Mysterium Park (2020) Board Game

Mysterium Park is a standalone game inspired by the original Mysterium board game, which was first released in in 2020. The game takes place in an eerie carnival setting, where players take on the roles of psychics trying to solve a murder mystery. Designed by Oleksandr Nevskiy and Oleg Sidorenko, Mysterium Park offers a condensed version of the original game, making it more accessible for a wider audience.

Game Components of Mysterium Park

84 Vision Cards

60 Plot Cards

1 Plot Card Holder

3 Ticket Tokens

1 Board

1 Game Turn Marker

20 Character Cards

20 Location cards

5 Innocent Tokens

5 Intuition Pawns

1 Witness Token

1 Rulebook

How To Setup Mysterium Park

To set up Mysterium Park, shuffle the suspect cards and place nine of them on the board in a grid matching the secret codex card. The ghost player receives the vision cards and draws three plot cards, placing one at random in their card holder. Each player selects a player color and an innocence token. This streamlined setup ensures the game is quick to start, often within five minutes.

Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective

Cooperative Gameplay: Players work together as Psychics and one player as the Ghost.

Vision Cards: The Ghost uses illustrated cards to provide clues to the Psychics.

Plot Cards: Determine the layout of the board and the suspects to eliminate.

Rounds: The game is divided into three rounds, with the first two rounds focusing on eliminating suspects and locations, and the final round identifying the murderer and crime scene.

Time Limit: Players have six nights (rounds) to solve the mystery before the funfair leaves.

Objective: The Psychics must interpret the Ghost’s visions to correctly identify the innocent suspects, locations, and ultimately the murderer and the crime scene.

Player Experience

In Mysterium Park, players delve into a mysterious funfair where the former director has gone missing. The Ghost, the director’s spirit, communicates through abstract vision cards to guide the Psychics in their investigation. This game encourages collaborative guessing and creative interpretation of the vision cards, making each game session unique and challenging. The game’s design ensures that all players stay engaged throughout, as progress is made collectively.

Pros

Streamlined Setup: Quick to set up and play, reducing the time spent on preparatory steps.

Collaborative: Ensures all players are involved and progressing together.

Portable: Smaller box and fewer components make it easy to carry and store.

Creative Clue-Giving: Vision cards require creative interpretation, enhancing the game’s challenge and fun.

Family-Friendly: Suitable for players aged 10 and above.

Cons

Reduced Gothic Feel: Loses some of the macabre atmosphere of the original Mysterium.

Lower Replayability: Compared to the original game and its expansions, Mysterium Park has less replayability.

Increased Difficulty: Vision cards are more challenging to interpret, which may frustrate some players.

Personal Thoughts on Mysterium Park

Mysterium Park is ideal for those who enjoy cooperative deduction games with a touch of mystery and creativity. It is perfect for families and groups looking for a fun, quick, and engaging game that can be set up and played within a short time frame. While it may not retain the full gothic atmosphere of the original Mysterium, it distills the core mechanics into a more accessible and portable package, making it a great introduction to the series or a simplified alternative for veterans.

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