The Gamefound crowdfunding campaign for Threshold, the newest board game from Canada-based Open Owl Studios, has blasted past its original funding goal and is now sitting north of $500,000. Threshold promises all the thrills and long-term satisfaction of an MMO in a fast-paced, pick up and play format - could this really be the game that slays the dragon of "hours long setup and tear down" that plagues the heaviest games in the hobby?
Threshold is an adventure board game, a genre that has really taken off in the era of crowdfunding: there is pretty much no way to make this kind of game without making it massive, and publishers were understandably reticent to sink too much cash into them. Like a dungeon crawler board game, each player takes control of a distinctive hero, fighting in tactical battles, getting loot, and leveling up - but there's also a whole overworld, complete with quests, to explore.
It's a genre of board game where more is definitely more, and hoo boy, Open Owl Studios has taken that design mantra to heart. The box for Threshold is a cube the size of a microwave oven, and while there are some miniatures in there, it's almost entirely packed with cards, overworld maps, battle arenas, player dashboards, and enemy stat sheets. This mighty package will set you back $130 if you back the Gamefound campaign - and there are of course options to spend a lot more money if you want to.
YouTuber One Stop Co-op Shop has a good video giving an overview of the gameplay as well as initial impressions of the early game, which you can watch below:
He says that it's very successful in its goal of streamlining the entire loop of an MMO - grabbing quests, traversing the overworld, bashing mobs, grabbing loot - so that even if you only have 15 minutes to play, you'll still be able to complete a quest and achieve something. He does caution that he's only tested the early combat encounters, which were pretty simple - he doesn't know if there's a meatier challenge further into the game.
The thing that stands out the most to me is how much thought Threshold's designers have put into box control and storage solutions. I'm testing a game with gorgeous components but rudimentary box control right now, and now that I don't have it I realise just how important it is.
Not only does Threshold have comprehensive component storage trays for everything, they're designed to 'save' your game state. It's most obvious in the maps - instead of being flat, each map has recessed regions that can hold tokens. Pop a lid over the board and it's ready to go into storage. Likewise, your character sheet has depth, with inset XP dials and drawers for currency.
That's great for a campaign game where you don't want to reset the state of the board between play sessions. Unpack your boards, rip the lids off, and get right back into a game - it's the tabletop gaming equivalent of a TV dinner.
It's a neat design - hopefully the production quality brings it to life in line with the pitch. Wargamer has yet to get to grips with any of Open Owl Studios' games. Are we missing out on some real classics that deserve a spot on our guide to the best board games ever? If you've tested any of them, we'd love to hear what you think in the Wargamer Discord community!