I found the core LotR game very very difficult as a solo game.
Well, yup. Somehow I missed that. Since I was originally looking at LotR and it is solo I assumed the other LCGs would have that capability too. =/ For two player which shines the most of the three? I may pick one up for play with my daughter (who has read GoT, LotR and loves SW as well).
Thanks a ton prolix, very informative. I guess I’ll stick with MEtW for solo play and get one of the three as a fun game to play with my daughter.
I’ve only played GoT, but it’s fairly complicated with decks to build and things to keep track of. I’ve never played SW, but from what I’ve read of it, it’s quite a bit less complex. I’ve been thinking about picking it up to play with my son, since he gets a little overwhelmed by GoT.
Okay, you guys are killing me with all these acronyms. I still can’t figure out what SW is. Star Wars? Secret World? Silly Weasels? Slutty Western?
But if you’re looking for a solitaire friendly LCG (Living Card Game), BigWeather, I heartily recommend both Sentinels of the Multiverse (SOTM) and Pathfinder §. I’ve gotten a lot of great solitaire play from both, and they each tap into the appeal of a living card game in unique ways.
-TomHaha Tom. =) Yeah, Star Wars – another Fantasy Flight LCG. I’ll look into Sentinels. I’m a long-time buyer of PF RPG stuff and am trying to resist getting sucked into the card game. My monthly bills from Paizo are high enough, my wife would have a fit.
BigWeather, yes, absolutely pick up Slutty Western to play with your daughter. It is a fantastic game that is not only abhorrent family fun, but also is known to induce early teenage rebellion! =)
Props to Tom’s picks though. Fantasy Flight corners the market on the Living Card Game name, but both Sentinels of the Multiverse and Pathfinder are essentially LCGs. In the case of SotM you have larger content drops a bit more spread out whereas Pathfinder is straight up a LCG, but without the name. If you have a comic inclined daughter I think SotM is the winning choice as it is good clean family fun with both surface and strategic appeal. Pathfinder is more in the Dungeons and Dragons camp, so depending on her leanings you may have an easier sell with empowered super hero girls kicking ass over dudes (and gals) clunking around town in armor and whacking monsters. Both of the above are fully Co-op affairs (ie soloable too) and highly recommended.
As to the original choices I have avoided Game of Thrones and Star Wars as they are competitive and co-op goes over much better for family game night around here. Lord of the Rings LCG is a darn fine co-operative game with lots of magic like fiddly card mechanics that take a bit away from the story telling, but it still does a surprisingly good job at telling an adventure as you play through the scenarios (although I think SotM and Pathfinder are better at story telling). The main negative of LotR LCG (for me) is that it takes a lot of outside game time as you collect and build decks a la magic to play for your next play session. I just don’t have the luxury of doing such a thing anymore. I believe SW and GoT falls in the same boat as well. Also LotR tends to really drive you to purchase as adventures and decks get rather stale quickly without buying more. Sentinels is the best in this regard as each purchase just adds new variables that can be plugged into a new ever expanding pool of game options. SotM is a sort of sideways expansion that keeps everything fairly fresh at any point of the buying cycle (like a League of Legends approach) rather than a linear expansion approach that is pushing you to the next phase (like a MMO expansion).
I would suggest SotM of all the “LCG” options I think. However, keep in mind that in pretty much all of these I think age 8 or 10 (or higher) is going to be the bare minimum for really engaging both of you as a family game. If she is younger, I would have a whole other set of possible options, but they will move you away from LCGs. I have an eight year old and all of the card games are a bit too mechanical for him as of yet so the games are generally for adults on game nights unless we want to heavily aid him when playing.
I should have this in my greedy little hands by Wednesday. Looking forward to it as it’s getting some decent reviews. Plus, it will be interesting to play a state of siege game set in the time of Cromwell.
Chaplin, thanks a ton for the very detailed breakdown. My daughter is 16 (nearly 17) and loves comics (mostly DC, particularly Nightwing and JL) so SotM seems like a perfect fit. I’ve spent the last hour or so reading all about it and I think I’ll get the base game (enhanced edition) and try it out. It sounds like there is little to no deck building, correct? Wonderful if not – as you said we don’t have much time for that anymore. We’re looking for a great “sit down and play on a Saturday night” game. I’d personally also like to play solo and it looks as if this has that too (basically I’d just play multiple heroes). I’ll buy this (and if we like it, the Rook City / Infernal Relics and Shattered Timeline expansions) and rely on just playing Middle Earth: The Wizards CCG (which does have deck building) for my solo LotR fix. Also your distinguishing the delivery approach – broad expansions to the base rather than narrow progression from the base – was very helpful. It’s one of the reasons I’m avoiding PF – I don’t want to commit to subscribing to a long-line of expansions to get the complete experience. Thanks again!
Edit: Ah, I see, fixed card game. Awesome, we’ll have great fun with it.
Well, Pathfinder Adventure Card Game has a grand total of six expansions (not all of which are out yet) after which this set is over, and you only need them one at a time and they’re cheap. FWIW. It will probably be compatible with the next Adventure Path coming late this summer, but that will be a standalone product that’s not necessary to get the complete Rise of the Runelords experience.
This thread is going to have me in the poorhouse.
Agreed. I definitely wouldn’t want to push you away from SotM as it seems a really good fit, but the Pathfinder adventure packs (mini-expansions) can be had for around $14 and include 5 scenarios each (I think). That’s less than $3 a scenario, and you can easily play each scenario quite a few times. Each pack is scheduled to release every other month as well, so it won’t make a big impact on the wallet.
One of the things that convinced me to buy it was the fixed end point as well. Knowing there’s only going to be 6 adventure packs meant I wouldn’t be signing up for some near endless money drain (unlike the LotR LCG which I’ve so far managed to avoid).
All that said, SotM definitely seems a great choice for you. It’s probably the quickest to set up of the bunch and it’s a great setting for someone who loves comics.
D-Day at Omaha Beach is worth the time investment.
In other grognardy news: Where There Is Discord, Dan Hodges purportedly excellent solitaire game about the Falklands Islands war, is now available again after being sold out for years. My copy is on the way, and I hope to be able to post comments soon. In the meantime, see Board Game Geek.
It’s interesting to note that Sentinels is -also- a fixed end point title, though the expansion releases are meatier and less frequent. Apparently Greater Than Games have a specific arc in mind that they’ve been building to this entire time and the Vengeance expansion is roughly the midpoint.
How well do the COIN games really work solo? I love the theme of these games and would really like to check out A DO but it seems like they’re really meant to be played with people.
The COIN games are no more suited for solitaire than any other m/p wargame without hidden information. The games really depend on the tension between the opposing goals of the different players.
The biggest problem I have with the COIN games while playing solo is that you need to reference the flowcharts very, very carefully most of the time. Also, sometimes the course of action called for in the flowchart is hard to determine. I own Andean Abyss and Cuba Libre and while I’ve played them both solo on more than one occasion (and enjoyed them…even with some frustration while determining what the AI is supposed to do), my preferred method is with all four factions being handled by humans.
That’s what I figured. Oh well, there’s plenty of other solo games out there I haven’t tried yet.
Definitely let us know what you think of that one! I’d never heard of it until your post but after checking out some videos consider me interested.
I think I’ve added more games to my library from Victory Point Games in the last year than any other one publisher. They make some seriously great games…and they cater to the solo crowd with many of them.