The Game of the Month series highlights one of the many games in our libraries at Ravenwood Castle and The Malted Meeple. We will briefly describe the game, how to play it, and why we like it. This week’s blog post is written by The Malted Meeple’s Head Game Master, Karington Hess.

Game: Mice & Mystics

Publisher: Plaid Hat Games

February’s Game of the Month is a cooperative storytelling game by one of our favorite publishers, Plaid Hat Games. Originally created by designer Jerry Hawthorne as a way to help his daughter learn to read, Mice & Mystics weaves creative storytelling and gameplay into a package that is both accessible to children and engaging for adults.

The story begins, appropriately enough, in a castle. Our heroes have discovered a plot by the evil Queen Vanestra to poison the King. They plan to confront Vanestra and her minions, but must also deal with a small problem… all of the heroes have been transformed into mice!

The players may choose to play as noble mouse Prince Collin, Maginos the wise wizard, Filch the rogue rodent and others. Each mouse has different abilities, skills, and starting equipment reflecting their pre-transformation professions.

The party must make their way around the now enormous castle and surrounding grounds, battling cockroaches, centipedes, and Vanestra’s rat minions, and avoiding Brodie the vicious tomcat! Along the way the mice collect equipment, new weapons, and of course – cheese! As the players progress they use this cheese to purchase new ability cards and activate certain abilities.

Gameplay itself is conducted by rolling dice. The results of these dice determine success or failure of attacks, how far a mouse can move, and if a search for items is successful. Each mouse and every enemy minion has a number of health points which are important in combat. Do enough damage to a minion and it is defeated. In keeping with the game’s intent to be accessible to children though, if a mouse takes too much damage it is merely captured. The player loses a turn and all accumulated cheese so being captured still stings, but the player isn’t permanently out of the game.

Mice & Mystics is divided into chapters like a storybook, and is intended to be played over multiple sessions. Each chapter begins with a story segment which is read aloud by one of the players, developing the story’s plot and setting the scenario for that session. Once the stage is set, the game begins and the players must work together to avoid capture and complete their quest in time!

The next time you visit Ravenwood Castle or The Malted Meeple, grab a copy of Mice & Mystics, choose your mouse and save the kingdom! If you will be joining us at the end of February for Hoop & Stick Con, you will even have the opportunity to play Mice & Mystics with Colby Dauch and Isaac Vega from Plaid Hat Games!

Jim Reed

Jim Reed is a lifelong gamer who started with the original red box Dungeons & Dragons. After spending 20 years in the corporate world, he decided it was high time that work be fun and struck out on his own. Jim now owns and operates Ravenwood Castle, and spends his days ensuring his guests have as much fun as he does.