The Initiative cover
2021BGG rank #1,309

The Initiative

by Corey Konieczka · Unexpected Games

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Players1–4
Time30–60m
ComplexityMedium-Light
Age8+

About the game

What is The Initiative?

The Initiative — a unique co-operative board game of story, strategy, and code-breaking — lets players take on the role of teenagers in 1994 who have found a mysterious board game called "The Key". Not only will they play The Key, but players will help the teens through a pivotal chapter of their lives by following a series of missions linked together via an interactive comic book. The game's campaign is broken into a number of chapters, each taking 30-60 minutes to complete and each starting with you reading a page of the comic book. The story advances even if players fail a mission, but winning may provide a reward in the future. Each chapter builds on the knowledge and story from previous chapters, weaving narrative, code-breaking, and mystery into one thrilling game experience.

How it plays

Mechanics

Area MovementCooperative GameDeductionScenario / Mission / Campaign GameVariable Player Powers

On the shelf

Categories

AdventureComic Book / StripDeductionPuzzleSpies / Secret Agents

Questions players ask

Questions to bring to BoardGameBrain

  • How do setup and the first turn work in The Initiative?
  • When does scoring happen and what ends the game?
  • How should the table resolve an unusual timing or rules interaction?