Let me preface this with the fact I'm an enormous FFG Arkham Files fan. I've got all of the Eldritch Expansions, heading the same way with Mansions, and will likely do the same with Arkham 3e when they start rearing their heads.

So I was explaining/selling the concept of Mansions to a friend recently, and singing the praises of the app over the 1 hour+ prep from 1e. To which he asked an odd question.

If the app does a lot of that, then why is it a board game? Why not just go the extra bit of effort and make it a fully digital game?

I didn't have a great answer beyond "it's just better, it's fun, I like the physicality" etc. But it got me thinking.

Do any of you have answers for this? Has it come up at your tables?

Currently the app doesn't do everything for you - it tells you where to place things, but it's still up to the player(s) to keep track of who has what items, where things are, and how they move. For the app to do all of that, you would need to track all player movement, inventory, etc in the app also. If it did all of those things, then yes, why bother with the board game at all - but there's something nice about moving the physical items around.

Personally, I only recently got into board games as a way of getting away from my computer. Ironic that one of my favourite games needs an app, but as I play solo it works well for me, taking the role of dungeon master.

Also - Mansions of Madness - Mothers Embrace is due out next year for those who don't like the tactile feel of cardboard and plastic. And dice rolls.

I agree, with icabod. The app helps with the setup of components and flavor of the interactions. It's nice having the app to act as a DM, but there is more fun with figuring it out with friends around the table, not poring over a computer.

The app makes for a truly co-operative board game experience. Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition is 'All Players vs. Game' whereas 1st Edition was 'Most Players vs. 1 Player.' The app cuts down setup time and runs unseen things while you play the board game.

On 12/30/2018 at 6:39 PM, baileyborough said:

If the app does a lot of that, then why is it a board game? Why not just go the extra bit of effort and make it a fully digital game?

I've heard of people playing these app driven games solo and to me that's a real head scratcher. On my own I would much MUCH rather play a video game. But when it comes to playing with a group of people this will do something that video games don't, it will get you around a table facing and interacting with each other.

That said perhaps in the not too distant future virtual tabletops will be more accessible, delivering the same experience while relegating the cardboard of games like this to the trash bin of antiquated and overly elaborate nonsense...

https://www.tested.com/tech/3275-dd-of-the-future-why-virtual-tabletop-gaming-is-going-to-be-awesome-video/

any time line on this it says Quarter 2 and coming soon for a while now on steam. 😤

https://store.steampowered.com/app/840210/Mansions_of_Madness_Mothers_Embrace/