Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
Legends are that a long time ago an emperor built a secret catacomb that housed all the treasures that he had collected.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Read the full game description
Legends are that a long time ago an emperor built a secret catacomb that housed all the treasures that he had collected. No one knew where this catacomb lay, and it remained as such until three hundred years later when the news of its discovery was delivered by the Imperial Capital to the public. In Aristo-Maze, players are influential aristocrats who are now given the chance to seize some of the legendary loot for themselves. You must hire teams of adventurers and send them into the dangerous trap-filled catacombs to bring back your fortune. The game is played over three rounds, with each round following these phases: Providing Phase: Players reset the round and receive new funds. Investigation "Inquiry" Phase: Players bid on which catacomb floor they wish to take a peek at; if they are the highest bidder, they can look at what lurks in that area. Recruiting "Organization" Phase: Players secretly bid on which characters they wish to recruit to become part of their party. Exploration Phase: Players secretly choose how far they wish to delve into the dungeon, then resolve the effects of the monsters/traps they encounter which will give them VPs if they survive. Whoever is able to gain enough VPs from surviving their encounters is victorious!