Tell me about sailing across the seven seas in search of the answer to an age-old mystery. Or, perhaps you’d rather describe the way the winds of change carried you to a long lost friend, and reunited you through a beautiful memory? Whatever you hope to imagine, In Dreams can help it come to life. Step inside this slightly surreal world, and see what is in store!

What Is It?

A story-telling game where the player generates a character goal, then generates writing prompts all through a deck of cards which have prompts on one side, and locations on the other. There is also an event deck which may generate obstacles for the player to encounter and incorporate into their prompt writing.

The game ends whenever the player has accomplished all aspects of the goal they originally generated. This may be after just one encounter, or it may take a few.

Who Is It For?

  • Ages 13 +
  • Solo player
  • RPG Fans – Those who like creating a character/backstory, a world, and really fleshing that out
    • Creative players with an active imagination

PROS

  • Art – Absolutely gorgeous artwork, every image is unique and beautiful
  • Small/Portable – All you need is pen & paper, or a device to type on
  • Control – You have creative control over the game and everything you write & and control the game length; you could aim to achieve your goal in just 1 encounter, or set out to write 5 pages!
  • Variability – There are lots of card combos for character goals and prompts. Even if you got the same exact character and prompts twice (which would be rare) you can still utilize them differently and produce different stories

CONS

  • No Win / Loss – For me, when I play a solo game, I prefer playing something I will win or lose, which this lacks.

Final Thoughts

I loved the experience that this simple deck of cards created. As someone who majored in English and always loved writing, but who sometimes struggles to actually sit down and still do creative writing, I thought this was a great tool to produce writing prompts and inspire writers through captivating images.

It is intended to be a solo experience, and is perfect for that, of course, but I also thought this would be cool for a writing workshop where someone generates the prompts (possibly limiting it to 2 or 3) and a small group all write their own dreams to then share. It is always so cool to see how different people interpret the same prompts.

To me, this seemed like more of a writing activity than a game, per say. If I’m in the mood for a solo board/card game, this probably wouldn’t be my first choice. But as a writer, I would use this all the time to get new ideas for stories, because it is great! So if you’re a writer looking for prompts, definitely check this one out.

Additional Information:
My Final Rating – 7/10

Designers – Mike Berg, Jamie Thul
Artists – Mike Berg, WOMBO Dream
Publisher – Side Room Games
MSRP – $15.00

*I was provided a prototype copy of this game to do this preview*
*All components shown are subject to change*