First Ascent: Climbing Towards New Themes
While passing through Eastern Pennsylvania, I got a chance to hang out with Kate Otte, designer of First Ascent. An outdoor enthusiast to the core, she suggested we meet up at Wissahickon Valley Park, an 1,800+ acre wilderness area filled with hiking trails surrounding the Wissahickon Creek in Northwest Philadelphia.
Merging the passions of board games and physical activity are clearly true to my heart, and First Ascent delivers on this, bringing rock climbing to life as a sort of engine-building board game. In First Ascent players are trying to climb 8 “pitches,” which in real life is the distance that can be climbed in one rope length. But don’t be afraid if you don’t know what certain climbing terms are - the rulebook provides a glossary so you can brush up on your climbing lingo (and a few other Philly-specific terms, like “jawn”).
I made it to the top of my side of the cliff (despite the glare)!
In fact, the trouble that Kate (who also does the artwork and graphic design) goes through to bring the world of rock climbing to life, is probably my favorite part about this play experience. Players can choose to take the role of The Dirtbag (someone who devotes their entire life to rock climbing, often living out of their van), Free Soloist (those crazy people who don’t use ropes or other protective gear when they climb), or even The Cool-Headed Crimper (someone who doesn’t get stressed even when they’re barely hanging on at all) . You get to learn some “beta” which is advice on how to get to the summit, and you’ll become well-versed in the different types of climbing terrain these athletes encounter.
My current adventure makes me feel connected to The Dirtbag.
Talking with Kate after the playtest, it’s clear that she’s interested in bringing different themes to board gaming. I’m still waiting for the ripple effects of Wingspan to breathe some life into new and interesting board game themes, and hopefully designers like Kate Otte can keep pushing that envelope.
If rock climbing as a board game theme sounds interesting to you, go on and check out the First Ascent kickstarter, which launches on Tuesday, June 15th.
