First this is not a game report but rather how the iPhone app really intergrates into game play:
So this weekend we attempted our first game using the new iPhone app and I have to say the results were impressive. The setup was simple, we had three players each playing two investigators and we had two iPhones total.
We decided to give KiY a try with no other expansions. No touring mode, but just decided since we own all the expansions already why not try each one on its own then combine a few to give an increased challenge. The iPhone app lets you choose which expansions you use during your game. Again you must purchase each epansion in addition to the app. The KiY expansion was $.99 and includes all location cards. Only thing that is not managed by the app is the Mythos cards and equipment cards.
Since we had only two phones but three players, we had to pass the phones around. This worked out fine, but I could see in a large group it could be a pain. We used the phones only for location and outworld card replacement. Each of us agreed we wanted our investigator cards and clue tokens to be managed infront of us instead of on the phone. Also you would need a phone for each investigator you are playing because you cannot manage more than one investigator at a time on the app. Setup for the physical game was much quicker as well as clean up. With no location cards to speak of we had much more space for drinks snacks etc. The actual app is fun to use and added to some sense of excitement of clicking on a button and having your fate revealed. The only thing that was eliminated was the pain that is associated with shuffling cards. Some people may enjoy that, but for my money I would rather spend more time playing rather than shuffling a deck.
Also in the app is a dice rolling ability. Again we all agreed we wanted to roll our own dice due to secret dice rolling rituals/techniques.
All in all the app is a good tool for eliminating clutter at the game table. However I would stress that the investigator management tool needs work as well as possibly intergrating the inventory cards.
Seperate note: one of the players wondered if we could hack an old PC monitor so everyone could see the card result. I thought this would be a great idea and instead of each player having a phone they are given a wireless mouse. On your turn you could click the location on the much larger PC screen and all players could view it instead of one person reading aloud. Could lead to excitement/laughter etc if we could figure out a way to make this happen. Not sure if we have to many tech geeks out there but any input would be great!
The price of the app for me wasn't as big of an issue because again it reduced clean up and setup time as well as expedited play. Good app but still could use some tweeks.
Just wrote this quickly at work so I am sure there is typos, bad grammer etc. Go easy on me for my lack of typing ability.
Cheers,
Mike