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I've gone over to the dark side, chaps. I've started playing board games, like a complete and utter geek. http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/IMAG0216_zpsb1cd3733.jpg Mansions of Madness is a board game for 2-5 players. One player is the Keeper, and controls the enemies and runs the game (not like a typical Dungeon/Game Master, in that he's there solely to give the players a good story, he actively tries to win and has stuff to do). The other players control individual investigators in a range of scenarios, and have to go poking about a variety of spooky locales, complete with various kinds of monsters. The game is Lovecraftian horror in theme, and investigators can easily be driven insane as well as get killed, and as you can see http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/IMAG0218_zps128b9038.jpg it has a few bits and bobs in the box to set up. The game comes with five scenarios, each one with three variants, which can be mixed to a certain extent, keeping things fresh. At about £50 for the game, this might seem a bit steep, but there are also about 20 fan-made scenarios over on BoardGameGeek, which are free and quite a few of them are really good. The game isn't that complex really, especially on the investigator side, but there's a lot to keep track of and it gets a bit fiddly (it's not as fiddly as Arkham Horror, for instance, but is more fiddly than Betrayal at House on the Hill). I'd had experience of playing before but not as the Keeper, so it was a relief that the first session went well. A group of four, all newbies, and an easy scenario. The three investigators went looking around the house of a madman, who sprung from the shadows in classic horror film style repeatedly, and was struck down many a time only to rise again. A flaming zombie livened things up at one point as the trio searched the mansion, and various rooms caught fire. Although battered and slightly crazed, the investigators foiled the madman's attempts to summon a horrible thing from another world. It was an unqualified success. It ended in a win for the investigators, and everyone had an excellent time. I had great fun as the Keeper, as it's basically an excuse to be evil, summon monsters, manipulate investigators, deal out mental and physical injuries (in game. So far) and just do your level best to ruin their chances at winning but without being an arse about it. The game was good-natured and that went a long way towards it running smoothly. You forget just how important people are to games some times, and it's all the more obvious when you're all sat around the same table. A few beginner's mistakes were made, but after 5-10 minutes of reviewing the rules, everyone was good to go, and with the help of the quick reference materials from various sources, we were sorted. A week later, we had our second session, with a new Keeper into the bargain. http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/IMAG0234_zps5e089f15.jpg A few small mistakes occurred, but nothing serious, and the new Keeper did a good job of being the arch fiend behind our impending doom. Our main brainbox, the writer Gloria Goldberg, was quickly crippled with a back injury, so as she staggered about the map solving puzzles and unlocking boxes and doors, she left a trail of items behind her, unable to carry them. I cocked up there, as the veteran player and meat head, I really should have been hoovering them up. Sister Mary, our wild card, turned into a surprisingly fearsome close combat monster, taking on enemies three at a time armed only with a crowbar and some holy water, including a nifty knee-shattering smash that killed a zombie making off with a sample of her hair (to be used for disgusting, nefarious ends, no doubt). Playing the goon Michael McGlen, I polished off the first few monsters with my Tommy gun, and the Keeper responded accordingly at a critical juncture in the game, first jamming my gun, then making me fumble it, then having it run out of ammo. Forced to take on the undead with bare hands, I wasn't worried as I had full health, but a constant flow of Dexterity tests and McGlen's pathetic Dexterity stat ensured I stayed locked in combat with a pair of zombies, unable to kill them or escape, until I set the room on fire. While I and my new best mates were busy being immolated mid-fisticuffs, Gloria and Sister Mary proved utterly incapable of fording the flow of monsters, and getting access to and solving the last puzzle in time. Time ran out and the game ended a draw, after some three hours of play (including plenty of drinking and a meal). A great time was had by all, as the Keeper stayed the right side of being a dick, and the ensuing shenanigans were challenging but not impossible for the Investigators. If we had indulged in a little more teamwork, we would have won. So with two games under our belts, and having had such a great time with each one, I decided to invest further. http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/IMAG0243_zps46c647c5.jpg Call of the Wild is an expansion for MoM, with additional scenarios, rules, NPCs, monsters, and a whole load of stuff. http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/IMAG0260_zps44ecc293.jpg We've got a little way to go yet before we get to it, however. It's my girlfriend's turn to be Keeper next, so that hurdle needs to be cleared, and then the remaining two scenarios that came in the first box were not playtested enough, so they shipped in a somewhat poor state of playability. Revisions aplenty are available on BGG, so I'm currently combing through there in hope of finding solutions. Then, Call of the Wild, and further expansion time. It's been something of a revelation for me, getting back into board gaming after more than a decade away. But with the right group of players, it's amazing.

Vic Davis/Cryptic Comet's next game. 100% behind you, Vic, take my money God damn it! It was to be released in June, but it's been delayed. And it's going to have player-customisable dice! OMG! Here are all of Mr Davis' blog entries about it over which I regularly wet my little knickers.