- BGG rating
- 6.9
The Big Book of Madness: 2016 Greeting Card – Evil Santa
- 2–5 players
- 60–90 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2015
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,385
- BGG rating
- 6.9
The Big Book of Madness
2015
Rules assistance for The Big Book of Madness
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–5 players
- 60–90 min
- 12+
- Complexity 2.7/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for The Big Book of Madness
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Big Book of Madness is a board game released in 2015 for 2–5 players, 60–90 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Maxime Rambourg and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Player Elimination.
Expansions
- BGG rating
- 7.3
The Big Book of Madness: The Vth Element
- 2–5 players
- 60–90 min
- Complexity 2.7/5
- 2020
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About the game
So far your first year at the Elementary College has been slightly disappointing. They taught you to light a flickering flame at the tip of your finger, but other than that you've spent much more time reading books than learning powerful spells as future great wizards like you should. So when you heard about the Big Book of Madness hidden in the great school library, you couldn't help but to sneak in and peek in this intriguing tome in spite of your professors' warnings. When you slowly lift the cover of the terrible book, dozens of dreadful creatures rush out, threatening to destroy the world itself! This was your mistake, and only you can fix it now! Learn from the library to fight back against the monsters, and try not to sink into insanity... The Big Book of Madness is a challenging co-operative game in which the players are magic students who must act as a team to turn all the pages of the book, then shut it by defeating the terrible monsters they've just freed. Each player has their own element deck that they build during the game and use for several purposes, such as learning or casting a spell, adding a new element to their deck, destroy or healing a curse. Spells allow you to support your playmates, improve your deck, draw cards, etc. — but the monsters from the book fight back. Each comes with terrible curses that are triggered every turn unless you dispel them in time. They will make you discard elements, add madness cards to your deck, or lose spells... If you manage to turn six pages and defeat all of the monsters, you win the game!
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Devir
- Broadway Toys LTD
- Bureau de Juegos
- Hobby Japan
- Redbox Editora (Redbox)
- uplay.it edizioni
- Heidelberger Spieleverlag
- Rexhry
- Reflexshop
- Portal Games
- IELLO
- Origames
- 2 Pionki
Questions and answers
The Big Book of Madness supports 2–5 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 The Big Book of Madness is 60–90 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 The Big Book of Madness for ages 12 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.
The Big Book of Madness has a complexity rating of 2.7 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.
The Big Book of Madness belongs to these categories: Card Game and Fantasy. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Player Elimination. 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 The Big Book of Madness are: Maxime Rambourg. 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 The Big Book of Madness 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.