The Extraordinary Adventures of the Baron of Munchausen
Is there anyone who has never even heard of the legendary and extraordinary adventures of the Baron of Munchausen? You have surely heard of the time he escaped from the Turkish army on half a horse, or his incredible journey to and from the moon, or the time he rode a cannonball. Remember these stories, because now you will have the opportunity to tell your own, which will be even more unimaginable than those of the Baron himself!
This third edition of the game of the same name is enormously expanded compared to the previous ones, abundantly exceeding the hundred pages and presenting to the readers and narrators the original game, the Arabic variant, a dozen thematic variants, game modes for the more (and less) young people and tips for online gaming! All, of course, narrated in first person by the Baron and a descendant of him, with the nice parenthesis of Simbad the Sailor, and all at our disposal thanks to the work of XV Games and Studio Supernova! Will you be able to chat better than the Baron of Munchausen?
The Extraordinary Adventures of the Baron of Munchausen: The Game System
The Extraordinary Adventures of the Baron of Munchausen is a narrative role-playing game without dice or narrator, which focuses on shared narration leaving however, individual players have the power to decide on their own story.
The players play 18th century nobles and aristocrats. In turn, each of them will invite a neighbor to tell an amazing story that involves him, but providing the subject himself, with a formulation of this kind:
"Dear Baron, entertain us with the tales of your last battle , where you emerged unscathed and victorious from the clash against the entire French army! "
At this point, the interviewed player will have to tell an amazing (and completely invented) story about what happened, following the subject that was provided to him.
During the narration, the player with the word can be interrupted by the other participants, who will challenge him on his narration, to retract or correct part of his story, or more often to put a stop to the creative boasting of others.
The interruptions are based on coins (or tokens) available to each player, which are used simultaneously to manage the interruptions during the game phase, and to determine the winner at the end of the round, that is when everyone has told their story. At the end of the first round, the winner celebrates the victory by offering a round to drink for everyone, and potentially starting a new round by re-proposing an argument to the player sitting next to him.
The narration can continue over and over again, according to the preferences and availability of those present.
Obviously the Baron suggests, throughout the entire manual, to abound in alcoholic accompaniments to your gaming experience. We don't think it's really to be specified, but don't follow this specific tip to the letter! (unless you are a group of aware and informed adults, in that case, a toast! Mendace Veritas!)
Classic game, children's game, online game
Classic game, children's game, online game
The Extraordinary Adventures of the Baron of Munchausen is a game created to narrate in company, but not in a way that is detached from rules or context. For those unfamiliar with this kind of experience or younger, the first experiences can be complex.
A simpler version is then presented, where more linear ideas and content are followed for telling stories, and above all where the part of interaction with other players is resized.
Regardless of the age of your players, those unfamiliar with this genre of games will certainly benefit from a test ride in this simplified mode, which has also proved very useful for "breaking the ice" with adults and individuals of all ages.
The last part of the book deals with some examples and tips on how to set up your gaming sessions online, or in general not in presence.
Settings and Supplements
The Extraordinary Adventures of the Baron of Munchausen, as a game, naturally lends itself to a potentially infinite number of stories and narratives, as players have to exactly invent stories.
This edition of the game also includes a series of variants of the basic scheme, where instead of interpreting nobles and aristocrats of the 18th century, one can impersonate
members of the proletarian power at the time of the USSR as protagonists or co-stars of literary works (Ebenezer Scrooge, Alice, Van Helsing, etc) Veterans, soldiers and men-at-arms Occultists and scholars of the supernatural (or Lovecraftian, if you feel like it) and many other options.
Each of these supplements does nothing but provide a different starting context for the characters who will begin the narration, which will continue with the rules defined above. In this sense, therefore, do not feel limited to the dozen possibilities provided for the variability of your narrative setting: give space to your imagination to create others with your play group!
Preparation and game times
One of the highlights of the Extraordinary Adventures of the Baron of Munchausen is the preparatory part of the game, which is almost non-existent. In fact, it is enough to get together with the group, define your coins (or tokens), define your characters (but this step is actually jumpable) and you can start playing right away!
Editorial aspect
This third edition of the Extraordinary Adventures of the Baron of Munchausen is a little gem from a physical and editorial point of view. Printed in color, 130 A5 pages, hardback bound, and finely illustrated by Omar Rayyan. The manual alternates the narrative voice of the Baron of Munchausen (or a descendant of him) with a more technical and narrative voice, but this does not mean that it is difficult to read, on the contrary! The pleasant expository confusion of the alter-ego Baron of Munchausen is quite funny, and the summary chapters that explain the game dynamics are extremely clear.
Conclusions
The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron of Munchausen is a curious role-playing game driven to narration, where simple and intuitive elements are mixed with decidedly interesting (also social) dynamics. In our experience, the game worked very well, although as we anticipated, some players less accustomed to this kind of storytelling initially felt a little in trouble, but nothing that a little practice could not fix. All the ideas and additional material present in this edition seem a lot, but if taken head on they end rather quickly, so as advice we would like to tell you to take things calmly: once the narration begins, let it continue for several laps , without immediately jumping to a new setting or idea.
Speaking of the physical product, the manual is of a very good level, both for the illustrations and for the amusing alternation of narrative voices. More than recommended for a fun evening, regardless of the alcohol factor present at your gaming table.
