OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

[tylertoo]

Yes, I own it. And I backed the space version (Starforged) that's coming out...eventually.

Heh I backed Starforge too!

I also backed the Starforged KS, and own print copies of Irownsworn and Delve.

Maybe we need an OO Solo RPGers Guild thread!

[Smoove_B]

Maybe we need an OO Solo RPGers Guild thread!

Maybe. I'd definitely read it.

I did just get my updated copy of the Arkham Horror LCG. I am hoping the new box style allows me to consolidate a bit and I'm always a sucker for updated editions, particularly with new art.

I still have only played through the original core and the Dunwich Horror, but I really like the game overall.

[hepcat]

I don’t think the revised edition has anything new. According to their website, if you already have the original core box, you have almost everything in this one. They did add some new numbered resource and clue tokens, and moved a couple of higher level cards into the core from other expansions, but that’s about it. I wasn’t planning on getting the new core, but I am looking for the new campaign release boxes to come. I much prefer this new method of distribution.

[Smoove_B]

No, I don't think it's anything game-play new. But I *hate* the original box and how poorly it's designed/organized. I have a BT organizer in it, and it still is all crammed up. Plus I have the "Return to..." boxes for the core and Dunwich and they take up even more room (even though I kinda like their look. For me, part of the hobby is organizing and this allows me to do it. Really they just matched the Marvels Champions box size/shape, which makes more sense.

[hepcat]

Ah, got it. I have a big hobby lobby art case with a broken token organizer so I’m already covered on the storage front. I was worried you had some insider info that FFG was lying about the contents.

[Smoove_B]

My friend has the Hobby Lobby solution and I think he has 4 core sets packed in (and I'm going to give him mine) along with every single expansion released. I think I posted a picture of it - it's going to be someone's inheritance some day because it's so absurd.

From the source:

The Revised Core Set will include a collection of higher-level cards from several of the co-op game’s earlier expansions.

...

Besides the higher-level cards, the Revised Core Set has apparently “received an organisational upgrade” which will make finding “specific cards” an easier experience. Investigators will be packaged alongside their suggested starting decks, with each mission - or scenario - having its cards packaged separately. New tokens for resources, clues and threats have also been added, alongside a token to indicate the lead investigator.

Someone on BGG has a side-by-side differences of the card art, which is a totally unimportant thing.

[hepcat]

I played Veilwraith last month and enjoyed it quite a bit, but generally speaking I'm having so much trouble getting motivated to do anything. So instead I'm organizing boxes, consolidating space and reading rule books. It's not been a great year for solo gaming for me, oddly enough.

This was at the local 30 percent off game store here and I grabbed a copy yesterday. Of course, when I got home I realized they'd charged me full retail price (about 50 bucks) for what should probably be a 30 dollar game.

However, I'm enjoying it. I started a game last night as the rules took all of 10 minutes to absorb. It's simple...but a real head scratcher in a puzzle way. Definitely not what I would expect from Tristan Hall.

[Smoove_B]

No, it's not...dense or filled with lots of complex mechanisms. However, there is definitely a strategy and as you're playing cards and activating additional actions or abilities, it all comes together. I agree that it's not at all like how his other games play. I'm guessing that focusing on solo from the start likely helped.

I still don't like that the box should be 50% the size - it always seems like his games are sized to the manual. So much empty space, even when I sleeved and added in the expansion. Regardless, I do still like it. I think I'd likely re-box it and take it with me on vacation or a business trip (if I was doing that).

[hepcat]

Finally managed to force myself to play through Hadrian's Wall, a "flip and write" game that I guess is a variation of the (die) roll and write style games. I'm still pretty new to this genre so I apologize if I'm wrong in my nomenclature.

Zarathud, seppe and I played this yesterday. About halfway through the game, seppe and I ordered the last two copies off coolstuff.

I want to check out the campaign game listed on BGG for this.

[Smoove_B]

It's fun, right? I didn't really think I'd be into it but the theme and card mechanics just sorta work out in a way that feels rewarding. I was actually looking at the dinosaur Rawr and Write just because I enjoyed Fleet and Hadrian's Wall so much - they fill a space in my collection and are a great way to get some gaming in when you don't have a ton of time.

[hepcat]

I’m not a fan of roll and writes that have you draw things (Hadrian includes a VERY light implementation of this with scouting….and I never touched that in my game), so if the dinosaur version you speak of is like the one I have, I doubt I’d like it. The one I have makes you draw fences and figure out building placements. I’m a dork, not an architect, captain!

Hadrian is one massive victory point salad that satisfies by giving you a shit ton of options every single damn turn. I loved that.

[Smoove_B]

Huh, that's interesting - I'm the same way. I generally don't like games that involve drawing or sketching anything - solo or otherwise. I'll need to look into Rawr and Write as I am thinking there is drawing involved...

[hepcat]

Archinerd IS an architect however, and the one time we all played it at a friend's apartment, he embarrassed us all by creating this elaborate dinosaur park with like gold handled entry doors, a foyer with a skylight and a reflecting pool full of koi.

I drew a square...

[YellowKing]

Thought I'd post a solo-centric update on THE LOOP now that I've had a chance to play true solo several times. Overall impressions are in the general what-did-you-play thread.

I LOVE the solo mode for this game. Since it's co-op you could certainly play it multi-handed, but the designers put in a clever solo mode that opens up new strategic avenues without really changing the core game much at all.

In the original game, players just take turns in turn order, and each have their own deck they're building to perform actions, etc.

In the solo mode, you choose the number of characters you want to play with, then shuffle all of their starting cards into a single deck. To determine who the "active" player is for the round, you start drawing cards and assigning them to characters. Any starting cards must go to their respective character, but any non-starting cards can be assigned to a character of your choosing. The first character to be assigned 3 cards becomes the active player for the turn.

It's a brilliant little mechanic because it allows you to have some control over which character to use at any given time, and gives you some strategic options when assigning cards to ensure the most efficient turns possible. On the other hand, you're still drawing from a combined deck so luck could alter your plans and force you to active a character you didn't want taking a turn.

This is one of those games (like Spirit Island) that seems absolutely impossible the first time you play it. Then you slowly start to stumble across little strategies here and there until everything clicks. I lost my first three games, but kept inching closer to victory. I finally pulled off a 2-character win, then pulled off a 3-character win. I then bumped up to the slightly harder next game mode and came within one cube of winning that one with 3-characters. So close!

Incidentally this is also the first game I've ever fully protected with card sleeves and token protectors. In general I've always felt that protecting everything was overkill and an unnecessary expense. However, someone posted the exact sizes needed for this game, and it was relatively inexpensive to do so I figured this might be a good opportunity to just try it out. If it turned out I didn't like it (as I assumed), I wouldn't be out a lot of money and at least I'd know.

I must say, however, that I've become kind of a convert! I don't like that sleeving makes riffle shuffles next to impossible, but I do like just about everything else about the feel. As for the token protectors, they're actually quite fun. They give a satisfyingly chunky sound when drawing from the token bag, and I must admit there's something a bit freeing in knowing you're not going to damage anything when tossing them around.

I'm not going to go back and sleeve and token protect all my games by any stretch of the imagination, but it's something I'll certainly consider now for new games or really cherished games in my collection.

[Xmann]

Holy cow, I need some help and suggestions and this thread is long and I spent time going through it. But I need specific suggestions.

Most of you guys know of my covid illness/recovery and in particular, the brain fog and my ongoing struggles. I think getting a solo game could really help with my memory and decision making deficits. I'm at home by myself Monday-Friday as my wife is a teacher and with cold weather setting in, I'll be spending more and more time inside and I need something to entertain me. I have been using apps to help with my memory and what not, but I want a board game.

Anyhow, here I am.

I guess one of the biggest requirements for me is that I only have responsibly in controlling one player or system or what not. I'm just not a fan of playing a game that is geared for 2 or more players, but you can play solo by controlling you and another character.

I think the other thing that interests me is something that is epic. Something that might takes multiple sessions or longer to complete. A game is set up on a dedicated gaming table and I have to work on it throughout the week. I have some games I play solo that I can get through in an hour or so. I'm looking at getting something on a larger scale.

My budget is up to $100. Replayability would be a must as well.

And if this has been covered somewhere else, feel free to point me in that direction. I appreciate it.

[Blackhawk]

What level of complexity? Do you want something relatively straightforward (roll the dice, move, draw a card, make a decision), or something with rules that feel more like a tabletop wargame/RPG?

[Xmann]

What level of complexity? Do you want something relatively straightforward (roll the dice, move, draw a card, make a decision), or something with rules that feel more like a tabletop wargame/RPG?

Not overly complex because I'm afraid I'll get frustrated and give it up. But, I wouldn't totally rule something out if there is a slight learning curve.

Sent from my SM-G981U1 using Tapatalk

[raydude]

Holy cow, I need some help and suggestions and this thread is long and I spent time going through it. But I need specific suggestions.

Most of you guys know of my covid illness/recovery and in particular, the brain fog and my ongoing struggles. I think getting a solo game could really help with my memory and decision making deficits. I'm at home by myself Monday-Friday as my wife is a teacher and with cold weather setting in, I'll be spending more and more time inside and I need something to entertain me. I have been using apps to help with my memory and what not, but I want a board game.

Anyhow, here I am.

I guess one of the biggest requirements for me is that I only have responsibly in controlling one player or system or what not. I'm just not a fan of playing a game that is geared for 2 or more players, but you can play solo by controlling you and another character.

I think the other thing that interests me is something that is epic. Something that might takes multiple sessions or longer to complete. A game is set up on a dedicated gaming table and I have to work on it throughout the week. I have some games I play solo that I can get through in an hour or so. I'm looking at getting something on a larger scale.

My budget is up to $100. Replayability would be a must as well.

And if this has been covered somewhere else, feel free to point me in that direction. I appreciate it.

Something epic? You could play Thunderbolt/Apache Leader. It lends itself to short scenarios of a few days, to longer scenarios on the order of weeks. You are in command of a squadron of A-10 Thunderbolts and/or Apaches. Your job is to keep the front lines from moving toward your forward operating base. You get a mission, choose which pilots and aircraft will fly in the mission, and arm them. There is an event check on the way in (sometimes bad, sometimes good), then you have several turns over the target area to hit the target and suppress enemy air defenses, then another event check on the way out.

You have to manage your pilots' stress levels, as that negatively impacts their performance, but then again the mission may be a critical one and you just need to bring your ace pilot back out for one more run. That reminds me, I need to bring this one out again as I bought some miniatures and made some terrain for this game.

If subs are your cup of tea there is The Hunters, where you play the captain of a U-boat. You get sent out on patrols, roll for contacts, determine how to engage, then roll for torpedoes and the escorts searching for you, and determine whether to stay out on patrol or head back home. Then decide whether to go out on another patrol. Along the way you earn medals and skills, and possibly a U-boat upgrade. Silent Victory, by the same designer, covers US sub ops the Pacific in WW2.

Any of these should run you around $60.

Interestingly enough, the designer of The Hunters and Silent Victory has just finished his new game American Tank Ace. It is being published by Compass Games, but unfortunately comes out sometime next year. It is supposed to be a spiritual successor to Patton's Best, which I loved. The designer, Gregory Smith, is a former US tanker so I have high hopes for that game and already have it on preorder.

[Fardaza]

I have not personally played it, but I hear nothing but great things about Mage Knight solo. It's pretty complex and might be more than you want to chew, but it meets your other requirements. A dedicated table for it would be an awesome advantage. There are many YouTube videos to help you learn the rules. Let us know how you do.

I'm a recovering Covid fog-brainer as well. Good luck and God bless in your recovery.

[coopasonic]

Played a learning game of Final Girl. The connection to Hostage Negotiator is pretty obvious, but I think the location/rescue/killer mechanics make it more interesting, adding more things to do. I messed up one rule for the first half of the game that gave me some advantage that may have won me the game. Don't forget to increase terror when you get masks on the terror cards. I knew it was too easy, but didn't realize why until I got a terror card with two masks on it.

I will say that the difficulty will vary wildly depending on luck. If you can get your final girl her ummm... secret, the killer is in trouble, but odds are pretty long there. The schroedinger's death mechanic is pretty interesting too.

[hentzau]

I’ll chime in here with my love of Core Space. I’ve only played it solo once, but it’s a ton of fun, and the core game includes a campaign that can be played solo. I think the only time you may need to play a second crew is in a couple of the later campaign scenarios. It’ll give you a nice epic feel as you level up your crew.

[Anonymous Bosch]

Holy cow, I need some help and suggestions and this thread is long and I spent time going through it. But I need specific suggestions.

Most of you guys know of my covid illness/recovery and in particular, the brain fog and my ongoing struggles. I think getting a solo game could really help with my memory and decision making deficits. I'm at home by myself Monday-Friday as my wife is a teacher and with cold weather setting in, I'll be spending more and more time inside and I need something to entertain me. I have been using apps to help with my memory and what not, but I want a board game.

Anyhow, here I am.

I guess one of the biggest requirements for me is that I only have responsibly in controlling one player or system or what not. I'm just not a fan of playing a game that is geared for 2 or more players, but you can play solo by controlling you and another character.

I think the other thing that interests me is something that is epic. Something that might takes multiple sessions or longer to complete. A game is set up on a dedicated gaming table and I have to work on it throughout the week. I have some games I play solo that I can get through in an hour or so. I'm looking at getting something on a larger scale.

My budget is up to $100. Replayability would be a must as well.

And if this has been covered somewhere else, feel free to point me in that direction. I appreciate it.

I'd suggest The 7th Continent from Serious Poulp. It definitely provides a truly epic and immensely enjoyable solo experience. It's completely replayable and has a lot of variation due to multiple 'curses' and expansions that add great new content (not to mention the world changes in subtle ways each time you play the game). Having said that, perhaps after hundreds of hours, chances are you'll eventually have seen most of what The 7th Continent has to offer and probably shelf it until adding in more content expansions. But even if you do shelf it after hundreds of hours, it still provides a rewarding and worthwhile experience that you're unlikely to regret. Suffice to say, the $ value per hour on this game is phenomenal.

I'd suggest opting for their Starter Pack Bundle, which also includes the Crystal Song expansion. This is basically a shorter, introductory 'curse' that makes it easier to get familiar with the game’s main mechanics vs. diving straight into (and potentially bouncing off of) 'The Voracious Goddess' curse in the core box. Here's a non-spoilerific review of the game courtesy of Tom Vasel:



BTW, according to their web site, Serious Poulp will be making available some Kickstarter Collector Editions of the game for Black Friday, if that's of any interest:

Black Friday



We recently inventoried our warehouse and found a few copies of products from our Kickstarter campaigns for The 7th Continent. We will be making them available for purchase in a special Black Friday sale, which will run on our website from November 26-28, 2021.

Please note that quantities are limited to the remaining stock, which is low for most of these items.

[hepcat]

Another game I plan on finishing when I retire.

[Anonymous Bosch]

BTW Xmann, if you prefer more of a war game/adventure game hybrid, I'd also thoroughly recommend Nemo's War, which makes for a superb pure solo experience. All the more so if you first read the F.P. Walker translation of the original story the game is based upon. You can certainly play the game without reading the story, but you'll miss out on much of the clever and surprisingly evocative thematic flavour the game provides.

The One Stop Co-Op Shop playthrough below provides a useful demonstration of exactly how the game plays:

[Blackhawk]

If you have any interest in miniatures and tabletop skirmish style play, take a look at Rangers of the Shadow Deep. It's a completely solo, campaign-based tabletop miniatures game. It's dipping a toe into the miniature hobby, as all you buy from the company is the rulebook. Beyond that, you can buy and use any miniature you like. And you can spend any amount you like. You can go all in - buy and paint miniatures and terrain, thus entering into a complete hobby that involves working on focus, thought, and hand-eye coordination. Or you can go basic, throw some books on the table, cover them with a sheet for terrain, and use paper squares, toy soldiers, or chess pieces for a net cost of five or ten bucks. Or use a dry-erase board, draw your terrain, and play with miniatures from any other game. Or you can go the middle ground, buy some cheap Reaper Bones minis, leave them unpainted, pick up some Battle Systems terrain (the company that makes Core Space), and go. You build your own team of characters and work your way through a series of scenarios and battles. It plays like a skirmish miniatures game combined with a choose-your-own-adventure.

[Xmann]

Thanks for all the recommendations. I'll look at these more in depth and make a decision. Might be picking up more than one game it's looking like.

[Blackhawk]

I will also second the recommendations for Core Space (although the rules are a little more dense) and 7th Continent. And would probably second Nemo's War based on what I've heard, except that my Kickstarter copy hasn't arrived yet, so I can't personally vouch for it.

Another possibility would be the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, which is also campaign based. I can only personally vouch for the original version. I haven't played the new edition that came out more recently, and to be honest, I don't know whether it's hard to find the original anymore.

[Xmann]

I’ll chime in here with my love of Core Space. I’ve only played it solo once, but it’s a ton of fun, and the core game includes a campaign that can be played solo. I think the only time you may need to play a second crew is in a couple of the later campaign scenarios. It’ll give you a nice epic feel as you level up your crew.

Core Space looks really interesting, but how complicated is it? I see there is a rule book you can buy separately and that always concerns me that it is more complicated than I might bargain for.

[hentzau]

I’ll chime in here with my love of Core Space. I’ve only played it solo once, but it’s a ton of fun, and the core game includes a campaign that can be played solo. I think the only time you may need to play a second crew is in a couple of the later campaign scenarios. It’ll give you a nice epic feel as you level up your crew.

Core Space looks really interesting, but how complicated is it? I see there is a rule book you can buy separately and that always concerns me that it is more complicated than I might bargain for.

Hmm. Having played board games for *coughcough* years I didn’t find it very complicated at all, once you get a game or two in. There are a lot of icons to learn on the character cards, so the first few games you play you’ll be looking back through the rulebook a lot to see what they mean.

The separate rulebook is completely optional. It contains some advanced rules for locked doors and going through windows and some additional art and design notes.

There are a lot of pieces to the game, and assembly is required. But they have a bunch of videos on YouTube to help you figure out the assembly. And really, it’s a beautiful looking game.

I posted a solo play through on here somewhere. Let me find that link for you. Back in a bit.

Core Space Topic

[Smoove_B]

I completely endorse all of the recommendations so far and will add Robinson Crusoe as another. This is a game with lots of decisions to make each turn - really thinking through your various options and how to address whatever emergency is currently unfolding. Tells a great story as you play. You can easily play true solo (with a helper character), mutli-hand numerous characters or easily play co-op -- the game perfectly scales out depending on how you'd like to experience it. It is a difficult game, but I've enjoyed it every single time I've played (winning was not common).

And yes, Core Space can be pretty straight forward or it can be much more complicated/involved (that extra book). I think it's potentially a really good choice because not only will the game be fun, but you'll also get some tactile interaction as you need to build the game board and terrain features first.

[LordMortis]

I completely endorse all of the recommendations so far and will add Robinson Crusoe as another. This is a game with lots of decisions to make each turn - really thinking through your various options and how to address whatever emergency is currently unfolding. Tells a great story as you play. You can easily play true solo (with a helper character), mutli-hand numerous characters or easily play co-op -- the game perfectly scales out depending on how you'd like to experience it. It is a difficult game, but I've enjoyed it every single time I've played (winning was not common).

And yes, Core Space can be pretty straight forward or it can be much more complicated/involved (that extra book). I think it's potentially a really good choice because not only will the game be fun, but you'll also get some tactile interaction as you need to build the game board and terrain features first.

Trying to remember if I bought this one after an OctoCon. I really enjoyed the game. I might have purchased it sometime before I bought Terraforming Mars and it promptly consumed all my gaming friends and that may have shuffled it to the back of the gaming room. I'ma have to look for it this weekend. I'm still trying to get us out of all TM all the time. How sad is it, I have no idea what games I own? Even at $60+ a pop, I have absolutely no idea what is in gaming room. (Named after its contents, not its function)

Come March, it is my goal to begin the great cleanup, with that will come joining the guild. Only I won't be buying a bunch of new games but rather going through heaps and heaps of old ones.

I will play an entire long campaign of Republic of Rome. Something I have never been able to do for a game I have owned since I was teenager.

[Xmann]

I completely endorse all of the recommendations so far and will add Robinson Crusoe as another. This is a game with lots of decisions to make each turn - really thinking through your various options and how to address whatever emergency is currently unfolding. Tells a great story as you play. You can easily play true solo (with a helper character), mutli-hand numerous characters or easily play co-op -- the game perfectly scales out depending on how you'd like to experience it. It is a difficult game, but I've enjoyed it every single time I've played (winning was not common).

And yes, Core Space can be pretty straight forward or it can be much more complicated/involved (that extra book). I think it's potentially a really good choice because not only will the game be fun, but you'll also get some tactile interaction as you need to build the game board and terrain features first.

Robinson Crusoe was another I've been contemplating for sure. Love the lore of the story.

[Skinypupy]

Another possibility would be the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, which is also campaign based. I can only personally vouch for the original version. I haven't played the new edition that came out more recently, and to be honest, I don't know whether it's hard to find the original anymore.

There's also a really good tablet/PC version of Pathfinder Adventures Card Game, if you don't feel like dragging out all the physical components.

[Xmann]

Ok, Amazon has Nemo's War for $45 so I just bought it.

[YellowKing]

Nemo's War is my favorite pure solo game. It's difficult, but it never fails to get me immersed in the theme.

[Anonymous Bosch]

Ok, Amazon has Nemo's War for $45 so I just bought it.

BTW, one important aspect of the game I would strongly encourage you not to overlook: pay careful attention to the 'Placing Ship Tokens' section of the rules. Because I've seen several video playthroughs of Nemo's War get this wrong.

As the board fills up with hidden ship tokens, you'll eventually need to start placing revealed ship tokens instead. When you do this, you draw it from the bag or cup, examine it, and then decide where to put it; you do not decide where it goes first. Much of the long term strategy of the game lies in deciding where to place those revealed ships, allowing you to set up or 'paint' the map the way you'd prefer. You can plan many turns in advance this way, and arrange the oceans to best suit your motive. It's a subtle detail that can be easily overlooked while first learning the ropes. But overlooking this detail makes the game needlessly more erratic and difficult.

Here's the relevant section quoted from the Nemo's War manual:

Summary List When a Full Ocean Gains Another Ship:

1. Place a Hidden Ship token in an adjacent Ocean.
2. Draw a Ship token from the Ship cup, examine it, and replace a Hidden Ship token with it in that or an adjacent Ocean.
3. Flip a revealed Non-warship to its Warship side (i.e., flip a white Ship token to its Gray side) in that or an adjacent Ocean.
4. Draw a Warship from the Ship cup, examine it, and place it in any Open space anywhere in the world; if there are no Open spaces remaining, you lose (see Rule 14 – HOW THE GAME ENDS)! If you place it in the same Ocean as the Nautilus, you must fight it immediately.

This is a crucial strategy element in the game! How you decide to “paint the board” with the growing number of increasingly lethal Ship tokens is often the difference between the success or failure of your Motive. When you have a choice, consider these placements carefully!

For further clarification, watch this video explanation and demonstration from Alan Emrich, the 2nd edition designer and developer. The One Stop Co-Op Shop Nemo's War video playthrough does get this detail correct, so it's better than most in terms of visually depicting and correctly teaching how the game is played (other mistakes are made, but they are clearly annotated).

Also, look carefully at your 'Ship Resources' section on the board. Notice that Nemo starts out providing only a +2 Dice Roll Modifier (DRM). But thematically, like the original story, as Nemo declines he becomes more crazed and tenacious, so the Dice Roll Modifier he provides actually increases to a +3 DRM. Again, another subtle detail that is very easily overlooked, but one that can really help out in a pinch, especially as tensions invariably ramp up by the third act.

PS. If memory serves, non-Kickstarter versions of Nemo's War do not include the two cloth bags from which to draw treasure and ship tokens. But even though I own the Nemo's War Cloth Bundle, I found these velour FFS40 Fantasy Flight Tentacle-themed Dice Bags are more pleasant to use, so it's worth grabbing a couple if you enjoy upgrading your game components:

Nemo's War Cloth Bundle Bags:


Fantasy Flight Tentacle-themed Dice Bags:

[Blackhawk]

Holy cow, I need some help and suggestions and this thread is long and I spent time going through it. But I need specific suggestions.

Most of you guys know of my covid illness/recovery and in particular, the brain fog and my ongoing struggles. I think getting a solo game could really help with my memory and decision making deficits. I'm at home by myself Monday-Friday as my wife is a teacher and with cold weather setting in, I'll be spending more and more time inside and I need something to entertain me. I have been using apps to help with my memory and what not, but I want a board game.

Anyhow, here I am.

I guess one of the biggest requirements for me is that I only have responsibly in controlling one player or system or what not. I'm just not a fan of playing a game that is geared for 2 or more players, but you can play solo by controlling you and another character.

I think the other thing that interests me is something that is epic. Something that might takes multiple sessions or longer to complete. A game is set up on a dedicated gaming table and I have to work on it throughout the week. I have some games I play solo that I can get through in an hour or so. I'm looking at getting something on a larger scale.

My budget is up to $100. Replayability would be a must as well.

And if this has been covered somewhere else, feel free to point me in that direction. I appreciate it.

I'd suggest The 7th Continent from Serious Poulp. It definitely provides a truly epic and immensely enjoyable solo experience. It's completely replayable and has a lot of variation due to multiple 'curses' and expansions that add great new content (not to mention the world changes in subtle ways each time you play the game). Having said that, perhaps after hundreds of hours, chances are you'll eventually have seen most of what The 7th Continent has to offer and probably shelf it until adding in more content expansions. But even if you do shelf it after hundreds of hours, it still provides a rewarding and worthwhile experience that you're unlikely to regret. Suffice to say, the $ value per hour on this game is phenomenal.

I'd suggest opting for their Starter Pack Bundle, which also includes the Crystal Song expansion. This is basically a shorter, introductory 'curse' that makes it easier to get familiar with the game’s main mechanics vs. diving straight into (and potentially bouncing off of) 'The Voracious Goddess' curse in the core box. Here's a non-spoilerific review of the game courtesy of Tom Vasel:



BTW, according to their web site, Serious Poulp will be making available some Kickstarter Collector Editions of the game for Black Friday, if that's of any interest:

Black Friday



We recently inventoried our warehouse and found a few copies of products from our Kickstarter campaigns for The 7th Continent. We will be making them available for purchase in a special Black Friday sale, which will run on our website from November 26-28, 2021.

Please note that quantities are limited to the remaining stock, which is low for most of these items.

FYI, I just got notified that this was live. Link

[Xmann]

ugh, so tempting!

[baelthazar]

I mulled over jumping on this 7th Continent sale, but then realized several things:

• Most of the reviews make the game sound like a rogue-like - you put 6-15 hours in just to die from something random and either "start over" or cheat with a house-ruled restart or checkpoint. I just don't have the time for that.

• I have Tainted Grail that I need to play. I sold Tainted Grail's expansions, because they got "meh" reviews, but the core has a ton of gameplay. It isn't all that different in tone/execution than 7th Continent.

• I just got Roll Player Adventures.

This time I am not going to let FOMO get me!

[Anonymous Bosch]

I mulled over jumping on this 7th Continent sale, but then realized several things:

• Most of the reviews make the game sound like a rogue-like - you put 6-15 hours in just to die from something random and either "start over" or cheat with a house-ruled restart or checkpoint. I just don't have the time for that.

FWIW, this is not accurate based upon my own experience with The 7th Continent. Most of the deaths in The 7th Continent come from exhaustion of the action deck, so they're not really random at all. You'll know when you're close to dying in the game, and there are actions you can take to stave off death, like hunting and fishing. Keep in mind, The 7th Continent is a survival-exploration game first and foremost, with a surprisingly thematic emphasis on survival. Opt to ignore that and you end up drawing from the discard pile, with one foot firmly in the grave. The end result of drawing a curse card from the discards is about as random as neglecting wood and shelter in Ignacy Trzewiczek's Robinson Crusoe game. So, my main strategy in the game was to never have to resort to drawing from the discard pile, which seemed to work well in my experience.

Also, for those more into exploring than surviving, the official rulebook does specifically provide a choice to play in 'easy mode,' which basically allows you an extra life to keep going. YMMV, but I sincerely never felt the need to use that myself.