Mysticana - Harbringers is the first Mysticana expansion I’ve tried that isn’t an entirely new game hit an expansion for one that already exists. It’s an expansion for one the system’s starting games, Nine Perils.
Mysticana is game system from Button Shy, an eighteen-card deck that different expansions let you play different games. The base deck has three suits that have a rock-paper-scissors mechanic built in. While nothing will ever beat a regular deck of cards as far as a flexible gaming system is concerned, Mysticana keeps on delivering for me.
Nine Perils was the solitaire option for the base deck. It was my first impression of the system and I am sure it was for a lot of people. You lay down nine cards in a row. You flip one over and play a card under any space each turn. The goal is to have each played card be greater than the card it’s under. The twist is that if the cards tie, it and the next card in the line get resolved by the card after that one. So, you could end up only having to worry about five perils if you play your cards right.
My initial impression was that Nine Perils was nice with one clever bit but it was a good clever bit. However, over time, I noticed that I kept on pulling out the Mysticana deck and playing it, even if I hadn’t been trying the other games. Nine Perils really grew on me.
Harbingers adds six double-sided cards to the game. One side are harbingers, which do bad stuff. The other sides are visions, which are one shot, helpful powers.
Harbingers changes the game from one round to three. You shuffle the new cards and deal out three to be your visions for the game. They let you do things like move cards or rearrange the deck. But you only get to use each once per game, not round.
Set up the line as usual. Then shuffle the three remaining harbinger cards. They go over the line, landscape style. Each one affects the three cards in the line beneath it. And they all add restrictions that make the game more difficult. My least favorite one makes Avatar cards automatically lose.
In the first round, one harbinger goes in the middle. The second round, you place two, over the second and seventh card. In the last round, you place all three harbingers over two, five and eight so every card is affected.
And, yes, you have to win all three rounds to win the game.
I’m not prepared to say that Harbingers fires Nine Perils but damn if it doesn’t add a lot to the game. And it does so without removing core that makes Nine Perils have a strong ‘one more time’ factor.
I’m actually not sure what brings more to the game. Harbingers force to you change the way you play. I definitely have a pattern of how I play Nine Perils but the harbingers make me break out of that. On the other hand, the visions give you a level of control you didn’t have. And that adds depth to the play.
Harbingers also has variants. One is to play one round with you deciding how many harbingers and visions to set out. Another is to play it as a two-player cooperative game. Having an official one-round variant will help Harbringers hit the table more often for me, to be painfully honest.
Nine Perils is a game that has really grown on me and become part of my regular rotation of games. And Harbingers just makes it better.
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