Mansions of Madness | Board Game Masterpieces

Enter at your own peril, past the bolted door, where impossible things may happen that the world has never seen before! Adam walks you through his love for the Lovecraft-themed board game, Mansions of Madness
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Adam Blampied & the gang from WrestleTalk are creating a brand-new channel all about getting YOU into board games!
At NRB, you’ll find a variety of fun and entertaining content, including Top 10 lists, special guests playing boardgames, deep dives on classic games, and MUCH MORE!
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#BoardGames #Tabletop #Review

[@ryanwatkins975]

I swear this guy is box office whatever he is talking about, incredible journey Adam love you dude

[@OptimusProvost]

“WHO YA GONNA CALL? A PRIEST AND A BUTLER!” 🤣

[@callumcasey9156]

'Oh woopsy poopsy, you just woke up Colin Thulu, and bustin' makes him feel good!' God I can't wait for this channel to really take off so we can get more of this brilliant nonsense

[@willhelm94]

Collin Thulu is just too good

[@juanpablomenchon770]

After this review I purchased the game just to see if the hype was real and... oh god. It's AMAZING. The very next day I bought one of the expansion. Seriously Adam. Spot on. Thanks for this.

[@Whitebeardcrewmate]

This is uncanny. I ordered this game a couple of weeks ago, and it's finally arriving today, the day you upload this! This was meant to be

[@Whitebeardcrewmate]

I was even called out at 17:55 !!

[@K-nut]

@@Whitebeardcrewmate Be afraid. He is watching you.

[@jonarias7782]

Dude, this is one you should make a video of the group playing. This looks amazing.

[@TainakaRicchan]

I remember a game of Mansions i played with my friends on vacation, where we played the insmouth mission. Suddenly a gargling noise starts coming from behind us all. It could not have been the app, this was sitting in front of us! What could have possible made this noise?! It came from within the house! we looked at each other with slight panic and lots of confusion, until we remembered that we had turned the dishwasher on, and totally forgot about it, becasue we were so immersed in the game, and so it became inadvertendly part of the athmosphere by making a sound like a deep one climbing out of the canals.

[@braverleonheart5035]

Mansions is such an amazing game. My friends and I went on holiday a couple years ago with the intent of roaming the countryside and drinking rum. Instead, we drank rum and played back to back mansions games and loved every second.

[@krutch540]

Now I wholeheartedly want to see a game of this or Call of Cthulhu on the channel just to see Adam play Preston 😂

[@mel-burnes]

@@11th-lemon and then it happened again!

[@Sam-fi7tt]

Probably the best series on the channel in my opinion, please keep them coming

[@HarleyFirestorm]

This review is absolutely spot on, even my wife who isn't into board games or video games will gladly sit down and play this game with my group. She even ordered me an expansion from America so SHE could play the scenarios. This has got to be one of my favourite games of all time, I really hope 3rd edition is coming and that second edition can be used with it. One of the things that I like is the different endings, most of the time we survive but don't really win, like one of those 70's/80's horror mystery show like tales of the unexpected, on one scenario we beat the scenario by the skin of our teeth, and we done it thinking we had smashed only for the game to show us at the end that we had ended up killing a lot of the people we were trying to save. Great review of a great game.

[@robbuck5783]

Legit double take when you looked at the camera and said “Rob!”

[@Whitebeardcrewmate]

Same

[@NoRollsBarred]

@@Whitebeardcrewmate ADAM: You're both on your last warning.

[@sorceressferaly4026]

Fantastic! Mansions of Madness is without a doubt, my favorite board game of all time. Absolutely loved to see it featured as a masterpiece. However, I think you skipped over some differences between the 1st and 2nd editions in this video that are actually pretty interesting. While the two editions are very similar in theme and mechanics, the app is a key difference that means - while both editions are brilliant - you will have a different experience depending on which edition you play. In my preference, the 1st edition is the superior one. (Essay incoming!) The presence of an actual human taking on the role of a Keeper makes the first edition much closer to a tabletop role-playing experience, and the second edition to a video game based on a role-playing game, such as Baldur's Gate 3 compared to tabletop DnD. The Keeper has the power to influence the game simply by being a human mind with social intelligence who can "read" the table and the state of the game at any moment. With a human keeper, the game can be sneakily balanced on the fly to ensure that even if the investigators meet their doom at the end, it was at least a satisfying conclusion to the story, instead of risking just bumbling around and suddenly get eaten by a monster no one is quite sure where it came from. Each scenario in the 1st edition also comes with several different stories you can run with each one, granting a huge amount of replayability out of the box. The 1st edition's major failure is often cited to be the setup time, as you could easily play a few rounds of any lightweight board game while the Keeper prepares the game. The 2nd edition app removes this whole setup face and you can all get into playing immediately. It's one of the best strengths of the 2nd edition. However, the 2nd edition has its own time-waster, which I find even more unforgivable than the long setup phase. Only one person can handle the app at a time, and there is no way to connect multiple devices to the same session. This means that a lot of time gets spent passing a tiny device around the table, where everyone needs to spend time looking at it, which causes the game to flow slower. The worst offender, however, is the puzzles. In 1st edition the puzzles were adorable cardboard toys that came in the box, and a player who encountered a puzzle spent the time until their next turn trying to solve it while their friends kept investigating the Mansion. In 2nd edition, the puzzles are handled by the app, and as such, the game grinds to a painstaking halt whenever an investigator encounters a puzzle. No one else can use the app while a player solves a puzzle, and since you have limited attempts at solving it, it's important to think ahead to get it right before moving things around, or you might fail to solve it, which means things might end badly for everyone! However, spending a large time thinking about it means that no one will get to play during the same time, so either you take your time and grind the game to a halt, or take a few reasonable guesses, which might mean failure! Puzzles should simply not have been a mechanic in the second edition. They take just as much time from a game, as setup did in 1st edition, but while the game is running instead of prior to it. When all is said and done, I still love both editions, as Mansions of Madness is doubtlessly one of the finest Lovecraftian experiences created. To round off what has become half an essay, I want to tell an anecdote about one of my most memorable Mansions experiences. We were playing the Call of the Wild expansion and had somehow acquired the holy idol of the local cult, which they needed to finish their eldritch summoning ritual. The problem was, that this cult had two altars. Place the idol at the right one, and it will destroy the idol and seal the elder god away, but place it in the wrong altar, and we complete the ritual and summon the elder god! We didn't have the time to go back and find the information that could tell us for sure, but the keeper had for a while subtly moved most of the monsters on the map in proximity to one altar. Had to be that one! After storming the horde of monsters with an investigator finally reaching the altar and completing the ritual, the biggest grin comes over the keeper's face. "With your sacrifice to bring the idol to this altar, the ritual is completed. The elder god is coming. You have lost." The fact that he had figured out what we would do far before we were even faced with the decision and that we had played right into his hands was such a masterful move! The feeling of sacrificing everything but it all being in vain was so in line with the Lovecraftian narrative, that it remains one of my most memorable experiences in any game ever. Without the role of the Keeper, these moments are not quite possible. The app is a fine creation, but it can't compare to the machinations of the human mind. For within, lies madness. Awesome video, Adam!

[@user-cx3vm7jf4d]

The real board game masterpiece is this channel and Adam himself❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@LegallyBlindGamer]

Please play this on Board Game Club!

[@bigred1000100]

Whether it is wrestling, movies, or board games adam just has a way of making everything sounds important. He just elevates any channel he is on.

[@marcrobertson4651]

That’s why Adam played as Fairmont in the CBW

[@MindOfGenius]

24:10 "With Mansions, it's Role-Playing on Perfectly Crafted rails." You could say...perfectly LOVE-crafted rails. ...im sorry for the pun.

[@haydengibbons5000]

This is my favourite game of all time, and my thoughts about it match yours exactly. A person I play with always plays Preston Fairmont. Except in our games, Preston charges head first into enemies, while being poorly armed. Preston seems to have incredible luck in combat though, and always emerges victorious. And then there's Father Mateo, my personal favourite character. The first time I played him, I used my first turn of the game to shove Preston Fairmont into an enemy that started on the board, and then ran in the opposite direction. Not only did this decision create a sense of character and personality for Father Mateo that has lasted in every game involving him since, but it was also the smartest move, as Fairmont could then attack the monster twice in one turn to kill it. This is why mansions of madness works so well. the rules are simple, but have enough depth for you to play the way you want to play. There's tons of interesting moments or stories that you generate every time you play, but these stories never come at the cost of strategic gameplay or trying to complete your mission. This game is truly a masterpiece, and I hope to get all the expansions in the future (I just have streets of arkham for now)

[@ThrawnIsAlive]

Hi, Adam. Thanks for being the best. That is all.

[@DutchornatoR]

I definitely want to buy this game next. My first love of board game was when I was playing Betrayal at house on a hill. would love to see you and the guys play that game 😀

[@swedishking3222]

Love that game too though it seems like Mansions might be a direct competitor

[@michaelschmidlkofer3979]

My wife is a very casual board game player but she’s loves playing Mansions of Madness.

[@SV-yo6nq]

Please play this on board game club. You're saying it's good, now prove it!

[@sideshowdayv]

I'd like to see this on and episode of Board Game Club

[@sexualchocolate5991]

This video has convinced me of something that I suspected after I saw Blood on the Clocktower for the first time, but I would really love to watch you guys play Call of Cthulhu.

[@ibelongtoacjimbo]

Best review ive seen for this game. Great explanation and entertaining to boot! late to the party but subbed, thanks .

[@onetoomanyz]

Why so little views. This guy is amazing, and insane 😂 yesterday I had my first go with MoM, selected Preston because why not? he looks fine! and proceeded to get crushed by the game testing me out always on my lowest skill! I ended up wounded, insane, cleptomaniac while my friend left me behind running out the house winning alone. And I badly suck at rolling die! What a great time!

[@jimbobjones9330]

Adore this game. You scared me when I looked at the thumbnail and saw one of the First Edition cards. I'd bought 1st Edition way back when, and loved the IDEA of the game then, but I played it one time, forgot to say one line of color text buried in one of the paragraphs, and an hour and a half later, we realized that we'd been playing wrong. When set up perfectly, first edition could be amazing. The problem was, when not, it could be frustrating as heck. Second edition is a blast, and through the app, they can do things you really normally couldn't in a board game (like the train scenario from one of the expansions actually making it feel like the train is "moving" by having you move some of the boards each round). Absolutely brilliant design.

[@jkledis]

Ok - damn this was fun to watch. You do a great job! 👍

[@Badartist888]

23:30 And he plays Nathaniel Fairmont in the Call of Cthulu NRB.

[@TheCelticKT]

As always, really, really well done, Adam. You always deliver a thoughtful, funny, informative, and entertaining blend on these vids.

[@eriksoberanis9437]

Then there's running and screaming love the Ian Malcolm reference

[@zacpawlowski5710]

If you like the official scenarios, I highly recommend you check out all the excellent homebrew MoM scenarios with the free Valkyrie app. Many of these fan created stories rival or even exceed the official FF games. They use your existing games and expansion pieces and play just like the official app. You can even make your own games with it. Tons of reviews and content about it on the BGG forums.

[@perryandthethreeamigos]

It really gives the already good game a better twist if you roleplay your character. I played also as Preston and together with his butler Carson it was great fun (losing).

[@billnowicki7309]

Completely Agree! And Mansions is definitely in my Top 10 all time board games ... and very close to #1! In fact, we just played again Saturday night, the Dark Reflections scenario and we had a blast. Our friend that played Harvey Walters had us laughing so hard, as he played the "old man" in a mansion squaring off with a shaky handgun at the monsters. Was hilarious. And we actually "won". Keep in mind, it tends to be long (especially with our group as we tend to take breaks from time to time to stretch our legs and chat) ... but it's always worth it.

[@CrAsHeD69]

Adam, I know it’s been said a lot, and you probably just want to ignore it, but been a fan since (NAME REDACTED) and I’m so glad you’ve taken time to recover yourself in the last few years - I am so glad you are back on the youtubes; your wit and enthusiasm for both wrestling and board games is amazing. Love what you are doing with PartsFunKnown and No Rolls Barred and WrestleTalk, and I just want to congratulate and thank you for coming back. Love everything you do, wish you continued success friend, always a fan.

[@TheRivieraKid]

Im really digging the gold and black Hefner style jacket!

[@michaelbarton7952]

“….. like pandemic with Cthulhu…. But not Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu… cuz that’s a different game….” 😂🤔😂🤔😂🤣🤣🤣

[@goadfang]

I don't know, but I think he likes this game.

[@JBearwa]

lol ok ya think! Love this review.

[@Atreus21]

I install the app on my laptop and then project to my big TV, then put the TV on the long edge of the table so everyone can clearly see while they sit on the side and ends of the table. Works very well.

[@DaddyOmega333]

Love the masterpiece series cosmic encounters is one of our most go to games for my family thank you for the content

[@GerritCoulter]

HP Sauce is so good! I'm Canadian and I eat it every Sunday on my breakfast sandwich.

[@incandescentdream]

This game has been on my "maybe" list for at least 2 years. I just watched this video recently and it convinced me to dive in. My game arrived yesterday and I just played solo last night to learn the rules. I definitely messed some things up (that rule book is pretty open to interpretation, thank you Reddit and Boardgamegeek!) but I had an absolute blast, even by myself. Can't wait to get some friends out here to play together. Anyway, thank you for making these great videos!! You'll likely convince me to get Nemesis next....

[@visheshaneja4600]

We need this series back

[@mkaiww]

Hands up everyone who's only just now learning Arkham isn't a batman game 🙋

[@charlesedwards2856]

Go check out the Podcast “Lore”. Episode 6 deals with the Insane Asylum and gives you some background into Lovecraft and the creation of “Arkham”, which was for the asylum that’s literally like 8 miles from my door and was SUPER creepy until they made it into apartments. Also check out the movie “Session 9”, which was on Netflix in the US a few months ago. Not sure of your location, but a VPN might help track it down

[@stogrady]

Just found this channel today. Loving the videos and especially the love for Mansions. Such a great game and now I have the perfect love letter to send to friends to make them understand why the game is so great. Thanks!

[@weishunlim7529]

😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@dvoid665]

I've seen this video at least three times. I love it, it makes me excited to play Mansions so much! Greetings from Mexico!

[@CarlYota]

“A priest and a butler” got me out of know where. 😂

[@Naruedyoh]

Thanks, now i want a tweed vest yes, this is a Bryan David Gilbert refference

[@AlwayzFresh]

Damn, I am just discovering this beauty of a series now, well done. Thank you for the content.

[@chairchriss]

Thank you so much for doing this series! I can't wait for your future masterpiece episodes!

[@JamesGedda]

How does this compare to Betrayal at House on a Hill? There seems to be a great deal of overlap between the two, and Betrayal has the built in replayability with the Traitor's Tome scenarios.

[@sorceressferaly4026]

There are definitely similarities in theme and mechanics, but they are very distinctly different experiences. Mansions is far more focused on the story it presents, and while certain stories may have traitor mechanics, it's mostly a completely cooperative game. Work together or die together. You are all playing against the game, and it is out to kill you. There's no better experience I've had of being a helpless pawn in a Lovecraftian narrative. Betrayal definitely has a higher degree of replayability out of the box, as I believe that the second edition of Mansions only comes with four different scenarios that are pretty much the same each time (compared to the first edition's five scenarios with three different stories in each.) Still, I've never been bored replaying a Mansions of Madness scenario as there are such a high degree of variability depending on the people you play with (and getting people together to play a three-hour+ board game isn't the easiest thing, so a game of Mansions is a treasured rare occasion for me.)

[@truerockfan]

I actually picked up a copy of this a couple of weeks ago but haven't been able to play. Well since I'm house sitting this upcoming weekend I can finally test it out for my gaming group

[@doc3623]

Whospy poopsy you just woke Collinthlu I died 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@mageside]

I've been waiting for this video since this channel launched, and it did not disappoint, I'm just sad it took me this long to get to it lol Now you just gotta get to Dinosaur Island!!

[@xWilcoXx]

Wrestling and board games! Love it!

[@kev_whatev]

My group found the 2-action economy slightly too tight, and we got tired of playing for hours only to lose. We ended up making a house rule where, if neither of your actions was a Move, you can move 1 space.

[@jeremyparsons2944]

Used to play the 1st version and loved it, want to get the updated one Also, need more Cthulhu flavored Adam Skits

[@coyotewalkingtall8723]

This is my all time favorite game for so many reasons not the least of which is the massive re playability aspect. It's my go to for group game night. I have a "log book" of each scenario as we play it so we can decided if we want a night of combat or investigation heavy stories. I agree it is a masterpiece in the gaming universe and a valued addition to my Lovecraftian horror collection.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Awesome cinematography. Hitchcock would be proud.

[@PlayGamzWithMe]

Epic vid maybe the best vid on a board game I've ever seen thank you so much!!

[@joeycarter8691]

When you said osh gosh b’kosh I almost spit my drink out

[@bobtallman5209]

This game sounds amazing in so many aspects - I love how apps are being included now to automate some clerical work, that cases/adventures have some replayability to them, expansions, etc. Just the one thing - I don't care for horror in the slightest. Is there anything else similar in terms of mechanics and/or narratively driven in the same way that just deals with anything else?

[@joemeyer3600]

Great video Adam!!! Definitely gonna have to pick this up soon and try it with my gaming group. Keep up the consistent consistency.

[@marvinko6610]

Piston Fairmont you say?

[@Gauche69]

Love ypur enthusiasm

[@alastairbishop2450]

What a fantastically well produced video. Subscribed.

[@PhoenixParasol]

Love this game. Both the 1st edition (where I was often the Keeper) and the 2nd edition (yay, I can investigate now too!)

[@maligant23]

I love playing this game with my friends. Especially my buddy Rob... Who may have started a fire or two himself 😏

[@David5thUltra]

I when I have a gaming weekend with a friend, it’s usually Warhammer 40k / Star Wars Armada during the day then either Fury Of Dracula or Mansions of Madness during the evening / night. :)

[@valkilmerscareer2884]

This was the game that got me back into board games. Its such a great experience that makes what was a complex game into it's most straightforward and amazing form. When it comes to Arkham I ALWAYS play as Charlie Kane. There is just something perfect about a politician character who's strength is getting stronger just cause others are around him. With regards to Minis, Adam have you seen the new Solomon Kane Board Game? That has the coolest minis I have ever seen

[@lindseywhite3371]

I've never played Mansions, but I really want to. Could you loan me Tom for the first time though? You know, so we've an experienced player to guide us, and give his fantastic narration. Please? Pleeeeaaaaasssse?

[@Sentientmad9m]

Just ordered this game as an impulse buy and now I’m trying to justify it, happy to see it was a good buy

[@Jarkeld]

I think I prefer 1st edition more to 2nd. Having played both, and own 1st, 1st is just a bit more enjoyable in my opinion. Oh sure, if you have no one to play with, 2nd can be good then. But I've had so many fun memories of 1st. EDIT: And oh yes...this game HATES you. It's one where you need to both split up and work together and at the same time NOT split up because it's so easy to die and/or go insane

[@kyleridgway1]

I need to see this played by you guys soon!! 😀

[@peterthomas187]

I have a house rule for MoM that ignores the dead player rule. Every other FF Arkham Files game let's you pick another investigator, so I just let them keep playing.

[@deagin3830]

Dude, what a great video. About to host a mansions night with my friends foe the first time tonight and this video was perfect. Hats off to you sir

[@Galloglaoch]

I've known about this game's exitsnace for so long, even knew about it's mechanics, theme stuff etc and have never even once had the urge to go out and buyt it, yet after listening to Adam talk about it... not gonna lie, I"m thinking about buying it. The only issue I find with that is I recently find it hard to put Betrayal at the house on the hill on the board so I fear if I introduce a competitior I'l have two games that I'll find hard to put on the gaming table. xD With that said, I want, nay... I need a playthrough of this on the channel. Come on lads, deliver this to us so we may enjoy Adam passioinately lose his mind while trying to stop a C'thulu cult... We need to see it!

[@rattenusrattoonus1880]

Why no mansions of madness playthroughs?? :D

[@natelabine4308]

gloomhaven will get one of these surely, but my vote for under rated masterpieces - Forgotten Waters. Or just dead of winter with both expansions.

[@Heynowrcp]

Played it three times this weekend thanks to this video

[@spellswordmain]

Hey Adam, story-wise, which one would you recommend I play first? Mansions, Arkham Horror or Eldritch Horror? Don't really care about how complicated any of the games are, I just want to know where the story starts

[@JBearwa]

Brilliant. I’m buying my friends copy of this and he’s going to teach us how to play. I am so excited from this review! This made me incredibly happy to have done well ... here is my wallet.

[@amirmahdiraeesi9720]

bro suited up for this

[@DanClapp]

Now THIS is quality content!

[@testingreadaboutit]

Great review! I've just picked up Path of the Serpent and look forward to taking it for a spin. I also think I am going to try to DM it next time (I basically did the last few times I played), and make the game more atmospheric. Great suggestion (by way of you just explaining how your friends play). Thank you! I think these reviews are right up there with SU&SD. The rest of the content on this channel isn't for me.

[@MrFundies]

As always, thanks for the absolutely outstanding content and for a very enjoyable 25 minutes haha. Honestly, this wasn’t a game I was really interested in or really had on my radar...but it only took 3 days for it to join my collection after watching this. Can’t wait for more videos from you even though I’m sure my wallet will take a beating because of it lol. You do a fantastic job on all aspects of the review, description, etc - my wife and I always look forward to seeing what you create next!

[@kapage74]

Now the CBW character makes total sense

[@emmajones8162]

Give us the Mansions of Madness playthrough!

[@toniscandella4746]

Th8s is an rpg you don't have to prepare a story for. As someone who gm's all the time, having this means i can play without weeks of setup

[@K-nut]

Uh, fancy Adam.

[@MrBrknsyt]

I wasn't scared with the dramatic narration... but that drawing... it frightens me.

[@619soysauce]

My first game I played the detective with a 2x4 and opted to fight all the monster while my friends did puzzles. Surprisingly it actually worked

[@worstpiloteu1645]

That The Lost World: Jurassic Park quote :)

[@Janisurai]

Goat board game channel

[@tacoslosgatos3883]

Great video. So what is your #1 favorite game?

[@NoRollsBarred]

Cosmic Encounter

[@jimmykilloran5621]

Can we have one on nemesis? I’m considering it but I need the blampied experience

[@jordylont1879]

Disliked because of the jumpscare😂 20:31

[@paulharries9558]

Plumpy, you Git!! 😬

[@SoloBoardGamingKnight]

After playing Descent Legends of the Dark, I want to give this game another shot!

[@nick-playercharacter8583]

A jumpscare in 2021. I am unamused.

[@nick-playercharacter8583]

Oh, hey, the jumpscare was cut out. Good on you.