There is no single answer to that question and, at least for us, that’s a big part of the game’s charm. Mythica is primarily an adventure game… part RPG, part economic, part tactical, part competitive, and part cooperative. The interplay between characters is important, but the game itself becomes increasingly hostile as turns go by and the plot unfolds.

Each player controls a single character and tries to keep up with the growing power of the Nemesis, but there is no single road to victory. You may choose to develop a strong economic presence in the campaign board phase of play, you may choose to arm and train your character to become a force of destruction in the combat board phase, or you may try to strike a balance between the two. If the players manage to defeat the Nemesis, there will be a final tallying of prizes won and legacy earned to determine which character is the greatest hero of all and the ultimate winner of the game. 

The game is intended for 3 to 6 players, ages 13 and up, and requires 90 minutes to 4 hours to play. We intend to include optional advanced rules for longer, more challenging play; optional rules for faster, abbreviated play; and optional rules for single or two-player games

Last updated: November 11, 2017 08:43

In order to give the game a life of its own and make it both unpredictable and responsive to player actions, we developed a plot and time-keeping mechanism we call the Death Clock. Cards from two different event decks, one relatively benign and one decidedly unpleasant, march along a track at the edge of the board to indicate the passing of time.

A new card is drawn at the end of every player’s turn and added to the track, pushing the cards in front of it toward the “Gallows” space that is the end of the line for cards on the Death Clock. When cards are pushed past the Gallows, a variety of events happen depending on the type of card. Challenges may be added to the dungeon, dangerous cards may be added to the Death Clock, or a plot card may be activated that extends the Death Clock, moves the game’s narrative forward, and gives the players another opportunity to prove their heroic mettle.

Eventually, the Death Clock and the larger plot exhaust themselves and bring all of the events of the conflict, the world, and the dungeon to a crisis that will separate the heroes from the mob, and the betrayers from the dauntless.

Last updated: November 11, 2017 08:31

This game was originally inspired by the Mythica movie franchise and in order to pay proper homage to that, we felt that it needed to have a story element. There are three plotlines provided with the basic game, one of which is a tutorial plot to help new players learn the game, one of which spans the first three Mythica movies, and the last is a storyline created just for this game. Future expansions will offer more custom plots and of course a plot to cover the fourth and fifth Mythica movies.

At the climax of every plot is a battle against the Nemesis, Szorlok is of course the Nemesis of the Mythica plots. This makes for one fierce fight near the end of the game, gives a name to all your problems in the world, and can affect the game outcome whether you beat the Nemesis and reap those rewards or fail and have to endure the consequences.

Last updated: November 11, 2017 08:43

Excellent question! There are nine cards in every plot and the game ends when the last plot card falls off the Gallows. The eighth and ninth cards are denouement to the climax of the seventh card, but whether or not you defeat the Nemesis during that seventh card has a dramatic effect on those last two cards. They may just be a restful opportunity for characters to fortify their Legacy before the final count or they may be a desperate race just to stay in the game until that ninth card falls off.

Last updated: November 11, 2017 08:43

Oh my yes, it is quite interesting! Legacy is the currency of final victory. There are several ways to acquire it, lose it, and make use of it during gameplay, but the final winner (if there is one) is always the character with the most Legacy. The general method of acquiring Legacy is to buy it on the campaign board and to complete tasks or defeat challenges to earn it.

Last updated: November 11, 2017 08:43

The majority of gameplay happens on the campaign board which represents the world of Mythica. You can travel around the five kingdoms, resolving various events that pop up on the Death Clock, working to acquire resources, buying and selling items, learning and teaching abilities, placing and improving your Legacy tokens, hiring sidekicks, and generally becoming more heroic. When a dungeon opens, you will be able to enter and explore it, facing challenges and winning prizes, but time marches on no matter where your turn takes place and too much time spent away from the larger world will have consequences.

Last updated: November 11, 2017 08:43

Well you certainly should check them out, but no, it is not required. We have packed this thing with references and characters and of course there is a plot in the game inspired by the movies; but, in order to make it a game with varied outcomes, the Mythica inspired plot doesn’t follow exactly and knowing the movies won’t give you any particular edge. That is especially true once the randomized and consequence-driven elements of the game have their way with you.

Last updated: November 11, 2017 08:43

We won’t lie, it’s got a lot of moving parts. For any game to have its own behaviors that respond to player choices, there are going to be complications. We are really hoping that you value the outcomes enough to embrace the learning curve. That said, we have devoted a lot of energy to making the learning process as smooth and intuitive as possible. We encourage you to check out our testimonials to hear what playtesters thought about the learning process. There’s definitely a lot going on, but it seems to be a rewarding challenge.

Last updated: November 11, 2017 08:43

Oh we are. This game has been on a long road with many iterations and frustrations, but we believe we have achieved a rare and remarkable synergy of game types (and we’re not ashamed to say that luck has been a fair contributor to that). This game has strong enough elements of both tabletop RPG and traditional board games that players who favor either type have sat down at the same table and had the same fun at the same time. Our playtests have also shown an unpredictable combination of cooperation and competition resulting in alliances and betrayals at all stages of the game. Finally, there is real narrative and drama in the game as a result of different player choices, random events, and the unpredictable effect that dice have on any situation.

Last updated: November 11, 2017 08:43

Here’s a list of rough estimates for shipping a standard game package. Keep in mind these are just estimates, and costs will very based on the weight of the final game and packaging design.

USA: $10-$15 to most states. $10-$18 to Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.

CANADA: $15-$30 to most cities.

LATIN AMERICA: $60-$70 to most countries.

ASIA: $30-$40 to most countries.

OCEANIA: $20-$40 to Australia and New Zealand.

AFRICA: $70-$80 to most countries.

EUROPE: $20-$30 to most countries. $35 to Norway, Finland, Estonia, and Latvia. $40 to Bosnia, Croatia, and Iceland. $60-$70 to Israel, Liechtenstein, and Serbia.

Unfortunately, different import laws and customs have made it impossible to ship games to certain specific countries. WE DO NOT SHIP TO: Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Afghanistan.

We also cannot ship to PO Boxes domestically or internationally. Due to the size of each package there is too great a risk of the package being bounced back to us. Thank you for your understanding.

Last updated: November 11, 2017 08:43