Another of the Japanese games I purchased, Maskmen by Oink Games. It looks like a nicely themed version of Big Two, until you start trying to understand the rules. Then, you realise this game is really just for mathematicians.
The Game
Maskmen is a game for 2-6 players where you each play as Pro Wrestler promoters. Each player is dealt a hand of Wrestler cards and competes to be the first to empty their hand of cards. Cards can only be played according to the strength of the wrestler they represent, which is determined during the first few rounds play and tracked using the Wrestler strength markers. Play continues until only one player has cards remaining. The first and second players to empty their hands gain the +2 and +1 score markers, respectively, while the last player takes the -1 score marker.
The Problems
We came across issues playing this game from the get go. While the rules are nicely printed and set out, they are just generally confusing, even when I was playing with a group of game designers!
The primary confusion came from the rules around defining the strengths of wrestlers in rounds after the first one, particularly when they are being debuted or when their strength has been increased, but the strengths of other wrestlers remain undefined during that round. If you feel confused reading that sentence, then you understand how confused we were trying to understand how to play the game.
In addition to this, the strengths of different wrestlers seem to be rather static, which means that players who have weaker Wrestler cards in hand, because of a decision made earlier in the game, when the strengths of other wrestlers were not yet defined, are less likely to be able to turn the situation around and win.
The primary confusion came from the rules around defining the strengths of wrestlers in rounds after the first one, particularly when they are being debuted or when their strength has been increased, but the strengths of other wrestlers remain undefined during that round. If you feel confused reading that sentence, then you understand how confused we were trying to understand how to play the game.
In addition to this, the strengths of different wrestlers seem to be rather static, which means that players who have weaker Wrestler cards in hand, because of a decision made earlier in the game, when the strengths of other wrestlers were not yet defined, are less likely to be able to turn the situation around and win.

In this example, the relative strengths of pink and green are unknown, but both are weaker than orange. It is a similar situation for blue and purple, though both are stronger than orange. From the location of grey, I can only assume that it is stronger than purple, but it's strength relative to blue is still unknown.
The Solution
The solution was to change how the strength of each wrestlers is determined. Cards are still played onto a wrestler as per the original game, with the strength of each Wrestler, relative to the others, determined by the cumulative number of cards played on that Wrestler. This makes the strengths of the wrestlers much more dynamic and determination of their strengths becomes less confusing as it is explicit. To help with this, it is suggested that some eight-sided dice are used (one per Wrestler) to keep track of their strengths, which is easier than counting cards at the end of each round.
The other change made was to allow the players to decide the number of "seasons" they wanted to play. Each season ends when one player takes the -1 score marker. For a game that's already confusing enough, even the change discussed above left it feeling still a bit less than elegant.
The other change made was to allow the players to decide the number of "seasons" they wanted to play. Each season ends when one player takes the -1 score marker. For a game that's already confusing enough, even the change discussed above left it feeling still a bit less than elegant.
The Rules
If you'd like to try out these rules for yourself, please find a copy below.

Maskmen (Less Mathematical) Rules - A4 |

Maskmen (Less Mathematical) Rules - A5 |

Maskmen (Less Mathematical) Rules - US Letter |