913 – Boredgame Builders Masquerade

EPISODE 913 – Boredgame Builders Masquerade

 

[START OF RECORDING]

SCOOTER:        Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and friends beyond the binary, it's time for the podcaster whose creaky, dulcet tones and pointless meanders are here to keep you company, my friends, and to take your mind off of stuff.  You're my patrons.  You help keep the show going.  Couldn't do it without you.  Thank you so much and what do you say we get on with the show?

 

INTRO:        [INTRO MUSIC] Hey, are you up all night tossing, turning, mind racing?   Trouble getting to sleep?   Trouble staying asleep?   Well, welcome.   This is Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep.   We do it with a bedtime story.   Alls you need to do is get in bed, turn out the lights, and press play.   I'm gonna do the rest.  What I'm gonna attempt to do is repeat myself when it's necessary.  What I'm gonna attempt to do though is create a safe place and…repetition, respect, and saying well, could you give me a second?  I'm gonna go back and make myself a little bit clearer, though that's not my forte.  I've said it before – my favorite forte; Will Forte.  My use of the word ‘forte'…not as good as my love of Will Forte.  Oh, I'm gonna try to create a safe place.  Whether you're a forte or you're just fortuitous or neither…or neither, I'm gonna try to create a safe place here.  I'm smoothing it, I'm patting it, I'm rubbing it down.

 

I think MacGruber…is it…I can't pronounce very many words, but MacGruber…MacGruber could…I don't know if MacGruber needs a safe place or MacGruber's friends do.  But you'd say if there was a…if I wrote…well, I did write MacGruber…I do admit I did write a MacGruber after-dark novel but it was trying to be a little bit romantic, too.  It was called The Cave Within My Heart.  Well, then I said…then I…well, that was what my initial title…and I said well, what does it have to do with…how is that MacGrubery, Scoots?  Then some part of my brain said Scoots, are you sure Will Forte played MacGruber?  I say hm, I'm pretty sure.  Okay Scoots, what were you saying?  Oh, well, I was gonna…yeah, then I said countdown to the…yeah, I said you're right, I'll probably have to brainstorm that title.  It was a little bit too romantic, The Cave Within My Heart, huh?  But it is a sleep podcast, too, so I couldn't say anything action-packed.

 

Oh, who's MacGruber or what does this have to do with a sleep podcast and a safe place?  Those are great questions.  Let me get to them before I move on, just to…so, MacGruber…maybe you've heard of MacGyver.  MacGruber was another…very similar to MacGyver, but kinda like…well, I guess we do have a good analogy here, kind of like a regular podcast would have already gotten to the point.  If MacGyver is your regular, run-of…I mean, there's no such thing as a regular, run-of-the-mill podcast.  That's the best thing about podcasting.  There's so much out there and it's all different.  But let's just say that MacGyver was a podcast.  MacGyver would be like okay, well, give me that…okay, give me a couple pieces of story there and I'll put it together in a concise way that works.  MacGruber and Scoots…I would be the…I'd say well, okay, give me some bubblegum.

 

What are you gonna do with the bubblegum, fix this story issue, Scoots?  No, I'm gonna chew it.  I want to have fresh breath while I fix this.  Oh, but what was MacGruber?  That's what I was trying to explain; not something else.  Oh, MacGruber's a…I don't know if a parody version of MacGyver, but a less-competent MacGyver but with the heart of MacGyver and the skills of me, maybe.  Oh, what does any of that have to do with podcasts or the other thing I was supposed to remember?  I don't remember the other thing.  But what I'm gonna attempt to do is create a safe place where you could set aside whatever's keeping you awake.  The way I'm gonna do that is I'm gonna send my voice across the deep, dark night, I'm gonna use lulling, soothing, creaky, dulcet tones, pointless meanders, superfluous tangents.  I'm gonna go off-topic, I'm gonna get mixed up.  You've already seen that.

 

Pointless meanders, superfluous tangents, and mixed-up stuff all to take your mind off of stuff so you could fall asleep.  Whatever's keeping you awake whether it's thoughts…did I say this already?  Thoughts you're thinking about like things on your mind, feelings, any feelings coming up for you, physical sensations, changes in schedule or routine.  Maybe you work a second or third shift, maybe you're on a break from work or you're on-call, or maybe you just got stuff that's keeping you from sleep.  Sometimes it's baffling.  Whatever it is, I'm here to take your mind off of that and that's what I said; I'm gonna send my voice across the deep, dark night to do that.  Now, a couple things that in a MacGruber…most MacGruberousy way…I don't even know if that's a word, but…also now, I'm like wait a second, is MacGruber the Will Forte character or is that a character on The Simpsons?  I don't know.

 

But if you're new, a few things to know that you'd say well, a little late now.  I'd say yep, that's how we do it here.  Right on time…barely ever right on time.  But a couple things to know; one, this podcast is not for everybody so if you're skeptical or doubtful or you're like, what is with the creaky, dulcet tones or pointless meanders, give it a few tries.  Again, the podcast is free so you could give it a few tries.  I'm not even pressuring you to do that but most listeners…and this is pretty steady feedback I get on a daily basis; they say hey, it took two or three tries before I got used to the show and realized it won't ever make any sense and that's what makes the most sense about it.  Then I realized that…then I was like oh wait, as soon as I stop trying to figure out what was going on and accept the fact that it was unfigurable…or yeah, as soon as I accepted you were no MacGyver which is my first instinct as soon as you opened your mouth…it's funny; my brain said that person is no MacGyver.

 

I mean, either MacGyver, either.  Maybe there's been more than two MacGyvers.  I only know of two.  There's a younger MacGyver who I'd say is new…maybe…I don't know.  Then there's Richard Dean Anderson MacGyver and then there's MacGruber.  You say well, you're more like MacGoober.  I'd say, like McUber?  Like, the Uber…no, MacGoober, I said.  Oh, yeah, that kinda makes sense.  There's MacGyver, MacGruber…MacGyver 1, MacGyver 2, MacGruber, and I'm MacGoober.  I'm not a goober…technically, I'm not sure I can agree to that 'cause I'm not positive what a goober is 'cause it might be something that's not sleepy, so I gotta kinda move on.  But if it's something that's…exists in the world kinda like…could we agree to just for now say that that term means homemade sparkle slime and/or slime with the puffy stuff inside?  Okay, good.  I'm glad we could agree to that.  Oh, I'm supposed to be talking about the podcast.

 

You're right.  This podcast is not for everybody but give it two or three tries to see how it goes.  Oh, 'cause I was saying once the regular listeners realize that I'm more…much more MacGruber than MacGyver, they said oh, okay.  I get it now; I don't really have to pay attention.  He's not gonna figure anything out.  It would be like that…like we said okay, now give me that.  Okay, now give me a bag of jasmine rice.  Okay, give me a magnifying glass.  Okay.  Okay, now I need some earmuffs.  Okay, hand those…okay, what are you doing?  Oh, let me look closer, hold on.  Do you have a cheese stick?  Okay, let me put that in there.  Okay, now hold on, I need a break.  Then I would take a break.  But in this case, I'm coming back to you.  Give this show a few tries.  That was one thing I should have told you like, eleven minutes ago.  The second thing to know is this pod…oh, this podcast, you don't need to listen to.

 

That's what I was trying to say that whole time.  Also, this isn't really a podcast to put you to sleep.  It's here to be here, keep you [00:10:00] company, and take your mind off of stuff as you fall asleep.  I'm kinda like your bore-friend, your bore-bae, your bore-bestie, your bore-bud.  I'm here to kinda just take your mind off of stuff, be at your side, be your companion.  Like, what if MacGruber or MacGyver had…do they have anyone on that show that goes uh-huh, okay?  Like, I'm…just be handing…technically, that would be my job; uh-huh, okay.  Chopsticks?  Okay, there you go.  Uh-huh, okay.  Okay, well, let me look in the bag.  Burlap sack?  There you go.  Okay.  Okay, two eyes made out of coal?  There you go; you got it.  Button nose?  The only button nose I see is on you, MacGyver 1.  I don't know, is that a term of endearment?  My job is here to be here to take your mind off of stuff, keep you company as you drift off.

 

So, a podcast you don't need to listen to, no pressure to fall asleep.  That's why these shows are about an hour.  If you can't sleep or you find yourself…you need a break during the day, you want to take a nap, or you just want a little mental escape, this podcast is here for you…or you wake up during the night.  The reason these shows are about an hour is to give you plenty of time to drift off.  But if you can't sleep, I'm here to the very end, like I said.  I'm here to keep you company, awake or asleep.  I think one of the things about MacGruver and MacGyver is competence.  I'm on the other side of competence.  I don't think there's any way you can quibble that MacGyver is highly competent; either MacGyver or either MacGyver.  I was just wondering if Richard Dean Anderson was also in that movie…that show Air Puppy or whatever, about the helicopter.  I think so.  Anyway, so, where was I?

 

Oh, yeah, I'm not very competent at getting to the point.  I'm confident in my incompetence.  That's the truth.  Oh, the other thing, and this is way too late to tell you this but just in case…the structure of the show is very different.  Most podcasts start off…they do a quick intro, then they probably have some business, then they do a setup and then they might have some business, and then they have the thing.  Our show is…I guess kinda like that.  We have a greeting; ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, friends beyond the binary so everybody…say hello to everybody.  Then we do business for a few minutes, then we have an intro which goes from like, minute four or minute six to about minute twenty, twenty-two.  The intro just kinda goes on and on like we've been doing tonight where I kinda get distracted and follow those distractions wherever they're going.  For the new listener, you could say what is this?

 

But the regular listener, what it does is it eases you into bedtime or it gives you a chance to get ready for bed, or to start your wind-down routine.  Or if you're in bed, it gives you a chance to get comfortable.  Your familiar friend Scoots is here and instead of an action-packed night of dreamy hunks, the MacGyvers, or…I mean, talk about a hunk, in my opinion; Will Forte.  He's making you laugh and, I mean, easy on the eyes, I'd say.  Instead of that, you say…I don't know what my point was.  Instead of that, you say oh okay, Scoots is here.  I'm just gonna kinda barely listen.  Yeah, my friend's here to keep me company and not get to the point.  I don't have to worry about it.  He's just gonna go uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh instead of okay, what are we dealing with here?  Okay, we got the ticking clock, MacGruber.  We gotta figure it out.  Okay, so there's that, and then…I don't know what…oh, so that's the intro.

 

Then there's some business, then there will be a story, a bedtime story.  Tonight, it'll just be a one-off, kinda random thing.  Then there's some thank-yous and some goodnights at the end.  That's the structure of the show.  I think that's kinda everything.  The only thing left to tell you is the reason I make the show.  I make the show, one, because I've been there.  I know how it feels.  I woke up this morning wicked-early and I couldn't get back to sleep.  But I've also…have trouble on all…trouble getting to sleep, trouble staying asleep, tossing and turning.  All that stuff I've dealt with.  I know how it feels and it doesn't feel good to me.  It's nice to have someone there to keep you company and take your mind off of stuff, in my opinion.  I hope I could provide that for you.  But more important than that is you.  It's my belief and my knowledge that you deserve a good night's sleep.

 

You deserve a place where you can rest and get away.  I hope I can provide that for you.  Now, like I said, it doesn't work for everybody so you could check out sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou for other stuff.  But that's really why I'm here, is to see if I can help, so let's see how it goes.  Like most listeners say, you gotta see how it goes two or three times, then you realize oh, it's kind going nowhere-ish.  Oh, it's the maps…it's kind of like figuring out one of those mazes that's really complicated, like with the…with a cran.  You say well, my cran is…it's one of those…the cran is wider than the maze.  I'd say well, that's the perfect analogy for Sleep With Me; a complicated maze where the cran is wider than the maze.  I'm amazed you came up with that and I can understand it, but it barely makes sense to even me.  I'm glad you're here.  I really appreciate you checking the show out, giving me your time, and I really hope I yearn and I strive 'cause I want to help you fall asleep.  Here's a couple ways we're able to bring this show for free.

 

Alright, hey everybody, it's Scoots here and we're doing…we may…and I can't make any guarantees in this episode.  This is a bored board game unboxing and we may unbox two games.  This may be a two-for-one, though I'm wondering if I already unboxed one of these games.  We'll find out.  That would be pretty funny.  Did I?  I don't think I did 'cause I had three games and I said wait a second, did I already do this game?  But I don't think I did 'cause there's still tape on it.  That'd be interesting.  But so, I have two board games.  They came in smaller boxes.  They're more card and pip-based games.  I bought them in late February from my local…or one of my local used stores.  Late February I was there.  Rocket Reuse, it's called.  I do know they're still posting stuff on Facebook and probably on their website for…that you could still get through new ways.  But I'm gonna talk about these two games I picked up there.

 

So, a board game unboxing episode is basically where I unbox a board game that I've never opened before and I've never played it before, because I love board games and I found that they're very lulling.  The first game, I don't know, it caught my eye.  It's very, very ornate art.  I'll be honest; at some point it was almost…I said wait a second, is this too ornate for Scoots?  But it caught my eye.  Really, really detailed art.  The game is called Mascarade.  I'm looking at the top of the box now.  The box is a rectangle about the size of two or three decks of cards.  Yeah, I would say maybe…yeah, two-and-a-half decks of cards.  It's about as thick as two decks of cards, the box.  A really high-quality box.  It has that…what do you call it?  Like, material-type finish…weave to it.  Above Mascarade it says Bruno Faidutti.  F-A-I-D-U-T-T-I.  ‘Ai' is ‘i', right?  Faidutti.  Then it has a very, very ornate mask for a masquerade ball, friendly masquerade ball.

 

It has some plumes and feathers which are…it has plumage and feathers, flowers, jewels, another layer of flowers, layers of material.  Then it has coins.  It won an award from Con in 2014, some sort of board game award, or nominee.  I'm not sure 'cause it's in French.  The game is for two to thirteen players, ages 10+, and the time should be thirty minutes.  The producer of the game is Repos Production, R-E-P-O-S Production.  So, that's everything on the cover of the box.  [00:20:00] On one side of a box is an alluring figure who's cover…her face is partially covered.  She's in a gown.  This game is 10+ though, so I'm not expecting anything more than alluring.  It says Bruno Faidutti in Mascarade.  It repeats, two to thirteen players.  That's a lot of players for one game.  I don't know why it couldn't be twelve or fourteen, either.  That's interesting to me.  Maybe there's thirteen characters.  10+ and thirty minutes.

 

Then it has the Repos Production symbol.  On the other long side of the box it has two ovals with portraits of characters in there; one, a purple character…looks a bit like a trickster.  It says Mascarade in the middle.  Then the other character on the right side is more of a dashing-type character…neither one wearing a masquerade out…I mean, they look like…I don't know.  We'll find out more in the box.  On the ends of the box it says other stuff, so let's see.  Mascarade.  Judge or thief, king or peasant, witch or bishop?  Enter the Mascarade and unmask your opponents.  Assume the role of up to thirteen characters with the ultimate goal of being the richest player by the end of the game.  That sounds fun.  Let's see, there's a queen…oh, I'll read through the cards 'cause I can't read them all.  It looks like there's some other things.  It comes with fourteen of something…fourteen character cards, eighty-six coins, one bank symbol.

 

The art is by Jérémy Masson.  Game was Repos Production 2014 for all versions.  CE, Repos Productions.  It's Belgium…and not suitable for children under three.  That's everything.  So, I'm gonna open the box now.  Now, this is a used game but it's been checked, I think, for all parts.  So, when I first open it up, it has the rules.  Well, let me put it down and I'll be back.  So, when I first opened up the box, it has…let's see, it has the rules, it has these Mascarade cards which have like, on your turn what you could do, but we're not gonna read those quite yet.  It has three of those.  They're printed on hearty card…well, maybe not cardstock.  Then in the cover, we have a full view of the character…the alluring character.  I guess we see that the mask on the cover…she's also wearing a very fancy hat; not just a masquerade mask but a very, very fancy hat.  We won't look at the rules just yet.  But I'm gonna kinda go into the box first.

 

Okay, so in the box is…first, there's a bank symbol.  I'm assuming it's a bank symbol.  It's the same on both sides.  It's very…it's about the size of a human hand.  It's definitely thick cardboard.  It doesn't have Doric…I think…I don't know if those are iconic columns.  It has statues.  It's a marble bank.  It looks more like a museum.  It has two gold statues holding the scales of justice and two winged lions on either side, so it could be a library but we know it's probably a bank for the game.  Oh, it could be a masquerade hall.  Okay, so that's one thing in there.  Then another thing…'cause all the pieces are loose…there's some small, rectangular game pieces that I don't know what they mean.  Then there's some coins.  There's pennies or one-cent copper pieces, then there's five pieces…those are silver and then there's a ten-piece that's gold.  Yeah, then there's these cards and then these square pieces.

 

The cards are a bit like tarot cards, actually.  They're larger than playing cards.  They're actually the size of tarot cards.  The reason I say that is 'cause the first one I found, and I'm not kidding, I flipped it over and it's the Fool.  On the bottom of the card on a scroll, it says Fool.  Below the Fool is a symbol of a sack.  I don't know if it's a sack of money.  Then to the left of the fool is a wax…whatever that thing is called; imprint, like you'd seal a wax seal, with two cards circling each other.  It says +1 on a penny…+1 penny.  Then it has a very, very detailed drawing of a fool in a masquerade mask, holding a wand, gloves, frills, the fanciest jester hat you could ever possibly imagine.  So many layers; clothing, as well.  That's the Fool.  The next card is a Peasant and the Peasant is…underneath ‘Peasant' on a scroll, it says 8+.  Then it has a sack and then it says x 2.

 

The Peasant is a bearded man standing very determined, holding a rake with wheat strapped to his back, other tools around his belt.  Oh, and then the wax seal, it has +1, +2, and then two crossed rakes.  The next one is a W-I-T-C-H and this one is…wow, is this art.  It's like, greens and yellows.  She has earrings, a very cool hat, she has a potion in one hand and a doll in the other.  The doll has…it's…it looks like it's a…what do you call those?  It was just on Doctor Who; there was this similar W-I-T-C-H.  Oh, like a mannequin doll made out of burlap, I think.  She's kinda manipulating it.  She also has…what do you call those?  Those things you wear on your wrists that are decorative.  Not a necklace, but a necklace for your wrist.  Not a…I think you can call them bangles but they have a actual, real name that normally would be simple to remember, but I can't.  She's also wearing scarves.  Her clothing is many, many-layered.

 

Underneath W-I-T-C-H, it does not say anything, but hers shows two different color sacks on her symbol, her seal, circling one another; a blue and a brownish-yellow one.  That's our W-I-T-C-H.  Then another Peasant card, then a W-I-D-O-W.  This is one of the people from the side of the box.  She does have a trickster look to her face.  She's in all lavenders and greys and deep purples.  Underneath her…Widow is a sack, then on her seal it says equals 10 sacks.  She's also holding some sort of a pouch, so maybe they're not sacks; they're pouches.  She seems to be holding a pouch.  It's decorative.  In her other hand, she's holding a black masquerade mask with its eyes lowered.  It has a purple flower.  She has a lot of plumage around her.  She also has a fancy hood…hat, even bejeweled.  She's got layers of cloaks.  She's in front of…oh, she's where a W-I-D-O-W would be, I think, visiting.  But she looks like a trickster.

 

Wow, this game is loaded.  Then the next person is an investigator, but not; an Inquisitive Person.  Below them it just says 8+.  The Inquisitive Person, it says a question mark card, +4 pennies.  This person looks like they're warm in their inquisitive nature.  They're pointing at a scroll very heartily.  Their mouth is open like they're making a speech.  They're also holding a symbol that has different symbols to it.  They have multiple layers to their outfit.  Yeah, that's it.  The next person…this has got a little DnD feel to it, too, I guess, or roleplaying.  It's an S-P-Y, like I spy with my little eye, an S-P-Y.  They don't have anything…that's different than an SPF.  [00:30:00] They don't have anything below their symbol.  Then they have an eye with two cards circling one another.  They're out in the evening and they're saying I spy with my little eye, a candle in the sky.  Then they have multiple cloaks, good for sneaking around.

 

In their belt, they have some scrolls and some other things.  The next person is someone that borrows stuff without returning it.  They go by a different name and they look like they're already borrowing stuff.  They say okay, I just borrowed some stuff from my friend.  This is what…I mean…and to the left on their seal, it has two pennies pointing at one another, +1, +1.  I'm still not quite understanding the gameplay.  It seems like each character has the ability to do something.  But this person, I say hey, borrowed a sack of stuff and a lamp.  They were also wearing…they have a hood and a masquerade thing.  They say I'm probably gonna go to the ball, too, after I take all this stuff I borrowed and get it ready to be returned.  I used to borrow stuff without permission and then get clothes from my roommates, and then I would get stains on them.  Then the clothes would become mine.  They still joke about it.

 

Or I'd say well, that…I forgot where I put that.  I still have many amends to make.  Oh, this art is very…the next person is a Bishop.  They don't look like the most generous kind.  They look like the kind cloaked…'cause they were holding…it says Max +2 on their seal.  They're dressed in fineries, I'd say.  On their left hand, they have many, many rings and glove…and they're holding a staff with a symbol and three things of incense.  They have a very high hat with jewels.  They're also…have a box full of donations, I would assume, of gold and what are those things called?  Pearls.  Their face looks like they're used to eating very…they eat a lot of finery.  Next up is the King who is regal; holy cow.  They have a lot of layers, too.  They're wearing a crown, they seem to be in a fancy, tented room.  It says +3.  They also have a sack below them.  Oh, they even are…I guess they're standing between a throne.

 

It doesn't look like they're sitting down, but they have two stone or wooden lions on either side of them.  After that is a Judge.  It has a picture of the bank.  +X is says on their seal.  Below them it has an exclamation point.  The Judge has the judge thing where they knock and they say order, order, order.  They have something to write with, a quill with the fancy plume.  They're holding some sort of book that seems like the book of rules and stuff.  They're in a library.  They have a very…a face like a lion and they have the curly hair that judges have in movies and stuff, or a Tory…I don't know if those are what…Tories…I don't know what else to call them.  They're in a lot of blue.  Again, very nice outfit.  Next up is the Queen.  I don't think she's the one from…she's very…say holy cow, I don't know if I could have feelings for a playing card, but I may.  Below her is a sack and then it says +2 for pennies for her seal.

 

She's holding a Mascarade mask in one hand on a stick.  She has rings, she has a very…a hat like a…I don't know what you'd call it.  She has a crown but she has that thing that has two puffs that go up each side.  She has some…what are those?  Peacock feathers or peacock plumage.  She has a big collar, a lot of jewels and earrings and frilly stuff.  Oh, here's the other person from the cover, or one of the sides, the person that doesn't play by the rules.  That was the person that has a brash look on their face.  They're holding two cards behind their back.  Looks like Aces.  It says +10 and it's surrounded in olive leaves on their seal.  They're holding two Aces behind their back, then holding some other cards forward and looking over their shoulder.  They have a couple plumes in their fancy hat.  No mask.  They're kinda doing a flourish.  They say yeah, I don't play by the rules.  I bend the rules 'cause I C-H-E-A to the T.

 

Then we have the Fool.  I think that's everything.  I think those are all the characters.  Let me run through them again.  Yeah, so there's fourteen character cards, then there's…oh, I guess there's these little symbols.  Maybe these go on the board or something.  There's one for the Peasant that kinda has a thing like the bottom of their card, +1, +2 with two rakes.  I see the Bishop; it has their face.  These are these little square symbols…Max +2.  Oh, and then on the other side, it's just artwork of them.  Then I have the inquisitive fellow, and it says question mark card, +4.  We have a mothering figure.  I didn't see her…I didn't use her card, but she has nothing on her symbol.  We have the Spy who has an eye with two cards circling one another.  We have the person that doesn't play by the rules with an olive +10.  We have the Judge with the bank…or, I guess the house of judging, +X, coins.  We have the King; it says +3.

 

We have the Fool who I know well, of course, who has coins going in each direction; +1, +1.  We have…wait a second, if there's a Fool…oh no, that wasn't the Fool.  That was the person that takes stuff without permission 'cause now I'm seeing the Fool who has +1 with coins circling one another.  They both had masks on.  That's why I get those two mixed up.  We have the person who's just dealing with loss…that's equal 10 sack.  Then we have another Peasant.  It looks like there's two Peasants.  We have the W-I-T-C-H with two things circling one another.  The Queen…I'll probably keep this one with me, just for inspiration.  Oh, that's two coins.  I still don't have an idea of the rules, but let's look on this Turn card.  On your turn, you could do any one of the following: you could swap your card, you could look at your card secretly, or you can announce a character to activate their power.

 

If you're the Spy, you could look at their card and another and then swap them or not.  If you're the Bishop, you could take two gold coins from the richest of the other players.  If you're the Judge, you could take all of the courthouse's gold.  If you're the person that takes stuff with…borrows stuff without asking, you could take one gold coin from each adjacent player.  If you're the Queen, you would receive two gold coins.  If you're the King, you would receive three gold coins.  If you're the W-T-I-C-H or however you spell that, you would swap your entire fortune with that of another player of their choice.  If you're the Peasant, you receive one gold coin.  If there are two Peasants, you each receive two gold coins.  If you're the Fool, you get one gold coin and swap or not two cards other than their own.  If you're the person that doesn't play by the rule, you win the game if you have ten or more coins.

 

If you're the person with loss, you receive gold coin…you receive coins from the Bank until you have a total of ten.  It doesn't mean you get…I'll have to ask that.  If you're the Inquisitive Person, you could point at another player who must guess their character…who their character is or give the Inquisitor four coins.  It seems to be kind of a game of…maybe you don't know what your cards are.  Okay, so let's see, I'm gonna go through the rules quickly here…talk slowly, though.  Mascarade is a bluffing game, a character-based bluffing game, [00:40:00] two to thirteen players.  Each player has a facedown character card.  During the game, the players will swap characters and no one is ever sure of the card they have in front of themselves.  The object of the game is to use the powers of the characters to obtain thirteen gold coins.  However, if any player goes bankrupt, the game ends and the richest player wins.

 

Huh, is this the…isn't this the same rules as Life?  Hardy-har.  Not talking about the game of Life.  For the first few games, we suggest limiting the group to four to eight players as any more will require in-depth knowledge of the rules.  This could be a fun…all-family game, like…we go in through the contents.  Each player starts with six gold coins and the player must keep their coins visible.  Remaining money is placed in the center of the table which will be the bank.  Then there's the courthouse which is some distance from the bank.  Then depending on the number of players, you kinda keep certain…you take…or remove characters from the game.  Then the character cards are shuffled.  Each player receives one face-up in front of them.  With four or five players, the remaining cards are placed face-up in the middle of the table.  When all players have taken a good look at the cards, they're all turned facedown.

 

The character tokens are used to keep track of which characters are present in the game.  Place them next to the courthouse, and the youngest player begins.  Then it goes clockwise.  For subsequent games, you could use other character combinations but keep in mind, the Judge must play.  A minimum of one-third, if not more of the characters, should bring money from the bank into gameplay.  Those characters are Queen, King, Widow, Fool, and Peasants.  Both Peasant characters must always be included in the gameplay.  If a character has an 8+ icon, that means there must be eight players to be included.  Those are Peasants and…I don't know.  That doesn't make sense.  In games with more than five players, you could choose to add more cards in the middle of the table as in games of four or five players.  Game turn; in the first four turns, meaning the first four players, are preparation turns solely meant to introduce a bit of uncertainty into the game.

 

The first player, the youngest, and the next three players clockwise all must perform the same action.  The players whose turn it is takes their card facedown and another one facedown…another facedown card of their choice, either that of another player or the middle of the table.  Then while being concealed under the table and without looking at them, they can swap the two cards or not before putting them back in place.  Okay, so then you start mixing the cards up.  On the fifth turn, the game begins in earnest and each player must perform only one action; swap their card or not under the table, look at their card, or announce their character.  Warning: if a player has revealed their card during the turn of the player immediately before them by having called the character announcements of the player to the right or having been revealed by the Inquisitor, then the player cannot announce that they are their revealed character.

 

The player will be forced to swap their card…swap their card or not.  This allows a player to secretly swap or not their card with another player.  You take your card in one hand without looking at it, take the card of another player without looking at it, then under the table, out of the sight of all the players, swap their cards or not.  Keep one of the two cards and return the other card to the player from whom you took it, or in the middle of the table.  Remember, players are not allowed to look at the cards and they must remain facedown.  Even the player whose card was taken is not allowed to look at the card that was returned to them.  It's kinda complicated.  It's possible that the player who performs the action no longer remembers whether the cards were swapped or not.  That's too bad.  Example; Adele forgot who their character was but she's almost certain about Bruno's.

 

On her turn, she takes her card as well as Bruno's under the table and swaps them.  She returns one and keeps it to Bruno for herself.  Secretly look at your card; that means you can secretly look at your card.  If a player looks at their card by mistake, then they must perform that action on their turn.  Announce their character: this is the main activity of the game.  It allows players to activate the power of their character.  When a player announces they are a character, all other players in turn, starting on the left and going clockwise, have the option of calling the active player's announcement by claiming to be the same character.  If no one else claims to be the character, the player applies the power of the character without revealing their card.  Okay, so there you go.  There's the bluffing part.  Therefore, it's possible to use the power of any character in the game without being that character, even without knowing who you are.

 

If one or more players also claim to be that character, all concerned players reveal their cards.  If one of the players is the character, that player uses the character's power.  Then the players that falsely claimed it pay a fine of one gold to the courthouse.  Then all the players turn their cards again.  Bruno would say I'm the King, and if no other players say it, then Bruno gets the power of the King.  If Adele and Cedric also played…claimed to be the King, they would reveal it and play a coin; like, whoever's not the King.  Then we went through the powers…the person, the I-spy person gets to look at their card and another player's card, or a card before swapping or not.  The Bishop takes two gold coins from the richest of the other players.  The Fool receives a gold coin from the bank and swaps or not the cards of two other players under the table without looking at them.  The Inquisitive Person points at another player.

 

That player must then announce what they believe to be their character and reveal their card.  If they're wrong, they must pay four gold coins to the Inquisitor.  If they aren't wrong, the power has no effect.  It has to be eight players if you're using the Inquisitor.  The Judge takes all the coins in the courthouse.  If the Judge is falsely claimed, the Judge…the fine is paid after the Judge's power is resolved.  A Peasant gets a gold coin from the bank or two if there's two Peasants revealed during a turn.  Oh, they both get paid.  The Queen gets two coins from the bank.  The King gets three.  The W-T-I-C-H can swap her fortune with any player.  A fine is always paid after.  The person that doesn't play by the rules; they win if they have ten coins.  The person with loss gets ten coins to the bank to get their fortune to ten coins.  If they have ten or more coins, they don't get anything.

 

This is an example for this one 'cause I didn't understand it; Adele only has one gold coin left.  She says, I'm the person with loss.  Harry calls her bluff and claims that Adele and Harry reveal their cards.  Adele is the Queen.  Harry is the person with loss.  If he has less than ten coins, he gets all the coins from the bank 'til he has ten.  Adele pays a fine of one coin and actually, the game ends 'cause she only had one coin.  The person that takes stuff…borrows stuff, they take one coin from the player to the left and one coin from the player to the right.  As soon as a player has thirteen coins or they're…some player loses their last gold coin, the game ends and the richest player wins.  There is a way to play it with three players or even two players, and it has instructions for that.  So, that's that game.

 

This next game is called The Builders: Middle Ages and it has what looks like a cathedral being built, someone working on a marble block, and someone looking at plans, and a couple of people carrying wood.  This is the front cover.  Also, the ‘R' has a crown on it for ‘Builders'.  There's…what do you call that stuff?  Scaffolding and even a marble block being carried up to one of the towers of the cathedral.  There's also another building on the right just to add a little flourish.  It's kind of a cartoony drawing.  This is a tin.  It's a square about the size of two decks of cards and it has raised writing.  One of the builders and one of the planners [00:50:00] is raised, as well as the building on the right; pressed into the tin.  That just adds this 3D effect.  Then on the top it has a light bulb and then Frédéric Henry, so I guess the idea concept by Frédéric Henry and a brush…Sabrina Miramon, so I guess art by Sabrina Miramon.

 

On one of the sides of the box, it says Bombyx, which it must be the company.  Then it has 10+ for age, two to four people, and thirty minutes.  On another side, it has Builders: Middle Ages with a crown on the ‘R' and a person just in profile.  Then the other side, again, it says 10+, two to four, and thirty minutes.  Then on another side, it says The Builders: Middle Ages.  On the back side on the top left, it has a smiling face with some gears.  Then it says ‘Worker placement management and optimization.' Then the copy goes, ‘Becoming the first builder of the kingdom is a dream of any foreman.  To realize it, you'll have to have good recruitment with wise choice of your construction sites, as the buildings you construct will earn you renown but also the money needed to hire more competent workers who themselves will be better able to build more prestigious monuments such as a cathedral, the masterpiece of a lifetime.

 

Below the copy it has a townhouse, which it looks like it says two crowns.  It has some coins and it has a couple builder cards.  There's a master with five silver…well, I guess we'll look at the cards…castle and a craftsman.  Then it has more details.  Asmodee is the company, A-S-M-O-D-E-E, that made the game.  Pittsburgh, New York, and France.  Yeah.  I'm gonna dig into the box.  Okay, this game, it looks like, has never been played.  It has an unopened bag…oh, it could have been resealed, I guess…of plastic gold and silver coins.  But they actually sound like coins even though they're plastic.  Then it has two decks of cards and the instructions.  We'll dig right into the cards.  It has square cards the size of a coaster for drinks and actually, that stuff on both sides of the cards…on one side is buildings.  This one is the abbey, the first card.  It has eighteen down silver coins and then five crowns.

 

It's a resource game, I guess…then it…costs four out of five blocks, three out of five pieces of wood, two out of five what looks like a compass, some sort of architectural symbol, and then roofing materials; it looks like one.  On the other side of the abbey is what the abbey looks like completed.  Very beautiful; five crowns.  Next up is the inn which costs twelve silver coins, I'm assuming, with the green arrow down; three crowns, two blocks, one thing of wood, one thing of craftsmanship, and two things of roofing.  I guess the inn has more roofing.  That's cool.  Ooh, an aqueduct.  That's twenty silver coins, six crowns, five full…so, all the marble you could handle, two things of wood or scaffolding.  It takes a five level of skill but no roofing.  People always forget roofers until you need a roof, right?  Yeah, the other side of the coin always shows what it's like completed, which is cool.

 

Then a treehouse which costs six gold coins, one…so, a good place to start; one crown, no stone, two woods, one craftsmanship, and no roofing.  Then we have the castle which costs twenty coins, seven crowns, obviously five stone, three wood, five in craftsmanship and three in roofing.  A wooden shack is eight coins, zero crowns, zero stone, one wood, one craftsmanship, and zero roofing.  A chapel is eighteen coins and five crowns, three stone, two wood, two craftsman, and three roofing.  Quite a nice…it looks completed quite nice.  It looks like it even has a couple stone wheelbarrows and then a nice rose window.  The cathedral – I think that was the pinnacle, it said.  Twenty coins, eight crowns, five stone, four wood, four craftsmanship, and four roofing.  It uses almost everything.  But completed, it's got flying buttresses and everything; three towers, two bell towers or two…yeah, two bell towers up front, rose…two rose windows, and then a tower in the middle.

 

A cottage would be nice for me.  That's ten gold coins, two crowns, no stone, two wood, one craftsmanship, and then two in roofing.  It's got a nice thatch roof, two stories or a loft, it's got some chickens in the yard, and a nice chimney.  Stables; fourteen coins, three crowns, and then stone…no stone, three wood, one craftsman, three roofing.  We have the church; eighteen coins, five crowns, four stone, zero wood, two craftsmanship, and four roofing.  The church is a lot of…yeah, it has a slate roof.  Even has a weather vane, two rose windows.  A cowshed is twelve coins.  I would have put it at much less.  I mean, no offense to cows.  Three crowns, no stone, one wood, two craftsmen, three roofing.  It's a pretty long building, like a stable which you need for cows.  Definitely seen this building in one of those games…whatever, you parachute in.

 

A forge is fourteen coins, three crowns, two stone, two wood, no craftsmanship though, and three roofing.  If you're low on craftsmen but you got the roofs, build a forge.  It has a horse out front, even.  A covered market is sixteen coins, four crowns, no stone, three wood, two craftsmen, three…one roof, kind of an open market.  A hotel is sixteen coins, four crowns, one stone, three wood, three craftsmen, one…with the hotel, it's like it gets bigger as it goes up.  The first floor is small and then the second…it has four stories.  Really nice-looking hotel.  A straw hut…this is an easy one, in my opinion; six coins, one crown, one stone, zero wood, zero craftsmen, and two roofing.  Doesn't look as round.  It's got two chickens and a straw roof but it's made of stone even though…oh, it has one stone.  Yeah.  A wash house is six coins, one crown, no stone, one wood, no craftsmen, two roofing, so kind of like a water…riverside place to do wash.

 

The bourgeois house, sixteen coins, four crowns, two stone, two wood, two craftsmen, two roofing, so very balanced.  It just looks like a nice townhouse.  Three stories would be a nice place to live, but maybe I'd prefer the rural house.  It's ten coins, two crowns, one stone, two wood, one craftsman, one roofing.  Yeah, that look nice; two-and-a-half stories.  Also, there's a townhouse which is ten, too.  The townhouse is ten coins and two crowns as well.  It's all stone, though; two stone, no wood, two craftsmen, and one…probably cause of permits.  Also nice; three stories with a little side storage area.  Nice roof.  A regular house; ten coins, two crowns, two stone, one wood, no craftsmen, two roofs.  That's like a regular one-story with a loft.  A windmill is fourteen coins, three crowns, [01:00:00] three stone, no wood, three craftsmen though, and one…the roofing thing.  A really nice windmill; canvas.  We got a watermill.

 

I want to get to the workers, though.  Stone bridge, covered bridge, a pig sty.  Let me look at the pig sty.  Finished…oh boy, does that look nice.  There's six…one, two, three, four, five adult pigs and two piglets there.  A post rural relay…cool.  A grain silo, tavern, a bower, watch tower, a farm, cloister, crane, circular saw…maybe these are things you could actually use to do other stuff.  Oh yeah, it gives you wood.  Oh, so some of these give you resources.  Survey tools…a tile oven gives you resources.  A crane gives you resources.  Circular saw…okay, so there's more than one.  This definitely hasn't been played 'cause they're all in order, the survey tools.  Now, let's run through these cards.  I really don't…so, this is probably one of those resource games…rules…there's a master builder; they cost…their five coins go up, so maybe they get paid five coins.  Oh, and there's different levels.  This guy's a roofing master and that's it.

 

There's also this…another master that's good at roofing and stone.  Another one that doesn't have his shirt on, he's really good at stone and good at roofing.  Then there's another master who is…his profile was on the cover.  He's got three stone and two wood.  No roofing or survey skills.  Then we got one that's good at…three on wood, two on…he's got a sleeveless shirt on, too.  He's good at…two at surveying.  This one, he's got a little hat on.  He's good at…two on stone, three on wood.  Then we have one that's a three on survey, two on roofing.  This is really interesting.  You get a feel for like, okay, you get your player…your characters and your…what you want to build and you gotta figure it out from there.  This one's good at…two on wood, three on surveying.  He's also got a little plan, a nice little belt.  Then we have a craftsman.  This dude just has a vest on.  I mean, he has pants on too, but he's jacked.

 

He gets a income of four; one on stone, two on survey, one on roofing.  Then another craftsman…this dude, again, no shirt.  These craftsmen don't wear shirts.  He just has an apron on and jean shorts.  Then another one who's got a hat and a shirt and a vest on; big biceps.  Then another one who's got no sleeves but two layers at least, and a belt.  Then another one who just has a vest on, a very small vest.  He's like, busting out of it.  Then one that has…looks like he's wearing a backpack in addition to his sleeveless shirt and jean shorts, even though these are in the Middle Ages.  Then another one just in a…what do you call that?  Just an apron.  This is like building after dark, they call it.  Then another one, sleeveless shirt.  He's got leather gloves, too.  Then a guy with just backpack straps…and he's in jean shorts.  No shirt.  Then one with layers.  He's got a belt and a apron and a sleeveless tee.  There's a bunch of craftsmans.

 

Oh wow, there's a lot of craftsmans.  Then there's laborers.  They're very…the laborers are not as big as the craftsmen.  There's a lot of different ones of them.  This game looks like fun.  You could check in with me about this game, too, and I'll try to play them both and fill you in on how it went, alright?  How does that sound?  Goodnight.

 

[END OF RECORDING]

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