Destinies

Today's review is of the 2021 release, Destinies. For 1-3 people, it takes 90-150 minutes.

Overview

In a Medieval fantasy world, you assume a role (like huntsman, nun, or noble) and find yourselves in a town plagued by various horrors. Your ultimate goal is to fulfill your destiny (the secret and unique win condition on the back of your role card) before the others, even as you all seek to rid the town of this mysterious menace. Will you prevail?

Destinies is an app-assisted game. The free app is best displayed on a smartphone, as you will need to scan the cards (role and item cards have QR codes) whenever the app dictates, and you will need to pass the device from player to player so the knowledge they gain from the actions they take remain known only to them. 

The turn structure is simple: refresh one die (add a purple die to your dice pool if you can), move up to two squares, and take an action (generally talking to someone or exploring a site of interest). If you move on to an unexplored tile, turn it face up and follow the app's instructions on placing people/items/sites on it. If taking an action, choose one of the options the app gives you and do what it requires. This could be rolling some/all of your dice to decide the outcome of a test, scanning an item you have, or something other. When your turn is done, pass the phone to the next person. Play continues until someone has completed their destiny.

an example of a map used in one scenario; image from here

The test mechanic merits explanation. You have three skills and a track for each (see example below). Your role dictates where the wooden discs are placed in each track to start, and your adventures/decisions throughout the game can move the discs left or right. When required to make a test, look at which type of test. Roll the dice in your pool (to the right of the role card)- you must roll the white dice, but can opt to roll the purple too. Add up the total number rolled, and then look at the corresponding test track (let's say it is green for this example). If you rolled total of 9, you look at the 9 on the green track and count all discs on or to the left of it (two in this example). This is your number of successes for the test. Enter that number in the app to see how it resolves. The white dice go back in your pool, but any purple dice rolled stay out until an instruction (or item you use) tells you to 'refresh' them, which means putting them back in the pool to be eligible for use.

the character board; image from here

Review

This is my second app-assisted game, and it plays very similarly to Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle Earth (JIME). And both are solid. Here's what I liked about Destinies:

- the map tiles are drawn beautifully

- the test mechanic is cool

- the rules/turns are simple and move quickly

- the items and QR codes are integrated well

- the secret win conditions and knowledge are an interesting twist

- the box is designed very well- all components have a place and plastic lids keep things in order

Here's what I didn't care for:

- the miniatures are very small

- the app's instructions (about your options) aren't always intuitive, and if you hit a button by accident, there is no correcting it

- it seems less replayable (than JIME). Once you know the roles, you will know their win conditions, so the hidden knowledge aspect erodes over time (and gives advantage to those who have played before)

- it is limited to 3 players

- it takes a long time. Each session will probably run more than two hours. Though the turns move fast, you need to go through a lot of them to get through an episode.

I played the introductory scenario (a stand-alone situation) with my two boys, and we all enjoyed it, though it did drag on. Ultimately, I think you JIME and Destinies are similar enough that you needn't play both; choose one and stick with it through a multi-session campaign. Both have their pros and cons, but both are good.

Rating: A