Mysterium

Mysterium: A Penny Dreadful Review

            I played a board game unlike any other I have ever seen. The artwork was atmospheric and creepy. The gameplay was engaging and challenging. Best of all, we solved a mystery and laid a ghost to rest (well, we did the third time we tried).

            I played Mysterium, a Polish game that is essentially psychic Cluedo (Clue in the USA). One player, being the ghost, sends the other players visions which are clues to the identity of the killer, the location the murder was committed, and the murder weapon utilized. The visions are cards depicting dreamlike images that the rest of the players, playing a psychics, must interpret. For instance, a card depicting cakes flying above a manicured garden might point to the killer being a chef or the location of the ghost’s death being the kitchen. Or perhaps it has nothing to do with the cake at all, and the real clue is the garden! The assembled psychics guess at the answers and the ghost may only reply by rapping on the table.

            Mysterium is a challenging game to play, but it is also extremely rewarding. The setup takes a little while, but once one understands what must be done, it is a fantastic experience. The art is gorgeous, with sinister suspects and a gothic haunted house. Though it is set in the 1920s, the look is pre-war, if not earlier. I adore this game. I wish we’d played with candlelight and eerie music.

            I give Mysterium five gears out of five. It was an incredible game. I have never played anything like it, but I hope to play it again.

Your correspondent from the game shop,

Penny J. Merriweather