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Monster Expedition box art

Monster Expedition

Game ID: GID0215472
Game Info
Year
2020
Players
1-4
Age
12+
Playtime
30 min
Collection
Your Tier
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Expansions & Family
Pickomino
Mechanic profile
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Vibe profile
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Description

As the newest members of the Royal Monstrological Society, players embark on an expedition to hunt for legendary monsters, which have been spotted in the cloudlands, in the deep sea, and in the haunted forest. With ideal dice combinations, players can improve their camps, catch new monsters, and use the abilities of previously captured monsters.

At the start of Monster Expedition, which is set in the same world as 2019's Carnival of Monsters, players each receive a set of three supply camps, and a wilderness display is formed from ten cards. Create a draw pile based on the number of players, then place this deck in the center of play, along with the game board and dice.

On your turn, you choose one of your three camps, then go monster hunting, with your camp level determining which dice are available. At the start of the hunt, you roll all the dice, and after each roll, you set aside all dice of a chosen value that you haven't yet set aside. If you can't set any dice aside, the throw counts as a miss and you lose the best dice you laid out previously.

When you stop, use the set-aside dice to capture monsters from the wilderness and improve your supply camps, possibly calling on abilities from monsters already in your collection. When the draw pile is exhausted, complete the round so that all players have had the same number of turns, then tally the points to see who took the biggest haul.

Description

As the newest members of the Royal Monstrological Society, players embark on an expedition to hunt for legendary monsters, which have been spotted in the cloudlands, in the deep sea, and in the haunted forest. With ideal dice combinations, players can improve their camps, catch new monsters, and use the abilities of previously captured monsters.

At the start of Monster Expedition, which is set in the same world as 2019's Carnival of Monsters, players each receive a set of three supply camps, and a wilderness display is formed from ten cards. Create a draw pile based on the number of players, then place this deck in the center of play, along with the game board and dice.

On your turn, you choose one of your three camps, then go monster hunting, with your camp level determining which dice are available. At the start of the hunt, you roll all the dice, and after each roll, you set aside all dice of a chosen value that you haven't yet set aside. If you can't set any dice aside, the throw counts as a miss and you lose the best dice you laid out previously.

When you stop, use the set-aside dice to capture monsters from the wilderness and improve your supply camps, possibly calling on abilities from monsters already in your collection. When the draw pile is exhausted, complete the round so that all players have had the same number of turns, then tally the points to see who took the biggest haul.

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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 12
This page: 12
Sentiment: pos 9 · mix 1 · neu 1 · neg 1
Mentions per page
Showing 1–12 of 12
Video qC88i4vY2UA The Dice Tower Analysis at 2:41 sentiment: neutral
video_pk 96786 · mention_pk 265933
The Dice Tower - Monster Expedition video thumbnail
Click to watch at 2:41 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
neutral
Pros
  • Sold many many many copies
  • people really like it
Cons
  • okay way to pass time
  • can't quite recommend it
Thematic elements
  • worms
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Dice Rolling — Roll dice to take tiles, but others can steal them if they roll the same number.
  • Set Collection — Taking tiles that feel like dominoes from the middle of the table.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • Hey everybody, I'm Tom Vassal.
  • This is look back, a series where I go through uh games that I reviewed last year during this time frame and 5 years ago, 10 years ago, and 20 years ago.
  • And I tell you what I think about the games now, if I think about them at all.
  • Twinkle Twinkle from All Play Games.
  • Men Nefer. This is from Firman Million who did Petoku and the very modern Covenant.
  • Infiltrators. This is a deduction style game, and you are working together trying to figure out these infiltrators at the playing the cards at the right time.
  • And those are the games that I reviewed 1, 5, 10, and 20 years ago.
  • Thanks so much for watching.
  • Hey. Thanks for watching another video here on the Dice Tower.
  • If you really like what we're doing here at the Dice Tower, then there are different ways to support the Dice Tower.
  • Until next time though, I'm Tom Vasel, and I hope you enjoyed this video.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 47KTxQ3Xmio Watch It Played News Roundup at 2:48 sentiment: positive
video_pk 90908 · mention_pk 243427
Watch It Played - Monster Expedition video thumbnail
Click to watch at 2:48 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • fun dice-based monster hunting premise
  • family-weight approachable for a wide audience
Cons
none
Thematic elements
  • monster hunting
  • fantasy monsters and expedition
Comparison games
  • Carnival of Monsters
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Dice Rolling — Yahtzee-style dice game mechanic
  • monster collection for powers — catch monsters to gain special powers
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • there's gonna be more stuff for most things star wars legion armada x-wing
  • the galaxy has gone slightly more crowded with seven never before seen new factions
  • it's a really long list of the stuff that's going to come in this expansion
  • i'm really very excited about this
  • the box is a little bit different ... day and night side
  • you can only win if you manage to become that round's first player
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video JJYca04yRq0 Watch It Played Analysis at 15:09 sentiment: positive
video_pk 90362 · mention_pk 241378
Watch It Played - Monster Expedition video thumbnail
Click to watch at 15:09 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • quick, easy, exciting
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • do miniatures really enhance the board game experience
  • chess is a culture untowards itself
  • flgs mean
  • well very simply flgs stands for friendly local game store
  • if that person does not want to play any ball games don't force them
  • all your games are more complicated than you think they are
  • tailor that experience to that person is my suggestion
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video BLGlbN63N_g Watch It Played Discussion at 6:07 sentiment: positive
video_pk 90165 · mention_pk 240574
Watch It Played - Monster Expedition video thumbnail
Click to watch at 6:07 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Push Your Luck — A classic push your luck game that is kind of like a roll and write because you push your luck.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • The first question I have for you this month is how do you feel comfortable buying a game on Kickstarter if you haven't played it?
  • It seems like a gamble. Kickstarter is a lot less like a shop front or a storefront going to a board game shop and buying a game and much more like investing in an idea.
  • My golden rule for Kickstarter is I wouldn't back any game that did not have a copy of the rules PDF available for you to read through.
  • Long flight coming up? What are the best roll and right games small enough to fit on an airplane trade table?
  • How long is too long to allow a retcon in a game?
  • If you could only play mass market games, what games would you play?
  • IP or no IP?
  • I don't really love IPs on games but like everybody in the world if it's the IP that I really like I'm also much more interested in playing a game if it's got an IP that I like.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video df5TuIDyqps Nights Around a Table Unboxing at 37:38 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 89711 · mention_pk 238696
Nights Around a Table - Monster Expedition video thumbnail
Click to watch at 37:38 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
  • Appealing monster theme
  • Designed by Alexander Fister
Cons
  • Challenging board setup
  • Potential sales issues or lack of popularity
Thematic elements
  • Monsters
Comparison games
  • Carnival of Monsters
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Area Control — Implied by the description of the game and its designer's other work.
  • Set Collection — The theme suggests collecting monsters.
  • Worker Placement — Implied by the description of the game and its designer's other work.
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 3V4_pDO57Wg Watch It Played Discussion at 1:13 sentiment: positive
video_pk 89643 · mention_pk 238450
Watch It Played - Monster Expedition video thumbnail
Click to watch at 1:13 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • love that whole chicken series of games
  • great expansion for that game
Cons
none
Thematic elements
  • Chicken series of games
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • nay i don't really go in for expansions for a couple reasons we'll get into
  • i don't play any of my games enough to need any expansions really
  • board games are meant to be an experience that everybody enjoys and everybody comes away from feeling better
  • just because it's rated low doesn't mean it's bad it just means it's misunderstood
  • don't judge a book by its cover especially when it's a board game
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video CIaLewJuDLI Sir Thecos Top List at 6:27 sentiment: positive
video_pk 80612 · mention_pk 196707
Sir Thecos - Monster Expedition video thumbnail
Click to watch at 6:27 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • Cool push your luck game
  • Very clever
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Dice Rolling — This is a cool push your luck game where you're like rolling your dice.
  • Push Your Luck — This is a cool push your luck game where you're like rolling your dice and you're like trying to Do you want to keep some dice, but you can't keep the same number that you already kept before.
  • Set Collection — You're trying to get like high enough numbers that you can take these domino tiles from the center of the table or from other players.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • This is just my opinion, right? Yours may very well differ, so let me know in the comments what you think about the games that I will be talking about today.
  • It's possible that I will rank a game differently next month.
  • So usually my rankings seem to be a little bit more on the more positive side.
  • It's not really a game. It's more like an activity, so I would give it a good C.
  • This is an amazing small box cooperative game where you like play cooperative poker.
  • I urge you if you play this, you should play real time.
  • Um it works turn-based, but it's much better real time and it's even better when you speak with a few people with people somehow.
  • It's like really great in person, right?
  • Wingspan is a number one game.
  • It's a good social deduction game that is a kind of um that is like paired with Who Am I?
  • Similar to a fake artist goes to New York, just with words instead of drawing.
  • It's a very solid game.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video IsbEJRRntQc The Dice Tower Analysis at 7:29 sentiment: negative
video_pk 80528 · mention_pk 196152
The Dice Tower - Monster Expedition video thumbnail
Click to watch at 7:29 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
negative
Pros
  • Some cool artwork
Cons
  • just not that good
  • didn't go anywhere
Thematic elements
  • Capturing monsters
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • So, we have a game here called Sequoia. This is from 2022.
  • It's It's fine. I'm giving it a six. Uh Beasty Bars is is is a fun style game where you're playing these different type of animals, and I think each additional expansion made it more complex and less fun.
  • Trias is an old dinosaur game that originally came with cubes, and eventually they had little dinosaurs in it instead. And it's kind of grow out to different things. This is a very I have this ranked as a seven. Probably now, the next time I go through my rankings, I'll probably rank it as a six because it's fine, but it's showing its age.
  • All righty, of all the games we talked about today, my favorite here is clearly David Goliath, although Hooky is a very close second.
  • Either way, it's always good to talk to you all.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video l7OEGDl_6rY Top List at 3:26 sentiment: positive
video_pk 77053 · mention_pk 185578
Monster Expedition video thumbnail
Click to watch at 3:26 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
Neutral to Positive
Pros
  • Widely discussed and popular.
Cons
  • Did not make it onto one host's top 10 list.
  • Considered contentious between the hosts.
Thematic elements
  • Collecting worms
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Dice Rolling — roll those bones
  • Push Your Luck — push your luck
  • Set Collection — secure your stash of worms
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • so we have a list of every single game that was released in 2005 and we're going to go through all of them in a three-hour episode absolutely not
  • we have a potential pool of 25 board games but only 10 can be inducted into our newly minted Hall of Fame that's the rules that's the rules only 10 we made them up that's the rules
  • you could argue with us in the comments and tell us why we're wrong you could do that always an option
  • I'm going to be real honest with everyone that this list of games from 2005 there are a bunch on here I don't know
  • that is like the oldest of old school hidden Trader Trad
  • it spawned so many other games right we have a ton of games in this Arkham Horror World which is obviously the world of HP Lovecraft
  • I think wits and wagers is a is a classic
  • it is on my list it's one of the very early like kind of worker placement kind of mean Euro dry Euro kind of game that I played
  • this is like a grill game for people
  • wow we didn't even rehearse that
  • it sounds like if your jam is hidden rolls or social deduction style games and you haven't played Shadow hunters and you see it out in the wild maybe pick KCK it maybe give it a whirl you might like it
  • if this isn't a classic game I don't know what it is
  • it is ubiquitous when it comes to board games not just the theme but sooner or later if you're talking about board games eventually Arkham Horror is going to hit the table
  • many aboard gamer covet this
  • people still talk about I mean any game that you're still it's 20 years old and you're like I should play that sometimes
  • I may have my Nostalgia goggles on and uh you know be looking at it through those rosecolor glasses
  • it's a game 100% you can play with your kids
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video thllkDb_HJI Before You Play Discussion at 4:56 sentiment: positive
video_pk 10228 · mention_pk 30196
Before You Play - Monster Expedition video thumbnail
Click to watch at 4:56 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • fresh theme in recent coverage
  • fits into the heavy-games focus they mention
Cons
  • specifics not deeply discussed in the clip
Thematic elements
  • expedition-style exploration
  • exploration/adventure with monster-themed elements
  • n/a
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • cooperative exploration — teams explore and overcome challenges together
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • representation is really really important you know like this is speaking from experience growing up as a people of color
  • we are curious to know what your experience was like with spiel digital and online conventions
  • calico, i really enjoyed learning and playing calico
  • we would like to know what your thoughts are on Patreon and what you would like to see
  • this month you'll probably see beyond the sun and at least on two Fridays we're going to be live streaming
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video IMa0lrVxjDM Before You Play Playthrough at 0:06 sentiment: positive
video_pk 7109 · mention_pk 21044
Before You Play - Monster Expedition video thumbnail
Click to watch at 0:06 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • Accessible yet crunchy push-your-luck mechanics with meaningful decisions.
  • Strong player interaction via cage theft, card refills, and set bonuses.
  • Vibrant monster artwork and thematic ties to Carnival of Monsters / Garfield lineage.
  • Clear core loop (hunt, purchase, upgrade, refill) that scales with player count.
Cons
  • Randomness can dominate in tighter scenarios, producing swings.
  • Iconography and tiny text on some camp upgrade arrows can be confusing on first play.
  • Two-player experience is solid but feels more streamlined with more players.
Thematic elements
  • monster hunting, expeditionary exploration, competitive scoring with set-collection and exploitation of hidden information
  • Three hunting camps (airy, ducts, enchanted forest) where players pursue and capture monsters as members of the Royal Monstrological Society
  • light narrative framing around monster hunting, with real-time on-table decision-making and strategic upgrades
Comparison games
  • Carnival of Monsters
  • Port Royal
  • Bunny Kingdom
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Action Timer — The draw deck functions as the timer for the game; when it runs out, the round ends and final scoring begins.
  • Cages and cage points — Cages hide monster values and contribute cage points to final scoring. Cages are visible to the owner but hidden from opponents until end game scoring.
  • Camp upgrading — Camps can be upgraded, rotating their upgrade level to increase the number and type of dice available on future turns and unlocking higher upgrade rewards.
  • Dice chucking / rolling and banking — On a turn, players roll a pool of dice determined by the chosen camp, then bank a unique-number to build hunting value and avoid “mist throws.”
  • Direct interaction / cage stealing — Players can steal cages from opponents, triggering refill opportunities and shifting end-game pacing depending on who takes what.
  • End-deck timer — The draw deck functions as the timer for the game; when it runs out, the round ends and final scoring begins.
  • End-of-round refills and cages — After purchases, players may refill the display up to 10 cards, placing a token on newly refilled cards to indicate they were refreshed this round.
  • Monster traders — A powerful card in the display representing a person who, for a steep hunting value, allows immediate access to six cages, accelerating end-game timing.
  • Notes on misthrows (mist throws) — If a player has to bank a second die value and cannot, or if a rolled number is already banked, it may cause a loss of the highest die in hand, creating dramatic swing opportunities.
  • Set-collection bonuses — Certain monster cards grant ongoing bonuses when you collect one of each type across multiple camps, often adding an extra die on future rolls.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • this is the newest Alexander Pfister game Monster Expedition
  • it's a dice chucking game of sorts
  • pusher luck
  • best with four players
  • the misthrows... exciting moments
  • the artwork is fantastic and very thematic
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video SO2D8I0y2Wc Before You Play Top List at 10:51 sentiment: positive
video_pk 92 · mention_pk 225
Before You Play - Monster Expedition video thumbnail
Click to watch at 10:51 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • Fister return with a dice-centric design
  • Linked to a known universe (Carnival of Monsters)
Cons
none
Thematic elements
  • Mythical expedition/adventure
  • Carnival of Monsters universe
Comparison games
  • Carnival of Monsters
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • car drafting — Drafting car components within the same universe
  • Dice Rolling — Pure dice-rolling game in the same universe as Carnival of Monsters
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • "it's kind of a weird year for board game releases"
  • "this is top five most anticipated essens digital releases"
  • "we are going to discuss our top five"
  • "there's 500 coming out this year"
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
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