Overview
Find the Source is a 1-3 player cooperative roll'n'write game, published in 2023 by Animus Magnus Games. During a successful Kickstarter campaign, they attracted nearly 3000 supporters and raised more than $25,000. Watching this success from Hungary was very gratifying, but the real uniqueness of the project for me was that the author, József Csirke, detailed the entire process in a YouTube video. I love transparency in every field, so it's not surprising that I appreciated it in the context of board game design and publishing. Of course, the game could still be bad, so I had to try it out. Let's see!
Game Information
- Designer: József Csirke
- Publisher: Animus Magnus Games
- Year: 2023
- Players: 1-3 (cooperative)
- Type: Roll'n'write
- Theme: Cyberpunk adventure
Key Features
- • Cooperative gameplay
- • Minimalist toolkit (3 dice, marker)
- • Multiple board types
- • Expandable system
- • Strong cyberpunk theme
- • BGG rating well over 7
Review
Print and play
Let's start with acquiring the game. From the publisher's website, with just one click and a simple payment, the files arrived immediately in excellent quality. I particularly liked that I could decide how colorful the board I printed would be. When one buys a print and play game, they might not want to spend a lot of money on printing, nor spend hours cutting out components. Here, you essentially only need to print a single board, it's advisable to laminate it, you need 3 dice and a dry-erase marker, and the game can begin. I think this is very appealing, thus the overall price appears very reasonable, even though I printed and laminated all three boards in color and in three copies.
1-3 players
So far, the solo version has really captured my interest, but I understand why it's important that it can be played by more people. It's a great challenge, not an easy game at all, but alone, with a not too long playtime, you can quickly play several rounds in succession. I really like that it's expandable, that there are several types of boards and sometimes it's good to sit down with others and roll the dice a bit.
Mechanism
I love roll'n'write games, and this is a particularly well-made piece. Obviously, the dice introduce a luck factor, but the actions, the development of abilities, the items, in other words, the different elements of the game nicely frame this luck. It's possible to roll poorly throughout, but overall, it's more likely that you win or lose because of your decisions, and that's how it should be.
Theme
Cyberpunk adventure, and yes, the story of the game absolutely comes through. I think the graphics are well done, capturing the atmosphere. Of course, you can't expect a roll'n'write game to elevate the theme and atmosphere to the level of a role-playing game, but the gameplay and the story harmonize nicely. The board is clear and easy to understand despite the abundance of information, and it effectively facilitates play. This is perhaps even more important than it looking good.
Overall Impression
I'm very satisfied, lately I've been very interested in the world of print & play games, and it's a huge joy that such an international project has emerged from our small country. I feel it's completely realistic that the BGG rating is well over 7, and I hope it will maintain this and receive plenty more reviews. Minimalist toolkit, great mechanics, great challenge. Give it a try!
Reviews
Quality gaming sessions are also accessible with print and play games.
I'll check out the other reviews.