Bugs: Recent Topics Paging, Uploading Images & Preview (11 Dec 2020)
Recent Topics paging, uploading images and preview bugs require a patch which has not yet been released.
Play Matt - Undaunted: Normandy Review
- Matt Thrower
- Topic Author
- Offline
- Shiny Balls
- Number Of Fence
If there's one thing I can't stand in a game, it's faff. And deckbuilders tend to have more than their fair share. But Undaunted: Normandy makes it easy. A few double-sided squares to build a board, a few soldier cards to make your deck and you're done. Between the two of us, it takes moments, seeming too good to be true.
Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.
- hotseatgames
- Offline
- D12
- Posts: 7160
- Thank you received: 6265
Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.
- Sagrilarus
- Offline
- D20
- Pull the Goalie
- Posts: 8735
- Thank you received: 7348
Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.
Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.
- Matt Thrower
- Topic Author
- Offline
- Shiny Balls
- Number Of Fence
Sagrilarus wrote: A fine review, love the way you weave narrative and gameplay together. But -- a couple of questions. You seem to indicate there is a board of sorts made from cards? A modular thing? How much of the game is position-based and how much is card-play-based please?
You have it right, the board is modular, made up of squares of thick cardboard which are arranged into an asymmetric grid.
EDIT: here's a photo of the board in play, scenario #2:
The bulk of the strategy comes in handling your cards and deck, but positional-based play is not unimportant. There are different approach routes to objectives, for example, and a canny player can exploit different distances and cover values.
If you look at that photo, for example, the objectives are the brown "1" tokens on the bottom left and bottom right. The bottom left is closer for the US forces but has less cover (the numbers in the shield icons). So the US player has a strategic choice of speed over safety.
This is one of the few aspects of the game that I do feel could be better: some very simple terrain, LOS or facing rules would have paid off handsomely in terms of deeper position play.
Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.
Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.
Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.
Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.
I have a question though: how easy is it to solo the game? I bought it yesterday after seeing it listed on BGG as 1-2 players (I have nobody up for playing it with me, sadly), but then discovered there's no official solo variant.
You mention you solo'd a scenario, and I would be extremely grateful if you could let me/the internet know how easy/satisfying it was to do this?
For some context, I have happily solo'd most of my 2+ player games (Mermoir 44, Concordia, Clank etc) so am happy to put in some faff/legwork if the resulting game is worth it! But I saw a note from the developer on BGG saying U:N is not really soloable due to having knowledge of the opponent's hand, which may spoil the game for some.
What are your thoughts on this please?
Hope you can help, and many thanks for your time.
Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.
- Matt Thrower
- Topic Author
- Offline
- Shiny Balls
- Number Of Fence
PYF wrote: I have a question though: how easy is it to solo the game? I bought it yesterday after seeing it listed on BGG as 1-2 players (I have nobody up for playing it with me, sadly), but then discovered there's no official solo variant.
BGG actually says 2 players, as does the box: it's a "community" vote that says it's for 1-2 players and I don't know how anyone else might be soloing it.
I did it by working the initiative system a turn in advance. Deal the start player a hand. If it contains a "Fog of War" card, that is always chosen for initiative. If not, choose a card for initiative and set it aside. Then play the turn.
For the second player, go through the same system. If their initiative card is higher, then they get to start the next turn.
Does that make sense? It means the player who wins ties will almost always go first, but that's how it plays out the majority of the time in face to face play. You miss the occasional edge case when going first is a critical strategic move, but those are pretty rare anyway.
Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.
So a final quick question if I may: In your opinion, would it be worth buying purely for solo play?
Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.
- Matt Thrower
- Topic Author
- Offline
- Shiny Balls
- Number Of Fence
PYF wrote: Makes perfect sense, thank you!
So a final quick question if I may: In your opinion, would it be worth buying purely for solo play?
Of course, you may. And the answer is: no. But there's an important qualifier which is that almost no games are, IMO, worth buying purely for solo play.
However, bear in mind that Undaunted is NOT specifically designed for solitaire play and so soloing it is strictly worse than playing it with two.
Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.
Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.