Mountains of Madness

Overview

Mountains of Madness is a cooperative game inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s novella. Players are 1930s explorers ascending a mountain, facing encounters that require playing cards to meet specific requirements. The twist: as players gain Madness cards, they must follow bizarre behavioral restrictions (speak only in one word, keep their eyes closed, etc.) that make communication and cooperation increasingly difficult. The team must reach the top and escape before going completely mad.

Components

• 1 game board (mountain path with encounters)
• 30 Equipment cards (5 types)
• Encounter tiles (for each mountain stage)
• Madness cards (various behavioral restrictions)
• Injury tokens
• Relic tokens
• Leader token
• Timer (30-second sand timer)
• Player boards

Setup

1. Place the board in the center. Arrange encounter tiles in three stages: Edge of Madness, Mountain, and City.
2. Shuffle Equipment cards; deal starting hands to each player.
3. Shuffle Madness cards and place as a face-down deck.
4. Place Relic tokens, Injury tokens, and the timer nearby.
5. Choose a starting Leader (receives the Leader token).

Turn Structure

The game progresses through encounters on the mountain:

1. Reveal an encounter: Flip the next encounter tile showing requirements (card types and quantities needed).
2. Discussion (30 seconds): Players discuss and coordinate which cards to play. The Leader starts the timer.
3. Simultaneously play cards: All players play cards face down.
4. Resolve: Flip cards and check if requirements are met.

Actions

Playing Cards

Each encounter requires specific types and quantities of equipment cards. Players must collectively play enough of the right types to succeed.

Encounter Resolution

• Success: Gain rewards (relics, healing, equipment).
• Partial Success: Some benefit but also some penalty.
• Failure: Gain Madness cards, Injuries, or other penalties.

Madness Cards

When a player gains a Madness card, they must follow its restriction during ALL future 30-second discussion phases. Examples:

• Speak only in one-word sentences
• Keep one hand on your head
• Cannot say numbers
• Must disagree with everything suggested

Multiple Madness cards stack, making communication progressively harder.

Leader Role

The Leader starts each encounter’s timer, may have special privileges, and the role rotates or transfers based on game events.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Win: Successfully navigate all encounters, reach the City at the top, and escape with enough relics while keeping total Madness/Injuries below the threshold.

Lose: Too many Injuries (any player reaches their injury limit), too much collective Madness, or failing to escape the mountain.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Madness restrictions are behavioral and must be followed during the 30-second discussion only, not during card play.
• Players may not show their cards during discussion.
• Overplaying cards (more than needed) may trigger negative effects.
• Relics are needed for the final escape; too few = loss.
• Some encounters have special conditions beyond card requirements.

Player Reference

Phase	Action
Reveal	Flip encounter tile
Discuss	30-second timer: coordinate card play (follow Madness rules)
Play	Everyone plays cards face down simultaneously
Resolve	Check requirements: success/partial/failure
Advance	Move up the mountain; gain rewards or penalties
Win	Escape the mountain with relics, under Madness/Injury limits