When I received my copy of the previous game I was, initially, confused with the way it looked and played out. However after playing a bit I began to just love it, so I finally decided to invest in this sequel game Tides of Madness. Again the contents, though small in number, is of an excellent quality: 18 cards (120mm x 80mm) 20 madness tokens 1 Score pad 1 pencil (rubber included) 2 resealable baggies (no mention of this on box) And the rules The biggest change between this and the previous version are the themes and the token system, in this games case it's madness tokens, typical of Cthulhu Mythos themed games. There is an error on the box contents which states a reference card, do not be alarmed this is, as I said, an error future copies will likely have it removed, though it doesn't really need a reference card. The game plays in a very similar manner to the previous version but with madness tokens it mixes it up, making it even more tactical! Basically certain cards you score on can give you madness, each card that gives you madness gives you a token. These tokens provide a push your luck aspect, as whoever has the most is granted a 4 point bonus per round, but getting 9 or more causes the game to end instantly. With the potential of not just a single loser, potentially, both players could get 9 or more and both lose! To balance it, you can opt out of the 4 points and discard a token, probably a good idea! The scoring is the same manner as before still reminding me a of Yahtzee, minus dice. It's the quick play of 3 rounds/ ages. As each round plays out you expand from 5 to 7 cards in play, the 6th and 7th are cards you kept from the previous rounds. As before points each round are calculated based on what each card offers, and its effects, and lastly the winner is whoever has the most points in the end. I believe that it's very much the same game as before, however the Cthulhu theme gives it a new mechanic, that makes it different enough, so you're not really playing the same game, just a similar one. I don't recommend this for children or younger people based on the visuals and themes (look at tides of time for that) but it's a great 2 player game and is a good investment for your collection. Games initially will be probably 30 minutes or more but after a few regular games it will reduce, around 20 minutes or less. You'll potentially end up spending more time doing point totalling, but I believe that the wording on the cards is less confusing than before. I enjoyed the previous game and I do really like this one as well. The theme is different but despite the content isn't too intense and has minimal impact on the actual game itself. A decent horror style game, though if you're looking to be scared this is not what it's about. This is definitely a good 2 player, I will definitely play a few games every time, some games will likely be cut short because of the madness which is interesting. I believe this is a great investment for your 2 player games collection and can easily be a travel game too.Weiterlesen
