OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

[hepcat]

And a quick win against the Poltergeist of Creech Manor in Final Girl. I got extremely lucky in that my goal was like 3 spaces away from the front door and on top of the damn search deck for the fist place I looked.

Now on to Dr. Fright and his war against the residents of Maple Street.

Yeah, this game is EXTREMELY luck driven, but I’m having a blast with it still.

Update: and lost to Dr. Fright in about 5 turns. Going to pack it up for a bit so I don’t burn out on it. That’s like 7 games this week I’ve played of it. Definitely don’t regret backing this little gem.

[baelthazar]

I cracked my copy of Final Girl yesterday and managed to get two rounds in of Laurie vs. Hans at Camp Crystal Lake Happy Trails (I felt like this was the easiest introduction to the system). The first game started off with the Event "Girlfriend," which is a pretty good way to start (as long as you have the girlfriend with you, you get +1 Horror die). That early luck completely tanked when Hans's first round Terror card was one that moved him to a nearby group of victims and he killed two of them with a +1 Bloodlust per kill modifier. He immediately went +4 up that track and jumped the Horror up two (and was one away from his Dark Power). Not great. I spent a few rounds trying to save victims (honestly, I think I got too caught up in that as a way to flip Laurie's card). Hans was relentless, and I kept my distance (meanwhile he teleported around slashing everyone). By the end, he was super powerful and I hadn't done a dent in him. The Horror track overwhelmed me and he came in and ended it with little resistance.

So I set up for a second round. This time I got lucky and had Laurie's Weapon show up at the top of the item stack in my starting location. Since I didn't want to move and Hans was three spots away (and he only moves 1 space), I spent a turn focusing to get a leg up on the Horror track and to get time to buy a search card. That allowed me to get the special weapon, which became necessary when Hans first draw was a Minor Dark Power (making him slightly faster). I also got an Event card draw too, "Boyfriend," which gives you some cannon fodder (I personally love the theme that the girlfriend makes you stronger but you want to protect her but the boyfriend does nothing and you want him to get slashed). Apparently my Laurie tends to be attached. This time I was more offensive, getting an aluminum bat and banking up some attack cards. I managed to save some victims, mitigating the bloodlust track. Unfortunately, Han also started burning through Terror cards with passive moves that forced a second draw. He hit his finale just as I was ready to take him on and his finale was the "two dark power cards" one. Not great. Still, I did get him with a bear trap, which was gratifying.

Then we had a face off at the Docks. He was getting in good hits (3 dmg), but I managed to block at least 2 each time. My major downfall was that I left myself unable to buy two defense cards (due to using them up in previous rounds) and he got 2 attacks (his Dark Power). The boyfriend got downed, but that still wasn't enough to save me. I got Hans down to his Final Health, but it was one more token. He did the same to me - but it was blank. Had I been able to go one more round, I might have won.

Great game. Lots of luck, but very atmospheric. I appreciate that I can play it in under an hour and it is the perfect game for remote work "Pomodoro Method" breaks (five minutes after 25 minutes of focus on work). My only complaint is that they spent resources on nice plastic trays that don't fit sleeved cards - so that sucks.

[YellowKing]

Got all my survivors painted for Zombicide 2E, so started dabbling in the game a bit more.

Found out I got a couple of minor rules wrong, but they were making the game harder on myself (missed the rule about only one abomination on the board at a time, and I was giving runners two turns on *spawn* in addition to on *activation*.

I've been jumping around in scenarios, but primarily playing them sorted by difficulty, and then by time.

Playing true solo (6-handed) didn't sit well with me, as it gives you complete freedom on which survivor activates at all times. That seemed like it would make the game too easy, so I switched to playing 3 2-survivor hands and rotating the First Player token between them as if I actually had 3 players. This feels closer to the designer's intent, so that's what I'm sticking with for now.

I've been playing with randomly chosen survivors, but that has led to some difficulty issues - particularly if you wind up with 4 or 5 kids (kids only get 2HP instead of 3). I lost my last scenario because a zone with 3 kids got unexpectedly jumped by runners and wiped out - a scenario I would have survived with 3 adults. Their permanent Slippery skill is obviously very nice, but at least so far I haven't found it worth the HP trade-off.

I think for my next go I'll just pick a "dream team" of carefully selected survivors and try to stick with them through the remainder of the missions.

Things I like so far:

- The game is much more puzzly than I expected, which is not a bad thing since I enjoy that - particularly solo. Initially I looked at things like "Zombies always hit" as ridiculously simplified rule design. But when you realize that a huge part of the puzzle is zombie avoidance, those foundational rules start to make sense.

- Character leveling within a scenario is a design feature that I really enjoyed in Big Trouble in Little China, and this game reminds me of a simplified version of that. Going from a pea-shooting weakling to a Golden Kukri-wielding bad ass is so much fun.

- Zombie hordes - I love minis, and having 25-30 zombies on the board at one time just makes me giggle like a school girl.

Things I don't like as much so far:

- I'm not a huge fan of the item randomness when it comes to objectives. Having to find a Molotov in the item deck since it's the only thing that can kill an Abomination can be a pain in the ass. You could get really lucky, find one right off the bat, and breeze through the scenario. Or you could get really unlucky and spend an hour slogging your way through only to die at the end. That's a big swing in mission difficulty/duration due to a random card draw. And yes, I know in scenarios like that you just have to increase your odds by just having every character search every time, but it's still the one part of the game where I feel I don't quite get the bad luck mitigation I'm looking for.

I've still got Fort Hendrix and Washinton Z.C. waiting in the wings, but I want to gain some more experience with the game through the base scenarios first. I'm really looking forward to the campaign play, however, and any new items/weapons/enemies. I now understand why this game's first run had so many expansions - it seems like it's one of those that really benefits from more "stuff" outside of the core set.

At this point I don't think I'm going to back for any 1.0 stuff, but there's no doubt I'm going to be all-in for any future 2E content.

[baelthazar]

Played another two rounds of Final Girl on Friday and Saturday. This time I was Sheila and Nancy against Dr. Fright. Dr. Fright and Maple Street are WAY different than Hans and Camp Happy Trials, so I was pretty shocked at how it all turned out.

In my first game, with Sheila, I got insanely bad luck from the get go. My setup was the regular "Maple Street" card and my first event was Fire in the Smalley's House. This meant that I started the game with three dead victims and, per the official word from Van Ryder, this DOES up the Bloodlust meter. So I started with a six on the Horror meter and one step away from a Dark Power reveal. I had to "Focus" during the first turn, because Dr. Fright has a lot of Horror meter cards and having only one Horror die from the get-go is going to be game over fast. Within the first round, he killed another victim and got his Dark Power - The Frightmare is Inevitable - which means that he can attack me but I can't attack him. Very bad luck. I spent most of the early game trying to get some items and managing the horror meter, but he kept coming at me. One of the Terror cards tossed me Asleep, and his rising Bloodlust meter meant that I was basically trapped in the Boiler Room. I discovered that, once he maxes bloodlust, you basically can't get out of the boiler room unless you resolve all the cards in one go. Not that I needed to, but the extra threat of attack is difficult. I had done almost no damage to him by the time he got his finale and finished me off.

The game with Nancy was the polar opposite. The Setup was Block Party, which puts a lot of people in the street. Then my first Terror card draw was another event, July 4th, which put EVERYONE else in the street. I was able to ferry a lot of victims to safety and flip Nancy's card. It also meant that I could hide out with victims and not get attacked (since the killer targets victims first unless the Final Girl is the only target on the card). He got The Frightmare is Inevitable again, which sucks, but probably just as much as his other two powers. On round three I found Nancy's special weapon and that was a game changer.

Nancy is a BEAST with her special weapon. Dr. Fright made the mistake of throwing me asleep with a Terror Card and coming to my location. I had banked up some guard cards and had been able to buy a Critical Strike as well. Nancy outright ganked him, doing about 5 damage on one turn and another 5 the next turn. I lucked out that his Final Health was blank.

So clearly the game is heavily luck driven. After those two games, my initial reaction was "did anything I did matter or is this all based on die rolls and card draws?" Then I got thinking about it - this isn't really a bad thing. I made decisions based on my draws. The story was emergent based on luck. As Dwarf Fortress always says "Losing is FUN!" You get to think about how the movie plays out, even if you are doomed from the start. And the time commitment is low enough to make this all ok. Get a bad game, just play again (you can knock out two round in 1.5 hours).

[hepcat]

I put Final Girl aside for a while as I didn’t want to burn out on it (I played a LOT of it in one week), but the itch to return is getting strong.

[YellowKing]

My copy arrived today. The copy I promised my wife I'd just stick under the tree for Christmas. The copy she *forgot* about, which means I could probably open it and play it and she'd never be the wiser. These are the morality tests that try men's souls.

[baelthazar]

I put Final Girl aside for a while as I didn’t want to burn out on it (I played a LOT of it in one week), but the itch to return is getting strong.

I keep thinking I should pack it up and put Roll Player Adventures on the table, but Final Girl just keeps calling.

[hepcat]

It’s so easy to set up and tear down. And like you said, you can play a couple of games in about an hour and a half. However, it feels like a much bigger game when you play. I think it’s because the theme is so perfectly married to the game.

[YellowKing]

I finally got a chance to play FINAL GIRL (wasn't allowed to open it until Christmas), and LOVED it!

It's so odd because I recognize all the mechanics from HOSTAGE NEGOTIATOR which I have owned for years and hated. However, I believe that dislike of HN came from not understanding the rules/strategy. Changing the theme made all of that suddenly "click." To the point I can actually see myself going back and playing HN now with my new knowledge.

The first game against Hans did not...go...well. I started off spectacularly, saving several victims, staying well out of his reach, and even grabbing a baseball bat. However my unfamiliarity with the map proved disastrous, as I found myself on the other side of the lake while Hans massacred the remaining victims and grew ever more powerful. A couple of bad rolls later and I lost without giving him so much as a scratch.

I'm really bummed the other killer sets are so hard to find right now, but I'm going to try to track them down as I can tell just from the first play this one's a winner.

[YellowKing]

Just had an absolute barn-burner of a FINAL GIRL game, the closest I've come to winning yet.

Things started off splendidly as Hans got distracted by a victim in a dead end. Leaving that poor guy for dead, I managed to get 6 victims to safety and unlock my Final Girl power without so much as a papercut. Hans was low on bloodlust and my only real issue was lack of a weapon.

After a couple of close calls, I managed to find an old revolver. However, Hans gained a Minor Dark power which helped him shrug off my desperate potshots at him.

Things started to go downhill as I made a desperate move to save the last 2 victims and cut off Hans' remaining source of bloodlust. Unfortunately Hans caught up to me and killed me.............or did he? I got lucky with a bonus 2 life, and managed to escape long enough to heal back to full health.

The game turned into a bit of cat and mouse as I struggled to rebuild my hand while keeping out of his clutches. I finally managed to whittle Hans down to 3 health, and had one Critical Attack left. I spent two turns successfully Guarding as Hans pounded on me, hoping that one last desperate attack could take him down. It came down to one roll - 2 successes and I'd win, anything else and I wouldn't be able to survive his final assault. Wound up with 1 success....Hans survived with 1 HP and butchered me. Womp womp.

Still had a blast playing, and the story that emerged in my head as everything played out really demonstrated what a great job they did with the theme.

I did find (and ordered) Creech Manor and Slaughter in the Groves, which will give me 4 of the 5 scenarios. I'll grab Carnival if and when I can find it. Though based on my luck so far, it will be awhile before I get to them. I'd really like to get a win under my belt before moving on to the more specialized mechanics of the other killers.

[Skinypupy]

I wasn't going to do it, but I spent a bit of my Christmas $$ on a couple of games today: World of Warcraft: WotLK (WOW-themed Pandemic, basically) and Destinies.

Just played my first game of WotLK, and came away very impressed. I had never played a Pandemic game (the base game theme doesn't interest me in the least), so this was really my first exposure to that system. It was a super tense game, coming down to the final turn to either take down the Lich King or lose to the Despair Track. Very fun game, and I like how it plays solo.

One rules clarification, for anyone who has played. In the standard game, when a hero dies you discard all your cards and respawn. Since you're sharing a single hand across three characters when playing solo, do you still discard ALL your cards when one character dies? That feels overly punitive to me, but there's no mention in the rules on what to do in solo mode when one toon dies.

Will give Destinies a try tomorrow.

[Blackhawk]

It's so odd because I recognize all the mechanics from HOSTAGE NEGOTIATOR which I have owned for years and hated. However, I believe that dislike of HN came from not understanding the rules/strategy. Changing the theme made all of that suddenly "click." To the point I can actually see myself going back and playing HN now with my new knowledge.

Any insight there you can share? I don't have Final Girl, but I do have HN, and I have still never gotten it to 'click.'

[YellowKing]

Any insight there you can share? I don't have Final Girl, but I do have HN, and I have still never gotten it to 'click.'

I think the thing that helped me the most was that in Hostage Negotiator, it can be a little difficult to understand *why* you're playing cards. Why should I pick this card over that one? What am I actually doing? By contrast, in Final Girl cards are tied to easily understood actions - to move, I have to play a movement card. To attack, I have to play an attack card. To heal, I have to play a heal card.

Once I understood that mechanic, I could apply it more abstract things like lowering my horror level or increasing my dice odds. In HN, you're kind of stuck with *all* abstract ideas, which is why I think the learning curve is steeper.

At a high level, I kind of look at the game like this. Every card has a "best case" outcome, typically with some bonus attached. A "normal" outcome, which is your standard result. And then a "worst case" outcome which usually involves a penalty. A big part of the strategy of the game is figuring out how to mitigate the "worst case" outcome, because anything standard you can live with and anything best case is gravy.

So when playing a card, you have to get into the mindset of assuming worst case, and setting yourself up in such a way that you can mitigate it. That may mean making sure you have two cards to discard to turn into a success, or getting your horror level (forget what it's called in HN) low enough to get an extra die, playing cards to increase your odds, or some combination thereof.

This is tricky, of course, because you're not always going to have the ideal setup. That's where learning what cards to purchase when, and knowing the timing of when your free cards will come back into your hand is crucial. That's the part I still find challenging, because your instinct is to just play everything you have and maximize your turn. However that's not always necessarily the best thing to do, and I'd argue in FG and HN it's generally a bad idea unless you know for sure you'll have an influx of free cards coming back into your hand the next turn.

Again this is where I think Final Girl helped me understand the strategy I could never grasp in HN. Let's say my Final Girl is beat up and stuck in a corner. When it's time to purchase cards, I know I need a heal card and I know I need some movement. It makes deciding what cards to purchase on my turn a lot easier. In HN, again, it's slightly more abstract. You're not thinking in terms of basic actions like "heal" or "move." You're thinking in terms of stuff like "lowering the stress level of the kidnapper" and "increasing the odds of my negotiation card roll to possibly save this hostage." The fundamentals are the same though - figuring out what you need to play, when you need to play it, and then doing everything in your power to mitigate the worst outcome. Easier said than done? Absolutely. But fun.

[Smoove_B]

Yes to all of that. In HN it's such an abstract game that I think you find yourself thinking it's a dice chucker (like Elder Sign) and you're not really thinking about the deeper strategy of card playing.

Even for Final Girl, getting into the rhythm of which 0 point cards to spend (so they're in the next round draw deck) and which ones to hold on to (so you have options in the off-round turns) is a balance. It also exists in HN but the abstract nature of the game play makes it harder to "see".

I think once you realize both are really card games that use dice instead of dice games with card play, it changes how you think of everything. At least, it did for me.

[Blackhawk]

Thanks. I have HN (and all of the extras), and I've probably played a dozen games, but I don't think I've won a single one. I keep getting frustrated and putting it back on the shelf, as I just don't feel like I'm making progress/getting better at it in subsequent plays (in other words, the intention isn't clicking.) I'll have to think about what you said. I do know that I have a harder time than most thinking in abstract terms. I have, unfortunately, a very literal thought process.

[baelthazar]

Right after I said I was a sucker for big box fantasy games with campaigns and shouldn't get any more, I noticed that the Core Set for Swords & Sorcery: Ancient Chronicles is now at retail. Any thoughts? Does this offer a significantly different experience than Middara? Like Middara, I know that S&S shines when you at least play 3-4 characters.

[Smoove_B]

I bounced off the original pretty hard and am trying to get into the stand-alone sequel (prequel?), but it's not grabbing me. I love the mapping and monster mechanics - how you populate tiles, how the AI thinks/reacts. But everything else...its insanely detailed and feels like a very crunchy RPG that was converted into a board game. Lots and lots of mechanics to keep track of, modifiers, adjustments, etc... if that's your thing this is your game. I think it's a game you need to commit to - learning and playing. I don't think it really supports casual effort. I'd advise watching a play through first.

[Malificent]

I bounced off the original pretty hard and am trying to get into the stand-alone sequel (prequel?), but it's not grabbing me. I love the mapping and monster mechanics - how you populate tiles, how the AI thinks/reacts. But everything else...its insanely detailed and feels like a very crunchy RPG that was converted into a board game. Lots and lots of mechanics to keep track of, modifiers, adjustments, etc... if that's your thing this is your game. I think it's a game you need to commit to - learning and playing. I don't think it really supports casual effort. I'd advise watching a play through first.

I agree with this 100% - it's super crunchy. It's fun once you learn everything, but it takes a while to get there and yeah, there are a million things to keep track of and the sequel only adds more things than the first, it looks like. Middara felt smoother for whatever reason. Middara also has better writing, at least when compared to original S&S. The writing in that is pretty cringe worthy. But of course, that isn't the primary focus.

[Blackhawk]

I third that. I played quite a bit of the original (although my Ancient Chronicles wave 2 late pledge is still on a boat somewhere.) It's a numbers heavy combat game with a lot to keep track of. I really enjoyed it, but it's not a light, fast game.

[YellowKing]

Finally got my first FINAL GIRL win, Laurie against Hans. I realized I had made a major mistake that was making things much harder. I was treating the "target closest Final Girl or victim" symbols as a "target and move." This was making Hans move every single round, when in fact his default action is just to stand there and kill whatever's in his space.

It still wasn't easy - I was greatly assisted by Laurie's +1 damage combined with the +1 from her Aluminum Baseball bat, but it made the game go from head-bangingingly difficult to a more reasonable challenge.

[baelthazar]

Thanks all! It sounds like a pass on S&S then. I might instead grab d100 Dungeons for a lighter RPG experience and focus mostly on Middara.

[Smoove_B]

This was making Hans move every single round, when in fact his default action is just to stand there and kill whatever's in his space.

I think this also makes it more interesting and harder to "game". I had Hans moving a bit early on and then he just stood around for a few turns, which changed my strategy. But then an event card + killing campers had him amped up to crazy levels and he was suddenly able to zip around faster than I could move, which required a change in card play strategy again.

Thanks all! It sounds like a pass on S&S then. I might instead grab d100 Dungeons for a lighter RPG experience and focus mostly on Middara.

D100 will definitely be different. I'm still messing around with it, but I don't have enough to start a whole new thread. I started hand-drawing my map and I'm not happy with it, so i think I need to re-do it with what I've learned. It's been a long time since I've made overland maps by hand.

[baelthazar]

YellowKing, something to remember also is that the killer always targets victims in the space before the Final Girl unless the card specifically denotes Final Girl only. What this means is you can use victims as meat shields if the killer hops in to a place where you are in a group.

This took me some time to learn, because I immediately wanted to prioritize saving victims instead of taking out the killer. The victims are actually meant to be expendable, although being too aggressive with them will up the bloodlust. So it benefits you to travel with an entourage (although the victims won’t enter the killer’s space with you, you have to entice him to you).

This can be a big advantage if you have a boyfriend, because they are meant to be offed to give you a benefit.

[Fishbelly]

YellowKing, something to remember also is that the killer always targets victims in the space before the Final Girl unless the card specifically denotes Final Girl only. What this means is you can use victims as meat shields if the killer hops in to a place where you are in a group.

This took me some time to learn, because I immediately wanted to prioritize saving victims instead of taking out the killer. The victims are actually meant to be expendable, although being too aggressive with them will up the bloodlust. So it benefits you to travel with an entourage (although the victims won’t enter the killer’s space with you, you have to entice him to you).

This can be a big advantage if you have a boyfriend, because they are meant to be offed to give you a benefit.

+1 to this, as I found it core to success during gameplay. It was hard for me to let those little yellow meeples die, as I wanted to save them as much as possible, but eventually I remembered they're called victims for a reason--they give you time to gear up and try to take down the killer.

Thanks to everyone for recommending this game. I almost backed it on Kickstarter (my wife is a huge horror fan), but shied away at the last moment. Luckily, I was recently able to pick up the base game and all the feature film expansions before they disappeared. I'm still wondering if I want to snag the game mat during the next Kickstarter. I like game mats, but only if they enhance/facilitate game play.

[YellowKing]

I beat Dr. Fright with Nancy tonight. I initially thought he felt easier than Hans, but I also managed to get my Horror Level low enough I was chucking 3 dice for 90% of the game which helped.

So, funny story - I was getting everything organized tonight and stumbled across the "Lore and Scenarios" book that I had not bothered to look at. I decided to read up on old Hans since we had been fighting each other a few times. Then I noticed the "Scenarios" portion of the book. Holy shit - actual scenarios that pre-define the entire setup with a storyline??? And they even include mix-and-match scenarios to play with your other sets?

It seriously made me love this game 100% more. I'm diving into the first scenario tonight. I don't know that I'll necessarily replay every one until I beat it, but I certainly plan on trying all of them once.

It's rare that I pre-commit to any Kickstarters, but when Season 2 debuts I'll be all-in. Shut up, take my money.

[Fardaza]

D100 will definitely be different. I'm still messing around with it, but I don't have enough to start a whole new thread. I started hand-drawing my map and I'm not happy with it, so i think I need to re-do it with what I've learned. It's been a long time since I've made overland maps by hand.

There are grid papers that come as a part of the d100 download. Maybe in the back of the book if you have a printed copy. I found them extremely useful! I'm even using them for The 7th Continent as well.

[hepcat]

I'm still wondering if I want to snag the game mat during the next Kickstarter. I like game mats, but only if they enhance/facilitate game play.

I will admit I wasn’t sold in the game mat at first. But after my third or fourth game, I noticed my hair was getting thicker and more lustrous, while my upper body strength seemed to really increase. I also stopped having to wear glasses while trying to see things far away, and I’m suddenly able to speak and write both Spanish and Mandarin without even once taking a class on either. So yeah, it’s not essential…but ask yourself this: 我有足够的人来得到一个吗？

….don’t worry, you’ll be reading Mandarin soon enough, I suspect.

[baelthazar]

It's rare that I pre-commit to any Kickstarters, but when Season 2 debuts I'll be all-in. Shut up, take my money.

Me too - 100%. I super regret dropping my all-in pledge for season 1. I would have liked the mat, lore and scenarios book, and special “extra.”

Dr. Fright is very “swingy.” My first go against him was very terrible. I did no damage and he had me on the ropes from the get go (made worse by a fire in a full house as the setup event. The second round I got my special weapon and stalked him like he normally would stalk me. Nancy’s special weapon is OP, compared to some others.

I wonder what will be in Season 2? I am thinking they need an Evil Dead style “possesses victims” killer. Maybe an Alien on a ship (Ripley, one of the first “final girls). Some sort of killer AI, perhaps (like in a smart house)? Maybe a Scream-style killer where you have to guess who it is from a group of victims? I also wouldn’t be surprised to see a “killer mode” where you go after the girl.

[baelthazar]

FYI, Final Girl Season 2 ETA is January 11.

[Fishbelly]

I'm still wondering if I want to snag the game mat during the next Kickstarter. I like game mats, but only if they enhance/facilitate game play.

I will admit I wasn’t sold in the game mat at first. But after my third or fourth game, I noticed my hair was getting thicker and more lustrous, while my upper body strength seemed to really increase. I also stopped having to wear glasses while trying to see things far away, and I’m suddenly able to speak and write both Spanish and Mandarin without even once taking a class on either. So yeah, it’s not essential…but ask yourself this: 我有足够的人来得到一个吗？

….don’t worry, you’ll be reading Mandarin soon enough, I suspect.

Sold. You had me at thicker hair . . .

[hepcat]

I do wish the play mat wasn’t two pieces. I don’t see any reason why it should be. Also, on at least one of the locations, the item decks don’t match up because it only has 3 spaces for them instead of the 4 that the maple street map needs.

[Smoove_B]

Spent ~2.5 hours today learning how to play D-Day at Omaha Beach via Table Top Simulator. It's a solo game but can be played cooperatively, which is great for learning.

Similar to learning Fields of Fire, using TTS to go over gameplay mechanics has been really helpful. I am beginning to understand why it's such a highly rated solo war game - it doesn't really feel like anything else I've tried (mechanically). Everything is resolved with cards and cross-checking tables depending on what's happening and what turn you're on.

My only knocks are against the real-life versions of the game, namely the publisher. They're in their 4th printing of the game now and because of poor QA controls, they've somehow managed to have the last two printings introduce errors that were corrected between the first (2009) and second (2013) printings. I had to hunt down a second printing copy because I was *enraged* over the mess that was the 4th printing I purchased - both chit and map errors. So now that I have it, I can finally try to get it to the table...or maybe just continue to play it in TTS.

[YellowKing]

I've been watching videos and messing around on TTS with Ark Nova and it's definitely going on my pre-order list.

I don't tend to gravitate towards euro-esque solo games, but I love the theme of this one (building a zoo), and it looks incredibly crunchy in a good way. Ark Nova's solo mode is absolutely brilliant in that there's no AI opponent - you're just constrained by a round limit. Yet it's not necessarily beat your score because you have a minimum point threshold you have to hit to win. And even then, that point threshold is variable as you're attempting to hit a target 0 margin between your conservation score and your appeal.

There's been some comparison to Wingspan because your number of available actions reduces by one per round, you're generally playing towards a random final scoring goal, and you're building a tableau of animals (though unlike Wingspan, this isn't really an engine builder). From the playthroughs, it feels like one of those games where you're constantly having to adjust your strategy in response to card availability, and I love games that reward that kind of mental agility.

I also love the great mix of game mechanics. The action card rotation mechanic is super cool (cards gain power as they move up in the rotation, but when you use them they go to the back of the line). Then you've got tile placement with how you place your zoo enclosures, money management, and card management.

It's definitely symbol-heavy, which has been my biggest obstacle so far in learning the game since I don't have a physical rule book to lay right in front of me. However, I have a feeling I'm really going to like this one. Right now they're expecting a February release for NA.

[YellowKing]

My brother got me Box One, the Neil Patrick Harris solo puzzle box thingy and I finished it tonight.

It's pretty neat, albeit a bit on the easy side. I never had to use any hints, though a couple of times I got tripped up for a bit and had to walk away and come back. It's also pretty short once you get into the flow, though seeing as most escape room games are in the 60-90 minute range I don't knock it too much for that.

Not sure I'd feel I got my money's worth for the $30 MSRP, but as a gift I had a lot of fun with it. And I'm a huge NPH fan so anything he's involved in I'm always happy to give it a shot. Tentative thumbs up if you can find it on sale and you enjoy this kind of thing.

[YellowKing]

I brought out BLOODBORNE since I never got past the first chapter of the first campaign, and promptly remembered why I never got past the first chapter.

Despite watching multiple playthroughs, reading the rulebook, etc. I SUCK at this game and it pisses me off.

It's a game that gets high praise, I've watched people play it enough to know I'm not missing rules. But inevitably when I sit down to play I just get absolutely DESTROYED.

I literally almost had a flip the table moment tonight, and I'm pretty sure if my wife had not been there I would have hurled the box down the stairs.

I have yet to sell a single game from my collection, but this son of a bitch is at the very top of my list.

[Edit] Now that I've had a good night's sleep and cooler heads are prevailing, I may try again today with 2 hunters instead of true solo. The inability to lure enemies away is probably making the game a bit more difficult while I'm learning.

[Smoove_B]

After seeing largely positive reviews, I decided to treat myself to the GI Joe deck building game. In full disclosure I was a child of the 80s, completely enamored with all things GI Joe. I'm not even mad that my mom gave away all my figures to a cousin when I went to college and he destroyed them with fireworks (eye twitches).

The game supports up to 4 players and has slightly modified rules for solo and 2-player games. You can play true solo (one handed) or play a 2 handed (or 4 handed game, I guess) rather easily if your brain allows. I played true solo which means I really get two turns each round and I'm able to purchase the other leaders as part of the draw deck. Other than that, it's just like a 2 player game...which is mostly like a 3 or 4 player game.

You get a standard starting deck along with a leader (I had Scarlett for my first game) and they can be upgraded and from there, you're off. Here's what it looks like a few rounds in - pretty small footprint.



Anyway, it plays like you'd expect as a deck builder, however there are some minor tweaks that I think make it bit more interesting. First, when you purchase new cards they go right into your draw pile - not your discards. I know a few other games do that but thematically I think it works here as you're looking what ever crisis is unfolding and making command decisions to address them quickly.

Another difference is the use of the vehicle mechanism - you can see what I've set up as my "hanger" where the vehicles hang out in between missions. In order to go on a mission you need to select a vehicle and you can only add a number of Joes up to that vehicle's capacity. Other than the VAMP, the vehicle cards need to cycle through your deck. As a solo player I don't think it matters nearly as much as it would if I were playing two handed or with others as (so far) vehicle use hasn't been an issue. However, if I was playing with someone else and I selected the Hovercraft on my turn, my coop player couldn't select it on their turn - meaning I might have just stopped them from going on a mission. I think that adds a nice bit of extra strategy to the overall game.

The last difference is in the main story missions - that the game continues regardless of you failing or succeeding. Non story missions stay out if you fail them, but if you fail a story mission, there's a bad consequence and then the story progresses. If you succeed there's a good consequence...and the story proceeds. In this way, the action is always moving forward and it's possible to lose a a battle or two but still win the game.

The one thing I really like are cards the game calls "Complications". These are cards that are matched to the level of story you're on and when the story card comes out, you put these complications face down next to the story. They stay face down until you attempt that mission and then SURPRISE! as you attempt the mission they are revealed and all kinds of extra things unfold. Joes might be waylaid. Equipment might break. A new side mission might spawn or a Cobra leader might appear. In this way, you never really know exactly how the mission will unfold. There is randomness to the story missions as well. The game comes with two and each chapter (they both have 3) has 6 possible story cards. One is always the same (the chapter end) but the other two for each chapter are randomly selected in secret each game. So between that and the complications, there is going to be randomness.

You resolve events by rolling dice and counting successes. Your cards and skills will give you more dice and you have the ability to mitigate randomness with additional card play. There are Cobra cards that come out and block your ability to purchase new cards or that you add to your deck that clog up your hand. There's also a Cobra threat meter that escalates each round, potentially adding more bad things to the game. You can reduce threat through successful missions or card play. If Cobra fills the threat meter, you have your line-up completely blocked by Cobra -or- you fail too many missions, it's game over.

Really the fun is in seeing all the GI Joe themed stuff - the characters, the gear, the events - it all tracks. This game is begging for more cards - more Joes, more story missions, more gear - more everything. It's not heavy but it works and I think if you have any connection to the GI Joe franchise it's fun and so far, I'd recommend for solo play.

For people that sleeve (hello, my friends) - everything fits using the included storage. You don't need to sleeve the story cards but sleeves for the tarot size exist. The only other mechanic I haven't mentioned is that if you're playing solo two-handed (or with others - who does that?) you can have other players help out on missions - they can play cards from their hands to help you on your mission. They lose those cards and diminish their turn, but if you're pushing to do something big, I guess it could make a difference. Or if you're worried that as a coop game there's limited interaction, that's not true.

I know there's a Transformer version of this that I would presume is rather similar, however I haven't heard good things about it. Not sure what is different (mechanics?) other than the theme.

[Blackhawk]

In full disclosure I was a child of the 80s, completely enamored with all things GI Joe. I'm not even mad that my mom gave away all my figures to a cousin when I went to college and he destroyed them with fireworks (eye twitches).

Replace 'mom' with 'dad', 'college' with '8th grade', and 'cousin' with 'random strangers' and I'm right there with you. There are a half a dozen figures I'd kill to have back now, and I always keep an eye out at toy/collectible stores for an affordable replacement. Snowjob, Firefly, Storm Shadow (version 1), and Gung Ho spring to mind. Those days were good days.

Very cool game, though. I'll be watching this one.

[hepcat]

Returned to Final Girl yesterday. This time I was determined to win against Dr. Fright (I'm trying to beat each box before moving onto the next one....Hans/Camp, Ghost/Creech and now Fright/Maple are finished).

...and I did...almost immediately. I've tried this one 4 times before with no luck. But this time I won very easily. I pulled a "you are asleep" card on the second turn. But right before that, I found a machete. So with that, I was doing 3 to 4 hits easily with weak attack only. It took me only 3 turns to kill him total. And during that time, he never pulled a move card. So he just stayed in one place and let me whack him. I had a retaliate card too, so I avoided getting killed...or even damaged much....too.

This really is my only complaint about this game series (and Hostage Negotiator). Sometimes it does feel like there's very little you can do in terms of strategy as luck is the biggest factor in the game. However, I still love the series and am all in for season 2.

[YellowKing]

Hans took me 4 tries to beat, but I beat Dr. Fright and Creech Manor the first time each. Not sure if it's because I just got lucky or if I'm actually getting better. I think at least part of it is the latter, as I'm starting to become more cognizant of making sure I have contingency cards in hand. I'm also starting to understand better when I can burn my hand (because I have a big pool of cards coming in during the purchase phase) and when I need to play conservatively.

I've been unable to find Carnival in stock anywhere which is the last one I need from Season 1. But I'm assuming I can just grab it during the KS or shortly after it fulfills when reprints come in. I'm also going all-in on Season 2 because I've had a time (and spent more money than I needed to) trying to piece Season 1 together after the fact.

[hepcat]

I've been unable to find Carnival in stock anywhere which is the last one I need from Season 1. But I'm assuming I can just grab it during the KS or shortly after it fulfills when reprints come in. I'm also going all-in on Season 2 because I've had a time (and spent more money than I needed to) trying to piece Season 1 together after the fact.

Miniaturemarket.com has Carnage at the Carnival back in stock now.