One of the things my wife and I are looking forward to diving into is storytelling/campaign games. I love immersive games. I want to feel like I’m a part of the world in the game. I want my decisions to feel like they have more of an effect than just moving a cube from here to there. I want characters that evolve and change over the course of the game. That is going to be one of our next steps for 2 player gaming. We’ll still play other games, but we are excited for campaigns. The two games that we are planning on playing are Mice and Mystics and Star Wars: Imperial Assault.

We’ve played through the entire base set of Mice and Mystics with some friends back in Michigan, and are really excited to give it another run through to rediscover the story and characters. In Mice and Mystics, you take on the role of a group of mice that were previously humans, as they progress through an epic story to try and take their castle and kingdom back. The great thing about Mice and Mystics is the story elements. As you play through the different chapters of the story book, you uncover new introductions and epilogues with pieces of story, as well as in game triggers that will further the narrative. This is a fully cooperative game where my wife and I will play together against minions and baddies as we advance the story.

The other game I mentioned is Star Wars: Imperial Assault. Imperial Assault (IA) takes place in the Star Wars universe between episodes 4 and 5. With IA, I’ll be playing the Imperials against my wife, who will play the part of the rebel forces. This game features much more strategic gameplay as we will be actively playing against each other. Between missions, each of us will be able to upgrade our forces as we unlock new weapons and abilities. This game still features the story aspects, but they are second fiddle to the actual gameplay. This game forces or allows (depending on your take) you to make your own story as you go. It gives you basic plot points, but rarely does it give you more than a few sentences of story.

What we love about campaign style storytelling games is that it’s a continuous experience. It isn’t a one and done type game. The decisions you make in one sitting will have an effect in future games. It almost gives you the feel of actually being inside a book or a movie. You control the characters and how they change and evolve. Additionally, I’ve mentioned before that I’m not an inherently creative person. I would never be able to write about or create a world, but I love that the frame work is already laid out for me, and I can fill in the blanks however I see fit.

I fully plan on doing full reviews of these games at some point, but I want to wait until I’ve gotten through their campaigns. I’ve played each of them a decent amount, but I want to be able to talk about them once I’ve rounded out their stories. What campaign style games do you play and why do you love them? I’d love to hear your recommendations for immersive storytelling games!