Solo Board Game Extravaganza

It was a perfect storm for solo gaming yesterday afternoon. My three year old needed a nap (which almost never happens anymore), my wife and other daughter went out for ice cream with some friends, and my puppy was tired and fell asleep on the floor. I ended up having almost two hours to game. Friday night and Saturday night also brought themselves about an hour each of gaming time and so I grouped that together in this post.

What did I pull out for this haven of board gaming?

Friday night was spent on Goblivion. I had lent this to my brother-in-law and was eager to play it again. I didn't know how much time I would have to play and this one only takes about 30-45 minutes, so it was a safe bet. This game has quickly become one of my favourites. It's quick and easy to pick up, but there are a lot of important choices to make in regards to what and how to add or remove cards from your deck. It really feels like a deck-builder (and just better) version of Castle Panic. 

The most exciting battle came near the end of the game when these three stormed my castle. One gluttonous troll is terrifying enough, but two?!?

It's ok, though, because I got to draw A LOT of cards to take them on.

I won on medium difficulty and have consistently done so, so maybe it's time to try hard.

Saturday night I turned to one of my other favourites, Clank! I still had one expansion that I haven't played yet, so, I went for! The Gold and Silk expansion comes with a double sided board - one side is in a Dwarven mine and the other is in a spider's lair. I've taken a few stabs at the mine but haven't jumped in with the arachnids yet. So, I did!

Round One: Dead

I don't usually die without at least making it to the top half of the board so the villagers can drag my carcass to the surface and I can still collect my treasure. My luck was not with me this time. I have every Clank! expansion to date (and now I've got my eyes on you, Temple of the Ape Lords!) and so I have A LOT of cards. I like having a lot of cards, it means every game (actually, more like every 3 or 4 games) you're seeing different cards. The downside, is that it can get very swing-y. Some games you can pull all the dragon attack cards, and some you don't pull any. Some people might really hate this, but it doesn't bother me. Some days the dragon (or spider, in this case), is more aggressive than other times. Today, was an aggressive day. I got attacked often and so I should have played it safe and went for an easy artifact and got out. Usually I go for two, though, and I made that mistake today. 

The differences in the spider's lair didn't help. A bunch of the passages are webbed and so you need to spend an extra attack or movement to get through them (only the first time, then it's open for everyone). Since I was the only one roaming the board, I had to do all the clearing. Also, some rooms are webbed as well and you need to spend an extra attack to clear the room and collect the secrets/treasures/rewards/etc. inside. This, plus the angry dragon, slowed me down a lot.

I don't like to end on a loss, so I reset the game and started a new one. I had to pause and finish Sunday afternoon, but I got it done.

Round Two: Dead

I was SOOOO close! I only needed one more movement and I would've made it. I knew I was done for after my last turn, because I only had one hit left and I had made a lot of clank on my way through the spider's lair. At least my treasure and body were carried to the surface and I still got to score points. I ended with 116 points. Not bad, but my best solo score is 243.

There were fewer dragon/spider attacks, which really helped, but I also played it a little smarter in my travels around the lair. I made sure I had enough movement and attack built up to take on those webs. I don't know that the new mechanics make or break the game, but it's nice to have so many boards to choose from for a given game so that it's never the same. There's a reason this was my #2 solo game of 2019.

For my third game, fourth play, of the weekend, I turned to Call to Adventure. My main motivation for purchasing this game was because I had heard about the Stormlight expansion that would be coming out. This is one of the best fantasy novels I've ever read, if not the best. Since that time, I've discovered that it's going to be a standalone expansion. So I didn't need to buy this one! Oh well.

I'm pretty sure I won. Pretty sure because I just wanted to play and didn't want to obsess over the rules and read the rulebook very carefully. So, I think I won. Here I am defeating The Warlord.

I LOVE the art and the cards in this game, but it is not a very enjoyable solo experience. It's really not a game, but a storytelling adventure, so there's not much to sink your teeth into when you're all alone. The fun of this game is in the multiplayer experience, so I don't imagine I'll pull this out too often solo. But man, those cards are nice to look at.