Mansions Of Madness 2nd Edition Beyond the Threshold expansion review and unboxing from Fantasty Flight Games

When I look at my top games of 2016, and try to figure out which one it was that wowed the most its not easy to look at a list of them and work out positions, but for number 1 slot it has to be Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition, the atmosphere, gameplay and components of it are top notch, and crazy fun as well.  Now though we get to look at an expansion for it, in Beyond the Threshold... what is this going to add?

Yog-Sothoth knows the gate. Yog-Sothoth is the gate. Yog-Sothoth is the key and guardian of the gate. Past, present, future, all are one in Yog-Sothoth. He knows where the Old Ones broke through of old, and where They shall break through again."
   –H.P. Lovecraft, The Dunwich Horror

 

The frightening creatures of Mansions of Madness Second Edition have haunted your dreams for weeks now. Mysterious disappearances brought you to the Vanderbilt mansion, and your stay in Innsmouth was disturbed by darkness and despair. You've encountered devoted cultists and disgruntled spirits, bound to the mortal world by their evil tasks. Terror has overcome you and grievous injuries have put your mortality on display. Every choice you've made has led you somewhere, but even the strongest of mind and body will crack eventually. 

Even more horror awaits you in Beyond the Threshold, the first expansion to Mansions of Madness Second Edition. Introducing two new investigators, one unfamiliar creature, and a variety of additional components, this expansion will extend the possibilities of your journey through each and every unsettling scenario of uncertainty and anxiety. The new spaces to discover, people to encounter, and cards to experience all come together in additional scenarios, throwing you into the dim unknown of two new mysteries, each with their own unique additions to the world of Mansions of Madness.

It does clearly state on the back in case you worry, that it requires Mansions of Madness 2nd edition to play, but then again if you don't have the core game, go and get it! there is no excuse it plays 1 or more players.

Lets pop it open and take a look!

a bag of minis, some cards, bases, an instruction sheet with additional rules (don't worry though very simple stuff) and some slabs of card with new tiles in it await you when you pop the box open.

These new location tiles, are like the core ones double sided, so providing plenty of variety, and will get mixed in with the core set so that in the future replaying scenarios from the core game the app will make use of these tiles with some new layouts to discover.  that's a really nice thing I like about this expansion, and hope it continues, it not only adds more scenarios, but it also changes older ones too with more variety.

The New cards are going to add plenty more exciting things, and I don't want to spoil them, but there are no different sanity and health cards you mix in to the deck, new effects from going insane too, (there are some great fun ones in here!) new spells, new items, all sorts of very cool things, that are going to increase your arsenal for all investigators, and provide new options for older scenarios as well.

Haunted Souls

Your pool of investigators with which to enter the game continues to expand with two more brilliant truth-seekers, both completely new to Mansions of Madness, and its great to see a male AND female again. Wilson Richards may appear to be little more than an everyday handyman, but his call to fix issues larger than the plumbing has led him down an unusual path. His blue-collar, day-to-day life has provided him a practical, physical strength which can only be of help in a fight, and he has developed an acute focus through years of detailed work. The more spiritually gifted Akachi Onyele found herself an outsider in childhood, but has since discovered a keen and sacred awareness of the supernatural. Her exceptional knowledge comes from a lifetime of training and study, and her eye for the unusual makes her a great asset to any team of investigators.

It is with these brave truth-seekers that you will face off with both monsters you've met before and the newly corrupted Thralls. People who are weak in mind and spirit have a tendency to fall to dark powers, though none quite like the possessed creatures introduced in this expansion. The forces controlling their minds have gained influence over their physical being as well and have disfigured it almost beyond recognition. Thus, the people with whom you speak in one moment may be the monster you must fight to destroy in the next. There is no such thing as trust with these dark powers afoot.

Alongside the new investigators and creatures of Beyond the Threshold are a myriad of new objects, spells, conditions, and afflictions. New weapons lie in wait, offering unique ways to attack, while unfamiliar pains and anxieties threaten you at every turn. You may take control by casting new and powerful spells, or become mesmerized by the chaos of it all. You may find yourself at ease when the monsters and map tiles before you seem familiar, but blended with dozens of new components, you'll never know what to expect... especially when map tiles move and seemingly ordinary objects possess hidden qualities.

When Darkness Falls

The mysteries that lie within the expansion will try your perception of reality, as you try to determine what is real and what lives only in your disoriented mind. When you seek answers, you will come across many red herrings and falsehoods, and you must be able to differentiate between the real and the unreal. Even when you have gained the knowledge you seek, however, you may find that you never wanted to know it in the first place. 

The first of two new scenarios introduced in the expansion is The Gates of Silverwood Manor, a trying investigation of disappearances, each with some connection to Silverwood Manor. You've been called in to help by Officer Tetsuo Mori, though what happened before you arrived was never fully explained. After all, how could anyone know about the supernatural events occurring within the manor? The observations you make upon arrival may fail you later, as you return to explored areas only to find unfamiliar spaces.

In Vengeful Impulses, the second of the scenarios, you may experience a similar inconsistency of reality, though as darkness envelops you and your fellow dinner guests, you may begin to question the motivations of those around you. Your host, Thomas Carvey, has suspicions of a malicious plot, and the unsettling events you witness may suggest he is right. Further exploration of his home, however, may lead to greater questions, and intensify your desire to nail down the facts.

This pack adds some really good stuff, the new tiles of course add to older missions, as do the new cards, and new investigators with new play styles.  The missions themselves are great, they feel very puzzle and deduction heavy, with one of them being a classic kind of murder mystery with you gathering up evidence and questioning suspects, and I love that variety in the game, and it means there are mission types to suit all kinds of players.  This is a must have if you have the base game, and if you don't have the base game, go and get it, and then get this!

The Game comes with an RRP of £29.99 so head on over to your local game store and grab yourself a pack, it will provide new scenrios and add more replay value to the older ones too!

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