The Initiative

Crack the codes of a mysterious 1994 board game together, chapter by chapter, through an interactive comic book.

Designer: Corey Konieczka
Published by: Unexpected Games
Editions by: Gém Klub Kft., Hobby Japan, Hobby World, Galápagos Jogos, ADC Blackfire Entertainment

It is 1994, you are a teenager, and you have found a mysterious board game called The Key. The Initiative is a cooperative campaign of story, strategy and code-breaking, and the story arrives through an interactive comic book. Each chapter takes 30 to 60 minutes and starts with you reading a comic page, then you play a mission together as a team of agents with different powers. The plot moves on even if you fail, though winning can pay off later, and every chapter builds on what you learned before. It is a legacy-style deduction puzzle with a narrative hook, great at four, with solo play possible. Expect a good mix of puzzle brain and comic-book mystery.

Campaign told through an interactive comic bookCode-breaking and deduction missionsLegacy-style chapters build on each other

Who it's for

You like cooperative puzzles with a story and want a campaign to play with the same group over several evenings.

Not for you if…

You dislike legacy-style changes or want to replay the same content later. The story is meant to be experienced in order.

Vibe's take

Cooperative and puzzly, with a comic-book thread tying it together. You compare notes, argue about a clue, and lean in when the story page turns.