This is the third time we've played MOM, and nobody has yet won. Neither the keeper nor the players manage their win condition before the time runs out. Mostly it's because of things like these:

At a certain point in the third story, you're told that a door cannot be unlocked unless you know the "magical phrase". This refers to a card, hidden elsewhere. But there's also a time-sensitive card which gets read at one point that reveals a "magic phrase". This is confusing, and led to us having to backtrack significantly in the game.

Also, is it just me or does it seem like there's a very specific order in which things have to go in order for the players to win? The game banks a lot on players managing to guess correctly the order of events as they go through the game, and there really is no time (see my first line) to waste. I also think the game might be unwinnable if you aren't able to guess the correct meaning of some ambiguous cards.

Example: at a certain point you have a (I think) silver key in your hand, which tells you that you can discard it to open a 'locked' door. OK, so the players use it to get into a room. Then a room or two later, they find a lock that REQUIRES said silver key, and no others. Is the game now unfinishable? Apparently, since the room it opens gives you access to a locked cabinet elsewhere, which holds the win condition for the players.

Similarly, when using a crowbar against a zombie, it broke. This was before the manhole was opened, which made it a much less interesting game all of a sudden. As keeper, I exercised narrative executive power and allowed the players to pry open the cover with their crucifix (which makes about as much sense as breaking a crowbar on a rotting zombie). I think leeway on the keeper's part is required for the story to be told with any justice.

I'm all for narrative in board games, but it seems like the moment you introduce elements of language into play, there's more interpretation than the rules can really handle. The conditions for winning are very specific, but the narrative elements make it feel more like a story or a roleplaying game, where things are a bit more fluid. Maybe the win conditions need to be more general, or there need to be options...I'm not sure. Am I out to lunch here? Are the fluidity and multiple winning conditions of a roleplaying game just not compatible with the rigidity of board game rules? Was story 3 unwinnable the way it turned out for us?

Zozimus said:

1) It seems you have bad understanding of game rules. Silver Key ONLY opens the door that requires specifically SILVER KEY and no other door.

2) How do you manage to break your crowbar against humanoid? I had over 10 game sessions all of them filled with humanoids and the only time someone broke a melee blunt weapon was McGlenn, and he did it by cracking skull of Hound of Tindalos.

I think you misunderstoon "drop weapon". When this effect occurs, you remove weapon from inventory and place it in the investigators space as if it was an exploration card. "discard weapon" function removes weapon from the game, not "drop".

3) About magic phrase. Magic phare key item and special phrase from the Event card is two diffirent things absolutely not connected with each other.

Thanks for the insight....in retrospect, it's clear, but during the game, it sure wasn't.

1. The silver key (might have been bronze...can't remember) doesn't SAY you can't open any locked door. The way it was worded was ambiguous. We only found out after the fact that what you say is true, and by then the game is already FUBAR.

2. It may have been against a Mi-Go. I just remember it breaking, which makes the whole manhole thing kind of useless. Again, not a game-breaker, but still kind of annoying.

3. Yeah, that became clear AFTER the whole thing blew up in our faces. It really ought to say on the card that you need another card with a phrase on it. Otherwise, there's ambiguity.

The point kinda was that we kept having to play catchup with the rules. We were more hampered by them than helped. I still sort of wonder whether rigid rules in a rigid play order is really compatible with the fluidity of storytelling. At the moment I'm kind of disenchanted by the game. I like the idea of it, but the practical part where we play hasn't been so hot.

Well, somehow at my first playthrough I knew what Door and Obstacle cards are only opened with items, illustrated on them. Maybe it's noted somewhere on the rules.

I've had the game scince it came out and i own both POD expansions.In my experience, the Investigators really do need to find the clues IN ORDER! If they don't and go astray, things like using Keys on wrong doors and using items like the Crowbar on a monster will happen. As keeper you kind of need to keep them focused on the hints and clues in the 1st texts that you read, or it can go badly. The game is defiently winnable, just keep with the story.