Do all players interact with the Mansions of Madness app, or does one player act as GM?

Question

I've seen a few board or card games that use an app as part of gameplay, and they fall into two categories: ones where all players must interact with the app (for example, everybody has to touch the screen to signal "I'm done" in a turn), and ones where a single player uses the app to drive the game. Which type is Mansions of Madness? It sounds like the latter from the descriptions I've found (including Board Game Geek), but I prefer information to guesses.

The reason I ask is that I don't use electronics on Shabbat, and I'm trying to plan my schedule for a boardgame convention. More broadly, I know a few people who would be challenged to use an app running on a phone because of either vision or mobility issues, and that's something I would want to take into account when planning a game with such players.

Answer 1

The app introduced with the second edition of Mansions of Madness is designed to replace the role of "Keeper", and as such it's best to think of the app as an automated GM.

This means the app is designed in a way that makes it possible for a player to assume that role, and be the sole player interacting with the app and updating the physical board appropriately.

Answer 2

When we play, we usually have a designated 'driver' that interacts with the app.

However, when an onscreen puzzle appears, we pass control to the player that is meant to be solving the puzzle. This is not necessary as you can just give instructions to the driver.

If you have access to a large screen, it's a good idea to take turns in reading aloud the encounters to keep everyone engaged