Know Thy Fellow Psychic: Mysterium Tips and Tricks

I’m a big fan of Mysterium, the cooperative mystery board game in which  players solve using cards full of dream-like images. Last night I got a rare opportunity to play the game with my regular D&D group, though, and got a reminder of how different a game can be when played with the right people.

Not that I’ve played with the wrong people. Mysterium is good with just about anyone! But I’ve usually played with pick-up groups and casual acquaintances. I’ve known my fellow D&D players for nearly a decade, and that shared experience made a big difference in how the game is played.

I don’t know if knowing the players actually made me a better ghost guide (though we won). But it did give me some ideas for improving our chances of success. Here are some tips and tricks for better Mysterium:

Know Where Your Players Are Going to Look

Knowing my players, I had an idea which suspects, places and weapons would be likely to catch their eye. The super-tactical fighter player got the soldier for his suspect. The novelist got the library, because I knew she would look there first. Another heavy reader with a more mystical bent got the creepy Necronomicon altar.

Matching up players and target cards is an inexact science, and it’s easy to miss an object that will be of interest. (For some reason, everyone focused on the candlesticks as a weapon, even though I had assigned it to nobody.) But it gives you a leg up at the start of the game.

Don’t Overthink the Cards

In past games, I would puzzle over my hand, trying to tease out an irrefutable connection between cards. That didn’t work too well. With this group, I felt comfortable grabbing the first card that felt right. That paid off at least as often as agonizing over the cards, and the game went a lot faster as a result.

Favor Your Own Visual Language

I listen carefully to the players when they discuss the images and draw their conclusions. It can help a lot to know who looks for details in a picture and who responds to color or shape. However, that also adds complications to the game. It’s hard to find the right card your player when you respond to shapes and the player responds to color.

In the past, I’ve favored the player’s way of processing images. I’m starting to think that’s the wrong course, because you end up trying to speak three or four different languages at the same dinner table — some of which you speak badly. In this game, I favored my own tendency to process images as shapes. It played against a couple of players’ strengths, but it created a more consistent language around the table and made it easier for players to help each other.

Embracing the Mysterium

None of these strategies felt connected at the time. In fact, they were all kind of ad hoc and only half-intended. But in the end I think playing with old friends helped me relax and steer into the inductive nature of the game. In the end, communication between friends is a lot more than words and concrete examples. It’s relying on an unconscious set of shared experiences. And in a game full of dream-like images, you might as well be a little Jung at heart.