We’re all out here living our ordinary lives. Day by day, the sun rises on our respective horizons. Each dawn bringing new opportunities, new challenges, new experiences. The call to adventure isn’t always glamorous. Sometimes the act of getting out of bed is enough to push destiny in a new direction. Yet it’s that pull toward greatness that we crave, the crossing of the threshold to reach new heights, ordeals overcome, a transformation before the sun truly sets.
Origin Story attempts to take players on this journey by weaving together simple trick taking with more complex engine/tableau-building. Designed by Jamey Stegmaier and Pete Wissinger, and published by Stonemaier Games, a new arc is thrust upon us. Is it a page-turner? Dare we refuse the call? Who will we become in the end?
The Ordinary World
At its heart, Origin Story is a basic trick taking game. The deck is comprised of fifty-two cards in four suits (thematically named brains, speed, strength and love) with love being the prime suit. Amen. This is a must-follow-suit system and not having the lead suit in hand allows a player to play any other suit. There are five rounds in total after which the player with the highest score wins.
The Call to Adventure
Obviously, there is more to the Origin Story. Players receive a mat with unique character art and starting ability. They also receive two random superhero cards that offer a glimpse of what’s to come in the final round. And before play begins, each player receives a stamina token (and they continue to receive one each round), as well as their first major choice.
Refusal of the Call
Each of the first four rounds provides a choice between three randomly dealt story cards. These cards feature powerful effects that slowly build the framework of your character’s journey. There are talents, gadgets, backstories, super suits, allies and archenemies, and even ultimate abilities. Each story card chosen is a step toward embracing their role. Each discarded story card is a fear of responsibility, true doubt in the face of adversity.
Another step before play is powering the abilities in your tableau. Each stamina token can be loaded onto your starting ability or story cards. Each ability has a stamina requirement and triggers at specific times during the round. Some provide ongoing benefits, whereas others may trigger on your turn or after the round has ended.
Crossing the Threshold
The call remains. We’ve not yet played our first card, and one more choice is upon us. Do we delight in our hand of cards enough to feel the heroic pull? Or is our hand of cards looking poorly designed to win even a single trick? Players now choose to play as hero or villain. The former provides one point per trick won, whereas the latter provides four points if no tricks are won. Choose wisely, for this is the role you shall play for the entire round (your destiny is not locked into this role forever).
Tests, Allies, Enemies
A round of play would be simple. We’ve all played a trick taking game. Yet here we are, tested by each story item that has entered the fray. Player one leads with a nine of brains. Player two follows with an eleven of the same suit. Player three cannot follow and plays a twelve of speed, but decides to trigger their newly acquired matter manipulation talent, allowing them to spend a stamina to change the suit of their card. And then player four has had enough of this, triggering their ability to travel back and time, thus resetting the trick and giving them the ability to lead instead.
This repeats for eight tricks each round. Players leading, players following, players activating abilities, players being tested, players embracing their roles, players finding new allies and enemies on the field of play.
The Ordeal
Round three brings a new wrinkle. During this round only, a random card is drawn from the event deck which provides a new challenge. An alternate reality has appeared, removing the prime suit and opening the round to chaos. A cybernetic overlord stands tall over the city, adding prediction and a virtual opponent. There is only one event each game and eighteen event cards provided.
Reward (Transformation)
Everything culminates in the round five reveal. Players are aware of the two superhero cards available to them. They’ve built their hero (or villain) with the stamina and story cards provided. They know what’s necessary to embrace the power within. It’s this moment of clarity that provides valuable points and effects specific to the hero chosen. These can range from new full-powered abilities, scoring based on stamina, card exchanges, or a bit of gambling. It’s with this reveal that the final round begins.
Returning with the Elixir
Now that we’ve learned a bit about how Stonemaier Games has brought their impact to the trick taking scene—how does it hold up to competition? It’s important to note that this plays from one to five players. Solo is provided by way of two automa players, and two-player games feature a sidekick deck for each player to utilize in the trick. They both work well, though this plays best at four or five players.
One reason is due to the card system. There is no deck trimming for lower player counts, which makes sense based on how the automa utilizes cards, but provides a lot of hidden information in a true three-player game. There’s already a lot of fun chaos here, but higher player counts add a little more strategy to the mix due to how many cards are in players hands.
The true delight in Origin Story is how it embraces its thematic elements. A trick taking system that feels like you are growing more powerful over time is already excellent. Finding ways to build an engine based on the story cards available to you is addictive. Having to make choices based on your available stamina—also wonderful. The illustration lends to this—beautiful watercolors from artist Clémentine Campardou that provide the game its own world while also being generic enough to lend to real comic book inspirations.
I wasn’t as impressed with the event and alignment systems. Having only one event in the third round doesn’t quite stick the landing. Tripling the cards in the event deck and having these appear from the third through fifth rounds would’ve felt more impactful. As for the alignment choice, it wants to be a secret reveal that players are ready to inhabit for the round, and the production of the point wheel is great (can see score on both sides), but my group mostly just made the choice as we powered up our tableau and carried on. It would’ve been more interesting to see this shoot-the-moon system tied into stamina.
The greatness on display here always boils down to choice. Players have two superhero cards to pick from. Players draw three story cards each round and choose one. Players choose which abilities to power up. Players choose when to use their powers. And all this choice feeds directly into interactive gameplay.
And while not all abilities are created equal, they lend to a buy-in I’ve not experienced in many trick taking games that I’ve played. There’s almost an emergent narrative that can grow out of these organic options. Poor choices abound? Roll the villain and try to thwart your opponents each round. Has your hero embraced their volcanic burst enough to hold out to win the last trick of each round? And is it truly the moment to travel back in time to stop the round from ripping a hole in the fabric of space and time?
In Origin Story, there’s plenty to explore on our hero’s journey. And knowing Stonemaier Games, this could be the foundation of an excellent expanding system with new cards, player mats, and anything else the mind can imagine. So, do you think that you want to answer this call to adventure? Embrace your inner superpowers? Be tested to the limits? Maybe this is the new opportunity that the sunrise has brought you today.
Final Score: 4.5 stars – From humble beginnings, our tricks have grown quite powerful.
Hits:
• Impactful choices
• Oozes theme
• Tableau-building
• Watercolor illustration
Misses:
• Event system
• Alignment system
• Minor power imbalances
(Special thanks to Joseph Campbell for the framework inspiration for this review)
