Mansions of Madness: Path of the Serpent Figures
Mansions of Madness: In The Jungle Awakens
Now in Mansions of Madness, you take on the role of Arkham’s bravest investigators who must step into the unexplored wilderness of the Amazon jungle and explore crumbling ruins, discover the secrets of lost civilizations, and stop a serpent’s curse before the world descends into chaos. In three new scenarios, you will battle horrifying serpent creatures, face stone monstrosities that come to life, and beat the ever-present danger of being lost to the jungle forever.
Four new characters, four new monsters.
The scenario:
In The Jungle Awakens – a lavish Arkham garden party shows off the host’s recent acquisitions from a South American expedition.
Lost Temple of Yig – takes your investigators to ancient stone halls where serpentine priests attempt to reforge their broken bonds with their god, Yig.
The new characters:
Leo Anderson – able to help his allies cut through the jungle underbrush and allows them to move one space when he performs a move action.
Ursula Downs, the explorer. Once per round, she may listen to the call of the unknown and choose to move one space before or after exploring or interacting with a sight token.
Daniela Reyes, the mechanic – whenever she or one of her comrades solves a puzzle during an adventure, she may either gain two clues or discard one horror.
Norman Withers, Miskatonic Astronomer – May gain two clues or discard one horror once per round, provided he is in an outdoor space where he can read what is written in the stars.
Lee (Norman Withers) and Richard (Leo Anderson) played the In The Jungle Awakens scenario. We were doing quite well until we got to the final puzzle which was unsolveable. We found out this was a bug.
Mansions of Madness: Astral Alchemy
The Mansions of Madness: Astral Alchemy scenario, found in the Streets of Arkham expansion, is a level four difficulty scenario where players must decipher a spectral mystery at Miskatonic University. Players face a time limit and must solve riddles and gather ingredients for a powerful elixir while battling monsters and managing their own sanity. The scenario is known for its unique mechanics, like the Elixir deck, and for potentially having a poorly written or anti-climatic ending.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
- Premise: Investigators receive a cryptic note from a Miskatonic University professor, Dr. Delinia Bell, about a threat from the stars and a need to create a powerful elixir.
- Setting: The scenario takes place within Miskatonic University, specifically the Alchemy Lab, and features new map tiles and elements like darkness tokens and rubble.
- Elixir Mechanic: A core mechanic involves finding and using Elixirs, which can improve investigator skills but also have unpredictable side effects.
- Challenges: Players must solve riddles, find ingredients, manage time pressure, deal with monsters, and potentially face the consequences of consuming Elixirs.
- Difficulty: Rated as one of the more challenging scenarios, Astral Alchemy requires quick thinking and strategic play to succeed.
- Possible Endings: Some players have reported a limited number of endings, with some feeling the “good” ending is underwhelming. There’s also a potential for the scenario to end abruptly due to time running out or incorrect riddle solution.
We played Astral Alchemy three times with negative results. On the fourth attempt, we changed characters and did better. We collected all the reagents for the elixir and thought we had completed the scenario… but… the app then asked us to select from four final items .. none of which we had any idea or information from the game to go by.. our 25% chance was a no go.. we once again lost.. the scenario seems very random…
Star Trek Away Missions: Federation vs. Borg – Battle of Wolf 359
Star Trek: Away Missions is a miniature-based board game for two players consisting of a core set and multiple expansions. The core set pits away teams from the Federation and the Borg against each other in the Battle of Wolf 359. The expansions allow you to add Romulan and Klingon landing parties to the mix.
In the core set, you either lead Riker’s landing party into the aftermath of the Battle of Wolf 359 to search for information that will defeat the Borg to save Earth, or you join Locutus of Borg and the Borg collective to assimilate your opposition. To complete your goals, you conduct espionage, fight in glorious battle, or assimilate distinctiveness. Your overall goal is to complete missions that earn you points as the player with the most points after three rounds wins.
StarTrek – Away Mission Rulebook – below
G.I. Joe: Mission Critical
G.I. Joe: Mission Critical is a cooperative miniatures board game where players take on the roles of G.I. Joe heroes, working together to defeat Cobra forces and prevent chaos. It uses a “Guardian System,” similar to the one found in the Power Rangers: Heroes of the Grid game, and features detailed miniatures, strategic gameplay and a high degree of replayabliity.
