Origin Story Card Game Review

Jim Gamer
Oct 20
8 min read

Origin Story

WBG Score: 8.5

Player Count: 1-5

You’ll like this if you like: Trick-taking, with a theme, and a twist!

This is a review copy. See our review policy here

Origin Story is a new trick-taking game from Stonemaier Games. To be a trick-taking game in the modern world, you need a twist. The are just so many of them. The advertised twist in this game is the blend of tableau-building with the base trick-taking. Players can develop their powers over the course of five games by playing Story cards to gain stronger abilities to gain more points, building their tableau as they go. And this, in turn, reveals the bigger twist: this is a trick-taking game with a theme. You develop your origin story as you play, and this really does come across. Your Story, or tableau, are how you become the hero you end the game as. And for a card game, theme is quite rare. So, with that said, let's get this game to the table and see how it plays.

How To Set Up Origin Story

First, place all stamina tokens within easy reach of everyone to form a shared supply. Shuffle the story cards and place them face down nearby in the general supply. Do the same with the event cards. Each player now takes a random player mat, which will act as their personal HQ for the game. Gain an alignment or victory point dial, set it to zero, and place it beside your mat. Either side up for now. Take one stamina token and place it in the stamina supply space on your mat. Draw two random superhero cards and place them with the reference cards face up on the space on the bottom right of your player mat. You can look at your final superhero choices now, but keep that secret from the other players.

The player who most recently watched a superhero movie takes the dealer token and becomes the first player. If no one can remember or you all just finished a binge of crime dramas instead, assign it randomly. The dealer begins by gathering all 52 playing cards, giving them a good shuffle, and dealing eight cards face down to each player. You may look only at your own hand. Keep your poker face ready because, from here on, the trick-taking begins.

In a two-player game, each player will have a “sidekick.” These sidekicks are not real players, but they will still take part in every trick. Deal each sidekick a hand of eight face-down cards, then flip two of their cards face up so everyone can see them. This gives a small glimpse into what chaos they might bring.

In a solo game, deal eight face-up cards in a row from left to right next to two separate score trackers for two bot players. Place this next to five Vancardian cards, made up of either the easier single flash deck or the harder double flash deck, depending on how hard you want to make the game.

The city is now ready, your heroes are gearing up, and it is time to play.

How Play Up Origin Story

The game is played over five rounds with eight tricks in each round. A trick is simply a round where all players play one card from their hand. The lead player plays first, then all other players must follow by playing one card in that suit if they can. If they cannot follow the lead suit, they can play whatever they like. The highest of the lead suit wins, unless any player plays a trump card, the Love suit. The highest led suit or trump card played wins the trick. The cards played that round are collected and placed in a face-down pile next to the player who won that trick, and that player leads the next trick.

At the start of rounds one to four, each player gains one stamina from the general supply and draws three Story cards. Choose one to play face up onto your player mat over the space for the current round and discard the other two. These stories shape your character’s journey as the game progresses. You can do this after you have seen your eight cards for this round, so you can work with what you have this round. But the Story cards ideally will work together as well, over the rounds, to build up a functioning engine that all build towards your final Superhero choice.

Players can choose their Story card for each round same time, as well as decided which ones they want to use this round. Just because you have the card, does not mean you can use it. You need to charge it up! To do this, simply place stamina tokens on the abilities you want to to charge. Each story card shows a stamina cost in the top left corner. Some have a single cost and then are permanent powers to be used all round, some have multiple spaces and allow you to choose how much to charge to use them multiple times as an when you choose. Abilities marked with the remove symbol mean when used, you must take the Stamina token from this apace, and place it back into your reserve. Meaning that power cannot be used again until charged again.

Your character mat also shows a unique ability permanently printed on the board with its own stamina cost. This can be charged and used just like your Story card abilities. All charged abilities are open information for everyone to see. If you have any stamina left over, keep it on your mat for future rounds. You cannot add more after this phase ends.

Once everyone is ready, each player simultaneously sets their alignment dial in front of them, revealing whether they are a hero or a villain this round. Heroes aim to win as many tricks as possible, earning one victory point per trick at the end of the round. Villains, on the other hand, are trying to lose every trick. If a villain wins none, they score four victory points. If they accidentally win one or more, that’s one trick too many - zero points!

For both hero and villain, tricks are only counted at the end of the round. So if you use an ability during play to hand off a trick you previously won, it no longer counts as yours. Timing and trick management are key. As a Villain, you could win a trick, then give it to someone else, and still gain your four points for not winning any tricks!

Each round ends after eight tricks have been played. When that happens, everyone follows a few simple steps to wrap things up. First, use any “End of Round” abilities shown on your charged story cards. In round five, you can also trigger those on your superhero card. If it’s the end of round three, make sure to resolve any “End of Round” abilities on the event card before discarding it. More on that in a bit! Next, score your points based on whether you were a hero or a villain that round. Then return all stamina from your abilities back to your stamina supply, ready for the next round. Pass the dealer token clockwise to the next player.

For round three only, one player will reveal one random event card and follow its instructions. This will change the rules for this round, and this round only. This happens once per game. Even if the event introduces special scoring rules, players still earn points for their hero or villain alignment as usual. It is simply another twist in your heroic journey.

When round five begins, the real drama unfolds. Starting with the player to the left of the dealer and going clockwise, each player chooses one of their two superhero cards given to them at the start of the game, which up to this point have only been reference cards. Reveal your chosen hero face up on your mat and gain its benefit. Discard the unchosen card. This is the moment you finally reveal who you truly are. This card will offer you extra powers and opportunities for final round points.

After the fifth round, the game ends. The player with the most victory points wins. If there’s a tie, those players share the victory, because sometimes even heroes and villains have to call it a draw. But there will almost certainly be a sequel!

Is It Fun? Origin Story Card Game Review

Origin Story is Stonemaier Games’ bold leap into the trick-taking genre, and it lands with flair and a real sense of personality. The mix of classic card play with tableau-building and evolving powers is something fresh, breathing new life into a familiar format. Over the course of five rounds, you’re not just playing tricks, you’re crafting a character. It really does feel like that to me. Each story card builds your hero’s (or villain’s) journey, adding powers that make you feel stronger and more capable as the game goes on. The fact that you literally reveal your superhero identity in the final round is a brilliant thematic payoff, making the game’s title feel more than earned. The theme in this game is strong and it works so well entwinned with the mechanics.

Mechanically, the game is tight and easy to grasp. It uses the standard 52-card deck, but layers in clever decisions around stamina management, story card choices, and how and when to use your abilities. The moment you secretly choose whether you’ll play as a hero or a villain each round adds delicious tension as all players reveal this simultaneously. You can’t just play the best card, you must play the best role. The pacing works well too, with the event in round three adding variety and a spicey mid-game twist, and the final reveal in round five creating a satisfying climax to a quick, but crunchy game. The two-player sidekick system is smart, keeping even smaller games feeling alive and unpredictable. It works so well and delivers a brilliant two-player trick-taking game. One of the best I have experienced.

The art is gorgeous, the components are fantastic, and everything just oozes class throughout. As you play, the sense of discovery as your character develops in front of your eyes based on your choices is really quite something. Every game feels so different as each character you create feels so unique. There are 64 Story cards and you will use four each time, and 10 Superhero cards, and of course, you have just one each time. The combinations of engines that you can build from all this are huge. And finding one that works well, creating scoring combos is delightfully satisfying.

That said, I am not a fan of the solo mode. It works fine and has a quick and easy flow, but it just feels "less." Less thematic. Less eventful. Less enjoyable. I hope others find more from this, but for me, this game is about the interaction between different players' choices and how their superheroes or villains evolve. Card play needs choices and player involvement. The Automa is brilliant in trying to recreate this in a solitaire mode, but it doesn't give me any warmth or personality. If you are desperate for a good solo trick-taker, then this may hit the spot, as it is solid. But if you are not desperate for that specific experience, do not expect this to be a solo option for you.

That said, Origin Story may not click for everyone in multi-player either. The learning curve for mixing trick-taking with powers and stamina might be steeper than expected for more casual gamers, and it’s certainly not a simple game of Hearts or Spades. The theme is excellent, but it could feel a little light for players expecting a full superhero campaign, and of course, not everyone likes comic book style art or themes. But for me, when it clicks, it sings. It’s stylish, engaging, and clever; a rare combination.

Pros:

A genuinely thematic trick-taking experience
Great sense of progression and payoff across the five rounds
Clever hero/villain choice adds drama and tension

Cons:

A bit heavier than expected for a trick-taking game
Can feel overcomplicated for casual players
Theme may feel secondary to pure card play at times

Origin Story delivers exactly what its name promises – the birth of something new. It’s a trick-taking game that manages to tell a story, make you care about your character, and keep the table buzzing with tension and laughter. It’s not for everyone, but for players who want their card play mixed with narrative flair and meaningful choices, this is a game worth suiting up and assembling your friends for.