Barnestorming- Super Motherload in Review, Super Fantasy, Shadows of Malice, More Japanimation

Consider my boat floated

It is definitely not a game for general audiences, that's for sure. I can see where a lot of folks will absolutely HATE certain aspects of it. He does state in the rulebook what you "should" be doing, and if you don't do those things (go to cities, get potions, fight monsters, gain soulshards, go beat up the well guardians) then yeah, it can kind of feel aimless. There is not direction from event cards, scenarios or character agendas, nothing like that.

Frohike is exactly right, if you don't buy into this game kind of stepping aside so that you can find the motivation, you're going to bail on it. It's very, very different.

Gosh, I can't wait to solo it tonight.

Frohike wrote: I've heard this from a couple of people and I've gotta say, I don't get it.

I'm on my 8th play, usually with two avatars, and it always feels like there's not quite enough time for us to find the wells between getting to the Cities or lairs for treasure, battling any shadows that are too healthy for comfort and rushing the strongholds (leaving the small ones to smash themselves to death), or getting a Mystic for potions etc, let alone prepping for the nasty Guardian battles. If I don't have enough movement as I'd like on a turn, I just burn some shards and/or split up our band. If I'm not going to make it to a lair, I try to provoke and hope for something that's not too nasty but healthy enough to drop more shards. And yeah, some turns, I have to just stay put, rest, and watch yet another shadow do something I don't want.

I don't think I've ever looked at the board and said to myself "meh, there's nothing to do and this is taking too long." Maybe I will at some point, but I just have not hit that wall yet.

I think part of it requires not looking to the rules and mechanics to evoke and motivate. I know that sounds like a huge WTF and a weird expectation but that's exactly why I'm enjoying it. I'm getting the impression, though, that this can cause the game to just step beyond people's patience or investment. By the way, there's an expansion on the way that will include some questing, if that floats your boat.

Completely agree. Some games you have to keep the hell up and always be pushing forward at high speed clearing lairs and building treasure as the Shadows can high tail it to a Stronghold very quickly. I also tend to flee if the Monster/Guardian is too tough which can cause more wasted turns and the clock to run down even further. Every play of mine (6 or 7) has been extremely tense.

Shadows of Malice looks interesting but it seems to cover the same ground as Mage Knight, an overland adventure game where you level up a hero and defeat a big bad guy/city.

Charlie and I both bring up Mage Knight in our write ups for this reason. It covers similar ground, but approaches it from a very different angle, one that I feel is more effective and closer to the fantasy that I enjoy reading (or experiencing in the occasional RPG).

Frohike wrote: Charlie and I both bring up Mage Knight in our write ups for this reason. It covers similar ground, but approaches it from a very different angle, one that I feel is more effective and closer to the fantasy that I enjoy reading (or experiencing in the occasional RPG).

How does Shadows of Malice play as a solo game? One of the best things about Mage Knight is that you can have a deep, balanced experience controlling only one character. Most co-op games require you to control 2-4 characters and can get fiddly with upkeep, Mage Knight has practically no upkeep.

I've had fun playing it as a solo game, though I've always played two or three avatars since the game wasn't designed with solo play in mind and revolves around coordinating the abilities and shard pools of at least two players. The scaling of upkeep to number of players is minimal. You're still running the same action sequence for the Shadows at the end of every turn. The only additional upkeep would be the health regen (1 wound per turn), and obviously playing as each avatar. With two avatars in a band (party), it often feels like you're playing one avatar anyway, with a larger inventory and shard pool and the ability to temporarily share abilities or bonuses using colored shards.

In terms of rules noise and fiddliness, it is much less complicated and busy than Mage Knight, but you will be rolling and modifying dice... a lot.