Chaos is the name of the game when it comes to upcoming Kickstarter project, “Polysemous”. In this adventure board game, players will be rolling dice and moving across a wide variety of boards, each with their own styles and attributes. Your ultimate goal as a being from another dimension is to gain a whopping two victory points. Sounds simple right? Each of these boards offers a way to gain points, but truth be told, each are brutal in their own unique way. In addition to that, players will have to manage sanity, follow (or break) laws, deal with curses, and acquire followers & items to get to the top. If you don’t fancy earning points, just be the last one standing…the game has enough take-that mechanics to allow you to eliminate your opponents once and for all. Polysemous will take you on an adventure that you soon won’t forget.
I was able to sit with the developer and for about an hour we walked through most of the gameplay mechanics. You can check out that Tabletop Simulator Demo here:
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The developer offered the following content straight from the rulebook to help sum most of that up:
Polysemous is a chaotic, competitive, adventure board game, with heavy surreal and light fantasy elements. Do not expect a smooth ride, for even the best laid plans can turn to dust in the face of fate.
In Polysemous you control a character piece and move this piece around the various planes, represented as boards, in the traditional board game fashion. There are many rules in Polysemous, but they are simple and unique. You will find as you begin to learn the game that it seems complex, but it plays remarkably simply.
Existing in this alien dimension takes a heavy toll on your extra-dimensional mind, and your Sanity is more easily manipulated. Lose Sanity and gain afflictions, gain it and obtain blessings.
Your character, being a creature from another dimension, has never even heard of physical battle before, and so you must employ the strength of followers. Use your loyal followers as you like, send them across dangerous pits, sacrifice them to dark beings or battle your opponents.
Victory in Polysemous is achieved by accomplishing two of the three victory conditions set at the beginning of each game. The three victory conditions are to conquer a board, complete a quest and collect a symbol.
You will discover many powerful and varied items along the way, and you may use as many as you want every turn. Among these items are the symbols of the eight planes and the symbol of Polysemous. Collecting these symbols and taking them to their rightful plane is the first of the three victory conditions.
The planes consist of Homestead, Dreamscape, GAUNTLET, LAIR, Tomb, ENRAYEL, DOORS and GHOULDOM. Each board operates differently, each has its own dangers and rewards and each have their own objective (except Homestead and Ghouldom). Conquer boards by completing their objective; this is the second of the three victory conditions.
A shadowed entity offers a quest, unbeknown to the council; complete the quest offered and gain the reward. Discover the quest of another and report them to the council so that they may be judged for their misdeeds. Completing quests is the third and last possible victory condition.
Or you could simply ignore all the victory conditions and be the last one standing by sending your opponents to the Fourth circle of Ghouldom.
Fight hard dimension-walker, fight with all your might. Fight to keep your possessions, to keep your innocence, to keep your Sanity, to keep your life. For if you fail a darkness will consume you greater than any darkness found even in your own dimension…The darkness of the Fourth circle.
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“Polysemous” will be launching on Kickstarter on
KS: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/polysemous/polysemous-the-epic-adventure-board-game/