Once Upon a Time

My Story (2017) Review

Designer : Smoox Chen 
Publisher : Homosapiens Lab

2-4 players
45-60 minutes
Age 8 and more

Written by  Guilou

Like the games CV or Pursuit of Happiness, My Story offers you the opportunity to make a fun simulation. A simulation of YOUR life. And in less than 60 minutes! Just that. As often in this type of game, the installation will allow you to develop the basics of your life at the same time as your childhood and adolescence. You start at the grand old age of 22. All your life is in front of you. It is up to you to make something unique and grandiose.

Unlike other games with the same theme (remember The Game of Life), here we are more focused on social and professional success. But the family is not put on the side for all that. Depending on what you choose to do, your destiny will be created as and when. My Story will tell your story. But like any story, it will be shared with the others at the table. Thus, 2 to 4 players will be able to mix and evolve together during a game. This game is published by Homosapiens Lab. We always say that “life is not so long,” and My Story proves it to you with a duration of approximately an hour (even if this time can sometimes be easily revised upwards).

To help you explore your past, present, future, the designer of the game, Smoox Chen has chosen to turn to deckbuilding. Each player therefore starts with the same basics and knowledge in life. There is still a difference that can be found in your experience. This experience corresponds to a card, chosen from two, which will allow to start your CV. This is essential during the game because the more you will grow and the more your experience will bring you resources.

There are six resources. They represent the attributes you gain with trades or important moments in your life. You will find: money, knowledge, health and recreation, family, friendship. One last thing available is the star, which will be a joker. Depending on the cards you are going to play, you will be able to gain different resources that will serve you to develop your game. Each player has a personal deck to track these resources. Be careful, as at the end of each turn, these attributes are reset. It’s best that you spend these resources in the round played.

Your turn consists of three stages.

The first is the planning phase. You will have to play the four cards from your hand. They will serve you to acquire resources. Each card has a color code, if a color matches and already present in your CV, a bonus will trigger (indicated on the card). The more knowledge you gain, the more resources you will earn bonus. You already know how to do it, so you do it even better. The job you are currently doing can also bring you bonuses, so make sure it’s a good one. Once the count of all of this is done, we go to the second phase.

We will have to live now and discover new things. You can now collect a new card that will be added to your deck. This card can come from two places: the life events or trades and life projects. You must of course pay the cost indicated above and on the card to be able to acquire it. This will then be added to your discard pile and will serve you later. Business and project cards can also be added to your resume later. More expensive, they also gather more points in the long run. There is a third type of card: the successes of life. Available when all players have reached the age of 30, successes yield a lot of points at the end of the game. These are still exceptional things in your life, so everyone can not have the same. First come, first served. But they are pretty expensive. Successes come from meetings (you always have to attend meetings). They will change after you reach 40.

Finally, you will be able to concentrate on your fulfillment. It is then possible for you, by spending resources of course, to finish a life project or to change your profession. After spending the proper resources, the card is added to your resume. The fulfillment and exploration of life are two optional phases, but you must do at least one per turn. As the author makes clear, “we can not do nothing with our lives anyway.” Then we go to the traditional cooling phase. There you go. This is how your life will go.

The central system of the game is based on the deckbuilding. Depending on the cards you play, you will gain resources. With these, you will be able to either regain new cards or add to your CV. The CV adds more strategy and counteracts the luck effect of the draw. The CV is a set of visible cards placed just to the left of the personal board. It corresponds to all the projects of life and trades that were developed during the game. Cards added to your knowledge will allow to be able to fight with the symbols on your cards. You really have to pay attention to the cards chosen and those asked. The game forgives little mistakes. Behind cute graphics hide a smart game where to win, you have to know how to optimize your choices. Because of this, you will need several parts to have the real feeling of starting to master your life as best as possible.

The part of luck is quite important, because it is in the drawing of the cards but also in those available with the purchase. However, especially through the CV, chance can be slightly lessened. On the other hand, this chance allows for important replayability.

Another really smart point in the game is the importance of time. Each action will not only cost you resources but also time. A bit like in AuZtralia or Olympos. Time will affect the game in two ways. The first will be to unlock the goals or achievements that bring you the most points at the end of the game. The second is what will trigger the end of the game. As soon as a player reaches or exceeds the age of 50, they retires. So it's the end of the game for them. Time is not to be taken lightly. You can easily be tempted to perform powerful actions but it will make you advance your age at risk of drastically accelerating the end of the game. You must find the right balance in our choices.

The game material are very nice. Despite icons not always very clear during the first few games and the rules short but sometimes a little blurry, the game remains accessible. Accessible but not easily controlled. You will need several plays to feel comfortable. If you get caught up in the game, the theme is pretty well done. It is not uncommon that at the end of a game you’ll say: "I've missed my life". My Story offers great replayability. It remains playable in all configurations even if it is true that at four, the wait between turns can sometimes be long. Be careful though, you are not facing a “fun” game. Even if certain situations can make you smile, it is a game with a theme and serious mechanisms.

My Story offers you a rewarding experience. Simple in the rules, difficult in learning, the game has good ideas. Pleasant to play, with opportunities to score important points, a big replayability factor and a theme not so common, you can immerse yourself in My Story without regret.

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Technical Score 7/10
The individual trays are good qualities, the cards too. However, icons and rules are sometimes a little blurry.

My BGG Score 7/10
(Very good, fun to play and I recommend it)
Big replayability, an unusual theme, a mix of combo and optimization.

Score Combined 7/10
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