THREE GREAT JOURNEYS
HEXPLORE IT: VALLEY OF THE DEAD KING
The game includes 24 roles in five categories, varying from brute and healer archetypes to highly specialised support roles (fancy playing a Historian or an
Apothecary?). Each has two specific masteries which are upgraded as you progress.
Typically these masteries sum to, or multiply, attack or defence stats, to some rolederived effect. Suggested ways to play solo (at least at easier difficulty levels) is to either pick two support or utility roles which interact and complement each other, or two unlikely travelling companions. Further customisation is provided through naming, speciation and traits. Record keeping is handled via dry-erase boards, keeping the play area tidy. To provide balance I should add that the game has been likened to managing an Excel spreadsheet in this respect. A hard cell for some.
SLEEPING GODS
At first glance this might not seem to be a good candidate for a solo game, because managing the crew of nine seems daunting and fiddly. In practice it’s fine, arguably easier than splitting them up between players. They naturally fall into combat and support types (who can handily take the hits for their teammates). Combat is a lovely puzzle for the most part. Stay out at sea for too long though and everyone will get fatigued from skill tests, making combat types less effective. A sea monster or other hazard might also sink your ship. Generally though, this is a relaxed experience as you sail around, cook many sausages, and try to recognise landmarks from vague directions, or simply follow your whims, as you seek new totems using a simple keyword based quest system.
TALES OF THE ARABIAN NIGHTS
For a game with very simple mechanics – skills and status effects, an encounter deck, a set of look up tables, and modifiers for each entry – many tales of wonder may be woven. Consider
Sinbad the Sailor.
He started his journey as a swashbuckling man of action but through various misadventures – beware drinking from the Dark River – was transformed into a female Giant Ape. Continuing to be boisterous, she couldn’t resist chucking coconuts at the Crystal Palace. She sweet talked her way out of her resulting captivity before ending her journey envious, opening too many doors in the Palace of 100 closets, only to fail ineptly in her new career as a would be thief.