Cthulhu Mythos: new set of Monster vs Heroes.

Monsters vs Heroes is a fun and crazy game where characters from mystery and horror stories duel with cards. Players secretly join one of the factions – Monsters or Heroes - by taking a random faction card at the start of the game, and even if players belong to the same faction, there are no teams – game play is competitive. The first volume, “Victorian Nightmares,” combines two themed decks: “London after Midnight” and “Sherlock in Hell” and was released last year. Now it’s time for a new theme with the second volume, “Cthulhu Mythos,” coming in March 2019.

To present this new version of the game, we called upon the game’s designer, Enrique Dueñas. Let’s read his notes about “Cthulhu Mythos”.

Enrique Dueñas, the game designer of Monsters vs Heroes.

Hello, hunters of monsters and destroyers of heroes!

After an agonizing wait, the new set of the "Monsters vs Heroes" series is finally ready. This time the box is titled "Cthulhu Mythos."

The new setting is, of course, the worlds and works of H.P. Lovecraft, a man full of ingenuity and skill. You know what we are talking about: deep ones, albino penguins, fallible heroes, “a color out of space” ...

This is probably the most popular theme in board games. I won't lie: as a longtime fan of Lovecraft's work, I feel quite sad that the themes and ideas of his books may have been diluted with overexposure. I love a Cthulhu stuffed toy as much as the next guy, but "the cosmic horror" is not exactly about that. And yet, here am I, making a fast-paced filler game about mad cults and space monsters!

The fact is, the system of "Monsters vs Heroes" was begging to include some Lovecraftian abominations. I have other sets in mind and most of them include one or two characters from the original stories. For example, a game set in space could have some Mi-gos flying around and if you are traveling to XVIII century America, you might find Joseph Curwen there. So, it was obvious from the very beginning this was going to happen.

MvH Cthulhu Mythos: cards from the Mountains of Madness' deck.

When I was proposed the idea of making a Lovecraft-inspired set, I decided to use two of his most popular (and best) tales: “At the Mountains of Madness” and “The Shadow over Innsmouth.” I tried to be as faithful as possible to the source material. No generic cult members here or gangsters with big guns. Just some university professors against the unnamable horror. There is also a little homage to Arthur Gordon Pym in the form of "The shrouded one." Also, I didn't try to recreate any sort of "madness" mechanism. The game is quite simple and should stay simple to keep its spirit.

But, we have lots of new characters and some things are way different this time. For example, now you have to take a look where you sit at the table, because some cards specifically target the player seated on your left. Also, there are some horrifying hieroglyphs you can collect to gain points... but, BEWARE! it may be bad for you to keep these things at the end of the game!!

Something I think every fan will like is the fact that "Monsters vs Heroes" is, by its very nature, a competitive game. Most games with Cthulhu in the title are cooperative... so, for once, we have the chance to control the monsters and kill pesky humans! Hurray!!

Of course, one of the most important features of this game series is that you can combine the included decks with the previous ones. That means that pitting Dracula against a Shoggoth is possible. Who would win? On one hand, the Shoggoth don't know how to pray but, on the other, he doesn’t have blood that can be sucked...

MvH Cthulhu Mythos: cards from the Shadow over Innsmouth' deck.

Also, we have included some new rules for creating personalized decks for tournament play. A lot of people asked for it, so here you have it! I hope you will like it! We are also working in some "solo" rules that might see the light of the day in a not-so-distant future.

Enjoy the game. On your house, by the swimming pool, in a cemetery during a dreary night... and read the original books. Are awesome! Really! And let's remember the man who originated it all: Howard Phillips Lovecraft, a little pulp writer who died in March of 1937. One of the great masters of American fantasy, along with Clark Ashton Smith and Robert Ervin Howard.

By the way, if the success of my game helps Guillermo del Toro to finance a movie version of "At the Mountains of Madness", I could die happy... but NOT eaten by Father Dagon! Please!!

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