by Ensign53
Has anyone had any luck with finding a place to have the components (scare track, initiative cards, etc) printed professionally so they have the same look and feel of the regular game? would love to have these things be a seamless addition to my collection, and with the official print sheets included in the downloads, i feel like it's only a matter of finding the right shape and feel of the cards (maybe from Drivethru?) and finding a place that prints on cardboard stock for the tokens.↧
Thread: Mice and Mystics:: General:: So with the release of the free lost chapters.... (Component question)
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Thread: Mice and Mystics:: General:: Any one find a good mini to use for Crumbles from the Cat's Cradle Lost Chapter?
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Thread: Mice and Mystics:: General:: Will there be more expansions?
Will there be any more expansions produce for Mice and Mystics?
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Thread: Mice and Mystics:: General:: This game is too hard! or: How I Learned to Stop Losing and Love The Chapter End Marker.
by AustinYQM
I got Mice and Mystics for X-Mas for my fiancee as a way to introduce her to campaign based dungeon crawlers. I love Descent: Journeys in the Dark but have never owned my own copy and I knew I wasn't going to sale her on the idea of a decent-like game without first playing a more affordable option. Mice and Mystics was cute, had a fun story and was something I thought she'd like.So we start playing. The game seems overly hard and after some really unfair losses I made a house rule. We would no longer reward cheese on defense rolls where the model died. This had to be because we kept getting the hourglass to the chapter end marker way too easily.
Fast forward a few months and we are on the chapter where you find Maginos's book. It seems impossible! We've played it over and over and we keep dying to the hourglass marker. How could anyone ever beat this game? Isn't this game meant to be played with children? How do children take losing so badly?!
Welp. It turns out we had been playing the game very incorrectly. Every time the Chapter had told me to move the page marker, I had moved the hourglass. This made the Maginos Tome chapter nearly impossible as it meant finding any item besides the Tome basically made the game unwinnable. As you can imagine this also made some of the previous chapters (Like the one where you find information) very hard as well.
So that is the story of how I learned to stop losing and love the chapter end marker.
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Thread: Mice and Mystics:: General:: 2nd time painting finally showing it off
by Rcwpong
First minis I practiced on were Last Night on Earth because I figured if I screwed up zombies, no big loss. After I thought I sorta knew what I was doing I did the enemies in M&M.
After those went well enough I started working on the Heroes. That was agonizing. I spent way too much time on things that most people will probably never see. But overall I think they turned out great.
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Thread: Mice and Mystics:: General:: Mice & Mystics: Heart of Glorm Ultimate Edition
by Balkor27
Well so much for for the two or three months I predicted in my first Ultimate edition post... yaah. So I finally finished the minis and tokens for Heart of Glorm, it only took two years of intense procrastinating and attempting to dodge roadblocks life through at me, but it is finally finished. I present to you Mice & Mystics: Heart of Glorm Ultimate Edition.WARNING MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST MICE & MYSTICS CAMPAIGN, SORROW AND REMEMBRANCE
Nerè and Glorm.
Other than being painted there are no changes to these two.
Nerè is the new Hero mouse that is added with the expansion.
Glorm is the glow-worm villain and namesake of the expansion.
Mindless Rats.
These are necromantic minions raised by Glorm from the remains of the rats caught in the fire at the end of Sorrow and Remembrance.
They are converted from normal rat warrior miniatures with some minor reposes and added green-stuff details.
Skulker Rats.
Unlike there mindless counterparts these rats seem to still be amongst the living, subjects of some horrible experiments by Glorm.
These are converted also from normal rat warrior miniatures but with more extensive reposes and green-stuff details.
Frenzied Crawler, Lurker and Caustic Roaches.
Before Glorm's rise the crawlers, lurkers and caustic roaches were most likely just normal centipedes, spiders and roaches respectively. But when Glorm rose he sent out a burst of necromantic power that corrupted and twisted them into their current forms.
The lurker and crawler were converted from a spider and centipede figure with reposes and green-stuff resculpting. The top of the roaches was sculpted with green-stuff.
Skorch.
Skorch is yet another type of minion of Glorm's. Unlike his counterparts Skorch is neither living nor undead, but a type of construct made from the parts of multiple cave centipedes.
Skorch was built over a centipede that I used as an armature, I used wire with green-stuff over it for the legs. The only part of the original mini that's still visible is the mandibles.
Necro-Brodie.
The unfortunate cat must have been trapped in the castle at the end of Sorrow and Remembrance and was brought back by Glorm.
I originally attempted to sculpt the bones from green-stuff but I didn't have much luck with that, so I ended up carving them out of old plastic sprue instead.
Pack Rat Peddler.
A rather strange traveler (after all who in their right mind decides to travel through a undead filled castle?!) encountered by the mice during their exploration of the castle.
Another extreme conversion and repose of a rat warrior miniature. I tried to stick as close as I could to the card art as I could, but glasses are very hard to sculpt as I discovered. So I went with giving him a pair of goggles instead.
Slugs.
four cute and useful little guys that take a liking to Nerè.
These guys were sculpted from scratch with green-stuff
All the miniature together.
Tokens
Clockwork Mortar.
Built with plasti-card, pvc pipe and green-stuff
Glorms Music Box.
Made with plasti-card, pvc pipe and green-stuff
Nerè's Cauldron.
Made with a chunk of pvc and green-stuff
All the following tokens were made with either Super-Sculpty or FIMO clay
Tail of Newt, Wisp of the Willow and Lotus Nectar.
Fireproof & Marksman Individual Achievement Tokens.
On Fire Tokens.
Nerè's Search Token.
Cheese tokens.
All the tokens together.
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Thread: Mice and Mystics:: General:: Yet Another Painted Set
by andrewvcook
Hi,I've actually been done with what I'm showing here for some time, but I was going to hold off posting until I was done with Downwood. That is taking me *forever*, so I'm jumping the gun and just posting my S&R/Glorm stuff.
First, the heroes:
The sidekicks (Meeps, slugs, cheddar golem, cauldron, Crumbles):
The clockwork mortar, peddler, and music box (it plays Fur Elise):
The major villains, front and back:
The Tough Rats (elite and skulkers):
The Fodder Rats (warriors and mindless):
The Centipedes (Skitter-Clack, cave, frenzied, Skorch):
The Spiders and Crow:
The Roaches:
and finally, the Brodies:
The Glorm stuff is made from a second set of minis, quite a few Reaper minis, and lots of greenstuff. If anyone wants to know the specific pieces used, let me know.
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Thread: Mice and Mystics:: General:: No Hope for Mice and Mystic's this year
Hey y'all!
I know we've been dying for some M&M news. The last bit of news we had (besides the free DLC stories, because that doesn't really count) was based on Tail Feathers, and that was over a year ago!
Unfortunately, I don't think it is looking too bright for any M&M news this year regarding an expansion or any new content. And here's why. The GAMA trade show is going on which is an industry trade show that companies get to reveal their plans and products for the new year. It's a way for developers and publishers to make announcements, push new content, and drum up hype for their brands.
PlaidHat game's demonstration has already concluded and they had 0 mention of any Mice and Mystics related content. There was a lot of Ashes, and Dead of Winter announcements, and a new game, however Mice and Mystics was not mentioned. Since the GAMA trade show is a good projection for a publisher to announce content that is releasing this year, I don't think we can hope for a M&M release soon.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![]()
I know we've been dying for some M&M news. The last bit of news we had (besides the free DLC stories, because that doesn't really count) was based on Tail Feathers, and that was over a year ago!
Unfortunately, I don't think it is looking too bright for any M&M news this year regarding an expansion or any new content. And here's why. The GAMA trade show is going on which is an industry trade show that companies get to reveal their plans and products for the new year. It's a way for developers and publishers to make announcements, push new content, and drum up hype for their brands.
PlaidHat game's demonstration has already concluded and they had 0 mention of any Mice and Mystics related content. There was a lot of Ashes, and Dead of Winter announcements, and a new game, however Mice and Mystics was not mentioned. Since the GAMA trade show is a good projection for a publisher to announce content that is releasing this year, I don't think we can hope for a M&M release soon.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
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Thread: Mice and Mystics:: General:: Custom Mice & Mystics Miniature + Heart of Glorm
by brodyb88
I have been searching for a place to either paint my figures from Heart of Glorm and/or make me a set of the following pieces (Elite rats, All the bosses of both games, and possibly some tokens from both games). I have searched some forums, but most of the posts are outdated and the places that sold these miniatures are no longer available (such as the ones on Plaid Hat Games).If anyone has any tips or suggestions, that would be wonderful.
Thanks,
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Thread: Mice and Mystics:: General:: Need help to decide...
by Slowmow
I have to say, I love the look of this game (reminds me a lot of Redwall), and am big fan of dungeon crawls in general...My biggest worry is coming from the comments and reviews saying the game gets boring and samey...
So I would like to know thoughts from people who have played this game and other games from my collection... How does this one compare?
A few notes, we don't have kids yet, my wife is baking, but it will be a few years till the wee one can roll. This game would be played by me and my wife mostly until that triumphant day Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
We love dice chuckers... Zombicide is one of my favourites, but I think that is because of the feeling we get from seeing a huge wave of zombies shambling towards a stranded survivor, and working out how to save them.
I personally like heavier games than my wife... She loves coops, Defenders of the realm is one of her favourites.
Thanks for the help!
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Thread: Mice and Mystics:: General:: Where to find Boss Rush Mode/Quick-play set up/One shot guide HELP!
Hey y'all,
I can't seem to find a variant/post that I remember stumbling upon awhile ago. It was a post by a bgg user on these forums if I remember but I'm not 100% sure. Also, if I remember there were some images files of Venestra and the other minion initiative cards in it like the spider or centipede.
It was a quick-play/one-shot variant where before the game would start you would draw the 'boss' then draw a few other cards, and then make a tile setup of like 2-3 tiles.
This would be perfect for demo-ing the game, and I just can't find it! I've been scouring the net for hours, please help!
I can't seem to find a variant/post that I remember stumbling upon awhile ago. It was a post by a bgg user on these forums if I remember but I'm not 100% sure. Also, if I remember there were some images files of Venestra and the other minion initiative cards in it like the spider or centipede.
It was a quick-play/one-shot variant where before the game would start you would draw the 'boss' then draw a few other cards, and then make a tile setup of like 2-3 tiles.
This would be perfect for demo-ing the game, and I just can't find it! I've been scouring the net for hours, please help!
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Thread: Mice and Mystics:: General:: Comprehensive Quick-Start Guide: NEW PLAYERS Check HERE First!
Hey y'all,
There's hasn't been a post like this and I think it's very important for new players, as Mice and Mystics can get cumbersome at times.
Without further ado, I would like to present the comprehensive quick start guide to Mice and Mystics!
Quick-Start Guide
Insert catchy mice quote
So you just sat down to play Mice and Mystics, and a few things went wrong. What turned into a potential 90min-120min game session lasted more on the 150min+ marker (too long!). Or the game was wayyy too difficult (not fun!). Or everything was going well until the game grinded to a halt after that confusing rules interpretation (snooze zzz). "I just wanted to get wrapped up in an excited story-driven universe, get attached to my hero, and kill some baddies! But this game was too luck driven, and we didn't even get to stick with our favorite mice! The game lasted too long, and my kids got bored...What do I do?"
Fear not! Get ready to dive into the most impressive, thematic, and story-driven dungeon crawl on the market.
Must-downloads/reads
Before you continue, there are a few must-downloads from BGG.
Character-Specific Envelopes:https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/121139/character-campaign...
Created by bgg user cssmythe3, these make a world of difference to spice up your game. Sometimes, the set-up and clean-up times for this game are kind of long. Especially if you collected items and abilities that you want to bring along to another chapter. These envelopes are great, and as a bonus they have the FAQ for each mouse on the back. Sure you could use ziploc bags but a) they might not fit the mouse's character sheet in them and b) where's the fun in that?
FAQhttps://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/86050/faq-compilation-mm
Although the rules are relatively simple, they can get confusing at times. The FAQ is a great resource to check-out, although I prefer the Character Envelopes since they have the character specific FAQ on the backs (although they do not contain non-character related FAQs). This is more comprehensive than just the Plaid Hat officially released FAQ for the game.
Quick-Reference Rules Summary
-ERRATA: Nez's "Set Trap" ability works on ALL '*' symbols, not just sword/shield + '*' as printed on the card.
-Only roll for defense if a sword is rolled; even if you roll more swords than an enemies life/defense and they can't possibly block the hit, still roll. This applies when enemies attack the hero as well.
-Lily's "Explore" ability does not work on the starting tile, on tiles explored after that.
-ATTACKING/a.k.a Maginos' Staff: The Sword on the caracter sheet is the BASE # of attack dice rolled. The sword/bow on an item card shows if when using that weapon, the attack is melee or ranged. If there is a '+' number on the item card, roll that # of extra dice. This extra dice bonus ALWAYS applies.
-Throwing Knives count for Filch's "Knife Strike Ability."
-Only add cheese to the minion wheel if enemies roll cheese, OR if the last player on the initiative track ends their turn when there are no minions on the tile. DO NOT add cheese to the wheel when you explore a new tile.
-Only move the hourglass marker if a)a surge happens b)a mouse gets captured or c)special rule. DO NOT move the hourglass when you explore a new tile.
-"THE END" marker = chapter end marker (only move this is special cases).
I believe that covers any first-glance errors that people make. Other questions are answered in the FAQ/on the back of the character envelopes.
Rule Book
http://www.plaidhatgames.com/images/games/mice-and-mystics/m...
This is a good resource to have because you can Ctrl+F for easy rules clarifications. I will not post a link to Watch-It-Played's rules explanation video since the link can be found on the front of the rule book.
Rules Reference Sheet
INSERT
NOTE that user Jan Tuijp also created a rules reference but that is still multiple pages (however they are alphabetized). https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/143218/rules-compendium-m...
This is another 1 page guide. Choose whichever you like. file:///C:/Users/Jeremy%20Glassman/Downloads/mice_and_mystic...
It gets annoying to keep flipping to the Rulebook to remind yourself of every rule. Players get bored, and the flow of the game suffers. I've created this simple 1-page sheet of paper that pretty much has every rule you would get hung-up on for quick-reference.
Character Ability Skill Tree/Reference Table
https://boardgamegeek.com/image/3376487/throwing8smokes?size...
"Wow, there are a lot of abilities in the game! And it sure takes awhile to choose the one I want to start with, let alone choose the one I want to level-up with." Choosing from the vast array of abilities at the start of the game can lengthen an already long setup time. Furthermore, kids might get bored waiting around; and lastly, choosing the right ability on a level-up action mid game can halt the flow of the game. I created this guide to make choosing abilities easier for everyone without tons of reading. This includes, the HoG and DW expansion set abilities, and the other hero characters are on the next page.
Each mouse's abilities can be found under their names, and are organized into the role they serve for the mouse. GREEN = starter abilities. Choose this to start, or on the 1st/2nd level-up. YELLOW = moderately difficult abilities. These require a little more strategy to use, choose these as your 2nd+ ability. RED = these abilities require the most strategy and master of your character and should be taken as your 3rd+ level-up. Keep in mind this is a recommended order to choose the abilities, and helps speed up the flow of the game. You can always choose the ability you want, and that is part of the fun of M&M!
Recommendations for quick setup times, playing with kids and miscellaneous:
One-shot or Demo:
If you are not playing the game as a campaign, or demoing the game to other players. I would recommend if playing chapter 4 or lower, start with 1 ability. Else, for chapters 5+ each player can start with 2 abilities.
If demoing at a large event, I would suggest pre-starting players with an ability. The Ability Tree download is your best friend for this.
Additionally, each player could start with 1 item from the search deck. Deal each player 3 cards from the top of the search deck (if it is a treachery or fortune, put it aside and deal another card to the player) The player can select 1 card to keep. Shuffle all set aside cards and items back into the search deck.
Sometimes if you are playing with kids even if they can or cannot read, they may forget what actions they can take on their turn.
It helps to remind the children, "remember you can: 'attack', 'move', 'search' and 'scurry' (move twice). Which do you want to do?" And only bring up the free actions when they're relevant.
Although this game is very kid-friendly, there can be a lot of down-time, and kids can get aggitated/bored/ansy. To keep them occupied, you can have them always roll the enemy dice, or if there are multiple kids, they can switch off rolling for the enemies. Furthermore, even in a normal game scenario, embodying the 'Player to the right/left rolls enemy defense dice can help players stay engaged. Finally, making the last mouse on the initiative track do the enemy turns is a good way to have them stay engaged.
You may also want to incorporate some 'light' house-rules.
The key thing is that it's the THEME that draws every into the game more than anything else, not the complex combat situations (although there can be some that arise). I would say prioritize theme over everything else in this game, especially if you get hung-up on a rule.
With kids, it's important that gameplay is fast and fun. I would suggest 'free forming' gameplay with especially little kids. For example: if the kid wants to jump off of the table and smash all of the baddies on the ground? Let him! And just chuck a few dice to accommodate the enthusiasm. Encourage children to have fun with the game environment and you can treat it as a 'sandbox' where the kids have the tools, and the system and let them push it to its limits.
If you are playing with a lot of kids, you could act as the 'GM' and guide the play session. "The game is more a sandbox than an elegant designed game anyway," as one bgg user puts it.
Almost Necessary house rules
I know some people are opposed to house-ruling a game, and believe me, I get that. A board game should be ready to play out of the box. While M&M is fine out of the box, there are a few tweaks that incredibly increase the fun-factor. In addition, the designer of the game, Jerry Hawthrone encourages people to house-rule M&M as they see fit.
While I won't put tons of house-rules here, I'm just going to list a few that I feel should be included in your gameplay. In conclusion, I want to reiterate the fact that the designer encourages house rules which reinforces the fact that the main selling point of this game is the theme! Anything that hampers the flow of the game in favor of fiddly rules should be fixed.
Not rolling for move:
This game has tons of rolling. In order to cut down on gameplay time and speed up the flow of the game. Players should not roll for movement.
MOUSE: A mouse move value = number of spaces listed on the green paw (n their character card) + 1. Scurry is changed to roll a die, add the number to your move for the turn. This is not a second move, yellow lines still require 3.
MINIONS: Cockroaches/Spiders move 3. All other enemies move 2. For Bosses, you can keep it at 2, or roll movement for them.
Last-Minion on the initiative track fiddliness:
This is one of those rules that breaks the immersion of the game. The last player on the initiative track frequently has to 'pass' his turn when there is only 1 minion on the track, for fear of adding a cheese to the minion wheel. Cheese = passage of time. Not some weird arbitrary counter that happens when the an enigmatic 'initiative track' ends.
Therefore, instead : When the tile is clear of minions. the next mouse has his turn to safely explore the next tile. ELSE: after there turn is complete add 1 cheese to the minion wheel. Example, if the last mouse on the initiative track clears the tile, then player 1 can try to explore the next tile and move everyone on. Else if he can't explore the next tile, 1 cheese is added to the minion wheel.
Pimp thine game:
player mat
https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/122485/player-mat-version...
This is almost necessary, playing without it is a mess.
tuck boxes
https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/85212/mice-mystics-tuckbo...
This is a nice way to store your cards.
Official painting guide
https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/83134/mice-mystics-painti...
This is the official painting guide for the game created by the Designer, Jerry Hawthorne.
Having your figures painted:
https://synchroneyessminiaturepainting.com/about/
There are a lot of posts on this, but to get players a jumpstart, the above link is the service I used to have my minis painted.
FREE DLC Quests:
http://www.plaidhatgames.com/news/768
PlaidHat made the first 3 (currently all) of the downloadable chapters free, so go ahead and download the extra content!
I think that covers most everything. I may add Strategy, other painting tips, where to find exclusives figures for crumbles, skitter clak etc.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![cool]()
There's hasn't been a post like this and I think it's very important for new players, as Mice and Mystics can get cumbersome at times.
Without further ado, I would like to present the comprehensive quick start guide to Mice and Mystics!
So you just sat down to play Mice and Mystics, and a few things went wrong. What turned into a potential 90min-120min game session lasted more on the 150min+ marker (too long!). Or the game was wayyy too difficult (not fun!). Or everything was going well until the game grinded to a halt after that confusing rules interpretation (snooze zzz). "I just wanted to get wrapped up in an excited story-driven universe, get attached to my hero, and kill some baddies! But this game was too luck driven, and we didn't even get to stick with our favorite mice! The game lasted too long, and my kids got bored...What do I do?"
Fear not! Get ready to dive into the most impressive, thematic, and story-driven dungeon crawl on the market.
Must-downloads/reads
Before you continue, there are a few must-downloads from BGG.
Character-Specific Envelopes:https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/121139/character-campaign...
Created by bgg user cssmythe3, these make a world of difference to spice up your game. Sometimes, the set-up and clean-up times for this game are kind of long. Especially if you collected items and abilities that you want to bring along to another chapter. These envelopes are great, and as a bonus they have the FAQ for each mouse on the back. Sure you could use ziploc bags but a) they might not fit the mouse's character sheet in them and b) where's the fun in that?
FAQhttps://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/86050/faq-compilation-mm
Although the rules are relatively simple, they can get confusing at times. The FAQ is a great resource to check-out, although I prefer the Character Envelopes since they have the character specific FAQ on the backs (although they do not contain non-character related FAQs). This is more comprehensive than just the Plaid Hat officially released FAQ for the game.
Quick-Reference Rules Summary
-ERRATA: Nez's "Set Trap" ability works on ALL '*' symbols, not just sword/shield + '*' as printed on the card.
-Only roll for defense if a sword is rolled; even if you roll more swords than an enemies life/defense and they can't possibly block the hit, still roll. This applies when enemies attack the hero as well.
-Lily's "Explore" ability does not work on the starting tile, on tiles explored after that.
-ATTACKING/a.k.a Maginos' Staff: The Sword on the caracter sheet is the BASE # of attack dice rolled. The sword/bow on an item card shows if when using that weapon, the attack is melee or ranged. If there is a '+' number on the item card, roll that # of extra dice. This extra dice bonus ALWAYS applies.
-Throwing Knives count for Filch's "Knife Strike Ability."
-Only add cheese to the minion wheel if enemies roll cheese, OR if the last player on the initiative track ends their turn when there are no minions on the tile. DO NOT add cheese to the wheel when you explore a new tile.
-Only move the hourglass marker if a)a surge happens b)a mouse gets captured or c)special rule. DO NOT move the hourglass when you explore a new tile.
-"THE END" marker = chapter end marker (only move this is special cases).
I believe that covers any first-glance errors that people make. Other questions are answered in the FAQ/on the back of the character envelopes.
Rule Book
http://www.plaidhatgames.com/images/games/mice-and-mystics/m...
This is a good resource to have because you can Ctrl+F for easy rules clarifications. I will not post a link to Watch-It-Played's rules explanation video since the link can be found on the front of the rule book.
Rules Reference Sheet
INSERT
NOTE that user Jan Tuijp also created a rules reference but that is still multiple pages (however they are alphabetized). https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/143218/rules-compendium-m...
This is another 1 page guide. Choose whichever you like. file:///C:/Users/Jeremy%20Glassman/Downloads/mice_and_mystic...
It gets annoying to keep flipping to the Rulebook to remind yourself of every rule. Players get bored, and the flow of the game suffers. I've created this simple 1-page sheet of paper that pretty much has every rule you would get hung-up on for quick-reference.
Character Ability Skill Tree/Reference Table
https://boardgamegeek.com/image/3376487/throwing8smokes?size...
"Wow, there are a lot of abilities in the game! And it sure takes awhile to choose the one I want to start with, let alone choose the one I want to level-up with." Choosing from the vast array of abilities at the start of the game can lengthen an already long setup time. Furthermore, kids might get bored waiting around; and lastly, choosing the right ability on a level-up action mid game can halt the flow of the game. I created this guide to make choosing abilities easier for everyone without tons of reading. This includes, the HoG and DW expansion set abilities, and the other hero characters are on the next page.
Each mouse's abilities can be found under their names, and are organized into the role they serve for the mouse. GREEN = starter abilities. Choose this to start, or on the 1st/2nd level-up. YELLOW = moderately difficult abilities. These require a little more strategy to use, choose these as your 2nd+ ability. RED = these abilities require the most strategy and master of your character and should be taken as your 3rd+ level-up. Keep in mind this is a recommended order to choose the abilities, and helps speed up the flow of the game. You can always choose the ability you want, and that is part of the fun of M&M!
Recommendations for quick setup times, playing with kids and miscellaneous:
One-shot or Demo:
If you are not playing the game as a campaign, or demoing the game to other players. I would recommend if playing chapter 4 or lower, start with 1 ability. Else, for chapters 5+ each player can start with 2 abilities.
If demoing at a large event, I would suggest pre-starting players with an ability. The Ability Tree download is your best friend for this.
Additionally, each player could start with 1 item from the search deck. Deal each player 3 cards from the top of the search deck (if it is a treachery or fortune, put it aside and deal another card to the player) The player can select 1 card to keep. Shuffle all set aside cards and items back into the search deck.
Sometimes if you are playing with kids even if they can or cannot read, they may forget what actions they can take on their turn.
It helps to remind the children, "remember you can: 'attack', 'move', 'search' and 'scurry' (move twice). Which do you want to do?" And only bring up the free actions when they're relevant.
Although this game is very kid-friendly, there can be a lot of down-time, and kids can get aggitated/bored/ansy. To keep them occupied, you can have them always roll the enemy dice, or if there are multiple kids, they can switch off rolling for the enemies. Furthermore, even in a normal game scenario, embodying the 'Player to the right/left rolls enemy defense dice can help players stay engaged. Finally, making the last mouse on the initiative track do the enemy turns is a good way to have them stay engaged.
You may also want to incorporate some 'light' house-rules.
The key thing is that it's the THEME that draws every into the game more than anything else, not the complex combat situations (although there can be some that arise). I would say prioritize theme over everything else in this game, especially if you get hung-up on a rule.
With kids, it's important that gameplay is fast and fun. I would suggest 'free forming' gameplay with especially little kids. For example: if the kid wants to jump off of the table and smash all of the baddies on the ground? Let him! And just chuck a few dice to accommodate the enthusiasm. Encourage children to have fun with the game environment and you can treat it as a 'sandbox' where the kids have the tools, and the system and let them push it to its limits.
If you are playing with a lot of kids, you could act as the 'GM' and guide the play session. "The game is more a sandbox than an elegant designed game anyway," as one bgg user puts it.
Almost Necessary house rules
I know some people are opposed to house-ruling a game, and believe me, I get that. A board game should be ready to play out of the box. While M&M is fine out of the box, there are a few tweaks that incredibly increase the fun-factor. In addition, the designer of the game, Jerry Hawthrone encourages people to house-rule M&M as they see fit.
While I won't put tons of house-rules here, I'm just going to list a few that I feel should be included in your gameplay. In conclusion, I want to reiterate the fact that the designer encourages house rules which reinforces the fact that the main selling point of this game is the theme! Anything that hampers the flow of the game in favor of fiddly rules should be fixed.
Not rolling for move:
This game has tons of rolling. In order to cut down on gameplay time and speed up the flow of the game. Players should not roll for movement.
MOUSE: A mouse move value = number of spaces listed on the green paw (n their character card) + 1. Scurry is changed to roll a die, add the number to your move for the turn. This is not a second move, yellow lines still require 3.
MINIONS: Cockroaches/Spiders move 3. All other enemies move 2. For Bosses, you can keep it at 2, or roll movement for them.
Last-Minion on the initiative track fiddliness:
This is one of those rules that breaks the immersion of the game. The last player on the initiative track frequently has to 'pass' his turn when there is only 1 minion on the track, for fear of adding a cheese to the minion wheel. Cheese = passage of time. Not some weird arbitrary counter that happens when the an enigmatic 'initiative track' ends.
Therefore, instead : When the tile is clear of minions. the next mouse has his turn to safely explore the next tile. ELSE: after there turn is complete add 1 cheese to the minion wheel. Example, if the last mouse on the initiative track clears the tile, then player 1 can try to explore the next tile and move everyone on. Else if he can't explore the next tile, 1 cheese is added to the minion wheel.
Pimp thine game:
player mat
https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/122485/player-mat-version...
This is almost necessary, playing without it is a mess.
tuck boxes
https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/85212/mice-mystics-tuckbo...
This is a nice way to store your cards.
Official painting guide
https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/83134/mice-mystics-painti...
This is the official painting guide for the game created by the Designer, Jerry Hawthorne.
Having your figures painted:
https://synchroneyessminiaturepainting.com/about/
There are a lot of posts on this, but to get players a jumpstart, the above link is the service I used to have my minis painted.
FREE DLC Quests:
http://www.plaidhatgames.com/news/768
PlaidHat made the first 3 (currently all) of the downloadable chapters free, so go ahead and download the extra content!
I think that covers most everything. I may add Strategy, other painting tips, where to find exclusives figures for crumbles, skitter clak etc.
Image may be NSFW.
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Thread: Mice and Mystics:: General:: Story Moments MP3s
by compujet1
I just finished purchasing the comlete game, expansions, upgrades getting ready to make mats and faq, and anything else I can find. Will be painting next week. But I am still missing 1 thing to begin playing with kids and thats the Sory Moments MP3s. I waited months for Plaidhat Games to get store online, Memorial Fund to reply to me, searched everywhere and cant get the MP3s.how can these be purchased? I want the kids to experience a wonderful game fully immersed in the world. Why is the MP3s even marketed if not available anymore. I got into because of the interactive story telling, I cant read it and make it good, I dont even read books in more than mono tone to them. Anyone have any suggestions?↧
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Thread: Mice and Mystics:: General:: Can we use cheese to heal?
by ryan9483
Hi! My family recently started playing this (already about to start Chapter 3). I managed to play a successful chapter one session and when I brought my family in to play, although they were quick to understand the mechanics, they found in later room tiles and sessions that their mice were easily captured due to suffering too many wounds and letting the hourglass reach the "The End" marker. I figured I'd implement a rule not exactly in the book to help them. Only on their turn, as one of their free available actions, they can spend two wedges of cheese to remove one wound from their card, three wedges to remove a poison wound, and all six to revive any captured mouse. I just thought I'd ask if there was a simpler or more efficient way to help them with healing that isn't considered "game-breaking"? Thanks!↧
Thread: Mice and Mystics:: General:: Looking for Getting Started Advice (with bonus pics of foamboard insert)
by Talae
I am planning to start playing this game with my wife and daughter. I started by opening everything, sleeving the cards, and reading the rules (and watching the video on the website). When I went to put things away, I realized how terrible the game insert is. I chose to build a foamboard insert that I found here on BGG with a little modification.Now my question is: what else do you find a "must have" for the game? I see a number of helpful files for this game and would like to start with whatever is suggested for ease of gameplay. Thanks!
Here are a couple of pics of the insert as a bonus:
The first pic is the box opened, with the tiles and rule books I. The lid on the right. Note the cut corner on the foam board on the left:
Image may be NSFW.
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This is what is looks like with the piece of foam board removed. Cards are sleeved. Room for lots more minis and a decent chunk more tokens:
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Two of the card holders are half the thickness of the third. One of the half height holders removed here, as well as the token tray. Under the token tray are the ability and character cards:
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Everything removed from the box. You can see how this will help with gameplay, as well as storage:
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Thread: Mice and Mystics:: General:: Stickers on the cards: Can you take them off?
by kendobc
Hey all, I'm a gamer living in Japan.I have a chance to get this game on an auction site but they have Japanese language stickers on them on the cards. I bought a previous game on auction that had stickers on them, Mission: Red Planet 1st Ed, and was able to take them off with no problems at all since the card stock was the right type.
What are the cards like in Mice and Mystics? Do you think that peeling stickers off of them would be doable?
Cheers,
Kendobc
(First post ever btw Image may be NSFW.
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Thread: Mice and Mystics:: General:: The promo cards
by danslb
Who has the 4 promo cards? Are they worth dishing out hefty prices for for?Do these items make much of a difference in how the game plays? I would imagine not. I would love to have them but $25 a card seems like a bit of a stretch. Opinions anyone?
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Thread: Mice and Mystics:: General:: Game completed 4-3-2017 3:01 pm WHEW! :)
by ShotgunGames
This is... rather special for me.It's with happiness and a little bit of sadness to finally say that I completed the entire Mice & Mystics "Sorrow and Remembrenance" story.
*sniff*
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This is not an actual "review" or a "session" report.
I bought this game when it first came out, where it sat on the shelf for several years, largely unplayed and forgottened.
I was going to put the game up for sale, trade away or just give it to my niece, that I took the game off the shelf to make sure all the components were still there. While looking through everything, flipping through the Story booklet and gawking at all the cool figures, I decided to sit down and actually play the damn thing.
*QUE SAD MUSIC*
Youtube Video
It took me about 2 months of on-and-off gaming. Setting up the entire game on my dining table, putting it away when I expected guests or whatever. Setting it up all over again, re-reading the rules over and over, asking questions on this forum, getting aggravated over the sometimes God-like unfairness of the dice rolls, then Lily one-shots a centiepede and saves the day, getting a surge right before the mice were going to finish the last tile, eagerly reading on to find out what new twists and challenges the game will throw at me on the next chapter.
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And now it's all over.
What a great game. What a ride. WOW. Joy, sadness, YES I found an Enchanted Bow! NO I LOST THE ENCHANTED BOW! C'mon baby no cheese no cheese... *rolls dice* NO CHEESE! What's on the next tile? I'm GAMBLING with the rats now? FUG IT! SUMMON CAT! GET EM BRODIE! C'mon LILY kill SOMETHING JEEEEZ! *Rolls for Lily's attack using Power Shot* 4 Cheese rolls? CHEESE MASTER? Push the End of the Game marker up one!!
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It's the first board game where I was genuinely inspired to paint all the figures. I claim NOT to be an expert at it, but I'm proud of the way it turned out. This is mine. I painted it.
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Clik here to view.![]()
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At the end, coasting down the water way, using both a timely LEVITATE and TELEPORT... the ride ended, and I still feel dizzy from it all.
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GG!
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Now to pass the game on to my nieces, and hope they experience the same roller coaster as I did.
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My Mice & Mystics playlist for those who like Super Nintendo RPG music.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMN3H_67at-es6e-S73D_...
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Thread: Mice and Mystics:: General:: Other "story moment" games?
by PlayerZ
I've enjoyed playing this with my kids (8 and 10) and they really love the narrative component of the "story moments". We're about to finish up the last expansion and I was wondering if folks are able to recommend other games that offer similar narrative development? I'm thinking of trying the D&D Adventure Series, but that seems a bit light on story.Thanks.
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Thread: Mice and Mystics:: General:: What Order do the Books Play in
by IndyCC
With the PDFs and the two expansions, what is the order of play-through?↧