Unmasking the Phantom
While lacking in drama, this board game is a fun way to drop in on the Phantom Of The Opera.
2
Hurrican THANKS to Andrew Lloyd Webber, it is practically impossible to think of anything other than the musical when one hears the words “Phantom Of The Opera” – never mind the fact that French author Gaston Leroux first wrote the serialised novel in 1909. And with so much high drama lent to the story by the stage show, it is almost inevitable that players will go into this board game with high expectations.
To avoid being disappointed, one should know that the Le Fantôme de l’Opéra board game doesn’t really utilise the story’s plot, nor does it delve into the characters. Instead, the game uses the story’s setting – the Opera Garnier theatre in Paris, circa 1881 – to create a mystery- solving experience.
It may seem vaguely reminiscent of Cluedo, but in truth, Le Fantôme has a lot more in common with the Jack the Ripper game Mr Jack; which isn’t surprising since the same creators, Bruno Cathala and Ludovic Maublanc, are behind both.
Like Mr Jack, this is a two- player game where one person takes on the role of the Phantom, and the other the Investigator. The premise is that the famous opera singer La Carlotta is rehearsing to perform at the Opera Garnier, but a series of strange events – caused by the Phantom, of course – have been frightening her, and she is threatening to leave. An investigation has revealed eight suspects who could potentially be the Phantom, all associated with the theatre in some way, all with good reason for wanting to make La Carlotta leave.
Hence, the Investigator’s aim is to unmask the Phantom before La Carlotta flees, while the Phantom’s goal is to delay the investigation as much as possible so that La Carlotta leaves the theatre.
The main method of investigation in the game is through a process of elimination. The game begins with each of the characters played in a different room in the opera, and proceeds in a series of rounds.
La Carlotta, meanwhile, is placed on a track at the bottom of the board, and if she reaches the end, it indicates she has left the opera. Each round consists of three steps: selection and activation of characters; manifestation of the Phantom; end of round.
In the first step, the Investigator and the Phantom take turns selecting characters and activating them, which is to say, moving them around the opera. Each character has a special power, which may be used in different ways while they are being moved; for instance, the concierge Madame Giry can move the padlock token, which blocks movements between rooms, while opera co- director M. Moncharmin may cause all characters in the same room as him to flee to other rooms.
During the second step, the person playing the Phantom must indicate whether or not he/ she can manifest its presence. As the Phantom can only manifest when in a room alone, or in a room which has the Blackout token, this step will give the Investigator clues as to who can be safely eliminated as a suspect.
The number of suspects remaining on the board at the end of each round determines the number of spaces La Carlotta must move forward.
If La Carlotta leaves the theatre before the Investigator eliminates all but one suspect, the Phantom wins. If, however, there is only one suspect left on the board, the Investigator wins.
The game involves more strategising than you would think at first, as each character’s special ability determines much of the gameplay. This means the order in which they are played, and how each player uses them to their advantage, is crucial.
It would be helpful, therefore, if the character cards had a clearer indication of their powers; unless you’ve played the game a few times, you’re likely to find yourself having to keep referring to the rulebook for each of their abilities.
On the plus side, Le Fantôme is a real treat visually. The game board captures the grandeur of the Opera Garnier, while the beautifully illustrated character cards and tokens not only add to the experience, but are also hardy enough to last many games.
For fans of the book and musical’s suspenseful storyline, the premise of Le Fantôme may feel rather flat, particularly since the gameplay doesn’t follow the original storyline much.
The characters given the most attention in it are not the protagonists from the book; for instance, the Phantom, possibly the most compelling person in the story, isn’t actually given a personality in the game but rather, is one of the eight suspects in disguise. Meanwhile, main characters like Christina Daae and Raoul De Chagny are simply one of the eight characters who are potential suspects.
If you can put these niggling things behind you, however, Le Fantôme actually proves to be a rather fun and snappy game, one that will even appeal to those with no prior knowledge of or interest in the book or musical.