Mice and Mystics

Overview

Mice and Mystics is a cooperative adventure game where players control mice heroes who were once humans, transformed by a spell to escape an evil queen. Players navigate through a storybook campaign, exploring room tiles, fighting minions (rats, cockroaches, spiders, centipedes), and completing chapter objectives. The game uses custom action dice for combat, movement, and abilities.

Components

• 1 rulebook and 1 storybook (11 chapters)
• 6 mouse hero figures and 16 minion figures
• 1 story control board (with chapter track and hourglass/cheese wheel)
• 8 dual-sided room tiles
• 28 mouse ability cards
• 71 search cards, 18 encounter cards
• 6 mouse hero cards
• 5 action dice (custom: sword, bow, shield, cheese, star symbols)
• Die-cut counters (wounds, status effects, items)

Setup

1. Read the chapter from the storybook. Set up the starting room tile as described.
2. Each player chooses a mouse hero and takes their hero card, starting equipment, and figure.
3. Place the story control board nearby. Set the chapter track marker.
4. Shuffle encounter and search card decks.
5. Place minions as instructed by the chapter setup.
6. Determine initiative order using initiative cards.

Turn Structure

Rounds alternate between hero and minion phases:

1. Initiative Phase: Sort initiative cards (mice and minions) by speed.
2. Hero Turns: Each mouse acts in initiative order: Move, then take actions (attack, search, explore, use abilities).
3. Minion Turns: Each minion group acts: Move toward nearest mouse and attack.
4. End of Round: Advance the chapter track if required.

Actions

Movement

• Each mouse has a Move value (typically 3-4 spaces).
• Move through connected spaces on the room tile.

Melee Attack

• Roll action dice equal to your Battle value.
• Each sword symbol rolled = 1 hit. Cheese symbols are stored on the cheese wheel.
• Target rolls Defense dice; shields block hits.
• Excess hits = wounds on the target.

Ranged Attack

• Roll action dice; each bow symbol = 1 hit at range.
• Otherwise same as melee.

Search

• Draw a search card when on a search space. Gain items, equipment, or encounter triggers.

Explore

• Move to a new room tile (flip and connect the next tile as described in the chapter).

Use Abilities

• Each mouse has unique abilities that cost cheese from the cheese wheel to activate.
• Ability cards provide additional powers.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Players win by completing the chapter’s story objective (varies per chapter: reach a location, defeat a boss, rescue an NPC, etc.).

Players lose if the chapter track reaches the end (hourglass runs out) or if all mice are captured.

Cheese Wheel

• Cheese symbols rolled by mice add to the party’s cheese wheel.
• Cheese is spent to activate abilities.
• Cheese symbols rolled by minions also fill the wheel; when full, a surge occurs (new minions spawn or bad events trigger).

Captured Mice

• When a mouse takes wounds equal to their Life value, they are captured.
• Captured mice can be rescued if another mouse reaches them.
• If all mice are captured simultaneously, the chapter is lost.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• The game is story-driven; each chapter has unique objectives, events, and rules.
• Mice can equip weapons, armor, and items found via search cards.
• Star symbols on dice activate special effects (varies by character and equipment).
• Campaign mode: mice retain some equipment and abilities between chapters.
• Some chapters have time limits tracked on the chapter track.
• Encounter cards trigger when specific conditions are met (new minions, traps, story events).

Player Reference

Turn order: Initiative (speed-based) -> Each character acts: Move + Action

Combat: Roll Battle dice (swords/bows = hits) vs. Defense dice (shields = blocks); excess = wounds

Cheese wheel: Cheese from dice charges abilities; when full, enemy surge occurs

Win: Complete chapter objective

Lose: Hourglass runs out or all mice captured