
- BGG rank
- BGG #576
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures
- 1–8 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 2.2/5
- 2016

2023
Rules assistance for Mother of Frankenstein: Volume One
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 1 player

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Mother of Frankenstein: Volume One is a board game released in 2023 for 1–6 players, 480–900 minutes per game, and ages 13 and up. It was designed by Tommy Wallach and Terry Pettigrew-Rolapp and its main mechanics are Storytelling, Cooperative Game, and Narrative Choice / Paragraph.
Mother of Frankenstein is a narrative puzzle game based on the life of Mary Shelley. It is a collaborative experience featuring 12-18 hours of gameplay divided between three volumes. In Volume 1, you'll engage with Mary's education in the fields of poetry, music, and astronomy and track her courtship with Percy Shelley, constructing a series of elaborate spinning rings you'll use to solve a set of ingenious riddles and puzzles. Inspired (but not entirely beholden to) the incredible real life of Mary Shelley, Mother of Frankenstein is a 10-15 hour experience for 1-6 players (ages 13 and up), designed by Terry Pettigrew-Rolapp and Tommy Wallach of Hatch Escapes, creators of LA Magazine's top-ranked escape room, Lab Rat. Mother of Frankenstein challenges you to solve a series of puzzles in order to learn the truth behind Shelley's infamous monster. While challenging enough for serious puzzlers, it also features a rich, emotional narrative composed by New York Times bestselling YA novelist Tommy Wallach, which will have you and your loved ones feeling all the feelings. The game is divided up into three acts, each of which contains a trove of documents and puzzles, all of them beautifully crafted and cunningly designed--ostensibly by Mary Shelley herself--in order to reveal a great secret she left to her only surviving child. A bonus edition also includes a full copy of the 1818 edition of Frankenstein with additional puzzles from Emerald Flame creator Rita Orlov (PostCurious). Over the course of the game, you'll also build a 500 piece 2D puzzle and a 350 piece 3D puzzle, ending up with a gorgeous recreation of Frankenstein's castle you can keep forever! Simply put, there's never before been a game like Mother of Frankenstein.
Mother of Frankenstein: Volume One supports 1–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Mother of Frankenstein: Volume One is 480–900 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Mother of Frankenstein: Volume One for ages 13 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Mother of Frankenstein: Volume One has a complexity rating of 2.8 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Mother of Frankenstein: Volume One belongs to these categories: Horror, Puzzle, and Science Fiction. Its main mechanics are Storytelling, Cooperative Game, and Narrative Choice / Paragraph. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Mother of Frankenstein: Volume One are: Tommy Wallach and Terry Pettigrew-Rolapp. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Mother of Frankenstein: Volume One as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.