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Game Info
Year
2019
Players
2-5
Age
12+
Playtime
45 min
Collection
Your Tier
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Description
The Royal Monstrological Society counts among its members the most renowned and respected experts in monster lore throughout the entire empire. Each year the Society permits only a single new member to join, so applicants compete to prove their worth with the most magnificent menagerie of monstrous beasts they can find... and capture.
To aid in these quests of discovery the Society grants every aspiring monstrologist a small stipend, which they can use to hire additional experts and fund their journeys to the magical lands where the most exotic beasts reside.
After four seasons of hunting, would-be members present their collections at the organization’s annual banquet, an event known as the "Carnival of Monsters".
Carnival of Monsters is a card-drafting game in which players try to collect sets of Land Cards so they can capture and display strange and exotic Monsters, hire talented Staff to help run their enterprise, and pursue their own Secret Goals. Points are awarded for displaying Monsters, completing Goals, and earning Gold Crowns (Crowns) over four “Seasons” of play.
In the end, the player with the most profitable and spectacular carnival is the winner!
—description from the publisher
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 7
This page: 7
Sentiment:
pos 5 ·
mix 2 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–7 of 7
Video df5TuIDyqps
Nights Around a Table Unboxing at 31:15 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 89711 · mention_pk 238695
Click to watch at 31:15 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Cool monster artwork
- Designed by Richard Garfield
- Mechanically similar to Magic: The Gathering but simplified
- Features monster collection
Cons
- Cover art is not great
- Human character art is cartoony
- Potentially basic gameplay
Thematic elements
- Monsters
Comparison games
- Magic: The Gathering
- Greedy Greedy Goblins
- Monster Expedition
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Dice Rolling — Dice are used in gameplay, indicated by the presence of dice with blank, single, and double cage faces.
- Modular Board — The game includes location tiles.
- Set Collection — Players collect monster cards.
- take-that — Implied by the 'multiplayer arena game' description.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- when I hear the term ameritrash this is the game that I'm thinking of
- it's just a dice chucker you're just walking around a map chuck and dice
- my brain gets itchy it gets like actually you know when your muscles atrophy when you don't exercise enough I do know that feeling very well but it's like my brain it likes to be exercised it likes to work out
- I don't really go in for gore the only time I can really handle gore is when it's couched in zombie-ness
- so yeah it was a joke trailer and then people were like well where's the actual movie and then I okay here you go
- it's not true in richard garfield's case if you like if you like magic the gathering then you pull out a game like I did
- the rules are the point of a game damn it
- you know what I'm enjoying this took small bites of pen point drained
- it's like an Indiana Jones movie where I'm like just just decoding those ancient cryptex whenever I solve a cryptic crossword puzzle
- we did it we saw the solved it we did it together we did all that
- remember to kick over furniture when you get there
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 4okhLJqRsCk
Nights Around a Table Analysis at 15:32 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 89370 · mention_pk 237212
Click to watch at 15:32 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
Mixed
Pros
- Features monsters and creatures.
Cons
- Art is considered mediocre.
- The game itself is described as 'simple' by the host.
Thematic elements
- Monsters
Comparison games
- Magic the Gathering
- Monster Expedition
- Oh My Goods
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card Drafting — The cards are described as multi-use.
- Deck Building — Described as a game that develops a deck of cards.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Possibly the worst board game I've ever made.
- It's famous for being horribly hauntingly bad.
- The issue with this one is that he has a section on the board this little TP section where you go and you trade with as the book says Indians.
- It's a complete thematic reskin of Mombasa.
- Little maple cowboys with interchangeable hats.
- Blackout Hong Kong is algebra first semester and then Great Western Trail is the second half of the semester.
- You bid on the tiles you want instead of randomly drawing.
- This is an expansion that narrates a story over five chapters.
- The cards look straight out of other game with extras.
- It sounds like The Purge.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video nogx2_qd37c
Meeple University Rules Teach at 0:02 sentiment: positive
video_pk 64862 · mention_pk 158444
Click to watch at 0:02 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Card drafting variants are great.
Cons
- Cards with dangerous monster icons usually give more points but come with the risk of having negative points.
Thematic elements
- Collecting strange and beautiful monsters in your menagerie to impress the Royal Monster Illogical Society.
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card Drafting — Players draft cards to collect land, monsters, stars, events, and gold.
- Dice Rolling — At the end of the realms, a common die is rolled and needs to display the number of Hunter symbols equal to the dangerous monsters you are trying to collect.
- Set Collection — Collecting monsters with the risk of having to pay for the more dangerous ones. Also, points for collecting certain types of monsters.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Hyatt's terra firma polyphony
- this is Stella short and sweet for Carnival of monsters from via distribution
- we played bunny kingdom also from a Richard Garfield and Phil there are some similarities with the cards you trust and the suit players card drafting variants which i think is great
- thanks for watching guys if you have any questions for me please write in the comment sections below you would help us by subscribing to me Pond University and hit the belt so you won't miss anything from us I also share my football games tourney on Instagram hopefully I'll see you there too until next time
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video xIB8L6qPlIg
Meeple Mountain Discussion at 2:08 sentiment: positive
video_pk 32674 · mention_pk 96756
Click to watch at 2:08 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Engaging drafting with twists
- Broad appeal for families and gamers who like monsters
Cons
- Rule depth may be challenging for casual players
Thematic elements
- Monsters, drafting, and management
- A fantastical carnival of monsters
- Light, whimsical carnival vibe
Comparison games
- Other drafting games
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card Drafting — Draft cards to assemble a menagerie of monsters
- Seasonal play — Four seasons with variable setups per game
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this is the first ever board game version of saboteur
- it's designed to bring people together
- I for the most part hate cooperative games this is one however that I really like
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video HA5Hl7U5e3c
Foster the Meeple Discussion at 11:59 sentiment: positive
video_pk 11044 · mention_pk 32508
Click to watch at 11:59 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- connections to Magic: The Gathering creator Richard Garfield
Cons
- brand familiarity may influence interest
Thematic elements
- monster-themed card drafting and carnival vibe
- carnival with monsters
- mythic, magical carnival vibes
Comparison games
- Magic: The Gathering
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card Drafting — draft cards to draft monsters
- Set Collection — collect monster cards
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- "we're going to go through all the games that we bought"
- "we acquired them"
- "we made it"
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video rmS37W1f4a0
Foster the Meeple Discussion at 17:45 sentiment: positive
video_pk 9726 · mention_pk 28717
Click to watch at 17:45 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Gateway-friendly
- Nostalgic monsters theme
Cons
- Older title with less modern feel
Thematic elements
- Monster collection and management
- Monster-catching carnival
- Gateway/essential party-game vibe
Comparison games
- Carnival-era monster games
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- set collection / area movement — Travel around a carnival to catch monsters, collecting monsters for points.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The best horror game on the market is in fact Final Girl. And I’m not just saying that because Van Rider Games is the sponsor this month for the channel. I am saying it because it is true.
- I love a theme. It's one of my favorite things.
- Stay spooky.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video S7VmBcltQMA
Quackalope Playthrough at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 4507 · mention_pk 13244
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Fast-paced drafting with clear, teachable rules
- Highly accessible for families and casual gamers
- Engaging end-game scoring with multiple scoring streams
- Theming and artwork support a light, playful mood
Cons
- Some cards can feel underutilized or overvalued depending on draft luck
- End-game scoring and dreamlands rules can create initial confusion for first-time players
Thematic elements
- monster menagerie construction and competition to earn prestigious banquet invitations
- Royal Monstrological Society banquet setup; expeditions to magical lands to collect monsters across four seasons
- humorous, banter-heavy classroom-tabletop vibe during a casual family-friendly playthrough
Comparison games
- Blood Rage
- It's a Wonderful World
- Catan
- Ticket to Ride
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card Drafting — Draft one of eight cards per season, then pass the chosen card to the left (rounds 1–3) or right (rounds 2–4); manage timing and pick-ups to build a scoring engine.
- end-of-round and end-game scoring — Scores are tallied each season by monster type; final scoring aggregates danger symbols, staff bonuses, and dreamlands-related bonuses.
- Land and dreamlands system — Lands enable monster plays; dreamlands are pink cards paid with any land type and influence scoring and options.
- Reserve mechanics — Pay a coin to reserve a card for future use, introducing strategic peeks and planning despite limited early buys.
- Resource Management — Balance coins, loans, and land cards to pay costs and reserve cards for later play.
- Set collection / assembly — Assemble a menagerie by collecting monsters and lands to maximize seasonal and end-game points.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a relatively fast-paced game
- it's a straightforward drafting game
- this is one that we play at our house a lot
- I think this would fit into that level of weight
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–7 of 7