A brand new board game from Looking Glass Workshop, “Ovation: A Classical Music Game,” is making a grand symphony on Kickstarter. The game has already raised $13,958, surpassing its initial target of $12,296 with 307 backers and 28 days still to go. The campaign concludes on July 22, 2023.
Ovation allows players to step into the shoes of legendary composers such as Mozart and Beethoven, striving to build the most prestigious musical legacy. Set in Western Europe’s era of nobility and artistry, this engine-building game integrates elements of resource management, card drafting, and positive player interaction.
Players, acting as classical composers, compete to satisfy their patrons, generate inspirational music, and create a lasting legacy. The game starts with simple actions, and as players gain experience, they unlock more sophisticated and high-impact moves. With resources such as joy, passion, and sorrow at their disposal, players turn inspiration into compositions, culminating in their Magnum Opus, their composer’s greatest work, which earns a multitude of Legacy Points.
Each turn, players can choose one of four actions: Seek Inspiration, Seek Fortune, Seek Patronage, or Perform. The successful execution of these actions can help players create powerful combinations, resulting in rewarding “monster turns.” Game enthusiast Jarrod Carmichael described the experience, saying, “The best thing about this game is chaining together a monster turn. It’s a great feeling.”
Shem Phillips of Garphill Games praised Ovation, saying, “Kirsten [Hickey, designer] has knocked it out of the park with Ovation. Such a clean and well-developed game. I love the art direction and all the little details that have been added to the product to make it shine.”
The game also features solo gameplay against an automa rival composer, offering different difficulty levels, according to Jasmine Hweh, @jazzylovesgames: “Ovation uses very clever engine-building mechanics that just hit the right note. I’ve play-tested the solo mode which is really awesome as well.”
Backers of the Kickstarter campaign will have exclusive access to the game as Looking Glass Workshop, a new company, currently has no established relationships with distributors. Backing the campaign supports independent creators and enables a fun and immersive learning experience about classical music.
Ovation’s Kickstarter campaign offers an opportunity to secure a copy of this exciting new game, contributing to the creation of a unique, multicultural story of history, reflected through music. With its successful blend of gameplay, historical detail, and thematic immersion, Ovation is set to make waves in the board gaming world.