How do you tell if October or Halloween’s around the corner? For starters, the plethora of horror/suspense-themed shows, movies and games is one tell-tale sign.

Fantasy Flight Games has recently announced the horror-themed “Mansions of Madness”( http://bit.ly/dyo9NR), a boardgame suitable for two to five players.

Based on the horror fiction of master writer H.P. Lovecraft, Mansions of Madness encourages you to create a unique story in every game. 

Mansions seem to take the scenario-based approach, as each game takes place within a pre-designed story. 

The story starts players off with a unique map and several combinations of plot threads. These threads determine the monsters that investigators may encounter, the clues they need to find, and which climactic story ending they will ultimately experience. 

One player controls the bad guys, while the rest assume control of the investigators, who are also seeking to maintain their sanity while attempting to stay one step ahead of the evil ones.

Lovecraft (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP_Lovecraft) was a famous writer who spawned a whole new genre of horror. Best known for his “weird fiction” body of literary works, his Cthulhu Mythos and Necronomicon tales have inspired countless past and modern day writers, artists and of course, gamers (both the designers and players).

The sanity theme in Mansions is a recurring theme in Lovecraft’s works by the way – nice tribute I must say.

The first preview article for the game just kicked in days ago, so I’ll be staying tuned to the Fantasy Flight Games website for further updates.