- BGG rating
- 7.0
Tajemnicze Domostwo: Motive cards
- 2–7 players
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 1.7/5
- 2015
- BGG rank
- BGG #463
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Mysterium
2015
Rules assistance for Mysterium
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–7 players
- 42 min
- 10+
- Complexity 1.9/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Mysterium
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Mysterium is a board game released in 2015 for 2–7 players, 42 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Oleksandr Nevskiy and Oleg Sidorenko and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Deduction, and Storytelling.
Expansions
- BGG rating
- 7.8
Mysterium: Hidden Signs
- 2–7 players
- 42 min
- Complexity 1.7/5
- 2016
- BGG rating
- 7.8
Mysterium: Secrets & Lies
- 2–7 players
- 42 min
- Complexity 1.7/5
- 2017
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About the game
In the 1920s, Mr. MacDowell, a gifted astrologer, immediately detected a supernatural being upon entering his new house in Scotland. He gathered eminent mediums of his time for an extraordinary séance, and they have seven hours to make contact with the ghost and investigate any clues that it can provide to unlock an old mystery. Unable to talk, the amnesiac ghost communicates with the mediums through visions, which are represented in the game by illustrated cards. The mediums must decipher the images to help the ghost remember how he was murdered: Who did the crime? Where did it take place? Which weapon caused the death? The more the mediums cooperate and guess well, the easier it is to catch the right culprit. In Mysterium, a reworking of the game system present in Tajemnicze Domostwo, one player takes the role of ghost while everyone else represents a medium. To solve the crime, the ghost must first recall (with the aid of the mediums) all of the suspects present on the night of the murder. A number of suspect, location and murder weapon cards are placed on the table, and the ghost randomly assigns one of each of these in secret to a medium. Each hour (i.e., game turn), the ghost hands one or more vision cards face up to each medium, refilling their hand to seven each time they share vision cards. These vision cards present dreamlike images to the mediums. Once the ghost has handed cards to the final medium, players have two minutes to place their token on a suspect. They may also place clairvoyancy tokens on the guesses made by other mediums to show whether they agree or disagree with those guesses. Once a medium has correctly guessed the suspect, location and weapon, they move their token to the epilogue board. If one or more mediums fail to identify their proper suspect, location and weapon before the end of the seventh hour, then the ghost has failed and dissipates, leaving the mystery unsolved. If, however, they have all succeeded, then the ghost has recovered enough of its memory to identify the culprit.
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Kaissa Chess & Games
- Enigma (Bergsala Enigma)
- Galápagos Jogos
- ADC Blackfire Entertainment
- Rebel Sp. z o.o.
- Gémklub
- GoKids 玩樂小子
- Esdevium
- Lautapelit.fi
- Morapiaf
- Filosofia Éditions
- Z-Man Games
- Libellud
- F2Z Digital Media Inc.
Questions and answers
Mysterium supports 2–7 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 Mysterium is 42 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 Mysterium for ages 10 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.
Mysterium has a complexity rating of 1.9 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a 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.
Mysterium belongs to these categories: Party Game, Deduction, and Murder / Mystery. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Deduction, and Storytelling. 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 Mysterium are: Oleksandr Nevskiy and Oleg Sidorenko. 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 Mysterium 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.