We’ve made these mistakes before. A new wallet game by Button Shy, 18 novel and unique cards, and me thinking things can’t possibly be as complex or engaging as a full-sized board game. And being proven wrong every single time. I’d even go so far as to say the 18 card wallet design forces games to be as perfect as they can be, no room for wasted space, the poetry of our board gaming hobby to the big box prose, if you will. I will not make the same mistake again this time.
So when I sat down to play my advanced copy of Adventurous, coming to Kickstarter April 1st, I went in telling myself over and over this would be a deep, rich game. I was expecting my own personal Odyssey. What did I uncover in my travels? Unmoor your longship and I’ll steer you through this one.
A sample player area featuring the start card, active marvel, deck of remaining marvels, and deck of map cards.
A Familiar Formula
If you’ve played any of Button Shy’s “overlap a card on your previous cards” games, such as Sprawlopolis or Circle the Wagons, you’ll be immediate familiar with the basics of Adventurous. A turn sees players taking one of two possible actions: they can either draw two cards, one at a time, from the top of the map deck or off the bottom (if they don’t like what they see coming next), and then play those cards; or players can play a marvel card from either the active marvel area or the top of the marvel deck, as long as they meet the conditions for placing them. Both decks allow players a little advanced info, since the cards themselves are double sided and remain face up at all times. The catch here is that you must overlap when you play cards. Cards on their map sides have to continue the dotted path line you’re laying down, while marvels have to overlap certain numbers and types of symbols as denoted on their cards.
There are some restrictions to placements, such as not being allowed to break the dotted line or branch it into multiple paths, but there’s also a lot of freedom. You can intentionally overlap cards more than just at their waypoints, the little white star icons, sliding them over further as long as the resulting dotted line remains unbroken. The only waypoints that must perfectly overlap are your starting card and the first map you play. This allows you to cover symbols that you’d rather not see or leave more space open to be eaten up by your next marvel. At all points, clear and distinct terminology helps keep the rules concise and pictures aid in the learning process. Play continues until all the maps and marvels are down, or you cannot place any more cards, and then you score. You earn points for more encounter symbols present in your map (the little shark fin, squid tentacle, and trident icons), and you lose points for each whirlpool adventure symbol and unplaced marvel. You also lose immediately if you have more encounter symbols on your map than the thresholds denoted on your starting card.
If you score below 40 points, congratulations! You’ve been lost at sea! Greater than 40 points is a successful voyage, and 50+ means you had a marvelous adventure. Simple, right?
Sample map being built. The path is unbroken and a marvel card is covering several symbols below (as noted in the marvel card play requirements).
Light On Theme
Well, not really. If the game really is too easy for you, there’s a difficulty slider you can increase in how you seed your marvel deck. But let’s be real. You’re probably losing your first game long before you reach the end of your map. This is definitely one of those games where you can quickly build yourself into a corner, a defeat that looms over your shoulder long before you realize it’s been standing there for the last five minutes, politely coughing to announce itself. Finding the delicate balance of placing encounter symbols, leaving enough to score well in the end game, and covering the rest with marvels and maps, is like spinning plates on top of poles while the deck of your ship rocks in stormy seas.
What does this mean for Adventurous? Well, for starters, it means I prepared myself properly for this new Button Shy experience! This game is every bit the brain burner that I’d expect out of its heavier, big box cousins. Adventurous is no less thoughtful and tight than any prior game I’ve reviewed from this publisher. But to some degree, I was also disappointed by the theme. Some of Button Shy’s titles, while mechanically rich, don’t sacrifice their themes for gameplay. I’m thinking particularly of the likes of SpaceShipped or Liberation, games that offer plenty of crunchy decision making while also drawing me into their narratives. Sadly, I experienced none of that narrative while playing Adventurous, focused as I was with counting symbols and grid squares for future overlaps.
This is a very thinky game, and consequently your early games will likely force some tunnel vision, your face bent close to the table as you closely examine each card, rotate it around, probing what it will do to your current symbol placement. Are you thinking about that impending rocky shoal you see in the distance? In later games, with more familiarity, you may be able to pull back from “too many trident symbols” and think “steer us so those rocks are on the port of the ship!” Your mileage may vary, but this never popped into my head during play. It’s also a bit of a missed opportunity, in my opinion, that the only difference between a beautiful aurora and a kraken is, aside from the card art, a few different symbols needed for the overlapping placement. It would have been fun if marvels gave persistent effects or one-time boosts once placed, perhaps encouraging earlier placement at the cost of not having them to adjust your board state later in the journey.
The card art on the marvels is lovely to look at on your table!
A Solid Adventure
Thematic nitpicks aside, is Adventurous still a good game? Yes, absolutely. Without a doubt I can say this is another solid title that will sit with pride in my Button Shy mini game haul bag. Is it the most thematic game they’ve printed? No, not by a long shot. Some folks will find that a detractor and some will not care one way or another. Depending on what you’re looking for, and how many card laying games you have, will determine if this is the right game for you. If you’ve bounced off prior titles like Sprawlopolis, the different art and theme of this game might still be what will draw you in after all. At $12 USD for a whole game plus a free expansion (per the Kickstarter page), you can't really go wrong. Value has always been one of Button Shy's strongest selling points. Give it a look here and see if this adventure is one you're ready to take.
