Facing Terror in Mythos Tales: Looking Into the Unknown
Follow leads down nightmarish paths in the city of Arkham over the course of multiple investigations with Mythos Tales.
Many of the mystery games that line my shelves are more like single-use experiences with fixed solutions. This got me thinking the other day… Why have I not actually tried to solve these cases?! Mythos Tales made it to my table years ago, yet I was determined to finish up all of these investigations. Frightening or not, I would crack these cases at long last!
Game Overview
Game Name: Mythos Tales
Publication Year: 2016
Designers: H. Eccles, W. Kenyon, J. Maxwell, and T. Uren
Artists: M. Coimbra, G. Patsouras, and E. Torres
Publishers: 8th Summit and Grey Fox Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
With 8 cases to work through, the entire city of Arkham becomes the backdrop for strange mysteries. Newspapers help provide hints as to what’s going on, while the map and directory offer places to visit. There are many twists in these horrifying investigations of the deep unknown.
First Play
September 4, 2019
Complexity
1
Latest Play
July 22, 2023
Expansions
0
Setup Time
Almost None
Lifetime Plays
9
Play Time
40 Minutes
High Score
22
Game Area
42" x 28"
Low Score
8
A Book of Mysteries
All of the cases are bound in a single book, which only has the major downside of not always lying open flat.
There isn’t necessarily a required order, but playing from start to end typically makes the most sense. It’s more about playing case 1 first and finishing with case 8.
Nothing too novel here! The map and directory provide the main ways to track down leads, while the story and newspapers create some helpful foundational details.
Just keep in mind that these aren’t cozy mysteries… Arkham is all about horror, and the cases lean into that!
Tracking Time Spent
Perhaps the most unique element here is the requirement to track time. Every move to a new location takes time, which is tracked against the maximum allowed per case.
This is great for providing an end point to answer the questions and calculate a final score, of course!
However, it’s also an ironic way to stifle an investigation. I felt like I couldn’t track down random leads because I was pressed for time. And afterno-on… Excuse me. Why?!
Some entries were affected by the time of day, too, yet this all felt a little too random and mechanical to be fun.
Irony in the Newspaper
One of the newspapers included a letter to the editor that I felt was appropriate for the game itself. So meta! Ha ha!
Yet I do have to point out how many typos were present. Words were broken up oddly (afterno-on), misspellings abounded, and some grammar was also clearly incorrect.
I know how much work goes into editing text, and a few mistakes often make it through… That’s coming from someone over here who edits rulebooks! But this was a lot.
There was even a major error in one case I chose to fix on my own, which was fortunately the right thing to do.
Back to the First Case
Despite the typos, I had a fantastic time! The opening case is a wonderful introduction to the system and world of Arkham. Nothing cozy here… It’s all terrifying!
Or you can be like me, get mildly scared, think you’ve just captured a pretty cool photo angle, and realize you just made the best set of googly eyes by accident. Not scary!
I played this case long ago and although I vaguely remembered some details, I actually focused on the clues.
This resulted in a decent enough score at the end for me to win with lots of correct answers to the questions. Yeah!
Finding Flesh & Blood
The next case was brand new to me, and full of twists. What I thought might be a red herring or someone just overreacting turned out to be exactly correct. Yikes!
I found this one to be another frightening case that built off of the first one. It was possibly a little too much in the horror realm for me with its vivid descriptions, though.
There weren’t too many unknown leads, luckily, so I didn’t feel like I got stuck at any point. Always a plus!
I’ve been watching Murder, She Wrote lately, and I highly doubt J.B. Fletcher would be up to investigate here. Ha ha!
A Familiar Sort of Case
I’m not particularly versed in the works of H.P. Lovecraft, although I’ve played enough solo horror games to have some knowledge of a few stories and their plots.
Investigation three wasn’t too much of a surprise in terms of its content, although it was the first one that had me scrambling to chase down a ton of different leads!
There were some answers I never stumbled across, but again, I kept up my reputation as a decent detective.
With all of the cases, I went back to read the rest of the entries just so I could get the full story. No need to retry!
Off to Slumber Away
Some cases introduce new mechanics, and the fourth case stood out as a pretty unique entry. No major spoilers, but this opened up the ability to dream and do… More stuff.
It was an interesting concept that I was really excited to dig into! Unfortunately, things were a little disappointing with the way I randomly backed myself into a corner.
The case solution was still discovered and I was victorious, yet I felt like there could have been something better here!
However, I appreciated the different mechanics that added some unexpected surprises. Just don’t dream too much…
The Benefits of Finishing Up Every Investigation
In the past, I’ve had the lofty idea of working on a game like this piecemeal, with a case completed every month or so. As I’ve discovered, that never happens! I often start with the first case, enjoy it, and then promptly move on to a lot of other solo games. That makes the case playable again, but not in a sense of progression. So, I tried something different.
Playing all of the cases in a few sessions over the course of a few days worked out so much better! I had all of the mechanics down and could see the connections between cases. Even better? I knew I wouldn’t plan to keep this around forever, so I’m now confident I can pass it along after completing the experience. Saving some shelf space. Hurray!
This is actually making me more open to single-use games, or ones that aren’t designed to be played forever. It’s not practical for me to space out investigations. There are a handful of other games that fit into this realm, so I imagine I’ll try to move through them in this way at some point soon. After all, I’m here for the experience: Not eternal storage!
Once Bitten… Again?
As I entered the second half of the cases, things took a dangerous turn. Again, not spoiling anything here, yet this one felt like my investigator was being watched.
Definitely added a sense of urgency and even more horror elements! However, this one didn’t stand out to me against the rest of the cases. There was just a new aspect.
I guessed correctly in terms of some decisions and managed to survive with another victory. Very nice!
This may have been a little more of a convoluted mystery, too, for I didn’t see all of the connections that easily.
Entirely Starstruck
Here’s an odd and spooky detail… I couldn’t remember many details about this case about a day later. Oh, my!
I wasn’t racing through these cases, either, so it’s strange that this one only brings back a couple of details without any specifics. Maybe it was the lone casualty of cases.
It’s hard to keep every investigation entirely interesting from start to finish, though, and this might just have been the single instance that didn’t pan out for me. It happens!
Besides, I wanted to experience all of the cases together and this one definitely added some details to the story.
Panic at Vanishing
Alternatively, maybe I forgot about the former case because this one was quite unnerving! Running short on time actually helped me here for a couple of reasons.
There was an investigation to explore that took some interesting turns and may have even hearkened back to previous information… But something was brewing.
I liked the horror element here, even if it was definitely on the scarier side for my personal preferences. Brilliant!
This case kept me entirely engaged and even bewildered throughout much of it, which made it a great experience.
Session Overview
Play Number: 2-9
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Cases 1-8
Outcome: 16, 20, 10, 16, 18, 16, 22, 22 (8 Wins)
But then the final case arrived, and it didn’t feel like it tied together anything. There was a single detail I remembered that led me towards the solution almost immediately… So it was like a very easy conclusion that paled in comparison to a few cases. I still enjoyed playing through everything, though! It will be nice to check this off my list and know that I’m all set with it… No more nightmares for me!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
8
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
6
Quality
Components & Rules
9
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
8
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
2
+ Pros (Positives)
- Each investigation is very different, sometimes introducing new mechanics but never following the same formula.
- Clues can often be found throughout the case details and newspapers, so it’s hard to get completely stuck.
- The horror elements are masterfully weaved throughout not only the case stories, but also some of the mechanics.
- Rarely is a solution obvious from the first handful of leads, requiring some deduction and observation to solve.
- Some characters have recurring roles throughout the cases and form strong, memorable personalities.
- Cases don’t necessarily use the map that much, but there are still some fun puzzles and hints to make it helpful.
– Cons (Negatives)
- There are a lot of typos and errors, some of which are integral to solving cases or advancing in a logical way.
- Having a time tracker works in some senses, yet feels more like it stifles investigations and limits exploration.
- Despite having a hint at a climactic final case, it pales in comparison to some cases and has an easy initial hint.
- Investigations are single-use with some convoluted paths, and answering every question is nearly impossible.
Victory Conditions
Solve the Case
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Solve Case 1: A Grain of Evil.
Solve Case 2: Flesh & Blood.
Solve Case 3: The King Cometh.
Solve Case 4: The Slumbering Solace.
Solve Case 5: The Serpent's Vengeance.
Solve Case 6: The Star of Tokelau.
Solve Case 7: The Vanished Girl.
Solve Case 8: Pasquale's Wager.
Continue the Conversation
What have your experiences been with Mythos Tales? Have you solved all of the cases, or did any baffle you? I enjoyed this one as a fun mashup of the horror and mystery genres. Some of these investigations were downright scary to be even more memorable. I’ll be moving this one along, yet I think it’s a fantastic experience with the unique cases!
Excellent! This is another game in my ‘to play’ pile… I had all good intentions of playing this last Halloween, but didn’t!
As usual, your review and comments about the game make me want to get game on the table and try it!
Thanks, Dave! Maybe this Halloween will be the right time… Or even sooner. It definitely presents a spooky sort of atmosphere no matter the time of year! Good luck playing!