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I might be revealing secrets here, but as a kid I remember being part of a game where we attempted to get into school through one door and out of it with another in the quickest way possible without being caught by any of the staff. This was before school opened in a morning, but at the age of about 11 (in the years before the internet…) this was fun, it was a challenge. It became even more so when your friends decided part way through to hold the one door closed on you and you needed to find another way.
That is the core memory Mythic Mischief unlocks for me, only instead of my friends holding closed a door trying to get me caught, I now have them magically moving bookcases or even teleporting friends and foes exactly where I don’t them want to be.
This is predominantly a two player title. There is a three and four player variation described in the rule book, but you will need a second copy of the game, or at least a second board and maze tokens to make this happen. With the upcoming “Volume II” box I will shortly have the ability to try out some four-player madness.
It’s not for everyone, though. The theme and artwork instantly make me engrossed in the characters, but the game is very much a duel with almost chess-like simplicity and complexity. If you are someone prone to analysis paralysis, you could be sat each turn trying to find the perfect set of actions and that could frustrate you.
The main aim is to make sure your team avoids being in the path of the librarian as you use actions and powers to put your opponent’s team into their path. The librarian will move the quickest route they can through the maze of bookshelves to set locations in sequence. So you know where they are, where they are heading, sounds simple, right?! If only!
Each team is a trio of fantastically realised characters brought to life by the artwork on your player boards, and also in the figures themselves. And each has more than a few tricks up their respective sleeves to move themselves, the maze or even their opponents around the board. Will you be the outsider vampires, luring your opponents closer using a hypnotic gaze. Or maybe the geeky wizards, who can set up portals and switch places with the opposing team. Or perhaps you are more of the jock Frankenstein’s Monsters who barge through the maze swinging bookshelves aside like opening a door?
The board itself is a compact labyrinth which is ever shifting as each turn takes place, and your opponent can make a number of actions at once before you have a chance to respond, so you find yourself trying to not only plan to have your opposition caught, but as much as you can leave yourself safe too. This isn’t always possible though; a growing number of available actions each turn means games are often a fine balance between risk and reward.
IV studios has built a reputation for high production values and Mythic Mischief is no different. No two figures are the same and each team having individual player boards and trays makes set up, play and clear up a breeze. The organisation really shines as well. A small box size is always a bonus in my house, and this is almost travel size.
With several potential sets of destinations for the librarian to go to in each round, a drafting option for placing down the original maze and each team playing quite differently, the variation and replay-ability comes through over and over. The original box contains the monsters, vampires, wizards and zombies, and several expansions have already been released adding
further teams into the mix. An additional “Volume II” box is expected to be released later this year introducing a second map and four further teams which are all compatible with each other, the possibilities start to look endless.
