mystery mansion vintage board game
Mystery Mansion Board Game

Created by Milton Bradley in 1984, the vintage board game of Mystery Mansion is a unique treasure hunting game.  All players, during the course of the game, enjoy building a large Mystery Mansion while searching through the many fascinating rooms.  Players are on a quest for a hidden treasure chest filled with gold and jewels!

The winner of the game is the first player who is able to safely transport the hidden treasure chest of gold out of the mansion.  But of course, there are obstacles!  After a player finds a treasure chest, he must also have the correct key in order to move and open the chest.  And before he gets the chest out of the mansion another player could steal the treasure from him.  If he gets the treasure chest out, it is only then he is able to lift the lid to reveal what is hidden inside.  It is either the gold or unfortunately, it could be filled with only cobwebs!

Mystery Mansion Treasure Chests
Mystery Mansion Treasure Chests

The game is packed with adventure.  Each player during their turn must do 3 actions.  These actions are made up of rolling the special die or playing a card.  Performing 3 of these is a complete turn.  For example a player could roll the die once and then play 2 cards or any other combination of 3 actions.

The rolling of the die decides whether a player is able to choose and place a new room onto the mansion or simply move from an already created room in the mansion. The special die is marked with ‘OPEN’ or ‘LOCKED’.  If the player rolls ‘OPEN’, they can perform the action.  If they roll ‘LOCKED’, they cannot move or build, but it counts as an action.

mystery mansion pieces
Building Mystery Mansion

There are 2 types of cards; Search Cards and Clue Cards.  Search Cards have images of objects on them. Clue Cards may either reveal a hidden treasure chest, a golden key, a secret passage, or cobwebs.

mystery mansion cards
Mystery Mansion Cards

Loaded in the 3 levels of rooms (basement, first story and second story) are various objects to search and hunt for hidden treasures and clues around.  When a player uses a Search Card, they receive a Clue Card.  In order for a player to use a Search Card, they must be in the room where the object on their card is located.

Searching through the furnishings of the spooky mansion is fun for all.  Mystery Mansion is recommended for ages 8 and up and for 3 or 4 players.  Although not on department store shelves anymore, the vintage game can often be found on eBay, flea markets, yard sales, or other places offering past items for sale.  It is a board game which provides fun and adventure for all who play.

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3 Comments

  1. Pingback: Vintage 1969 Hey, Hey, Witch Way? » All About Fun and Games

  2. I loved playing this game as a preteen. I managed to collect several copies of it over the years, but the one thing that always startled me about the games that I collected was that the rules were always missing from the game. Of the five Mystery Mansion games that I collected, only one had the original rules with it. The others, I had to search Hasbro.com and download scans of the rules for.

    Allen Denowh

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