# The Big Book of Madness

The Big Book of Madness is a board game for 2–5 players. It plays in 60–90 minutes and is meant for ages 12 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 3. It is rated 7 out of 10 by 23 Ludoya reviewers. The cheapest copy in stock is $40.94 (United States).

- **Players:** 2–5 (best with 3)
- **Playing time:** 60–90 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 12+
- **Complexity:** 2.7 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2015
- **Categories:** Fantasy, Card Game
- **Mechanics:** Hand Management, Variable Player Powers, Cooperative Game, Deck, Bag, and Pool Building, Player Elimination
- **Ludoya rating:** 7 out of 10, from 23 reviews
- **Owned by:** 49 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 77
- **Unique players:** 95

**Designers:** Maxime Rambourg

**Artists:** Xavier Gueniffey Durin

**Publishers:** IELLO

## Where to buy in United States

| Shop | Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ludifolie | 39.9 € | https://www.ludifolie.com/3300-the-big-book-of-madness.html |
| Philibert | 42 € | https://philibertnet.com/fr/iello/37514-the-big-book-of-madness-3760175512537.html |

## Expansions

- [The Big Book of Madness: The Vth Element](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-big-book-of-madness-the-vth-element)
- [The Big Book of Madness: Mime Promo Card](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-big-book-of-madness-mime-promo)
- [The Big Book of Madness: Golem promo](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-big-book-of-madness-golem-promo)
- [The Big Book of Madness: 2016 Greeting Card – Evil Santa](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-big-book-of-madness-2016-greeting-card-evil-santa)

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## Rules questions

### When does the Invocation marker move and what happens when it lands on a new space?

The Invocation marker advances one space during the Monster Phase, and you must apply the effect of whatever space it lands on (apply any Curse there, or—if it reaches the Invocation space—check whether any Curses remain and apply the page's failure or success effect, then move the marker to space 1 and turn the page). (See page 7.)

### Can I use cards in another player's support to pay for my actions?

Yes — the support pool is shared: any player may use cards from any player's support to pay an Action cost, but when a supported card is discarded it goes to the discard pile of the player who originally placed it in support. (See pages 8 and 12.)

### If I exhaust a Spell by activating it, when can I use it again?

A Spell is exhausted when activated and cannot be used again until it is refreshed during your next Concentration Phase at the start of your turn. (See page 6.)

### How do I learn a new Spell and is there a limit to how many I can have?

You may learn a face‑up Spell from the Library by paying 2 Elements of the same type; place it face‑up in front of you and you may use it immediately, but you are limited to five Spells and must destroy one (remove it from the game) if you learn a sixth. (See page 9.)

### What makes the team win or lose the game?

You all win if you turn all pages of the Grimoire and vanquish the final Monster; you lose if the Madness stack is empty when you must take a Madness, if you fail to vanquish the Monster on the last page, or if all players are eliminated by Madness. (See page 10.)

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-big-book-of-madness)
- [The Big Book of Madness in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/the-big-book-of-madness)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/171233)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-24. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._