How do you use Mastermind Clues in The Between? ✍️

In Jason Cordova’s The Between, the Mastermind Clues are not quite mechanical Clues per se, but thematic ticks on a clock that track the arc of a campaign, ending with the facilitator writing a Mastermind Threat. :smiling_imp:

In play, my players wanted to use the Mastermind Clues in the final Mastermind Threat somehow and so I allowed the hunters to substitute any clues they discovered during the final Threat with one of the Mastermind Clues they uncovered over the course of the campaign arc, if it would better suit their Theory. :exploding_head: How have other folks in the community made use of Mastermind Clues in their games, whether drifting the standard rule of play or through highlighting narrative themes? :face_with_monocle:

1 Like

I just finished watching the Suns campaign and I’d like to know the answer to this question, too.

The Between is a good action investigation game with the best ideas, like The Unscene, a Spotlight mechanic to gather a stock of “echoes” (=Claims =Motifs). And the Masks, character and story arc stepstones acting as Harm tracks. Mastermind clues is the GMs Moriarty building up through the game. (My only complaint is it’s not “No Dice No Master”, but that’s not too difficult to drift :wink: )

1 Like

I think that option to substitute Mastermind clues during the Mastermind Threat is really smart. One of the players in my campaign felt a little ripped off that the Mastermind Clues they’d spent the whole campaign finding actually helped when it came to confronting and stopping the Mastermind, and this would have been a good way to maintain balance but also integrate things a little more.

I haven’t done anything too exciting with MM clues, except to give out at least one per session, regardless of results on the Information Move.

3 Likes