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Description
Sherlock Holmes is dead! And with London's greatest detective out of the way, those with villainous minds decide to wreak as much terror as possible on the populace — and you are one of those dastardly no-goodniks!
While Europe sits unprotected in Victorian Masterminds, you and other players send your henchmen to different cities to use their varied abilities, collect material for your steampunk-inspired contraptions, destroy buildings, and complete missions. At the same time, the Secret Service follows your path of destruction. Every contraption is unique and allows you to take different actions, leading to highly strategic, asymmetric gameplay.
In more detail, during the game, players take turns placing one of their five agent tokens — Henchman, Machine, Saboteur, Pilot, Number 2 — face down on one of the five action spaces. As soon as three tokens are on a space, those tokens are flipped and activated, first in first out, with each agent carrying out its individual action in addition to whatever takes place in that space. When an evil mastermind completes their contraption or the Secret Service brings this villainy to a halt, the game ends, and whoever has generated the most victory points wins.
Year Published
2019
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 5
This page: 5
Sentiment:
pos 3 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 1 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–5 of 5
Video 4lnm7sI18bc
Board Game Coffee game_review at 6:38 sentiment: neutral
video_pk 13070 · mention_pk 38195
Click to watch at 6:38
Overall sentiment (raw)
neutral
Pros
- Looks really cool
Cons
- Unwrapped but never played
Thematic elements
- Strategy and planning game
- Victorian era
- Strategic gameplay
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- you can recruit monsters to your army that give you super powers
- it's a beautiful scary, it's a beautiful looking game
- this game is just a mini explosion, it's great
- gizmos is a lot of fun so we're giving this away our very first giveaway gizmos
- this little box the game when you see it it's not very pretty but it's so fun
- blood rage is a fantastic game
- massive Darkness two is freaking amazing
- the origami zombie side black plague is by far our favorite zombie side
- if you're gonna buy any zombie side game off the shelf Black Plague favorite one favorite one
- Cthulhu death may die is absolutely fabulous
- we can't stop playing this game
- zombie side Gear Up is getting another board game coffee seal of approval this game is so much fun
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video _kxCxNaNgF8
The Secret Cabal game_review at 0:02 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 10780 · mention_pk 31824
Click to watch at 0:02
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Multiple paths to victory and scoring options
- Fast, snappy pacing; action management is engaging
- Deep strategic planning and counterplay against opponents
- Rich potential for tactical blocking and timing
- Solid integration of mechanics that feel coherent (even if theme is light)
Cons
- Theme is underdeveloped; little thematic integration with missions and machine powers
- Endgame lacks a dramatic climax or sense of final confrontation
- Some components and mission design feel disconnected from the world setting
- Potential analysis paralysis in tight play; can be tough for newcomers
Thematic elements
- conspiracy, villain competition, heist-style objectives
- Steampunk-inspired Victorian era where master criminals vie to build a Doomsday Machine
- absent or minimal; abstract engine-building with limited storytelling
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action selection via a stack of cogs — On a turn, draw the top cog and place it in a city, triggering that city's actions when three cogs accumulate.
- City-based resource collection — Cities yield spoils (copper plates, bolts) used to build machine parts.
- Endgame/Scoring variety — Score via codex, missions, buildings, and machine completion; multiple routes to victory.
- Firepower vs. control mechanic — Gunner action allows capturing buildings based on firepower relative to Secret Service.
- Henchmen and scientists economy — Kidnapped scientists spent to gain extra actions and effects (e.g., extra turns, choose cogs).
- Pattern of multi-step activation — When a city is activated, multiple actions resolve in order (sabotage, extra spoils, mission completion, etc.).
- Sabotage and blocking — Saboteur can block the action of the card below; players can deploy henchmen to block opponents.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a real pleasure to play and it's a real pleasure to explore strategies of it
- the gameplay is solid
- there's plenty of paths to victory
- it's a perfect heads-up game where you have to out think and outplay your opponents
- the theme is woefully absent in this game
- the ending is a letdown
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Q0q_-yfQUDU
Broken People general_discussion at 38:44 sentiment: positive
video_pk 8278 · mention_pk 24266
Click to watch at 38:44
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- strong thematic flavor for a light to medium game
- variety of strategies across factions
Cons
- some viewers felt there were pacing or balance issues
- the theme and mechanics may not be for everyone
Thematic elements
- gadgetry, intrigue, and competing agendas
- Victorian era with masterminds planning schemes
- thematic, somewhat steampunk vibe
Comparison games
- Seven Wonders
- Lords of Waterdeep
- Stone Age
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area of control / drafting — multiple factions vie for influence with their own agendas
- take-that elements — intentional disruption and interaction with opponents
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the druids expansion is a must-buy
- it's not difficult to teach because what if essentially does it gives you more of the same but with a slight twist on top of it
- the biggest decision you're gonna have to make in this game
- it's a take that element and balance it out
- all in all it's a decent game, a alliance of convenience and towers, but at the end of the day everybody's got their own agenda
- Neon has kind of only just hit the market and most people don't have a clue what it is
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 72xsP6wnBs4
Cardboard Herald general_discussion at 2:06 sentiment: positive
video_pk 5431 · mention_pk 16179
Click to watch at 2:06
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- strong theme and clever mechanisms
Cons
- thematic density can be off-putting to some
Thematic elements
- villainous masterminds and intrigue
- steampunk Victorian era
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- engine-building — develop circuitry and plans to outmaneuver opponents
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- they are kaput they're gone
- the rights of the game has reverted back to the designers
- this expansion sounds neat
- expansion fatigue
- as long as I get to just shout boy all the time then I'm good to go
- I'm looking forward to cool things happening in the board gaming community
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 6uU8U_5wdcY
Cardboard Herald game_review at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 2636 · mention_pk 7789
Click to watch at 0:00
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- beautiful visuals and impressive schematics for asymmetrical machines
- tight tempo and sense of forward propulsion
- strong thematic integration and engine-building depth
- scales well to number of players and maintains playtime
- variety in strategies via upgrade paths and different machines
Cons
- rulebook is difficult to navigate and lacks clear references for some powers
- ambiguous rules around mission cards and certain agent interactions
- no official FAQ at launch; reliance on community knowledge
Thematic elements
- evil geniuses building mechanized monstrosities
- Steampunk Victorian era; five world capitals
- Array
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- look it may seem like there's a lot going on in this game but at its core in truth it's quite a simple game
- I really like Victorian masterminds
- it plays well on a table, it looks great on a table, it feels balanced, you have cool asymmetric powers
- there's a nice tempo and you always feel like you're being propelled forward
- I can't wait til I get to play it again
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–5 of 5