We have been playing one of the new-style board games The Kids Play Today. If you don’t know: Dungeons and Dragons, which was popular when I was in high school, has heavily influenced today’s games, and even the simplest modern game is extraordinarily complex.
We bought one called Mansions of Madness. which is odd in that when I first played it I disliked it. I ended up with the Insane Card, and lets just say I’d had enough insanity in my family on that particular day anyway.
So when we play, we can’t go Insane. House Rules. Also known as Cheating. Or, also known as Enjoying the Game. Believe me, it is still plenty hard without the Insanity plaguing you.
Other House Rules:
Take as many steps as you want on your turn.
Take as many turns as you want before the penalty turn.
Give up one of your special tokens, and as a result one symbol on the multi-symbol dice is as good as another.
Fly through walls on the “board” – which is customized for every iteration of the game. (Building the board is my favorite part.)
Use anything you like as your game token. If you look closely at left bottom corner of the board above, Gary is the green plastic monster and I am the silver toilet above him.
The most important rule is that you must read the instructions that guide you through every round out loud, and that each character’s voice be read in a unique accent. It SLAYS me hearing Gary try to sound like a Croatian woman. I tried to coach him.
Me: “It’s like Natasha from Rocky and Bullwinkle. Mooz end skwrill.”
Gary: “Moose and squirrel.”
Me: “No. Mooz end skwrill.”
Gary: “Moss and skworl. “
Me: “Leesin. Leeeesin. Mooooooz end skwril. Mooz -“
Gary: “Mooz n skwi – no, I can’t. You just do it.”
Strangely, even though we cheat, we have yet to win. All we’ve been able to do is escape with our lives.