Find the Source (József Csirke, 2023)
Cool. Roll and write. Print and play. Review.
Written by
Máté Lencse
Educator, game designer,
founder of PlayWise
Why listen to him?
Máté has been regularly playing modern board games and classic abstract board games since 2013. He plays because he loves to. He plays because as an educator, it is his most important motivational and developmental tool. He plays because as a father, it is one of the highest quality times spent with his daughter. He plays because it adds to his marriage. He plays to get to know games and as a game designer, to be able to create new ones. Thus, it's not surprising that he often plays through 15-20 games weekly. Learn more about him and his background on his author page or follow him on social media:
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!
During the game
Review
Print and play
1-3 players
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
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