Note: I was sent a prototype build of Ada’s Dream, so much of the game isn’t final. Components and rules may change between now and the release.
There is a real possibility that the device you are reading this on right now (and the device it was written with) would not exist had it not been for the remarkable talents of Augusta Ada King, more commonly known as Ada Lovelace. Considered the mother of computers, Ada’s life was tragically cut short by cancer when she was only 36. In the upcoming game Ada’s Dream from publisher Alley Cat Games, players find themselves in an alternate history where Ada survived, allowing us to explore what could have been. I had the opportunity to check out a prototype build of the game, and I haven’t stopped wanting to play it since.
In Ada’s Dream, you and the other players take on the roles of Ada’s assistants, working to help bring her dream of the Analytical Engine to fruition. To do this, you must secure funding, travel to universities to speak about the engine, and gather resources to build your own engine and score the most victory points. All these actions are performed through a clever and deceptively simple system of drafting and collecting various colored dice—each color corresponding to a specific action—and slotting them into your individual Analytical Engine to earn points. Points are earned in various ways with the most basic of those choices being by completing equations in your engine (yes, real equations with real math, but simple equations adding, subtracting, or multiplying values between one and six) or fulfilling “programs”. These programs, represented by cute little punch cards that slot into a player’s board, restrict what dice can be slotted into their engine (i.e., only even numbers or only blue dice). When that program’s row/column are finished and the condition is fulfilled, they will be rewarded with the value printed on the punch card. All the while, you will be increasing the steam capacity of your engine, allowing for higher value equations to be allowed, upgrading your dice, and more, and then at the end, once a player has managed to remove all of their colored tokens from their engine, points are totaled up and whoever has the most, wins. Admittedly, once the board, dice, and all the components are laid out, Ada’s Dream looks like an imposing beast of a game, but understanding how it all works is far simpler than the game initially suggests. For a good “how to play” resource, I recommend the video put together by the team over at Meeple Univeristy!
I spent my time with the prototype playing with my wife and several friends over multiple sessions, trying it out with two, three, and four players. Even with two players, the games were exciting and tense, filled with moments when one of us would curse the other for stealing that specific die I had been eyeing or snagging a “program” – little cardboard tokens that resemble old punch cards and slot into spots on your player board. These programs provide the player special goals that provide additional point-scoring chances in your engine, at the expense of restricting which dice you can slot into a given row or column. There were also moments of deep concentration when you could hear a pin drop as everyone focused on their next move. This is one of those games you will figure out and appreciate by the end of your first playthrough. Start testing ideas by the second or third game, and by the fourth, begin devising strategies and working toward your goals. After my first game, I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and all I wanted to do was play it again.
Ada’s Dream is one of those games that relies heavily on icons and graphics to detail actions that can be taken, whether on the game’s various cards, the bonuses at different locations, or other areas. However, this is also where my biggest issue with the game lies—some of these graphics aren’t as clear in their function as I’d like them to be. Opting for a visually-driven design for actions is a great idea when done well, as it lessens the burden of translation for multi-regional releases, but it’s also an incredibly difficult aspect to execute properly. This is especially true in more complex games, where the mechanics being conveyed are more involved than simply “draw a card” or “move your piece.” Fortunately, this is something that can be adjusted and addressed in the final release. It’s also an issue that could be mitigated with a handy player guide, which I hope will be included in the final release (I’m a sucker for a good player aid!).
Taking a step back from the gameplay side of Ada’s Dream for a moment, something that I think is incredibly powerful about this game, and I applaud the team for is really highlighting and showcasing the fact that Ada’s pursuit and dream of her engine was not only because of rich and powerful men, but also largely thanks to the powerful and magnificent women in her life as well. Women like Sophia Elizabeth de Morgan, who tutored Ada when she was young, or Ada’s mother, Anne Isabella Milbanke, who was an educational reformer and philanthropist who established the very first industrial school in all of England (and was an abolitionist for an added bonus). So many of these important women – and more in the final release – are featured in Ada’s Dream, and you can recruit partners to help you along as well. Seeing as the field of computer science is still one so dominated by men, here’s hoping that a fun game like this that showcases and highlights the mother of all modern computing and the strong women who played a role in it may nudge some girls to enter the field themselves one day.
Ada’s Dream scratches the medium-weight Euro-style game itch that my game shelf has been sorely lacking, with the added bonus of a nifty alternate-history angle that I really enjoy. I loved the sheer number of six-sided dice that come with this game and how well the systems work together while remaining approachable (if a little intimidating at first glance). At any given moment, players have a plethora of different options available to them, and once everything clicks, you can start plotting out the best way to achieve your goals, such as upgrading your machine or recruiting that speaker benefactor you have you have your eyes on, it is just a magical game. Given how good my prototype was, I can’t wait to see how the game looks and feels in its final version. Ada’s Dream is still available for late pledges on Kickstarter, including fancy deluxe editions, with a delivery date of February 2025. If you’re a fan of Euro games, engine builders, or games with a ton of dice, give Ada’s Dream a look—and while you’re at it, take some time to learn about Ada Lovelace and her incredible story!
