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Game Info
Year
2022
Players
1-4
Playtime
60 min
Collection
Your Tier
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Description
It’s close to midnight...one week before the Blue Moon Monster Mixer at Spook Manor. To throw a proper monster mash, you only need one thing—Spook Juice—and you’re gonna need an awful lot of it for these party animals. Spook Juice is a powerful spirit distilled from human fear, and the main ingredient in every popular monster drink. The bad news is that you’re completely out of it. The good news is that the nearby town, Startleton, is a great place to scare some up.
You need to send your Monster disciples to scare up some of that sweet Spook Juice. So dust off your Fearmobiles and get your scariest Monsters on Board!
Monsters on Board is a dice-drafting game that takes place over six rounds. Each round, players will draft Monster Lords (dice) arriving from out of town in Fearmobiles, trying to fulfill their Prophecy cards.
After each player drafts four Monsters, they will send them to the Order of Spider Jack. Monsters sent here will give players actions, as well as Spook Juice when Spider Jack is summoned. The higher the die’s number, the scarier the Monster, which means the more Spook Juice they will scare up for you. However, scarier Monsters have fewer and less powerful actions, while less frightening Monsters have more powerful actions (they try harder)— so choose wisely!
Drafted Monsters also move their matching colored Grunt (Monster miniature) through the Town of Startleton, scaring the townspeople with the help of their little Minions (miniatures). In doing so, Grunts will award players bonus actions. If the Grunts terrorize the town well enough, they will grant bonus Spook Juice during final scoring.
Additionally, players will draft Arch Monsters and Ghosts that will help them achieve their goals.
During final scoring, players will gain additional Spook Juice based on how well they completed their Prophecy cards, scared the Town, and appeased the Arch Monsters. The player with the most Spook Juice wins!
—description from the publisher
Featured Videos
Rules Teach
Monsters on Board - Learn While Playing!
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 6
This page: 6
Sentiment:
pos 5 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–6 of 6
Video 4FY2OClZlYk
Meeple University Rules Teach
video_pk 70118 · mention_pk 167018
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
none
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Players control teams of monsters who are attempting to put on the best party they possibly can by scaring as many humans as they can to produce valuable spook juice.
- The objectives on this are critical to your endgame scoring.
- When a grunt enters a space which shows an icon this is called a public space and the action corresponding to that icon is resolved immediately.
- The prophecy card is a dice placement puzzle worth up to 50 or 60 points.
- The player with the most spook juice wins.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 4FY2OClZlYk
Meeple University Rules Teach at 0:05 sentiment: positive
video_pk 70118 · mention_pk 243315
Click to watch at 0:05 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Intriguing theme of monsters throwing a party and scaring humans.
- Multiple paths to victory through different scoring mechanisms (prophecy cards, arch monsters, grunt track advancement).
- Engaging dice drafting and placement mechanism.
- Variety of game modules (solo mode, murder, dinner, game) for replayability.
Cons
- Prototype copy used, so art, rules, and components are not final.
Thematic elements
- Players control teams of monsters attempting to put on the best party by scaring as many humans as possible.
- Spook Manor
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action selection — Players choose actions from dice faces, including gaining malice, advancing grunts, moving minions, promoting/demoting dice, feeding spider jack, or calling spider jack.
- Dice Drafting — Players draft dice from their own fear mobiles and then from opponents' fear mobiles after rotating them anti-clockwise.
- Dice Placement — Dice are placed into specific rows on the player grid, and actions are resolved based on the die's icons and number.
- Resource Management (Malice) — Malice is used to purchase ghosts and arch monsters, and it is gained through specific dice actions.
- Set Collection — Players collect arch monster cards that provide end-game scoring objectives based on specific dice configurations or grunt placements.
- Variable Player Powers (Ghosts) — Purchased ghosts modify grunt tracks, providing enhanced actions or scoring opportunities.
- Worker Placement (Grunts/Minions) — Players use grunts and minions on the main board to scare humans, advancing them through towns to public spaces that resolve actions.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Players control teams of monsters who are attempting to put on the best party they possibly can by scaring as many humans as they can to produce valuable spook juice.
- The objectives on this are critical to your endgame scoring.
- When a grunt enters a space which shows an icon this is called a public space and the action corresponding to that icon is resolved immediately.
- The prophecy card is a dice placement puzzle worth up to 50 or 60 points.
- The player with the most spook juice wins.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video UTRQCbiIkVU
Meeple Mountain Top 10 List at 11:45 sentiment: positive
video_pk 40932 · mention_pk 124208
Click to watch at 11:45 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- fun, accessible theme
- dice drafting adds variability
Cons
- may feel lighter for some players
- thematic intensity could be mild
Thematic elements
- horror/fun fright-based party style
- dice drafting and spooky thematic events
- light-hearted, family-friendly fear factor
Comparison games
- King of Tokyo
- Zombie Dice
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Dice Drafting — draft dice to influence actions and scares
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a pure euro that is nicely connected to the theme more than you would anticipate
- money is super tight in this game which adds a lot of tension
- the rondelle with dice worker placement it has contracts and there's a market that changes the values of all the items
- it's a game i can get my wife and kids to play with me yet still a very enjoyable game for me
- the weight and the length of the game is just a perfect scenario for me
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video TiRcr3kYHBU
The Dice Tower Top 10 List at 20:47 sentiment: positive
video_pk 29954 · mention_pk 87913
Click to watch at 20:47 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- great component quality
- encourages strategic planning and cooperation
Cons
- teaching can be a bit heavy due to many tracks
Thematic elements
- dice drafting with monster minis
- fantasy/adventure micro-dungeon vibe
Comparison games
- Moon Rakers universe
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Dice Drafting — draft dice to place on cards and crews
- token/monster management — manage monsters and upgrades during play
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Meadow I just think is a fantastic game. Gorgeous, gorgeous artwork here.
- one of the most like sort of distinct two-player games ever made.
- It's very fast; every round is tense and the reveals are sharp.
- I enjoy Marvel Champions. I love the versatility of this game.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video PC8s9NprEhE
Foster the Meeple Discussion at 15:39 sentiment: positive
video_pk 3244 · mention_pk 9534
Click to watch at 15:39 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
none
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)
- We have 63 games to talk to you about today.
- Grab a coffee, we're gonna go quick.
- We love board games and board gaming things.
- I just bought too many bones and dungeons dice in danger.
- If you're interested in buying board games, I feel like we missed a bunch.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video RYdkgH_lloI
Getting Games Rules Teach at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 231 · mention_pk 653
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Thematic cohesion and a strong Halloween-monster vibe
- Deep, multi-layered tactical decision making with many interaction points
- Expansion content (Monster Mixer) adds variety and new strategic options
Cons
- Rule density and tabletop fiddliness can deter new players
- High variability between runs may affect learning curve and balance
- Component quality varies by deluxe vs base versions, as noted in the video
Thematic elements
- Horror/fantasy monster menace, fear as a resource, Halloween-inspired confrontation
- One week before the Blue Moon Monster Mixer at Spook Manor in Startlet
- Die-drafting and action selection driven by monster lords and neighborhoods
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Dice drafting and placement — Players draft dice from a fear mobile, assign them to driveways, and then activate die-specific icons.
- Endgame scoring via prophecy/arc monsters — Prophecy cards set long-term scoring goals; ark monsters provide endgame bonuses based on conditions.
- Movable tracks and area control — Grunts move along Startlet 10 and other tracks; certain icons grant actions when grunts land on them.
- Resource Management — Malice, spook juice, and ghost/arc monster cards drive endgame scoring and incentives.
- Simultaneous action resolution — Phases (arrival, grunt movement, swamp jack, and spook) are resolved with all players acting in parallel each day.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the goal is to have the most spook juice
- one of the key things is the six days and 18 spiderjack slots at endgame
- this is going to gain them three malice
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–6 of 6