Destiny awaits, but how will you get there? Toss your runes and build your character!
After winning a bet with my husband, Call to Adventure is our newest addition to our wall of games! My husband and I love story-based games, and from the reviews I read, it sounded like a good fit for our playgroup. We like to play lighter-weight and quick strategy games due to our limited time during the week.
We have only played this twice so far, but we decided to space out our plays so we can continue to get fresh experiences. I often remark in reviews about games that keep returning to the table year after year, but time will tell for Call to Adventure. This game has other themed expansions, and I am already interested in a new set of adventures and trials!
In Call to Adventure, you build a D&D character, starting with their origin, learning their motivations, and taking challenges leading to their destiny. The game has runes depicting your standard character abilities: strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, wisdom, and charisma. Challenges await your character, and you must choose which path they take. Tossing your runes, will they lead them to the light? Or be overcome by darkness and tragedy?
Mechanics & Categories: Open drafting, Set collection, Card, Dice rolling, Storytelling
ART: 10/10
One of the selling points for me was its breathtaking art style. The box alone drew me in with its contrast of heroism and villainy. Several different artists created pieces for the different cards in the game, yet all of them have a very similar paint style. Each card clearly expresses the beaming sunlight of heroic acts, whereas shadows overtake the background for tragic situations and dark power. The mood evoked by each trait or challenge is genuinely astounding.
Even the player boards and the backs of each of the cards for each act are beautiful. As the acts progress, each texture evolves from rough, pelt armor to royalty leather. Every detail was taken into account when designing this game. A solid art foundation is critical for a story-driven game.
STORYTELLING: 10/10
So there isn’t any actual reading of a story in this game, but each card together can tell a story of a journey. If you want to play this game just to get points and matching story icons, so be it. What is neat about this game, for the imaginative mind, is that at the end of the game, you can tie all of your cards together to explain the origin of your character, their motivations, and the challenges they faced that led them to their destiny. What a great way to create a character for your next D&D campaign!
Characters will face many challenges, and you will toss runes to try and overcome those challenges. Like in many choose your adventure games, you must decide which path makes the most sense for your character. Up to you if you choose a path that fits your story or one that will score you the most points.
COMPONENTS: 6/10
There are some excellent parts and some mediocre parts. The cards aren’t printed with any special techniques, and the act cards are extra large, which makes sleeving them more difficult. The player mats are only printed on one side of card stock which feels unfinished despite their amazing artwork. I wonder why they cut costs here.
The experience counters are almost cool. They are molded like gemstones, but they are hollow, very thin red plastic with roughly cut bases. If they mirrored Arnak rubies, then that would have been better.
However, the best aspect of this game is the runes. They are accurately shaped, thick, acrylic tile molds and are engraved with varying color fills and iconography. Most are double-sided, which makes for a unique gaming experience instead of rolling dice. I wish this printing included a pouch to hold them.
The insert is well-made with a slot for everything, which is always critical to me. The runes have this nice mancala-like tray with a “sealing” plastic lid that, for the most part, should keep your runes in place when traveling with it.
You can also buy a playmat here to upgrade the look of your game. I have also seen players make attractive 3D organizers for their runes.
COMPLEXITY: 4/10
The actions you can take in this game are limited, but you may want to assess what rune icons you possess to optimize your chances of succeeding in challenges. You should also lean towards paths that match your story icons. When this is impossible, you can have free will with what traits you decide on adding or what challenges you face.
If you genuinely want to create an interesting character, you might not even look at the strategic elements and just have fun with it. Generally, it is pretty clear which types of cards to grab based on your chosen destiny, which makes this game relatively straightforward.
There may be a few timing concerns and unbalanced cards where you can resort to the BGG forum, but players of all types can grasp how to play this game.
TRAVEL-FRIENDLY: 2/10
Let’s face it, this game takes up a lot of real estate, AND you must throw runes on the table. If you don’t want a mess, you probably need to find a dice tray or something to toss your runes into, which only adds to the space needed.
This only gets a few points because the play boards are not required, and most of the game is just cards. You could wrap up all the cards together, pouch the runes and experience gems, and call it a day. You can bring this with you easily (since the box is rather large), but it requires a fair amount of space to play. More recommended for game nights locally rather than far away travel.
UNIQUENESS: 7/10
I am unaware of many games out there that create a character backstory versus being the character and exploring the world the game presents. Roll Player creates a character with stats and cares less about the story. Some games involve runes, but I’ve yet to have physical runes, let alone toss them and use them as a dice-rolling mechanic. This feels very thematic and unlike anything I have done before.
On the other hand, set collection is nothing new, and many games also have the “choose your path” mechanic. Regardless, I did have a hard time determining which games were quite like this, so thematically alone, this game stands out to me.
Innovation:
Using actual, engraved rune tiles is a nice touch thematically and artistically. After playing many fantasy video games, tossing these makes me feel like I am in The Witcher or a tavern. It would be cool if they made stone runes as purchasable upgrades. Regardless, I have yet to see a game truly incorporate runes into gameplay, and it is an excellent alternative to dice rolling that is ever so present in gaming.
Final Comments
Reading reviews beforehand, I was nervous I wouldn’t like this game. Turns out I find it quite fun. I am not over the moon about it, but I enjoy that there is enough strategy to keep the non-creatives appeased while enjoying the weaving story of the cards you choose. The randomness can hurt you, and the cards that appear in each act might not blend well with your character, but as long as you enjoy your story outcome, that is all that matters.
I would love to try this out with more players to see how the game changes. The increase in available cards may allow you to make better strategic decisions. In our first play, I was chosen by darkness, yet there weren’t many ways to draw anti-hero cards which made my strategy fall flat. Meanwhile, my husband had a power where he could draw a card (i.e., score a point) every single turn. This felt pretty bad, even though I enjoyed the character I built. I foresee making house rules to combat some of this imbalance.
This game would be great for a family and getting your child involved in storytelling. The mechanics aren’t too complicated, so you might be able to get non-gamers to play, but it is thematic, so I would only really show this to people who are into fantasy or Dungeons and Dragons. I may start a journal for this game, jotting down the most interesting stories we come up with or taking photos to remember the fantastic characters we built along the way!
I’ll go first:
Growing up as a farmer, trained by a master swordsman, the kingdom ransacked my village and burned it to the ground. I managed to survive but never forgave the kingdom. The rebellion was coming. I knew I had to enlist in the King’s army to make them pay for what they had done to my family and friends. All of my training was put to good use.
On one of my explorations, I survived harsh elements to discover a secret vault where I learned of dark power. The dark lord fought with one of his disciples while I watched on. I slowly encountered him and pledged to do his bidding as the darkness overcame me. This power was exactly what I needed to get revenge for what the kingdom stole from me.
Similar To: Splendor, Above and Below, Dice Forge, Roll Player
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Publisher: Brotherwise Games
Game(s) Pictured: Call to Adventure
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