 It is, in my opinion, a fairly slow week on Kickstarter. And I can't say I am sad about that—not only will we all be following GenCon releases, but my wallet is sad enough as it is. There are a few potential projects of interest, though, and I'll cover them here: 1) Build a Cure: The Bunker Build a Cure is a cooperative card game in which you are a group of scientists who have escaped a nuclear detonation... only to find that you took shelter in a bunker that was full of deadly diseases that were stored away in the name of science. Now it's up to you to cure all of your brand new afflictions and escape before you run out of the resources you need to do so. The game seems interesting, and it's not crazy expensive, but I'd like to see some more gameplay videos and some fuller written previews from people I trust.  2) Crowbar! The Rangers at Pointe Du Hoc Crowbar! is a solo war game (with multiplayer add-ons—usually it's the other way around!) that recreates the June 1944 assault against the Germans holding Pointe du Hoc. You'll be comparing your performance with that of the attacking Rangers, and there are plenty of objectives and events to focus on. The price tag is pretty hefty at $75, which puts it out of my serious consideration range right now. I have to really want a game to shell out that much for it. But if you're interested in a solo wargaming experience that is mechanically similar to In Magnificent Style, this might be for you. 3) Steam Highwayman II: Highways and Holloways
I have never read/played Steam Highwayman, but I do have a soft spot for gamebooks. Steam Highwayman promises to be an open-world solo experience. The first volume delivered a small number of copies, but delivered them on time. It might be worth a look.
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 Full Disclosure: Weird Giraffe Games provided me with a review copy of Stellar Leap. What is this game about? Stellar Leap, designed by Carla Kopp and published by Weird Giraffe Games, is a light, fast-playing 4X game in which you gather resources, complete missions, explore space, and occasionally attack your competitors. You will represent one alien species and hopefully lead it to interstellar prominence by gaining the most prestige points. Each turn, you will gather resources and then take up to two High Command actions (e.g. populate, discover new planets, tax your people to gather specific resources, or attack), as well as up to three Division actions (complete a mission, mine an asteroid, or put your citizens to work in pursuit of further resources). Actions may be taken in any order you choose, and you can move your population around freely, provided you have the resources to do so (it takes oxygen and fuel to travel). This may seem like a lot of actions, but you will always feel a little squeezed because there will be so much you want to accomplish. This game is an interesting mix of luck and skill. Stellar Leap's variability adds a bit of excitement and keeps the game from getting repetitive. While some achievements will earn you a consistent number of points from game to game, you also begin the game with a secret objective that may influence your strategy. You'll roll dice to acquire resources, but you aren't just left to the whims of fate—the location of your planets and the die manipulation powers you are given at the start of the game give you a lot of options. And while you are in complete control of your actions, the planets you discover and the events you trigger are based on the luck of the draw. How does it play solo? I am really impressed with the solo modes (yes, plural!) for Stellar Leap. It is very obvious that Carla Kopp put a lot of thought into making her game a strong experience for solo players, and it definitely pays off. Stellar Leap comes with three solo opponents, whose actions and scoring conditions are condensed onto easy-to-deal-with cards. Even more interesting is that once you have played each of your opponents separately, you can mix and match them to create new challenges within the game.  Cosmosaurus! Overall Thoughts
Stellar Leap is a very good gaming experience overall, and a strong choice for an intro-level 4X game—one that offers a substantial experience but doesn't overstay its welcome. Between different dice manipulation powers, discovered planets, and asymmetrical scoring conditions, each game plays differently, which forces you to adjust your strategy a bit each time. I enjoy deciding whether to focus on discovery, on expanding my population, or on completing missions. You can do a bit of each in a game, but you can't do them all to the fullest, so you have to choose wisely. I also find each of the AI opponents to be a challenge, and have enjoyed pitting myself against them while equipped with differing powers and objectives. Nothing makes me happier than when a designer puts a lot of thought into creating an interesting solo experience, one that doesn't just feel like going through the motions, one that doesn't feel exactly the same every time. In fact, it's clear that a lot of thought has gone into the player's experience in Stellar Leap generally—the rulebook is crystal clear, the player board is designed to help you remember what to do, the AI upkeep is lightning fast. Although Stellar Leap has several great aspects to its gameplay, a couple might benefit from some tweaks. It is a light 4X, but it's definitely weakest on the eXterminate front. In some ways, that is a relief for me—I don't particularly love aggressive games, especially when playing with other people. But attacks in Stellar Leap pull their punches, and sometimes that means that you don't bother to attack at all. It is possible to earn some prestige points from attacks, but all you can do to your enemies is make them scatter to other planets. You can't eliminate enemy populations or steal resources, just rearrange the board state. I think this was more problematic when dealing with AI opponents who have unlimited resources—for example, attacks do nothing to the "Overpopulator" AI who spreads to different planets, because you can't use attacks for population control OR area control. Enemies you displace will simply move back to the planets you kicked them off of, and their movement is unlimited. (In the multiplayer game, players must spend resources to move, which would mean they were more inconvenienced by an attack.) There is a more aggressive attack variant, but it doesn't quite pack enough punch to thwart an AI opponent with unlimited resources. While I love the different die manipulation powers, some are distinctly better than others, at least in my opinion. I'll take an "adjust up X die values" over a "reroll" any day. And when dealing with AI opponents who have specific strategies, some scoring objectives will be powerful, while others force you into a pretty rough spot, depending on what you're up against. For example, if your AI opponent isn't focused on completing missions, you can go wild with the objective that gives you bonus points for completing missions because there is literally no competition for them. But if you pull the "Friendly" card, which allows you to gain points for every population member that shares a planet with a rival species, the AI that scores off of overpopulating planets will wipe the floor with you. In a lot of ways, that's just part of the game—but feel free to tinker with combinations that are too easy or too hard for you, no matter which cards you actually draw. Stellar Leap does also make accommodations for preferences like this by having players draw two cards and choose one when selecting their species powers and objectives. Do I recommend it? Yes. Stellar Leap is a strong gaming experience that repays repeat play and experimentation. I don't feel done with it yet, and definitely plan to keep tinkering with my strategies in response to different AI combinations. Also, for solo players, the thought that has gone into the AI is impressive, and I want to see care like that put into more of the games I play. If you are looking for a super thematic storytelling experience, you may want to look elsewhere--Stellar Leap has a lot of personality in its design, but it is ultimately about working the system and earning those prestige points. But if you want to test yourself against an interesting game system again and again, then Stellar Leap is a great choice for you. Overall Rating: 4 stars Rating Scale: 5 stars — I love it! 4 stars — I really like it. 3 stars — I like it. 2 stars — It's okay. 1 star — Meh.  Image taken from KS My wallet hasn't been hurting too much for the last couple of months, but with Snowdonia and now some of the projects this week, that is about to change.... 1. Thunderstone Quest: Back to the Dungeon Thunderstone Quest is an updated version of earlier Thunderstone games, which are basically deck building dungeon crawl/adventure games. Although previous editions of Thunderstone have been much-loved by solo gamers, Quest was not released with a solo mode—but it's about to have one. The second printing of Thunderstone Quest will allow you to pick up the base game, as well as rules and extra components for a solo/co-op campaign. Based on pedigree alone, I'm interested in this one. It is, however, ridiculously expensive. It'll run you $150 for the base game plus solo expansion.  Image pilfered from Dice Tower News. 2. SiegeStorm: The Siege Mode Although it is primarily a 1v1 card combat game, SiegeStorm is offering a solo mode and a two-player co-op mode. In both solo-able variants, you will play your cards against one of several interesting-looking bosses to see who comes out victorious. This game advertises itself as learnable in five minutes and playable in 20, but also seems to offer interesting gameplay and deck construction choices. Each card is playable in three different ways, it's possible to build up impressive combos, and there are several factions to try. I'm definitely intrigued. If you want to see more, Ant Lab Games did a playthrough video that should give you a good idea of whether SiegeStorm is for you.  Image taken from BGG 3. Black Orchestra Conspirator Packs
I have not personally played Black Orchestra, a co-op game about assassinating Hitler. I've been hearing a lot of buzz about it, though! If you've tried and enjoyed Black Orchestra, there are some expansion packs being Kickstarted right now. If you want to pick up the base game + conspirator packs, you can do that as well by backing this campaign. The base game is, however, also available at retail for the moment, so plan accordingly.  What is this game about? MetroX is a roll and write game about trying to complete the lines on actual subway maps of Tokyo and Osaka. It is also absurdly addictive. Your game components are no more than a blank subway map, a pencil, and a deck of cards—but these simple things have never been more engaging. Each time you flip a card, you choose which subway line to work on, and you fill in empty squares along the line up to the number on the card (e.g. a 3 means you can fill in 3 squares). But there are a few catches. First, you can only use so many cards per rail line, so you have to be careful how you distribute your cards. Second, train lines intersect... and if you bump into a station you've already filled in, you can't skip over it. Instead, you have to stop and waste time and resources. There are a couple of "skip" cards to help mitigate this, but trust me, they will never be enough. You also have the chance to draw "star" cards that allow you to score extra points by placing them in intersections—but when you place them on a line, that takes up space you could have used for another number card. How does it play solo? MetroX is multiplayer solitaire at its best. Any number of people can play it as long as there are enough sheets left in the box. All you're doing is filling out your own map based on the deck of cards, so you can just play solo and keep working towards a high score. Overall Thoughts When I first saw MetroX, I wasn't too excited about it. I am so glad that Mike DiLisio from SoloMode Games talked it up and convinced me to try it. I have actually never played a roll and write before MetroX, and until now I wasn't sure I was interested. But I think I might have become an addict. Every time I play this game, I have fun. It works when I'm by myself on an airplane or in the evening before bed. It works in groups—I swear, you have never heard so many grown adults get so excited about a "skip" card that let them make progress on their train routes. My boyfriend and I have played it while waiting for food at a restaurant, and I plan to laminate some of the maps so I can play it again and again with game club students.  Who knew that cards and maps could bring a person so much joy? It's possible that my ardor will cool a bit once I get fully familiar with the maps and fall into more strategic patterns. But for now, I am enjoying the process of getting to know the Tokyo and Osaka maps. Every time I play, I have a better sense of what the best move might be, and I'm developing preferred strategies as I go. And once I more or less master these maps, that just means I'll be looking for a fresh set of maps to conquer. I would actually like to see a MetroX app so I could get even more plays in! MetroX is also my entrée into a new genre of board games. I seriously doubt this will be my last roll and write, since it's been such a positive experience.
Do I recommend it? Yes. You will surprise yourself with how much fun you have. If you want a quick, relaxing game that is perfect to play on the go, then MetroX is worth your consideration. I have one warning, though: MetroX is not easy to get ahold of in the US. I got my copy because a vendor at Dice Tower Con had brought a bunch over from Japan. Overall Rating: 4.5 stars 5 stars — I love it! 4 stars — I really like it. 3 stars — I like it. 2 stars — It's okay. 1 star — Meh.  For a "How to Solo" video with some sample turns, click here. What is this game about? Maiden's Quest is a game in which you are a princess who is fed up with being locked in a tower, so you ransack your room for supplies and try to escape. But Maiden's Quest isn't just any dungeon crawl. It's one of the more interesting games I have seen in a while. In fact, I have never seen a game quite like Maiden's Quest. Before beginning a game of Maiden's Quest, you construct a deck that is unique to your game. The cards that go in depend on two factors: your princess and your captor. You have several choices for each, which will give the game quite a bit of variability. Once you've built your deck and shuffled all of the cards together, your deck will fit in the palm of your hand. No table required. Gameplay is deviously simple. Every time you run into an enemy, you can choose to flee—which will cost you a bit if you are at the same level as an enemy or higher—or to fight. To fight, you fan out the next five cards in the deck and hope to match the symbols on those cards with the symbols that are necessary to win the battle. (Each enemy has a different symbol requirement.) To flee, you fan out five cards and choose one to downgrade. At first, fanning out cards and failing might seem like a bit of a luck fest. How are you supposed to control what symbols show up? But the real key to Maiden's Quest is paying attention to the symbols you have and deliberately manipulating your deck to maximize your chances of success. You can rotate cards in your deck to upgrade or downgrade them, and it's up to you to make the best choices as you go. Upgrades give you more symbols to work with, so you need to pay attention to what you've seen in order to give yourself more of the ones you need. And even downgrades aren't all bad—sometimes, as your princess gets more desperate, she fights harder even though she has lost a bit of health. There are also multiple ways to beat the game. Defeating your captor is one way, but if you come across any key symbols, you can also search out an exit and try to escape through it. Maiden's Quest is also interactive in a way I haven't seen before. While you essentially play the game solo, using your own deck, you can choose to cooperate with others by having them reveal cards from their own deck to help you in a conflict. This is particularly useful if another player has plenty of a specific symbol that you're lacking in your own deck. Even more exciting is "Serendipity," which allows two people who are playing Maiden's Quest to team up for a couple of battles. The game even comes with special cards to use as "gifts" in these situations—and the cards "level up" over time, because every time you team up, you can ask your friend to sign your card and give it a little more oomph the next time you use it.  Take that, Jeliasta Jones! How does it play solo?
Maiden's Quest is essentially a solo game that benefits from the occasional intervention of others. You don't need other people at all to play it. But it also lends itself well to "multiplayer solitaire," because you can temporarily team up with someone else and then go back to doing your own thing. Overall Thoughts I really enjoy Maiden's Quest, and I think the concept behind it is extremely interesting. I have more agency in the game than I initially realized, and I enjoy getting better at manipulating the cards to my advantage. This game is really teaching me to count cards and to notice when specific combinations of symbols haven't shown up in a while—observational skills that are key to deciding whether to engage in a conflict or whether to make an escape attempt. I also love the theme, and the idea that handbags and high heels are actually dangerous weapons capable of felling goblins, orcs, and the undead. There is some delightful wordplay on the cards, and other little touches that show how much love was put into this game. I also like the possibility of "Serendipity." Although I am unlikely to run into people playing Maiden's Quest "in the wild" (if only), it's an awesome game to have at cons, and each box contains enough cards for two people in the house to have an active deck, meaning that you and another player could entertain yourselves and each other by playing Maiden's Quest. I also love that this game fits into the palm of your hand and can be started or stopped at will. This game is actually small enough to put into a plastic baggie and take out whenever you have a dull moment in your day. I played a bunch in the airport after Dice Tower Con and it was cool to be able to pass the time with a game, but without much setup/cleanup. Sorting the cards back out and setting up a fresh game can take a little time, but it is no big deal, especially once you know what you are doing. My main complaint about Maiden's Quest is that the rulebook is a bit of a mess—but you MUST read that rulebook to pick up all of the little nuances of the game. If you don't know the rules, you can't work them to their fullest extent and achieve victory. There are a lot of little quirks to learn, and they make the game harder to sink into. It took me a few plays before I fully understood the possibilities that Maiden's Quest can offer to its players. But honestly, it's been worth the investment. There is a fun and innovative game in there if you're willing to get through the awkward "getting to know you" phase. Do I recommend it? Yes. If you want to play something innovative, then Maiden's Quest is worth a look. It isn't necessarily a solo game for the ages, but it introduces concepts that are unique and that should demand our attention. It's also continuing to grow on me play after play, and it has more depth than I initially realized. In a world where so many games feel the same, I'm delighted to see and to support something fresh. I expect Maiden's Quest to be part of my rotation for a while, and I hope to see the game system expand and develop. Just be warned: There is a pretty high bar to entry for a game so small, and you'll have to spend a lot of time sifting through the rulebook. Overall Rating: 3.5 stars 5 stars — I love it! 4 stars — I really like it. 3 stars — I like it. 2 stars — It's okay. 1 star — Meh.  It's late summer, and Kickstarter for solo gamers is so hot right now. Thunderstone Quest hits tomorrow, but we'll talk about that one next week. For now, enjoy some other temptations: 1) Rurik: Dawn of Kiev Rurik: Dawn of Kiev is a game about becoming the ruler of Kiev by constructing buildings and expanding your influence over growing quantities of land. It combines area control and resource management, but also advertises a new mechanic called "auction programming." This entails using your advisors to bid for actions on a central strategy board. Using a higher-numbered advisor will allow you to get more out of an action, but lower-numbered advisors resolve their actions first. It's up to you to figure out what you need your advisors to do for you, and in what order you want them to do it. In the solo game, you play against an automa that is designed to change tactics and give you a real challenge when you play. Overall it looks like a fresh take on euro-style games, and I'm very curious about how the automa will work.  2) Dawn of the Zeds: Third Edition (Reprint)
Dawn of the Zeds, published by Victory Point Games, is a reprint of the deluxe version of the game with an additional set of three expansion packs. It's a cooperative game for 1–5 players and it's part of the States of Siege series. In the game, you'll defend Farmingdale and its outlying villages from invading zombies. You'll need to make use of the resources around you, including various citizens who live in your area, to make a last stand and keep the outside world from giving up on you. Dawn of the Zeds is a very well done solo game, and one of my favorite zombie-themed board games. The expansions offer new characters and new event cards, as well as new game systems that help you access helpful items and new modes of transportation (trains!). If you don't have this one already, it's definitely worth a further look. 3) Casual Game Insider (Year 7) This isn't a Kickstarter campaign for a game, but for a game magazine. Casual Game Insider is going into its seventh year, and it's $10 for a one-year digital subscription. (The magazine is published quarterly.) I'd like to see more board game journalism and more support for publications that focus on my favorite hobby, so I'm planning to support it. The campaign page features a free sample issue if you'd like to peruse it and see what sort of content you can expect.  Full disclosure: I received a review copy of Carthage from SAS Games. What is this game about? Carthage is a deck building gladiator combat game in which up to five gladiators can fight to the death. Every gladiator starts with 15 armor, and can be knocked out of the game by being reduced to 0 armor. Gladiator actions are determined by the cards each player draws, which can allow for movement, attack damage, armor boosts, and the currying of crowd favor. Crowd favor is key, because at the end of each round, players use the favor they have earned with the audience to purchase new and better cards for their decks. Each round of Carthage is divided into three phases. During the theater phase, players flip over a theater card which has consequences—positive or negative—for that round. Next, players draw five cards from their decks and play their hands one card at a time, in turn order. After all cards have been played, players enter the Favor Phase, when they take turns spending their crowd favor on new cards and other boons until everyone has run out of favor. There are also some arena tokens that grant rewards for the first players to reach them each round, which gives players an incentive to make a run for the center of the board. How does it play solo? Carthage includes a solo and/or co-op mode of play that is run by an app. The app controls an opponent called the "Essedari Maximo," which is supposed to mean "greatest charioteer," and would indeed mean that if the Latin endings were correct. As it stands, it could mean something like "of the charioteer, to the greatest." (Sorry, my inner Latin teacher couldn't help bringing this up.) When fighting the essedarius, gladiators have eight rounds to defeat him or be defeated. He moves in a mostly predictable pattern—counter-clockwise along the inside of the arena's inner circle—but can also cross the circle, as well as do ranged and collision damage to gladiators.  A screenshot of the app. Overall Thoughts Carthage has a cool concept and seems like it would be a fun game, but for me it falls flat—especially when playing solo. During my multiplayer games, we had a pretty good time until endgame approached and things started to drag. It's too easy to run away from other gladiators, especially when players have to draw cards for movement and don't always get what they need. Carthage definitely suffers from some pacing problems as there are fewer and fewer gladiators to contend with in the arena. There just aren't enough incentives to draw players into the center of the action. You can use some of the modular rulesets included in the rulebook to tweak this issue, if you so choose. The "crocodile island" rules penalize gladiators for leaving the center ring, which is pretty tight for a five player game, but a better size for 2–3 players. You'll have to decide how claustrophobic you want the early stages of your game to be. While I love deck builders, I am not sure deck building was the best mechanic for a tactical gladiator game. While having limited actions in your hand is clearly meant to force you to think strategically, it also makes little thematic sense to have severely limited movement or attack cards in a game that should literally be about guys with weapons chasing each other and stabbing each other to death. The solo version of Carthage is just not quite there. I like the concept of an AI opponent who essentially has his own cards to draw via the app, but the "Essedari Maximo" doesn't feel satisfying to fight. At times, he is too far away from you for you to catch him, so you end up burning cards waiting for him to come back around. This is especially true if you don't get helpful cards on the market row, or if it takes too many turns to be able to buy them. Your first two turns (out of eight total) will be entirely spent playing your starter cards, which is hugely frustrating because you truly will not have enough movement to maneuver effectively. When playing two-player co-op, it is slightly easier to get close because you have two gladiators to maneuver. But it's still not enough to provide a satisfying experience. Technically, the solo/co-op mode "works," in that you can take your turn and the charioteer can take his. But I didn't get any real joy out of playing the game that way. I understand that Carthage is not primarily a solo or co-op game—the app was developed as a stretch goal. But once a mode exists in a game, I want to see it shine.  Do I recommend it?
No. Especially not if you're seeking a mostly solo or co-op game. I prefer Hoplomachus by a very wide margin, especially for solo. For a vicious multiplayer experience, I prefer Spartacus: A Game of Blood and Treachery. I can't see Carthage replacing either of those for me. Your game group might, however, enjoy the multiplayer version of Carthage. Overall Rating: 1 star (2–2.5 for multiplayer) Rating Scale: 5 stars — I love it! 4 stars — I really like it. 3 stars — I like it. 2 stars — It's okay. 1 star — Meh.  Image taken from Kickstarter. I'm back from Dice Tower Con and will probably spend my day recovering from a weekend that was entirely too much fun, but I still checked Kickstarter to see what was what in solo-friendly board game campaigns! Here's what I found: 1. Snowdonia Snowdonia, designed by Tony Boydell, has me really excited. I've wanted to get my hands on a copy for a while, because it's a solo gaming classic that has seen several expansions and new scenarios over the years. Now NSKN is publishing a deluxe edition that contains everything ever published for Snowdonia, plus an all-new scenario. If you like worker placement games, odds are you'll enjoy this one, which is about building railway lines in Wales. The price point is pretty high—$88 plus shipping—but you're getting a great game, plus deluxe components and a ton of expansion material. This one is a definite yes for me.  Image from BGG 2. The Abandons: A Solo Labyrinth Escape Game The Abandons is a solo-only game about exploring a labyrinth. You will draw and place cards to help you navigate to the exit, encountering items and hoping not to dead end along the way. To play, you draw cards from a deck and attempt to place them in ways that prevent you from hitting too many dead ends and never managing to escape the labyrinth. There are also a few items that could help you if you get stuck The Abandons is inexpensive at $13 plus shipping, but I'm not sure how riveting a game it actually is. It's possibly worth a look if you like cheap solitaire games.  Image taken from BGG 3. Gorus Maximus
Gorus Maximus is an adorable—yet bloody—trick taking game with a gladiator theme. I definitely love the art and would be interested in trying it with a group. The price is right ($15 for the basic edition, $20 for the special KS edition). But the solo rules are a recent addition, and I always have my doubts when a solo mode gets added on in the middle of a KS campaign. Also, the fun of a trick taking game is making decisions based on counting cards and contemplating what other people are going to do. For solo, this one seems like a risk.  What is this game about?
Roll Player is a dice drafting and manipulation game that focuses on fantasy heroes before they become heroes. You can't have a grand adventure without rolling your stats and equipping yourself first, now can you? In Roll Player, your goal is to collect and place dice to reach the ideal set of starting attributes for your character, while also purchasing cards from a market row that can powerfully impact your game. Each game of Roll Player is a bit different. There are several races to choose from, as well as different classes, alignments, and backstories. Each of these elements gives you goals to work towards when placing your dice. For your main attributes (e.g. strength, wisdom), you need to hit specific pip totals based on the class you choose. Your backstory encourages you to place dice of certain colors in certain locations on your player board. And your alignment gives you bonuses for where you stand on the spectrum between good and evil, lawful and chaotic. Additionally, the cards you acquire may give you special abilities (but be careful—they might affect your alignment). You can also acquire trait cards that reward you for pulling off certain die combinations, or pieces of armor that give you VP bonuses for collecting multiple pieces from the same set. How does it play solo? The solo game is quick, mechanically simple, and smooth. Solo Roll Player is set up almost like a two-player game, except that you are aiming for a high score. The rulebook includes score tiers that give you a sense of how well you played, and the tiers are sufficiently challenging to keep you hooked. (The bottom one is called "NPC." Ouch.) Each round, you draft one die, but be careful—the dice are arranged on an initiative track, from lowest value to highest. if you go for a higher die value, you must also roll an enemy die and give the game a chance to take away market cards you might have wanted to purchase. Your decisions really matter for final scoring, and choices about which die to take can get tense. Overall Thoughts I really like Roll Player. Dice can always go against you, but in Roll Player, there are plenty of things to do with them, and that keeps you from feeling powerless. You will find clever ways to flip dice, adjust values up and down, switch die locations on your player board, and generally make progress towards the die values you want. Because each setup is different, you'll also end up trying different strategies each time you play, rather than waiting for the same cards to show up on the market row every single game. The tension between choosing high-value dice and securing the market cards you want also keeps things interesting. Roll Player is a special game in that it strikes a good balance between offering an array of choices and not overstaying its welcome. It is highly engaging, but it also plays very quickly. I often find myself playing it several times in a row because I'm always pushing to score just a little bit higher, to use my resources just a bit more cleverly. I find Roll Player highly engaging, but I can see how its theme would fall flat for some. It's nominally a game about fantasy characters, but really, it's all about the numbers—manipulating dice, collecting armor sets, choosing the traits that are most beneficial for scoring. In the end, it's a game about adventurers who never actually go adventuring. For me, this isn't a problem. But you should know what you're getting into when you play it, lest you find yourself disappointed. (For those of you who want to know how the Monsters & Minions expansion affects this aspect game, expect a writeup soon!) Do I recommend it? Definitely. It's not pocket sized, but Roll Player is a perfect light, quick solo game. It's interesting, offers a lot of variety, and gives players enough agency to intrigue even those who hate dice games. It's well worth a solo player's time. Overall Rating: 4 stars 5 stars — I love it! 4 stars — I really like it. 3 stars — I like it. 2 stars — It's okay. 1 star — Meh.  Full disclosure: A review copy was kindly provided to me by Matt Worden Games. What is Days of Discovery about? Days of Discovery is a game in which you are a Portuguese explorer who is determined to reach the "Land of Danger." Your journey is completed in three acts, with the help of a deck of multi-use cards. In the solo game, these cards also act as your timer: If you run out of cards in the draw deck, you lose. Each card you encounter will have a person on it who has different connections to potential sponsors, a list of supplies that card can provide for your journey, and a cost that you must pay if that card is drawn as part of your journey to the Land of Danger. What role a card plays depends on when and how it appears in your game. In Act 1 of the game, you must secure a sponsor for your journey. In the solo variant of Days of Discovery, you collect multiple sponsors—part of the challenge is seeing how many patrons you can win over, as well as trying to earn the support of the fanciest sponsor possible. In Act 2, you gather supplies for your journey—you will need to spend cards to complete segments of your trip to the Land of Danger, so it is wise to collect an array of resources. And in Act 3, you prepare and survive five segments of your journey to the Land of Danger. If you fail to do so, you are lost at sea and never heard from again. Each segment in Act 3 will have a difficulty level of 1, 2, or 3, which means you must draw a corresponding number of cards from the draw deck and pay their costs. Card management is key in Days of Discovery, and especially in the solo game.  Anyone want to sponsor my perfectly safe trip to the Land of Danger? What I like about Days of Discovery: Days of Discovery is a small game, but an ambitious one. It attempts to combine many different gameplay elements into one single, quick gaming experience, and I would say that it largely succeeds. In the solo game, acquiring sponsors turns into a tense push-your-luck affair. You want the best sponsors possible, but you need to stop trying to collect them before your deck dwindles too low. When gathering supplies in Acts 2 and 3, you need to pay close attention to the cards you gather and spend. Cards act not only as resources, but as segments of your journey. You need to manage your hand as efficiently as possible to maximize your resources and try to ensure that you survive your trip to the Land of Danger. The game is definitely engaging, and I have played and enjoyed it several times since getting my hands on a prototype copy. I am also curious about upcoming sequels to Days of Discovery. Matt Worden has stated that this game is the first in a series about finding and taming the Land of Danger, and I honestly want to see where it will go. Will the next game pick up where this one left off? Will it have a completely different feel to it? Will there be some new variations on the theme of multi-use cards? I like a large scale project, and I will be watching this one. Possible Concerns about Days of Discovery If you are considering becoming a backer of Days of Discovery, be aware that it is a small-budget project from a newer designer. The graphic design on the cards works, but it is not fancy. The cards look just a little busy, although this didn't bother me too much during actual gameplay. Tweaks are still being made to Days of Discovery, and I'd like to see one specific change made to the solo version of the game: I want a clearer scoring system. It is a lot of fun to try to collect a bunch of sponsors before starting the journey, but there isn't quite enough incentive to go all the way. Matt Worden has provided a "bragging rights" way of scoring your performance at the end of the game, but I'd like to see it realized a bit more clearly. The current scores are based on two numbers: number of sponsors acquired, and the rank of the last sponsor to join you before setting out (lower is better). But what does it mean if you get five sponsors, but the third-ranked Bishop last? Or only three sponsors, but the King last? I'd like to have one number that defines my entire performance. It might also be interesting to limit sponsor acquisition by forcing you to gain them from lowest rank to highest—leaving you unable to go back and pick up sponsors you miss along the way.  Each card has multiple uses in the game. Should I back Days of Discovery? I am going to back Days of Discovery. It has an interesting premise, is both quick and entertaining, and will theoretically be the first part of a larger and more ambitious project. I do not expect it to become my go-to solo game, but I like it and would like to see it published. To me, Days of Discovery is the kind of game Kickstarter was actually made for. It's a game from a small company that might not exist without backers, that uses cards in creative ways, and that expresses the creative vision of a designer who wants to see his dream become a reality. Playthrough If you would like to see the solo version of Days of Discovery in action, I filmed a playthrough, linked here: |
AuthorMy name is Liz Davidson, and I play solo board games. A lot of solo board games... Archives
August 2021
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