Crank up the amp and take your best shot at stardom

If you want a game that is super immersive, and heavy on conveying its core theme than check out Famous: Stage 1 from Canadian designer Jared Lutes.

However, be forewarned this is not a light game you pull out for quick play. Famous plays one-to-four and comes with a suggested time to play of one to three hours, and your first game or three with four players is likely to push that upper time limit pretty hard.

There is a lot – and we mean a lot – going on in this one.

Players are musicians with a dream of stardom, but how to get to where the bright lights of success are upon you?

Well you gotta live the life, and in Famous Lutes has tried to make the board game experience mimic real life in as many ways as possible.

Players recruit band members, write songs, promote their band and music hit stages and of course deal with the constraints of time.

What does that all mean – well more than can be covered in a written review actually – but suffice it to say players are having to make choices every turn about where they expend their energy just like real musicians must. You can’t be writing on a new hit song if you are out doing promotion work for example. So which choice will take you closer to the big stage?

Canadian designer

As it turns out Famous is almost autobiographical in nature for designer Lutes.

When asked how the idea came about Lutes via email; “It was one of those idea-in-the-shower moments.

“After my injured voice derailed my music career, I was looking for a way to apply my creative energy. I thought, ‘I know all about modern board games, and what makes them good. I could marry that with my knowledge of music and the business, to produce a super thematic game inspired by mechanisms of my favourites.’”

Ok, so with art by Devin Taylor that while may be a tad of acquired taste, fits well in my mind, Famous is certainly immersive in nature.

“My goal from the beginning was to have the game serve the theme in every way,” noted Lutes. “From the characters, to the events, to the uncertainty of crowds and contacts, I wanted to bring to life the trials of a hometown band, as much as is possible in a tabletop game. . .

“The theme in Famous is absolutely front and center.

“While the game play is engaging and variable, I put endless hours dreaming up the ridiculous homemade merch, dozens of useless ‘junk’ items, punny venues, referential character names, realistic events, absurd reward names, genre-specific outfits, and tons of gear. I didn’t have to come up with 60 individual song titles for those cards, but players really love reading them and laughing out loud when they draw them.

“And I wanted to make Devin’s artwork reflects the both the realism and the zaniness of the realism of the music biz, and he nailed it. This box is a treasure chest of the small-town band life that I experienced so well myself.”

Now the immersive aspect here is one of those good news / bad news situations.

If the theme of being in a band attracts your interest, or you just want a ‘full meal deal’ where your evening is delving deep into a single game full of choices, Famous: Stage 1, is a definite recommendation.

If any of the things mentioned in the previous email have you reticent, well then this one might not be for you. It will demand your full attention for a few hours.

Check it out further at electriclute.com