Octopus Overlords

Finally managed to get X-Files Legendary to my solo table last night - it's been a long time coming. Part of the issue was an Amazon vendor screwing up my penny sleeve order as I don't feel comfortable playing anything in this series without card protection (card quality is cheap). I also opted to get the Broken Token "Legendary" card storage system, which I'd also recommend. The included insert is really flimsy and borderline useless. Probably the best thing going for the game components is that they do include the neoprene mat. I haven't played a Legendary-style Upper Deck game since the original Marvel - which I liked, but sold off because no one would play with me. Had I known I'd eventually warm up to the idea of solo play, maybe I would have held onto it. Regardless, I have zero experience with the Encounters addition (added with Aliens?) so this had a bit of a learning curve.



That's about 5 rounds in, just before my informant (protecting me from the X-File in the Shadows) is about to hit The Field.

I'm an unrepentant fan of the show. I've watched every episode from the beginning of the series and followed it through right to the end, so I'm pretty sure I'm biased in how much I liked playing - because it's non-stop fan service from the get go. If they went with questionable art (no thanks, Firefly) instead of stills from the episodes I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it as much.

Setup is rather protracted and I'm guessing when I finish cleanup will be a bit tedious (in sorting), but at least I have a solid storage system to slap it all into. I'm still trying to get a firm handle on the mechanics, but there isn't much of a change (from the manual additions) when you're playing true solo (like I am) as opposed to a multi-hand solo play (which I know is a thing). Mainly it's just clarifying some of the card language and verifying how it would apply when you're the only player and/or there's only one character.

I don't know how non-fans of the show would enjoy the game, but for me it's a winner - especially as a solo game.

I've played four solo sessions of ARKHAM HORROR 3RD Edition now and lost every one of them. I've played a 1-character game, two 2-character games, and a 3-character game and got my ass kicked in every one of them. The first scenario is TOUGH. However, I'm having a blast. I was really on the fence about picking this one up since I own 2nd edition, but 2nd edition has been collecting dust in my closet for years due to the setup/play time. 3rd Edition is just a remarkably streamlined game that combines all the fun of AH, AH: the LCG, and Eldritch Horror into one and I'm loving it despite the losses.

I also got in another session of NEMO'S WAR. This is another game I've yet to win, but as a pure solo experience I think it deserves every bit of the praise heaped upon it. It's one of the few games I own that I know going in I won't come close to beating but don't care. I actually came within 25 points this time, so I am improving. It's rare that you see a game with such relatively simple rules have so many strategic layers. Every turn feels like its own game.

Damn, need to make time for both of those.

Saw this recently and it's pretty much spot-on for board games (or video games):

"We love to buy books because we think we're buying the time to read them.” – Schopenauer

I managed to get not one but two games of Nemo's War in. I thought I was doing well in my first game when I was an "explorer" but the damn surface dwellers wouldn't leave me alone in my quest to study the oceans and their filthy steam ships were polluting the sea. Scored just under 200 points which translated into a failure and my effect upon the world was rather inconsequential. But Nemo will not be ignored so in my next play I declared war on the navies of the world. I thought I was done for it because most of the cards in the first act were either an automatic failure or I just failed the roll. But at that point I was not to be denied my vengeance upon the Imperialists and Capitalists who were fouling the ocean and oppressing the downtrodden. And thanks to obtaining the magnetic mine card and the torpedo upgrade along with drawing one of the best treasure cards in the game for some nice treasure points I went to war with the nations of the surface, playing like a madman on the Nautilus's organ as I sank ship after ship. My notoriety kept increasing but while some may be daunted by that, I relished the attention as I sent capital ship after capital ship to the bottom of the sea. Yes, my faithful engineer was the only one to survive but the sacrifice of Ned and the others made my triumph possible, bringing the Age of Nemo to fruition!

Now filled with hubris I'm playing Dawn of the Zeds (2nd edition). Something tells me the struggle for the survival of Farmingdale will be a little more challenging...

A wonderful example of the beauty and cruelty of Dawn of the Zeds is when you think you are going to lose it all you get some good cards which put more heroes on the board along with some kick ass dice rolls. At that point you think that you may be able to pull out the win...then you draw two consecutive Brains cards and that's all she wrote as a Zed mob munches its way through the civilians and heroes in its path and into the center of town where an all you can eat human buffet awaits.

I've become fascinated with solo AI in games that aren't co-op. Two in particular have impressed me over the last year.

1) Anachrony - A worker placement from David Turczi. I love this game multiplayer, so I was pleased to no end to discover that Turczi's solo AI for this game is one of the best I've ever encountered. I would put it on the same level as the solo AI for Navajo Wars and Comancheria. It really feels like you're playing against another human. A small board sits to the side and you roll dice each turn to follow a flowchart of choices. It sounds more complicated than it really is, though. I was so impressed with it that I went out and purchased Teotihuacan last week solely because Turczi designed a solo AI for that as well. We played a 3 player game of it Saturday and I really enjoyed it. Not as much as Anachrony, but enough so that I'm looking forward to a solo game of it one day soon.

2) Fallout Wasteland Warfare - I'm not even a fan of the setting, to be honest. I just don't like video game crossovers. But the rules for this miniatures game are so damn solid mechanically that I fell in love with it after one game...in spite of the setting. It's a true minis game, not a hybrid. You use differently sized, color coded rulers to measure your movement; and you roll up to about 5 different dice for attacks and skill checks, depending on the situation (range, type of check, etc.). In between games, you can build a settlement. Buying buildings using the caps you earn during a campaign that allow you to field better weapons, gains boosts, etc.. I played a 2 player game when I first got it and it was a blast. But the main reason I picked it up during a holiday sale on Thinkgeek.com was that it offered a true solo experience. Something miniatures games aren't known for. This one though? It does it right. It gives you guidelines as to what the opponent AI will do, but then lets you make the logical choice for their action based on the results of the dice you rolled for their chart. I know that sounds like one player playing both sides, but it doesn't feel that way at all when you're in a game. I played a solo game in which super mutants were trying to steal back their leader's helmet from the middle of the playing area. I found myself on the verge of winning a few times, but ultimately the AI chose to run a mutant hound to my flank, causing my best shooter's death. I did not see that coming and it was fantastic. I've even started picking up small faction packs to add to my collection for this one...and I STILL don't like the setting that much.

Wasteland Warfare really appealed to me, but I was held back by the price.

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Mon Jan 21, 2019 3:31 pm Wasteland Warfare really appealed to me, but I was held back by the price.

I got it for about 35 bucks during the sale, so that was a big incentive. Check thinkgeek.com every now and again to see if they repeat the 50 percent off sale.

Solo gaming was how I spent 90% of my board gaming time in 2018 and I suspect that will continue this year as well. I need things to settle down a bit more in my personal life so I can get back to it, but those two games I see consistently referenced as being excellent for solo play.

What I haven't touched yet - but have read, re-read and partially setup and played through a few turns (SEE: things need to settle down) is Rangers of Shadow Deep. It's by the guy that created Frostgrave, so it uses a very similar system. However, he added more RPG elements and the campaign/stories have things to discover and choices to make. The best part is that we all likely have everything you need to play. Scavenged miniatures from other games, dice, and random scenery bits. It's very much a game you can just throw together on a table and start playing quickly. The AI isn't going to blow your socks off, but it's an enjoyable experience.

Hmmm...Rangers of Shadow Deep is 9.99 for the Kindle edition on Amazon.

That could work as there are files on BGG that you can just print out (character and reference sheets) if keeping a Kindle nearby isn't ideal.

For various reasons, gaming (in general) has taken a hit for me over the last few months, but I was happy to get The City of Kings in the mail as I had some time this weekend to punch, sort and play a few rounds. This game is way outside of my wheelhouse. It's arguably a Euro title - which I know immediately turns people away. I am not a Euro guy at all, but after seeing this game consistently named as a solid solo title, I had to push through my comfort zone and give it a try.



That shot is a few rounds in. For the first chapter, I'm tasked with getting at least one of my characters to an already revealed tile to advance the story. While doing so, I'm also moving across the tile map, revealing them and resolving whatever events pop up. As a solo game, you're required to play to characters (at a minimum) and to make it even more complicated, each of those characters starts with one worker. You can eventually upgrade to two workers (each), and the workers let you harvest resources which can be used to purchase items or fulfill quests.

In true Euro form, there's no die rolling for combat - everything is resolved with looking at the stat cubes on your character. That being said you can roll dice as part of having upgraded Luck skill and that might change your combat output. Similarly there are dice for harvesting resources and scrounging - so I guess it's not a pure Euro title without any random elements. More to that point, the tile setup is random as well. Every version of Chapter 1 will start with the same set of tiles (they're numbered), but they are all randomly placed on the map and are only revealed through exploration.

Anyway, despite looking like rule and maintenance overload, I really like the game. It has enough story and theme to keep me motivated to find out what's next. There's also a bit of a puzzle element each turn trying to figure out how to address any of the chapter goals or quests that are revealed. The rub is that there's always more choices than actions, so you're always thinking about what you should do next given what you know.\

There's a timer that manages world effects (frost, fire, poison) and takes away hope (when hope reaches zero, it's game over). Your characters can't die, but when you run out of life, you end up losing stuff so it's not a good move.

The monsters are all represented by war banners and are abstract in execution. When monsters arrive on the board you draw random tiles that not only give them basic statistics (health, damage, defense, etc...) but also random skills (poison bolt, teleport, tracking, etc...) I think I've seen people knock this part of the game as they would rather fight a distinct, specific monster but I actually like that they have random statistics and skills - adds a ton to the replay.



By way of example, this monster (IIRC) is a female tribe of warriors, corrupted and rotting from the evil that has infested the world. They have 3 health and start with one green (easy) ability. The tile they spawned on gave them another random green ability. They can heal themselves every round for 1 health, and do 1 damage to characters within range of 2. They also do an area attack (the three blades) of 1 damage to everyone within range. The fire bolt ability is one of the random green ability tiles and it gives them a ranged fire attack. The tracking ability allows them to chase player characters around the board.

That stat tile is unique. The subsequent tiles that a used for the next set of monsters will have different statistics and they'll have different random abilities. If I were to somehow cycle through all the monsters and then re-draw this one, it wouldn't have the same statistics as the same-named monster I fought at the beginning of the game.

Anyway, my copy is from the second printing, just released this month. It's expensive (because it's coming from the UK), but copies are allegedly hitting US retailers next month. I like what I've seen so far and don't recall anyone else mentioning it so I figured I'd promote it (and the Solo guild). It's not like anything I own and while it shares similarities with a few other games, It feels unique enough that I think I'll keep it around.

I did opt to get the wooden tokens, storage trays and clear anti-knock sheets as an add on. I probably would have been better off just paying for the deluxe KS set. You live and you learn. While the wooden tokens and storage trays are optional, I don't know how anyone could play this game without the anti-knock sheets. Those things (IMHO) are borderline mandatory. You bump the table and it's goodnight moon for your character stats.

For those (like me) that prefer to watch videos to learn, there are a few Youtube tutorials. One from the game creator and another from Rolling Solo are the ones I used. The rulebook is excellent, but I just prefer seeing it in action.

Awesome! I've had my eye on that one for a bit now after hearing high praise from other solo gamers.

I've been posting in the main what have you played this weekend thread, but I've been doing a LOT of solo gaming recently. Trying to get through my 10x10 challenge this year, and well ahead of the curve at this point. I've finished my 10 playthroughs of Star Realms and Stuffed Fables, so only 8 to go.

I found CLANK! on clearance at Barnes & Noble yesterday so I decided to pull the trigger. It's always been on the periphery of my wish list, but I never grabbed it because I have no interest in "beat your own score" solo titles. However I had heard so many positive reviews I felt it was worth giving it a chance.

I'll have to say I REALLY enjoyed it. The rules are simple, it sets up and plays fairly quickly, and I enjoy the simple deck-building combined with the push-your-luck aspect of the bag draws. The app to assist solo play is simple but works very well, and I really want to try the co-op app variant with my game group as well.

It remains to be seen how much the "beat your own score" thing will hold my interest, but this is a light enough title that I think I could even convince my wife to get in on it.

I always know it's a good game when after one play I'm already eyeing expansions.

I've heard the exact same things about CLANK! and almost picked up as part of that B&N clearance sale. However, I'm really trying to downsize my collection at this point, particularly ahead of the move. I tried playing CLANK! last year at a our local gaming convention, but the sessions were all packed and I had to miss it. Maybe this year it won't be as popular. I'm a little mixed on the idea of an app, but I'm not gonna lie - something that helps is a big plus.

The best thing about a move is finding more space to put your board game collection. The downside is that moving soaks up free time for months.

Maybe. We're looking to downsize overall so finding a house that's smaller than our current one but has a better use of that smaller space is the goal. I've really been taking stock of all my games over the last few months in anticipation of the move and I think boxing up and relocating all my board games is going to be a project.

I preordered City of Kings from Gamenerdz a few weeks ago. I hope it arrives soon!

Every time this thread makes it to the top I swear is say "Han Solo Board Game"

You may carry on.

hepcat wrote: ↑Mon Jan 28, 2019 4:23 pm I preordered City of Kings from Gamenerdz a few weeks ago. I hope it arrives soon!

Awesome. I really love Gamenerdz. Not only are their prices fantastic but the seem to be on top of shipping. I think you need to wait another month (I think the creator intentionally delayed things a bit to the retail partners), but I'll be really curious to see how you like it - especially given your experience with Shadows of Malice.

LordMortis wrote: ↑Mon Jan 28, 2019 4:31 pm Every time this thread makes it to the top I swear is say "Han Solo Board Game"

You may carry on.

Well funny that you say that because the announcement of this game brings it one step closer to reality:

Star Wars: Outer Rim from FFG

Far from the shadows of Coruscant’s skyscrapers lies the dangerous Outer Rim. To many citizens, the galaxy's edge represents a hive of scum and villainy that is better left ignored. But to the scoundrels of the galaxy, the Outer Rim represents opportunity. If you can survive the harsh conditions of the edge of space, you may just find yourself emerging from the grime of the underworld as one of the most famous scoundrels in the galaxy.

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce Star Wars™: Outer Rim, a game of bounty hunters, mercenaries, and smugglers for one to four players!

In Outer Rim, you take on the role of an underworld denizen, setting out to make your mark on the galaxy. You’ll travel the Outer Rim in your personal ship, hire legendary Star Wars characters to join your crew, and try to become the most famous (or infamous) outlaw in the galaxy!

But it won’t be easy. The warring factions of the galaxy roam the Outer Rim, hunting down the scum that have proven to be a thorn in their side, and other scoundrels looking to make their mark see you as the perfect target to bring down and bolster their own reputation. Do you have what it takes to survive in the Outer Rim and become a living legend?

The magic number is "For one to four who cares, you can play it solo!"

I am rather excited to explore the world of scum and villainy!

OO Han Solo Board Gamers Guild might just happen yet!

Dammit, FFG. Haven’t I given you enough? How much of my paycheck must you continue to garnish?

wonderpug wrote:Dammit, FFG. Haven’t I given you enough? How much of my paycheck must you continue to garnish?

Well, it could suck and we'll all be saving money. Unfortunately it does look pretty in the pics.

I thought I could safely dismiss it but then they had to go and include a (non-Han) solo mode.

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Mon Jan 28, 2019 8:41 pm

hepcat wrote: ↑Mon Jan 28, 2019 4:23 pm I preordered City of Kings from Gamenerdz a few weeks ago. I hope it arrives soon!

Awesome. I really love Gamenerdz. Not only are their prices fantastic but the seem to be on top of shipping. I think you need to wait another month (I think the creator intentionally delayed things a bit to the retail partners), but I'll be really curious to see how you like it - especially given your experience with Shadows of Malice.

My copy shipped almost two weeks early. It should be here tomorrow. I also grabbed the side quest pack expansion.

I must admit I was debating cancelling the order after hearing Tom Vassel savage the game in his review. But there are enough people out there who like it that I'm glad I didn't. I will say the rulebook I found on BGG purporting to be the newest version is an example of how NOT to write a rulebook (it literally starts with how to attack). Hopefully it's just an alpha/fan made version or something.

That's great news. I watched the play video by Rolling Solo and it was most excellent. I'd also say resist the urge to play a scenario (a one-shot session) and instead play through the first chapter of the campaign. I think it does a better job of moving you through the paces of game play where as a scenario (IMHO) seemingly assumes you understand all the basics and are looking to explore various options or strategies.

I just realized City of Kings has a complete OTHER game beyond the 3 hour token punch out game!

The rest of my family is out of town this week, so I've been able to leave Comancheria set up on our one and only table, playing for an hour or so every evening. It's glorious, and definitely the best way to play a game like this.

Unfortunately, I can't afford a bigger apartment that would let me have a dedicated gaming table. I guess it's time to disown my family and change the locks.

hepcat wrote: ↑Thu Feb 21, 2019 9:42 am I just realized City of Kings has a complete OTHER game beyond the 3 hour token punch out game!

I love the punching-out and organizing step of a new boardgame so much, you've actually almost sold me on City of Kings already.

Punching and sorting City of Kings wasn't as ridiculous as Gloomhaven, but it definitely took a lot longer than I anticipated.

Played a nice game of leaving Earth solo last night night with stations, outer planets, and the Mercury expansion. I just love that game. It was really close but I was able to be victorious in the short easy game by relying heavily on surveying missions.

Can't wait to play it again. Soon I hope.

Chrisoc13 wrote:Played a nice game of leaving Earth solo last night night with stations, outer planets, and the Mercury expansion. I just love that game. It was really close but I was able to be victorious in the short easy game by relying heavily on surveying missions.

Can't wait to play it again. Soon I hope.

Did you review this on BGG? I liked the review and really enjoy the game. I've played the base game and Outer Planets and now that I'm comfortable with the game I'm adding in Stations next.

Was an easy game to learn and people shouldn't be intimidated by the cards or math.

I did review it yeah. It's one of my top 3 games of all time at this point. It's really good. I found it because of high frontier. I love high frontier but people kept comparing it to leaving Earth. While I think high frontier is really really good, I enjoy leaving Earth more.

I agree people shouldn't shy away from it for the math. The math can get complicated, but once you figure it out and you start planning by backtracking from the fish it works out fine. There's even a web app someone created which helps a ton. Plus the rulebook has a lot of planning help.

My solo games I find I plan out everything I want to accomplish early on and the first turns are very slow. But after initial planning the game buzzes along. Not a lot of tactical changes can be made later on, which I think is really interesting.

Chrisoc13 wrote:I did review it yeah. It's one of my top 3 games of all time at this point. It's really good. I found it because of high frontier. I love high frontier but people kept comparing it to leaving Earth. While I think high frontier is really really good, I enjoy leaving Earth more.

I agree people shouldn't shy away from it for the math. The math can get complicated, but once you figure it out and you start planning by backtracking from the fish it works out fine. There's even a web app someone created which helps a ton. Plus the rulebook has a lot of planning help.

My solo games I find I plan out everything I want to accomplish early on and the first turns are very slow. But after initial planning the game buzzes along. Not a lot of tactical changes can be made later on, which I think is really interesting.

One of my most memorable games was realizing I could pull off the Grand Tour and rack up a whole bunch of points. Unfortunately in my rush to make the launch window I cut some corners and needless to say it was a rather expensive disaster.

I'm looking forward to establishing some planetary bases and space stations. And I'm hoping there's an asteroid mining and private company spacecraft expansion in
the future.

Slow-playing Comancheria has been great, as it's really given me time to think about each decision. I wrapped up the first historical period (1700-1749) last night in great shape, with the Comanche in control of three territories (Upper Arkansas, Brazos Colorado, and Llano Estacado) and no colonial settlements on the board.

The end of the historical period was a bit dicey. The western Spanish colonies had established two settlements that I urgently wanted to get off the map. With that many settlements, a "culture attack" (representing foreign influence eroding Comanche culture) from the west would hit really, really hard. So I raided very aggressively, but had bad luck with the draw cup. While Comanche raiding parties ravaged both settlements, I drew a huge number of enemy action points, which would power their response.

That response ended up coming from the southern Spanish colonies. The end result was a battle at one my rancherias against two enemy war columns on the same turn. I managed to fight them both off, putting to use some guns I had been hoarding, and soon after the historical period came to an end.

I'm ready to dive into 1750-1799, but my family comes home tonight and I will have to give up my table space. I'm thinking of taking a picture of the game state, so that I can recreate it the next time I play.

hepcat wrote: ↑Thu Feb 21, 2019 9:42 am I just realized City of Kings has a complete OTHER game beyond the 3 hour token punch out game!

And that complete other game is a heck of a lot of fun.

I ended up playing 3 solo games of it over the weekend (in between assembling a much larger dining room table and padded chairs that I will use mostly for gaming, not so much dining).

I can see why it has a "love it or hate it" crowd on BGG. It's a puzzle game like Mage Knight, Legends of Andor and Mistfall, so that immediately rules it out for a lot of folks. Personally, puzzle games are one of my favorite game types, so it's a plus for me.

I can also understand the complaint that the characters and the monsters feel too abstract to give you a sense of theme...but I completely disagree with this after just one play. When I think of a game without theme, I think of something that turns into me forgetting I'm in a story and just seeing the mechanics of a game. I never once got that feeling from CoK (unfortunate acronym alert).

The monsters are built for each adventure in the same manner they are for Shadows of Malice. But unlike SoM, there's also some artwork and an attempt to differentiate the enemies with a little bit of backstory. And the variety of random monster abilities seems to drive some folks nuts as they try to figure out why a drake suddenly has both frost and fire breath. I ended up making up little backstories for each weird combo and that helped to make sense of things for me.

The characters are another point of contention for people. Each of them is indistinguishable from the other in terms of stats. They do have a skill tree of 12 very different skills, but you only choose (potentially) 3 of those during a game. But for me, selecting the stats to pump up made the similarities less of an issue than I thought it would be. I agonized over roles to give my characters during the game using those stats. So they did end up feeling very different to me over the course of even one game.

Would I recommend the game? Wholeheartedly, but only with the caveat that if you don't like puzzle type games, stay away.

I'm going to introduce the chicago gang to it next saturday at my place. I hope they like it as much as I do. But if they don't, it's already proven to be tremendous fun solo, so no loss if they don't.

I did end up picking up the side quest mission pack, and then both character expansions on the cheap after my first game. I'm probably going to end up grabbing the miniatures expansion for the base game this week too. But I'm avoiding the anti knock sheets as that would cost me about 60 bucks with shipping (none of the stores around me carry them). I think I can handle being careful while playing.

The only other downside I had playing was that I lost one of the green player's action tokens while throwing out my old dining room table and putting my new one in. So I'll probably just end up throwing this copy away and buying a new one.




kidding

I'm glad to hear you liked the game. It's one that's really outside of what I'd normally consider (mainly because of the Euro-nature of design), but my experiences mirror yours - it's just "fun" and I never felt that the mechanics ever detracted from or diminished the experience in any way. I'm also curious to see how it plays with at least one other person, though realistically that's probably where my experience will end. I enjoyed the solo play tremendously so it's a winner for me regardless.

There's also a little bit of Too Many Bones in it too, as everyone levels up whenever one player does. Then you can agonize over 9 or 10 different things to upgrade.