Mythic Mischief Review

I'm a little late to the Halloween party here but Mythic Mischief, the newest from IV Games puts players in control of a group of asymmetrical mythics trying to get other players caught by the Tomekeeper and keep yourself away him. How does the game work? On your turn, you'll do as many or as few actions as you have as available to you. Each faction plays very differently but they boil down to; moving yourself, moving an opponent or a bookshelf, or even the Tomekeeper. Each faction also has a legendary ability that can be triggered if a tome is slotted in its space. They also have an after lunch special that is used in the second round of the game. Once you've used your actions, the Tomekeeper will move. They have a set number of movement points and they will always take the shortest path to their preset destinations. This is where you'll want to plan to get other players in their paths. Each player caught counts for 1 point. Finally, it's the cleanup phase. Here, you'll reset your dice to get more actions as well as boost abilities to make them stronger. Once you've completed this, the other players will take their turns. The first player to score 10 points will win the game.

The Good: I don't even think it needs to be said at this point with IV Games but their quality is unmatched. The minis are really nicely made and detailed and every faction has their own backstories to go along with them. The dual layered player boards are great and even the little book shelves are fun to play with. The overall gameplay is really nice as well. You can try and plan to stay safe from the tomekeeper but since each player plays so differently you may find yourself caught no matter what. I love that the asymmetry boils down to doing the same things but a little differently.

The Okay: This is a first for me, but I actually think that the rulebook was too long. It's extremely detailed and gorgeous to look through but it was somewhat of a challenge to actually find what I was looking for. Once you've got the game down pretty well you won't need to use it as much but the first couple of games took a while to get through.

The Not So Good: I think I'll be in the minority here but the solo mode really didn't do much for me. It plays somewhat similar but with some added cards that can get you caught more easily and additional things to look out for. Each game that I played just felt like I was set up to lose. That said, the challenge is nicely done but it just didn't stick the landing for me.

Final Thoughts: IV Games continues to be one of my favorite smaller publishers. They're not afraid to try new things and continue to make a name for themselves among the big boys. Mythic Mischief is not without it's flaws but it's so charming and the gameplay is so tight that it's easy to overlook them. Every single turn is tense and full of decisions to make to protect yourself while also getting other players caught. This is an incredible introduction to asymmetry.

Thanks to IV Games for providing me with a review copy.