Miskatonic University: The Restricted Collection

23rd June 2019

It's Sunday lunchtime at 'The Sovereigns'. Normally this would mean 50 Fathoms, but plans change unexpectedly.

And when life gives to lemons, you play 'Miskatonic University: The Restricted Collection'.

​In Miskatonic University: The Restricted Collection all the players are 'well respected' academics who are completing for a promotion.
It appears that promotion in Miskatonic University achieved by going into the university's Restricted Collection and retrieving as much knowledge as you can.

'Pretty simple', you may say? But it appears that the Restricted Collection is really scary place where bouts of insanity lurk in every aisle.

Miskatonic University: The Restricted Collection is a set collecting and push your luck (Or more accurately, push you sanity.) game.

What's in a game?
Firstly, the game comes in a box that looks a bit like an old book and is thematically very nice for a game about a library.
The lid is held shut with a magnetic latch and swings open (Yes, like a book.) Within, you will find all the necessary components. Inside you will find:

• Player cards and board: Each player has their own little game board and deck of 'defence' cards
• Points cards; the game has 3 different types of points cards, not all are earned the same way. There are; black set point cards, red random point cards and grey bonus point cards. See below for a better explanation of what they are.
• The Library deck; this is the guts of the game and represents the deck players will be drawing from.

The components (And the packaging.) are pretty straightforward and contain some nicely evocative art. The individual player board is strange thing. completely superfluous to the game, but allowing the game to do a clever little visual trick, which is explained below.

How's it play?

The game is played over 5 rounds and is about collecting sets of cards. There are 3 different types of card types. These are all explained below.

First, there's setup.

Defence cards and a player board are given to each player.

• The defence cards are laid out in each players own area face up.
• Defence cards are used to mitigate drawing 'bad' cards from the library deck, more is explained below.
• The game board is not actually a board (Nothing is actually laid on top of the board.). Instead it is more a 'template' which you slot cards up against in the various different sets you collect.

Next the points cards are laid out. This done every round for all 3 rounds.

• First the black set point card is laid out. There are 5 of these and they increase  in value over the rounds. There is one card for each round. The value of the cards starts at 6 and increases to 10.
• The deck of red random cards is shuffled. The value of these cards are 2-6. At the start of each of the 5 rounds (After the black card has been laid out.) a number of them are dealt out and placed in a column, in descending value beneath the black card for that round.
• The combined number of black and red cards per round is equal to the number of players.
• The grey bonus cards are placed in a deck close to the other points cards. The grey cards are always worth 3 points.

Playing a round.

Gameplay is quite simple, players are faced with 2 choices in their turn. They are:

• ​Continue exploring the restricted collection.
• Voluntarily exit the restriction collection.

Exploring.

This action is pretty simple; the active player draws a card from the library deck and deals with the consequences. As explained above their are 3 types of card that can be drawn. The drawn cards are then slotted against the player according to what type of card they are.

• Grimoire fragments: There are 7 different grimoire fragments and 4 copies of each, for a total of 28 cards.
• if a player manages to draw 5 different fragments, they will complete a set. This is good! If any time a double is drawn by a player who already has a copy of that fragment in their playing area. Then this is bad!
• Sigil pieces: There are 3 different sigil piece card and 12 copies of each, for a total of 36 cards.
• If a player manages to draw all 3 different sigil pieces, (Thus creating an elder sign.). a set is completed. This is good! If they draw a double of a sigil piece they have already drawn. This is bad!
• Students: There are 16 identical student cards. That's right, there are students wandering around lost in the restricted collection area. Typical students - don't even know they're born eh?
• If a player manages to draw 4 student cards. This is good! Student cards are all identical, so there's never a negative to drawing a student. So there is a use to the beer-swilling layabouts then!

Completing a set.
When a player completes a set - it is good, depending on which set they complete.

• ​Completing an elder sign or a grimoire set allows the active player to draw a bonus points card and put it into their area. Bonus points cards are worth 3 points each. The set that was completed is then discarded into the discard.
• Completing a set of 4 student cards allows the active player to turn any one face down defence card back to face up. These student are useful. Then the set of 4 student cards are discarded.

Getting a double.
If the active player gets a double of either a grimoire fragment or a sigil piece, then heir mind temporarily snaps and they flee the library. Fleeing is bad and is explained below.
Student cards are all identical so drawing a double of a student card has no effect.
 
Defence cards.
Defence cards are useful tools used to mitigate the effect of drawing unwanted doubles. Each one has a different affect. One card will allow you to skip the draw phase, another may allow to discard a card before it takes affect. Another allows you to pass it on to another player.
Each card has a different affect and when it is played it is turned face down and cannot be used until turned face up again.
The only way turn face down card back face-up is by completing a set of 4 student cards, or being 'expelled' from the restricted collection!

Exiting the library.
There are 2 ways a player will exit the library.
Either of their own volition or in terror after drawing the wrong kind of double.

If a player chooses to leave the restricted collection, they carry out 2 actions.

• The player collects the lowest scoring card available from the black and red cards laid out for this round.
• The player then discard all their grimoire fragments and sigil pieces.
• The player keeps any student cards they have collected. Those students, they're so loyal, maybe they do know that they've been born!

If they player is forced out of the restricted collection, they carry out 3 slightly different  actions.

• The player takes the lowest scoring card from the available black and red cards for that round and discards it.
• The player then discards all of the cards they have collected - including students. Those poor students, they're having such a hard time of it.
• Finally, the player can turn a face-down defence card back to face-up.

Play continues until all players have left or fled the restricted collection. Then the round has ended.
Play progresses until all 5 rounds have been completed.
Then all the points from the black, red and grey cards are tallied. The highest score, wins.

Overall
Miskatonic University: The Restricted Collection is actually a very simple push your luck game. your only ever have a binary choice, continue exploring or leave. The game is really about calculating risk vs reward.

Is the reward worth the risk? This is always a very situational question.

Staying in the library longer than other players will always net you higher points.
Furthermore completing a set has a double benefit, not only does it gain you 3 points or reset a defence card. It allows you to discard that set and 'reset the meter' and gives you breathing space.

And that's the cleverest thing about this game. The scoring mechanic. The fact that cards are always scored or removed, means that there's always a chance to get the maximum set score for a round. So, not only does it pay to stay in play longer during a round, the stakes get higher from round to round. Those 10 points for staying the restricted collection the longest in the final round are great and can get you back in the game if you're behind- provided you don't go bust in the meanwhile.

But otherwise I found the game is a bit... well a bit 'meh'.
There's nothing bad here, I don't know, it's just a bit uninspired, unexciting, unengaging.