Spiritsong: Tale of Five Tribes is a board game thesis project made by students from SJSU class of 2023. Players take on the roles of tribespeople who must defend their island from an onslaught of industrial mechanical beings. They must cast spells, summon nature spirits, and work together to repel the invading force. Will they prevail?

Spiritsong is about preserving natural environments, resisting imperialism, and celebrating cultural diversity. We wanted to illustrate these concepts via Spiritsong’s artwork and game design.

The initial idea was to make an illustrated book of new spells for Dungeons & Dragons, but we decided we could explore more interesting themes and storytelling through an original concept. We’re both huge fans of tabletop games, and we knew that a board game would be a unique medium to have players involved in a story.

‍

BFA Team:

Co-Director - Nicholas Beutler

Co-Director - Justin Leung

Illustrator - Joshua Campos

Illustrator - Felicia Le

Illustrator - Ian Walker

‍