Mysterium

Step into the mystifying world of the 1920s with Mysterium, where spirits linger and secrets await unraveling. When the brilliant astrologer Mr. MacDowell arrives at his new home in Scotland, he is immediately haunted by a supernatural presence. Determined to uncover the truth, he gathers a group of renowned mediums for an extraordinary séance, but they have only seven hours to make contact with the ghost and piece together the clues that will unlock a chilling mystery.

Trapped in silence and suffering from amnesia, the ghost can only communicate through ethereal visions depicted on beautifully illustrated cards. It is up to the mediums to interpret these dreamlike images in order to reveal the truth behind the ghost's tragic demise. They must answer three vital questions: Who committed the crime? Where did it take place? And which weapon ended the ghost’s life? The more the mediums collaborate and make accurate guesses, the closer they come to unveiling the culprit.

In Mysterium, one player embodies the ghost while the others assume the roles of the mediums. The ghost, assisted by the mediums, must first recall the suspects present on the night of the murder. As the game unfolds, a variety of suspect, location, and weapon cards are laid out on the table, with the ghost secretly assigning one of each to a medium.

During each turn, the ghost hands out one or more vision cards, refilling the mediums' hands to seven. Each vision card presents a mesmerizing image that the mediums must analyze to determine which suspect it represents. Once all mediums receive their cards, the ghost activates a two-minute sand timer. As time ticks away, a medium can place their token on a suspect and also place clairvoyance tokens to express their agreement or disagreement with other mediums’ guesses.

When time runs out, the ghost reveals whether the mediums' guesses were correct. Those who successfully identified their suspect move on to guess the location and then the murder weapon, while those who guessed incorrectly retain their vision cards and receive new ones for the same suspect next round. A medium progresses to the epilogue board once they correctly identify the suspect, location, and weapon, earning clairvoyance points for each hour remaining on the clock, as well as additional points for any remaining clairvoyance tokens.

The stakes are high! If any medium fails to identify their suspect, location, and weapon by the end of the seventh hour, the ghost's quest remains unresolved, and it dissipates, taking its secrets with it. However, if all mediums succeed, the ghost regains enough memory to reveal the true culprit.

In this thrilling conclusion, mediums will organize their suspect, location, and weapon cards, assigning numbers to each group. The ghost then selects one group and chooses matching vision cards—one for the suspect, one for the location, and one for the weapon. Players with fewer clairvoyance points reveal one vision card and cast their votes. Those with more points reveal a second card, and the most clairvoyant players see the final card before voting.

Will the mediums successfully identify the killer? If the majority vote for the correct suspect, with ties broken by the most clairvoyant player, justice prevails and the ghost can finally rest. If not, the mystery lingers, inviting players to delve into the shadows once more. Embrace your instincts and immerse yourself in the enchanting world of Mysterium!