OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

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baelthazar
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by baelthazar »

People - I am a hair's breadth away from ordering a copy of Shadows of Brimstone: Forbidden Fortress. Pay no attention to the fact that I haven't played SoB in a while, that I still have some content from it not used, and that I have tons of other soloable games to play.

But people were talking about it around here and I realized I never got the Japanese themed set. And suddenly I have a hankering to play it all again (and incorporate the new revised items). So, someone either talk me into or out of this. Does it add a lot worth having? Is there a better expansion to pick up (Forest of the Dead looks cool too, and they are similarly priced). Or is this something I should pass on?
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Smoove_B
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Smoove_B »

If you want a really good overview of what you'd be getting into, The Dungeon Dive has been cranking out an entire series on Shadows of Brimstone...I think he's up to part 15. Part 1 gives you an overview of the whole series and what he recommends to purchase. But then he does follow up videos on each of the expansions to give you a better idea of what's included. Highly recommend his Youtube channel.

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baelthazar
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by baelthazar »

Smoove - SUPER helpful, thanks!

My one issue is that I got everything way back in the Outlaw + Extras edition in the original KS. So I am not exactly sure what I have currently, given it all came in LOOOONG separated waves. I know I have the Derelict Ship, Succubi, Caverns of Cynder, Frontier Town, and both Western Core sets. But I am not sure about all of the otherworlds I might have.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Smoove_B »

If I remember correctly, he's a big fan of owning the Swamp core set, Forbidden Fortress, and the Frontier Town in terms of having the best variety. And then picking whatever expansions thematically interest you to add in the ranged enemy types.

But yeah, if you need to inventory first, that's critical. I was a minecart backer and I have a ton of stuff as well - almost too much. :D
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Skinypupy
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Skinypupy »

I think I'm done with Star Wars Outer Rim as a solo game. It's been very fun the couple times I've played it with Little B 12.0, but I don't really enjoy playing with the AI deck. They can never fail a job (while I'm usually 50/50 on any given job, depending on dice rolls), they never fight patrols, it's incredibly rare that they take any damage, they almost never buy new ships, etc., etc. Add in that they can generate credits at a ridiculous rate with a couple lucky draws, and it's really just a bot with very basic functionality and a cheat code for cash.

Just not terribly fun as a solo experience.
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Isgrimnur
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Isgrimnur »

Take a look at BGG for revised solo rules. I doubt that you are the only one with complaints.
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Skinypupy
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Skinypupy »

Isgrimnur wrote: Fri Mar 05, 2021 1:34 am Take a look at BGG for revised solo rules. I doubt that you are the only one with complaints.
Looks like there’s a couple at BGG, including one that’s a custom deck for each AI opponent. That might be cool and far more thematic. Those are typically designed by people who think the base AI is too easy though, which really isn’t the problem. It’s just boring...and I very rarely win against it.

I’m also considering a couple basic house rule adjustments that could improve things.
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wonderpug
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by wonderpug »

Skinypupy wrote: Fri Mar 05, 2021 1:45 am
Isgrimnur wrote: Fri Mar 05, 2021 1:34 am Take a look at BGG for revised solo rules. I doubt that you are the only one with complaints.
Looks like there’s a couple at BGG, including one that’s a custom deck for each AI opponent. That might be cool and far more thematic. Those are typically designed by people who think the base AI is too easy though, which really isn’t the problem. It’s just boring...and I very rarely win against it.

I’m also considering a couple basic house rule adjustments that could improve things.
The one with custom AI for each opponent includes rules for adjusting the difficulty up or down.
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hepcat
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by hepcat »

My favorite solo AI designer, David Turczi (the man behind the fantastic Anachrony franchise) saw someone complaining on Facebook about their perceived increase in complexity of his solo AIs for games (which to be fair, is true...but some of these games are too complex in multiplayer to allow for a simple solo AI, I do believe) and decided to respond in a polite and insightful manner. It's well worth a read to see how he goes about creating them.
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YellowKing
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by YellowKing »

I'm continuing my revisit of Marvel Champions by playing all my hero starter decks against all standard enemies. If I win, I log it. If I lose, I log it and move on to the next fight. This has been fantastic practice for getting familiar with each hero's deck and learning the nuances of the villains.

Once I've gone through all the combinations, I'll come back and replay my losses with a custom deck.

I'm saving my scenario packs for later when I've narrowed down my favorite heroes. Ditto with the big box expansions - I'll get those down the road.

I bought one of those big plastic trading card sorting trays a couple of years ago, and that has proven to be a huge time saver in allowing me to just quickly grab decks and set up the appropriate combination quickly.

Right now I'm playing true solo just for expediency. Makes for much quicker games but also gets pretty challenging when you have a support hero trying to take down minion-heavy bad guys.

Hoping to pick up Doctor Strange today - I've heard from several solo gamers that he's one of their favorite decks so far.
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hepcat
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by hepcat »

Hearing that Robinson Crusoe is getting a book full of new scenarios on kickstarter this year, and that a new expansion for 51st State is arriving soon, I finally got around to sorting my copy of the Treasure Chest expansion for RC last night (it's all the promos collected into one box). Now I'm thinking I'll start a 51st State solo game and then try to win a scenario in RC. Getting the updated version of RC (I also have a signed copy of the ZMan edition) and then Mystery Tales and Treasure Chest has made me love RC all over again.
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Skinypupy
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Skinypupy »

Note to self: When creating the Feature deck in Altar Quest, make sure you only use 7 cards like the game tells you to, and you don't mistakenly leave in the entire 12-card deck.

It was taking forever to find the altar, and it didn't hit me until after I'd opened the 10th room (and had 1 HP remaining) that something might be amiss. :oops:
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Skinypupy
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Skinypupy »

Picked up Roll Player last weekend. Since I'm generally not big on high score chasers, I really wasn't expecting to like it nearly as much as I did. Played nearly a dozen games over the weekend, and came away absolutely loving it. It's simple enough to quickly set up and play, but has enough complexity to be very compelling.

I liked it enough to grab the Monsters & Minions xpac, which arrived today. This pack makes the game even that much better by adding actual monsters to fight. It feels infinitely more interesting knowing that you're building a character who will actually take on a big bad, instead of the game just sort of ending once character creation was complete.

Two (rather unexpected) big thumbs up from me.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Smoove_B »

Feeling confident after conquering Combat!, I thought maybe it was time to try Fields of Fire again. It's been a few weeks now and I'm not feeling any differently than I did when I first tried learning this game. I have a buddy that's currently raving about it and he's offered to meet virtually to run me through the basics, but I'm having a really hard time seeing the "game" in this; it feels like an actual simulation of war at a level of detail that only someone with insane military knowledge and/or actual experience might enjoy. I'll keep at it another week or so, but man...dense doesn't even begin to accurately describe it.

And the wonky rules (that were updated in 2017 and are still being updated as of December of 2020) are not helping. The game is 12+ years old in a 2nnd edition and they still don't have a published rule set that is right. What other product in the market could survive like that???
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Smoove_B
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Smoove_B »

Keyforge is getting a free 1-3 player solo/coop expansion, which feels pretty smart.
Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce that cooperative play is coming to KeyForge in two free-to-play adventures that expand upon the themes and mechanics found in Dark Tidings.

These two exciting adventures present players with a new challenge to overcome using the KeyForge decks in their collection. With each adventure playing in a unique way and featuring multiple difficulty levels, you must come up with entirely new strategies to win. Whether you are playing by yourself or with up to two friends, these adventures will take you to the depths of the Crucible’s oceans and face-to-face with epic monsters and cunning cultists.
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hepcat
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by hepcat »

Finally got around to playing my copy of the last edition of Neanderthal this afternoon. I’d been putting it off for ages as I was intimidated by the whole “portals of the mind” mechanic, but after a few rounds I was pleasantly surprised to find it may be one of Eklund’s more accessible games. What’s nice is that much of the game play is present in the solo mode, unlike some of his other games.

I still lost both games though.

Next up: Pax Transhumanity.
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YellowKing
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by YellowKing »

After saying I was going to pass on LOST RUINS OF ARNAK and then picking it up anyway, I've finally had a chance to get a few plays in. Thoughts:

WHAT I LIKE:

- Running the automa is super easy, and very close to Dune: Imperium. Essentially there are only 10 actions the automa can do, and he's going to do all 10 every round. Symbology is easy to understand so the AI turn goes extremely quickly.

- Player agency - decisions, decisions, decisions. The game has multiple scoring paths, and while the AI may occasionally take a spot you need, it's not as aggressive as Dune's AI. So you're left with a big puzzle on how to most efficiently score points (and perhaps, gain more actions) given the extremely limited number of actions you are given. It's a brain burner.

- Games play fast - because the game is only 5 rounds, I can typically finish a match in about 45 minutes.

- Deck building! Deck building is MUCH more meaningful in this game than it was in DUNE: IMPERIUM. Because you only have two workers to place each round, your deck is the only way to give yourself more free actions to pull off combos and get more "stuff" done each round. Even the order you buy cards can have an impact as you try to combo your way into doing more each round.

WHAT I KINDA DON'T LIKE:

- The game arc is a little weird in that when you start the game, you're going to have only 2-3 things you can do while you watch the automa get all 10 of his actions. This ramps up each round as you get better cards, until in Round 5 you'll still be playing long after the automa has run out of actions. While that's all well and good, it does mean all the heavy lifting/fun combos don't really hit until Rounds 4 & 5. So you wind up with a slow start followed by a really fun final two rounds that end just as you're getting your engine going.

- One key component of the game is moving up the research "track" (temple) for the top 20+ point prize. However, the AI, due to having a defined set of actions, will ALWAYS reach the top. There's nothing inherently wrong with this - with that knowledge, you know you have to either keep up with it in research or make up your point deficit in other ways. However, it also makes the game a bit predictable - unlike Dune where the AI seemed to constantly be getting in your way, Arnak often feels a bit more like Wingspan where you're just trying to beat the score range you know the automa is going to fall into.

Overall impressions are very good though. Since it's often compared to Dune: Imperium I can tell you I like the theme and deckbuilding of Arnak much better. On the other hand, I prefer the more competitive automa of Dune. Whereas Dune makes points hard to come by and focuses on your worker placement, Arnak makes points easy to come by but limits your worker placement. Dune feels more like a fight over every VP, while Arnak feels more like a point race puzzle. I can say without hesitation that both games, while having similar solo feels, have nearly opposing strengths and weaknesses which make them both equally viable to have on your shelf.

There are quite a few areas of Arnak I haven't explored yet. I haven't gone above normal difficulty, and I haven't tried the "Snake Temple" side of the board which adds a couple of new wrinkles. Czech games also offers a print-and-play "objective" variant for the AI that adds some new scoring opportunities, and are working on a solo campaign. So still a ton of life left in this one. Thumbs up from me.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by hepcat »

Broke out Too Many Bones after I realized there are two characters I’ve not played yet. Boomer and the new Lab Rats from the Splice and Dice expansion.

Just got my ass handed to me on a day 4 encounter. That’s two training points I could really have used...not to mention the progress point I lost too.

What I really love about this game is that no matter how uninteresting a character seems, once you start playing with them you get lost in the numerous ways you can play them. They all end up being a blast in the end.
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YellowKing
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by YellowKing »

Hepcat,

How do you manage the often heard criticism of Too Many Bones in that dumping points into attributes is better than dumping them into various skill dice?

I love the game, but I've found myself fretting so much over "playing for fun" by trying out different skills vs "playing to win" by just dumping everything into basic attribute dice that it's nearly ruined many a play session for me.
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hepcat
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by hepcat »

That can be a problem...until you hit a baddie with "break" and then you've lost all those attack dice in one shot. Then you have to rely on skills or waiting until the fatigue rounds to win...hoping that you don't die before the baddie does in that latter scenario. Or you hit a baddie with "hardy" and you're now just plinking it with one hits no matter how high your attack attribute is. A nice poison skill would surely be a better option in that situation, you'll find.

And in the case of characters who have skills that can damage multiple characters (like boomer)? That could make all the difference in the world in a tough fight.

Also, you have to roll a test to increase attack and defense die. As they increase in power, you're going to find it harder and harder to succeed in that test.

I tend to balance stats with skills when spending training points. There are some truly fantastic skills out there that for the same cost as gaining 1 attack die, will potentially give a character twice that damage or more. Or if I would spend 1 training point on a defense die, I may see a skill that buffs not just me but everyone around me for the same cost. Is it a gamble because you have to roll that die? Yes. But so is every attack die and defense die.

But at the end of the day, you can min max just about any game there is. I don't find that fun. So I try not to think in terms of the science of a game, I think of it in terms of how can I win AND enjoy the creative/narrative experience.

Now, if we want to discuss how the game can effectively kill you in a battle without you even getting a turn in some cases, I can see the issue there. That's really my only complaint about the mechanics of the game. I know it would throw the entire game off, but I wish you either started with your defense die roll before battle (like one of the characters, I can't remember which), or there was more room to move around. But as I said, I'm sure that would break the game.

p.s. Here's a great guide to TMB that helped me understand how to approach it. The same writer also addresses your issue with stat heavy builds here. Although it's with house rules, they're actually really good house rules, imho. The alternative rule below is my fave, but it's probably more in the spirit of skill building to use the writer's favorite house rule above that.
1. Change how training for ATK and DEF dice works

This is my favorite change to the game mechanic as a heavy-stat-strategy is the most broken way for having an easier gearloc life.

There are many ways to achieve this. Two versions I like:

* You could increase the difficulty of success, e.g. rolling more dice than currently needed. For example: You must roll the number of dice, equal to your printed stat plus twice the value of the corresponding dice. Example: If you have 2 printed ATK and a die showing a 1 normally you would roll 3 ATK dice. The new formula would force you to roll 2 + 2*1 = 4 dice. I like about this version that the printed stat stays fixed which keeps the natural difference between gearlocs instead of making them all feel samey.

* Alternative: You lose the training point, if you hit a bone on your training attempt. This seems very harsh, but I like it a lot because it increases the power of some loot cards that else feel useless and are always discarded for better loot in my games (Loot cards that allow you to ignore bones during training).
Also, in that latter thread on BGG, someone mentions that CTG is actually working on a variant/update that would lessen the viability of a stat heavy build. It's not like they would require any kind of remake/update to the base game beyond simple rule update(s).

p.s.s. Here's a quote from someone on BGG responding to a poster saying he just concentrates on stats and ignores skills. I think he sums it up nicely:
If you rely on attack dice for your damage, how do you deal with:
- Break
- Flight
- Effects that damage you when you roll bones (e.g. Gendricks' orb)
- Hardy

My strategy involves about 1/3 of the training points going on skill dice, which gives you the flexibility needed to deal with enemies with the above skills.

Of course, your strategy is a lot simpler (roll lots of dice, kill people). But skill dice give you options, which, if used optimally, can get you out of tricky situations.
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Smoove_B
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Smoove_B »

Managed to get a used (but nearly new) copy of Airborne in Your Pocket - the version that was (finally) published back in 2019 (not the one that raised money and the creator disappeared, back in 2015). I remember wanting it back in the day, but I wasn't a backer and then it just slipped off my radar until recently.

Anyway, I think it's out of print now, but I do hope it comes back. It's a very lite game but there are three different modes you can add in that will increase difficulty and variety as well as give you specific scenarios to beat. Otherwise, just playing the basic game involves moving around a randomly generated tile map to try and find explosives, then infiltrating a bunker to blow up a gun placement and finally escaping. There's a timer based on the depletion of the action deck so you can't really waste too much time - which is where the game play comes in. You burn cards looking for loot or resting, so that decreases your chances of winning. Case in point - I lost by one move in this game:

Enlarge Image

I planted the explosives, but the timer (card deck) ran out before I could exit the bunker. :|

This was about a 20 minute game - which is something I love. Very quick to setup and play. There's 4 core sets of tiles and cards, organized by card suits (hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades) in honor of the WW2 paratroopers that had them painted on their helmets to help them quickly identify their units if they were lost after jumping. So these four sets are are different (different cards, different tiles) and if you're playing solo,you grab a unified pack and you're good to go. If you're going to play with others, each player then gets their own icon-sorted stack and you end up mixing them together as part of play. This also makes is something that could travel easy (though the box is kinda large) - you could just grab a themed set of tiles and cards and you have the ability to play a full game.

I should also note in the photo I'm using one of my Bolt Action soldiers; the game comes with meeples.

In theory this game also integrates with D-Day Dice, but that requires a purchase of some additional materials and I haven't looked into it at all. It seems like a cool idea, but I don't know if my 1st edition set of DDD (which is a fun game) would work with the integration pack that was designed for the 2nd edition DDD.

Anyway, I don't think I've seen this game mentioned anywhere, so I thought I should promote it if you happen to come across a used copy and like the WW2 theme.
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Skinypupy
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Skinypupy »

YellowKing wrote: Tue Mar 16, 2021 2:33 pm After saying I was going to pass on LOST RUINS OF ARNAK and then picking it up anyway, I've finally had a chance to get a few plays in. Thoughts:

WHAT I LIKE:

- Running the automa is super easy, and very close to Dune: Imperium. Essentially there are only 10 actions the automa can do, and he's going to do all 10 every round. Symbology is easy to understand so the AI turn goes extremely quickly.

- Player agency - decisions, decisions, decisions. The game has multiple scoring paths, and while the AI may occasionally take a spot you need, it's not as aggressive as Dune's AI. So you're left with a big puzzle on how to most efficiently score points (and perhaps, gain more actions) given the extremely limited number of actions you are given. It's a brain burner.

- Games play fast - because the game is only 5 rounds, I can typically finish a match in about 45 minutes.

- Deck building! Deck building is MUCH more meaningful in this game than it was in DUNE: IMPERIUM. Because you only have two workers to place each round, your deck is the only way to give yourself more free actions to pull off combos and get more "stuff" done each round. Even the order you buy cards can have an impact as you try to combo your way into doing more each round.

WHAT I KINDA DON'T LIKE:

- The game arc is a little weird in that when you start the game, you're going to have only 2-3 things you can do while you watch the automa get all 10 of his actions. This ramps up each round as you get better cards, until in Round 5 you'll still be playing long after the automa has run out of actions. While that's all well and good, it does mean all the heavy lifting/fun combos don't really hit until Rounds 4 & 5. So you wind up with a slow start followed by a really fun final two rounds that end just as you're getting your engine going.

- One key component of the game is moving up the research "track" (temple) for the top 20+ point prize. However, the AI, due to having a defined set of actions, will ALWAYS reach the top. There's nothing inherently wrong with this - with that knowledge, you know you have to either keep up with it in research or make up your point deficit in other ways. However, it also makes the game a bit predictable - unlike Dune where the AI seemed to constantly be getting in your way, Arnak often feels a bit more like Wingspan where you're just trying to beat the score range you know the automa is going to fall into.

Overall impressions are very good though. Since it's often compared to Dune: Imperium I can tell you I like the theme and deckbuilding of Arnak much better. On the other hand, I prefer the more competitive automa of Dune. Whereas Dune makes points hard to come by and focuses on your worker placement, Arnak makes points easy to come by but limits your worker placement. Dune feels more like a fight over every VP, while Arnak feels more like a point race puzzle. I can say without hesitation that both games, while having similar solo feels, have nearly opposing strengths and weaknesses which make them both equally viable to have on your shelf.

There are quite a few areas of Arnak I haven't explored yet. I haven't gone above normal difficulty, and I haven't tried the "Snake Temple" side of the board which adds a couple of new wrinkles. Czech games also offers a print-and-play "objective" variant for the AI that adds some new scoring opportunities, and are working on a solo campaign. So still a ton of life left in this one. Thumbs up from me.
I've played a half dozen games of Arnak now, and would echo YK's thoughts. While I can't compare to Dune, I will say that this has very quickly become one of my favorites. A few things I'd add:

1. It does seem very weighted towards killing monsters to rack up points. In my 4 wins vs the AI, the difference in the game has been solely from monster kills. Maybe that changes as you increase in difficulty (only played up to Normal), but it seems a little unbalanced at the lower levels.

2. I have two games now from Czech Games, this one and Sanctum. Both games have absolutely stellar production values. The artwork, the quality of the components, the cool bits and bobs...this company does an excellent job of making a game that's both visually and tactically appealing. However...

3. Feels like they left an golden opportunity to do more with the theme. Since the locations and monster are all generic, you basically just stop paying attention to them after the first couple games. The only thing you look at are the resources they're attached to. Seems like they could have done a better job of theming those tiles to give them a little more personality. Even something simple like giving the location a name or having the resource you get from it connect in some way to the theme. I'd love to see a mechanic where certain Artifacts have a bonus ability if you have an archeologist standing on a specific location or an item that gives a bonus against a certain monster. Just something that gives it a little more personality than "generic cave" or "generic mountain". It's a minor complaint, but one that keep coming top of mind for me the more I play.

I've only played solo so far (it's a bit too complex for the kids), but have thoroughly enjoyed what I've seen. An 8/8 game for me.
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AWS260
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by AWS260 »

Skinypupy wrote: Thu Mar 25, 2021 9:14 am 3. Feels like they left an golden opportunity to do more with the theme. Since the locations and monster are all generic, you basically just stop paying attention to them after the first couple games. The only thing you look at are the resources they're attached to. Seems like they could have done a better job of theming those tiles to give them a little more personality. Even something simple like giving the location a name or having the resource you get from it connect in some way to the theme. I'd love to see a mechanic where certain Artifacts have a bonus ability if you have an archeologist standing on a specific location or an item that gives a bonus against a certain monster. Just something that gives it a little more personality than "generic cave" or "generic mountain". It's a minor complaint, but one that keep coming top of mind for me the more I play.
That's interesting, since CGE has done some a great job with evoking the theme in many of their older games. Alchemists, Dungeon Petz and Galaxy Trucker are absolutely dripping with theme.
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YellowKing
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by YellowKing »

It's interesting you mentioned the focus on killing guardians, as that was an aspect of the game I was largely ignoring (unless it was convenient). My most recent play I was thinking of trying a "kill all guardians" strategy to see if that would help, and it sounds like it will. It does make sense given their relatively high point value per resource cost. Killing 4 guardians is essentially equivalent to moving up the entire research track.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Malificent »

Curse you and your Too Many Bones discussion. I ended up taking advantage of their spring bundles and using a portion of stimulus money to grab a big pile of Too Many Bones stuff. Just seems like a game I would love. I'm telling myself that this purchase prevents me from buying a huge TV with the stimulus money, so I've saved myself $2000+. Yeah, that's it, that's the ticket.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Skinypupy »

AWS260 wrote: Thu Mar 25, 2021 10:32 am
Skinypupy wrote: Thu Mar 25, 2021 9:14 am 3. Feels like they left an golden opportunity to do more with the theme. Since the locations and monster are all generic, you basically just stop paying attention to them after the first couple games. The only thing you look at are the resources they're attached to. Seems like they could have done a better job of theming those tiles to give them a little more personality. Even something simple like giving the location a name or having the resource you get from it connect in some way to the theme. I'd love to see a mechanic where certain Artifacts have a bonus ability if you have an archeologist standing on a specific location or an item that gives a bonus against a certain monster. Just something that gives it a little more personality than "generic cave" or "generic mountain". It's a minor complaint, but one that keep coming top of mind for me the more I play.
That's interesting, since CGE has done some a great job with evoking the theme in many of their older games. Alchemists, Dungeon Petz and Galaxy Trucker are absolutely dripping with theme.
I should clarify. They did a great job with the overall theme, and the Indiana Jones/lost explorer aesthetic is definitely there in spades. They did a superb job with the artwork and it all looks absolutely fantastic.

I just wish they had tied it more to the actual gameplay, as it mostly just feels like simple window dressing. When you flip over a new location card or a new monster card, there's no feeling of "Boy I hope I get location X or don't get monster Y", it's more just "whelp, there's the resources and a cool picture".

Not sure I'm explaining it well, but it's a very minor gripe overall and doesn't affect the stellar gameplay at all.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by hepcat »

Malificent wrote: Thu Mar 25, 2021 10:38 am Curse you and your Too Many Bones discussion. I ended up taking advantage of their spring bundles and using a portion of stimulus money to grab a big pile of Too Many Bones stuff. Just seems like a game I would love. I'm telling myself that this purchase prevents me from buying a huge TV with the stimulus money, so I've saved myself $2000+. Yeah, that's it, that's the ticket.
I think you’ll love it. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. There’s a few of us on here who play.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by hentzau »

Smoove_B wrote: Wed Mar 24, 2021 10:48 pm Managed to get a used (but nearly new) copy of Airborne in Your Pocket - the version that was (finally) published back in 2019 (not the one that raised money and the creator disappeared, back in 2015). I remember wanting it back in the day, but I wasn't a backer and then it just slipped off my radar until recently.

Anyway, I think it's out of print now, but I do hope it comes back. It's a very lite game but there are three different modes you can add in that will increase difficulty and variety as well as give you specific scenarios to beat. Otherwise, just playing the basic game involves moving around a randomly generated tile map to try and find explosives, then infiltrating a bunker to blow up a gun placement and finally escaping. There's a timer based on the depletion of the action deck so you can't really waste too much time - which is where the game play comes in. You burn cards looking for loot or resting, so that decreases your chances of winning. Case in point - I lost by one move in this game:

Enlarge Image

I planted the explosives, but the timer (card deck) ran out before I could exit the bunker. :|

This was about a 20 minute game - which is something I love. Very quick to setup and play. There's 4 core sets of tiles and cards, organized by card suits (hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades) in honor of the WW2 paratroopers that had them painted on their helmets to help them quickly identify their units if they were lost after jumping. So these four sets are are different (different cards, different tiles) and if you're playing solo,you grab a unified pack and you're good to go. If you're going to play with others, each player then gets their own icon-sorted stack and you end up mixing them together as part of play. This also makes is something that could travel easy (though the box is kinda large) - you could just grab a themed set of tiles and cards and you have the ability to play a full game.

I should also note in the photo I'm using one of my Bolt Action soldiers; the game comes with meeples.

In theory this game also integrates with D-Day Dice, but that requires a purchase of some additional materials and I haven't looked into it at all. It seems like a cool idea, but I don't know if my 1st edition set of DDD (which is a fun game) would work with the integration pack that was designed for the 2nd edition DDD.

Anyway, I don't think I've seen this game mentioned anywhere, so I thought I should promote it if you happen to come across a used copy and like the WW2 theme.
I have it, along with all of the old and new DDD stuff. I'm not sure about the integration, let me look through my add-ons and get back to you.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by hentzau »

So the expansion is called "Inside the Bunker" and it comes with new specialist cards to use for AIYP, as well as new cards to use in DDD. I don't see why you couldn't use those cards in the old version of DDD. But mostly it's got specific scenario and set up rules for how to play the AIYP game and how to achieve victory. Probably something you could figure out yourself just by monkeying with the existing AIYP rules yourself.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Smoove_B »

Cool, thanks. It didn't seem like a "must have", more of a bonus if I already did. I also don't know if I want to necessarily complicate either game - by smooshing elements together. I have toyed with the idea of upgrading my original DDD game to the 2nd edition, but I'm not even sure that's necessary and the cost would be insane (I think) to match all the KS content I have from the original. I seem to recall when the 2nd edition KS was running, it was pretty close in price to get their upgrade vs just buying a new 2nd edition copy.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by hepcat »

My solo game of Too Many Bones finally wrapped up yesterday. I had left it on the table while I visited family back in Ohio last weekend since I played one of the longer tyrants.

Two handed with Boomer and the Lab Rats, I only lost two encounters. The tyrant battle itself was kind of a disappointingly easy one as I'd built up Boomer to be a friggin' powerhouse. She was lobbing grenades across the entire board. While the lab rat that has a back up plan to place poison 2 on multiple baddies cleaned up the stragglers. The tyrant was Marrow and I just made a mad rush for him in the first round. He killed the Lab Rat but Boomer was able to hit him hard enough for a win on her turn thanks to multiple 2's rolled on my 5 attack dice.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Skinypupy »

Lost Ruins of Arnak devs are looking for some playtesters for a solo campaign over the next week. Figured some here might want to throw their name in the hat.
Call to all Arnak solo gamers!

- Would you like to help us to test the new Solo Campaign for Lost Ruins of Arnak?
- Do you have experience with the Solo Variant?
- Would you find time for at least three or four sessions (~1 hour each) between 9 - 16 April?
- Would you be willing to send us a report after each session?

If all your answers are yes, then send an email to Elwen, who will organize the testing!
(elwen@czechgames.com)

There will be no need to print anything. We will provide all additional content in digital form.
Thank you!
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by hepcat »

Started up a solo game of Pax Renaissance 2nd edition yesterday. Well...I set up a game of Pax Renaissance 2nd edition yesterday....then spent 3 hours reading rules. This is still a VERY dense game that simulates a lot different things (regime changes, trade and economy, religious and social strife, etc.). However the rules are significantly better this time around, and are laid out in a (mostly) logical manner with plenty of examples. They also include a strategy guide that goes over what you want to do to win, and why.

Of course, the troublesome essays are also there. He calls government Covid responses "tyrannical", and quotes the controversial Thomas Sowell in regards to antisemitism not being so much a factor in the history of the Jewish race insomuch as they were often in control of the banking systems and thus were considered economic middlemen who felt the brunt of anger whenever the economy went south (I paraphrase Sowell, of course. But you get the gist.). However, the components themselves (cards, etc.) are NOT given such bias in their use/existence. So it's easy to just ignore his footnotes and essays. In fact, Ion Games is removing them entirely in all future Eklund games they publish. I know they were able to get them out of the Pax Viking rule books before they went to print.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Skinypupy »

hentzau wrote: Mon Oct 12, 2020 7:12 pm Super Skill Pinball 4-Cade - Newest one, and the one that I keep playing solo. You are given a table and backglass, four tables in all in the box. Roll a pair of dice and choose one of them to use to fill in a box. The ball has to keep traveling down the table until it reaches the flipper area. You have to fill in a box above each flipper, and if you can, you can send the ball back up the table to another area. This one is a ton of fun. And just like playing regular pinball, you can get some good streaks going and keep the ball in play, but other times, drain city. It even has a nudge and tilt mechanic built into it. Only played one table so far, but I keep coming back to it to play (High Score so far is 154.)
Finally got around to picking this one up. Regretting not doing it sooner, as it is a TON of fun. Moves very quick and requires some strategy and planning ahead, even though there is lots of luck involved with the die rolls. Played two of the four tables (Carnival and the Dragon one), and they were both an absolute blast. Can't wait to try the other two tomorrow.

Two big thumbs up so far.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by YellowKing »

I've been on the fence about Super Skill Pinball 4-Cade because I'm not a fan of "beat your score" games, but everyone I know who has played it loves it. And the low price point certainly helps "tilt" me in the right direction. 8-)
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

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YellowKing wrote: Wed Apr 21, 2021 8:28 am I've been on the fence about Super Skill Pinball 4-Cade because I'm not a fan of "beat your score" games, but everyone I know who has played it loves it. And the low price point certainly helps "tilt" me in the right direction. 8-)
I do think that while it's a very good game by itself, being a general fan of pinball goes quite a long way towards how much you'll enjoy it.

I'm a huge pinball fan to begin with, so it was kinda a no-brainer for me.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by Smoove_B »

I don't like solo games that are just beat your score either, but I cannot deny the really positive feedback the pinball game has either. I'm not in a rush to get it, but if I happen to see a crazy sale I might grab it. By all accounts, people seem to really love it.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by YellowKing »

I also kind of want to get it just to support Geoff Engelstein. I really love his segments on the Dice Tower podcast and I'm reading his fascinating GameTek book right now.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

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I busted out Gloomhaven JOTL tonight for the first time since Little B and I finished the 5 intro scenarios last fall. I came to the realization that while I enjoy the game, it's kinda exhausting to play because there's so much. Even in the slimmed down JOTL version, there's so much info to keep track of, so many skills and abilities to try and synergize, so much strategy to consider, so many monster abilities to try and mitigate, so many options...just so much of, well, everything. Every time I finish a game, my main feeling is just...tired.

It's certainly a good opportunity to exercise the neurons and go for a hard brain burn, but I don't think that's really something I want to do all that often. As a result, it doesn't get to the table very much, even thought it's a really good game. It's also why I'm one of the few people who passed on Frosthaven. I'm pretty sure that would make my brain explode.
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Re: OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

Post by YellowKing »

Yeah, honestly that's what scares me about Middara. While Middara should be a little less brain-burn from the puzzle side, it's still a lot to keep up with. I've given up on campaign games before due to the upkeep (Folklore: The Affliction, and to a lesser extent Sword & Sorcery), so I'm not entirely sure what I was thinking going in on Middara.

On the other hand, those were before I conquered Gloomhaven, albeit with a group. I feel like that experience along with playing GH:JOTL solo has kind of boosted my stamina for those types of long campaigns. So we'll see what happens. Ideally I'd be able to play through Middara with my group, but with Frosthaven on the way they're hesitant to start another long campaign.
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