set with all characters participating in all the chapters. - Character development is limited. Not very many abilities to gain and the restriction on possessions transferred to the next chapter is very limiting. Also, the items to be found is quite limited. Also, it should be understood that while the game says it takes 60 minutes to play, I have yet to finish one in under 2 hours. And that is just one chapter of the story, which consists of 13 chapters, so to play the entire story, you are talking about a long-term prospect. Even with the few cons, I do like the game and I am looking forward to successfully completing all the chapters.

Mice & Mystics is a rare game: A board game / RPG hybrid that is fun both for kids and parents. In fact, I think that I enjoy this game even more than my kids do. The game play uses a mechanic that I think is similar to games like Descent, in which players choose a character (represented by a card), explore a set of game tiles, fight enemies, and upgrade through finding items or "leveling up." But what is really nice about this game is that the RPG mechanics are streamlined so that rather than getting bogged down in complex rules and statistics, the focus is on the story and the challenge of clearing an area of monsters. One really neat mechanic is the "cheese" system, whereby events such as the passage of time or dice rolls cause cheese tokens to be placed around a circular wheel. When the wheel is full, a "boss" monster is triggered and the time to complete the mission becomes shorter. On the other hand, cheese is collected by the player, which can be used to "level up" (add additional abilities) or use special abilities. My primary critique of the game is that there are times when it can bog down a bit, such as when players are attacked by 6 roaches at once, each requiring its own dice roll. At those moments, my kids' eyes glaze over as they wait for their turn. Also, the game is sufficiently complex such that younger kids are likely to be lost as to some of the mechanics, such as the initiative system and some of the unique character abilities. I still have never played a game where we had any interest in figuring out the best way to use the spoon and the grape... It also should be noted that each chapter really does take somewhere around 3 hours (especially with little kids), so I found that each chapter took two or three sittings, requiring that the game board and cards (which take up a lot of space) either remain where they are or be carefully bagged up and tracked for next time. Lastly, I have to mention the beautiful and detailed game pieces, especially if you are willing to take the time to paint them (which turns out to be pretty fun).

I' have always loved RPG video games and board games growing up, but once I started a family and career I haven't really touched them. Now that my children are a little older and I slightly more time, I wanted to get a great RPG board game that was easy to play for the whole family and Mice and Mystic’s is by far the best for my needs. I needed a game that didn’t require a steep learning curve, that was easy to set up and take down, and most importantly a game that the whole family could play. This game has a really nice thematic RPG feel that is easy to learn and play. It is more like reading a story, but controlling the characters as you go along. This game gives me the satisfaction I like from playing RPG's without being overwhelming and the best part is, it's a game the whole family can enjoy. I could see this being ok for a group of adults who casually play games, but any hardcore gamer would probably get bored with it. I find the story interesting and this game has actually sparked another hobby I enjoy. Painting miniatures. Mice and mystics is the first set of miniatures I am painting, but I plan on continuing with more once I complete this set. A note about the company Plaid Hat Game, I purchased the expansion to this game and it came with a broken miniature. I filled out their form on the website, which took about 1 min and the next day they sent out a replacement. I have heard great things about Plaid Hat Games and so far I think they produce great games and have great customer service.

A good introductory co-op board game that seasoned gamers can also play. I purchased this to introduce my wife to co-op board gaming it is a fun game although mostly based on the roll of dice it has a lot of replay value as well. The game components are of good quality although the figures are smaller than we expected. The first thing I did was to paint them I always think painted figures add to the fun of the game (painting guides are available at the Plaid Hat website and elsewhere online). It is many years since I painted game figures and my eyesight is not as good as it used to be so it took me some time we will eventually buy the expansions however, I am not looking forward to painting a lot of new figures although once we get them I know I will want to paint them. We haven't completed a full game yet but whenever we have stop we keep a record of all cards and items in play on paper plus we put them in a separate container so we can set up the play area exactly where we left off. The game story book is very well written for both older children and adults, the rules can be confusing at times but, the website forum is full of really helpful information and helpful people. Surprisingly, even the games' designer is very active on the website to answer and help players with their questions. If you want rules help you can't get better than the person who designed the game. There are obviously people who won't like this game or gamers who will find it too easy / boring if you are not sure about it and cannot access a copy to try there is a website called "board game exchange.com" that rents board games and operates on a similar business model to Netflix.

I am reasonably new to dungeon crawler games, I’ve played hero quest and that’s about it. I was looking for something similar to her request that was more suitable for children under 10. This is one of the best games I have ever played, the storyline is wonderful, the miniatures are really cute and high-quality. Bought it with my seven-year-old daughter in mind, the game is probably a little bit too complex for her at this stage, but my wife and I are having a really good time playing through it and we involve my daughter so she can start to pick it up. There are a lot of rules that would be complex for most seven-year-olds, understanding how the different equipment impacts the game and the general strategy for beating the minions. That being said, there are still no regrets about buying this game as we still involve her in it, and I reckon we’ll get many years of enjoyment out of it when she is a couple of years older.

This is the game that got my family to love board games! We have played this 6 times now and are slowly going through this as a campaign (you have the option to play the chapters out of order but it sounded a lot more fun to go through it like a book) I have seen others mention it takes around an hour per chapter.. We do not play that fast, it takes us at least 2 hours. Maybe that is because we are playing with 2 adults and 2 kids (9 and 15) and like to take our time. When i first started reading about this game I was worried about the replayability as there are only so many chapters to play. It is true that once we pass a chapter there is little chance we will play the same one again, but it takes us so long to get through one (and we had to play the first one twice) so we have already got around 10-12 hours out of this game and expect it to take at least 20+ hours more. When you compare this with other family activities there is no way that 70ish dollars will get you at least 20 (more for us) hours of family fun. The simple combat and action orders of this game make it easier for kids and people new to this type of cooperative game style. The story is very well written and really draws the kids in and gives the game a purpose. The art work is amazing and the miniatures that come with it are of good quality (although a little small) I can't wait to paint them (will be my first time) I would recommend watching a few videos on youtube before playing. Two that were very helpful were "rules you may have missed" and Wil Wheaton's Tebletop show where he plays with his family. Also there are some very good FAQs that you can quickly look up when you are not quite sure what to do. There are a few DLC stories you can get for 2 dollars on Plaid Hat Games website as well as 2 expantions that continue the story. I give this game a 5/5 as any game that has the kids (and wife) asking if they can play it on a saturday night makes it perfect in my book.

Playing this with my girlfriend and having a great time. Watch the Watch It Played videos that are linked on Plaid Hat Games website (you don't need to watch all of it, just a couple of episodes) and read the rulebook and you're good to go! Well worth the hour or so investment to learn how to play it properly and one player can easily pass their knowledge on to others. The box feels lovely and weighty but isn't excessively sized for the contents, which are absolutely gorgeous in design. You also get to paint the figures if you want. Simple mechanics for gaming newcomers, the game suits 2 players just great. Haven't tried it with any other amount but 1-3 should work perfectly well. 4 players would be fine apart from 1 chapter in the (rather long) story book. You'll get many hours out of this!

I love this game; everything that comes in the box oozes quality! So excited to paint the minis!

El producto llegó en buen estado, no presentó ningún tipo de golpe o abolladura en la caja. En sí mismo, todos los componentes se ven de buena calidad y aptos para que niños pequeños puedan tenerlo (aunque las mecánicas y reglas algo complejas) , aunque siempre con vigilancia por sus piezas pequeñas. Es esencial el idioma inglés para jugarlo, aunque se pueden descargar gratis el libro de historia y reglas de páginas de Internet. En conclusión una buena compra de un buen juego de mesa.