How to Play Mansions of Madness: Second Edition

Objective of the Game

Welcome to Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition, a thrilling board game of investigation and horror. In this game, you and your fellow investigators will work together to unravel the mysteries of a haunted mansion, all while trying to maintain your sanity and avoid the clutches of terrifying monsters. Your goal is to complete the investigation and achieve the scenario's objective, which is hidden from you at the beginning of the game. Will you be able to overcome the challenges and emerge victorious, or will the forces of darkness consume you?

Setup

To start the game, separate the investigator cards into decks by type and shuffle the damage and horror decks. Organize the cards in the common item, unique item, spell, and condition decks alphabetically and place them faceup. Then, organize the map tiles by size and the monsters with their matching tokens. Separate all tokens into pools by type. Next, run the app and ensure that all expansions you wish to play with are enabled. Select a new game or resume a saved game, and choose which story to play. Each player selects an investigator and takes its card and figure, then inputs the chosen investigators into the app. Players receive specific possessions as instructed by the app and distribute them among the investigators as they choose. Finally, read aloud the scenario's prologue, place the starting map tile, investigator figures, and other tokens as instructed, and perform any other steps required by the app.

The Turn of Play

The game is divided into two phases: the Investigator phase and the Mythos phase. During the Investigator phase, investigators take turns in the order of their choice. On each investigator's turn, they can perform up to two actions. The available actions include:

• Move action: Move your investigator up to 2 spaces, one space at a time, from one space to an adjacent space.
• Explore action: Reveal an adjacent room by tapping an explore token in your space or on a door adjacent to your space, then selecting EXPLORE.
• Search action: Search in your space by tapping a search token in your space, then selecting SEARCH.
• Trade action: Give any possessions to each other investigator in your space and allow them to give you any number of theirs. You may also pick up or drop any possessions in your space.
• Interact action: Interact with a person or object in your space by tapping a person or interact token in your space, then selecting an action.
• Component actions: Perform actions described by components or effects that allow you to do so.
• Attack action: Attack a monster by selecting the monster from the monster drawer, then pressing the ATTACK button.

After all investigators have taken a turn, one of them presses the END PHASE button to end the Investigator phase and proceed to the Mythos phase.

Mythos Phase

During the Mythos phase, the app generates Mythos events, which you must resolve as instructed. Then, the app generates instructions for activating each monster, one at a time, describing how to move each monster and how each monster attacks. After all monsters have activated, the app instructs investigators to resolve horror checks against a single monster within range with the highest horror rating. Finally, after all investigators have resolved horror checks, one of them presses the END PHASE button to end the Mythos phase and begin the next round.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when the investigation is complete, or when all investigators are eliminated. If the investigators complete the investigation, they win the game. If they take too long to complete the investigation, the scenario's objective might change or become more difficult to accomplish, and they may lose the game. When an investigator is eliminated, they drop all their possessions in their space and remove their figure from the board. The remaining investigators have a single additional Investigator phase to attempt to complete their investigation. If they fail, they lose the game.

Tips to Win

Here are a few tips to help you succeed in Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition:

1. Work together with your fellow investigators to achieve your goals. Communication and coordination are key to success.
2. Manage your possessions and skills wisely. Make sure to use the right items and abilities at the right time to overcome challenges.
3. Be careful when exploring the mansion, as you never know what horrors might be lurking around the corner. Use your Explore action wisely to reveal new areas and avoid danger.

By following these tips and working together, you can increase your chances of success and overcome the challenges of Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition.