Exclusive sneak peek at the Stormlight Archive board game
By Daniel Roman
An agonizing six months remain until Rhythm of War, the fourth book in Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive, hits shelves…but fans won’t need to wait that long to return to the world of Roshar. The release of the official Stormlight Archive board game fast approaches.
Call to Adventure: The Stormlight Archive is the creation of indie game studio Brotherwise Games, known for great board games like Unearth, Boss Monster, and the original Call to Adventure. The base Call to Adventure game used traditional fantasy tropes to make a fun, hero building card game that strongly encouraged players to embrace their own storytelling and narratives. The Stormlight version is a total re-skin of the game, built from the ground up with over 120 pieces of original artwork created by 22 different artists to capture the majesty of Brandon Sanderson’s epic tale.
We were lucky enough to get an exclusive first look at one of the amazing pieces of artwork that’s been commissioned for the game. Created by Art Dem and entitled “Reluctant Villain,” it features everyone’s favorite Truthless assassin, Szeth-son-son-Vallano, in his classic pose from the book chapter headers:
Image courtesy of Brotherwise Games
The Stormlight Archive board game was co-designed by Johnny and Chris O’Neal, the namesake brothers of Brotherwise Games. One of the nice things about Sanderson choosing to go with a smaller game studio for this game is the amount of love and attention it ensures the team put into the project. The O’Neals worked closely with Isaac Stewart, art director of Sanderson’s company Dragonsteel Entertainment, to make sure all the artwork for the game was in line with the author’s vision.
“For two brothers who love fantasy storytelling, this was a total dream project,” said Johnny O’Neal. “It was an honor to play in this world, to bring it to life with amazing art, and to create a game that gives you the chance to tell your own story as a Knight Radiant.”
Call to Adventure: The Stormlight Archive is due to release on July 1, but if you want to ensure your copy, you can pre-order it starting Monday from the Brotherwise website. There’s both a regular version as well as the deluxe game, pictured above, which comes with a 48 page art book for only $5 more. You can find all the info about the game, as well as the pre-order here.
Oh, and there’s also a Name of the Wind expansion for the original Call to Adventure. Guess I know how I’ll be spending my summer quarantine!
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