Going solo for the first time

A while back Will sent me a text saying he had been playing through Some Mansions of Madness scenarios that we had attempted (and thoroughly died at). At the time I thought it made sense given the strong narrative nature of the game and the fact that there are so many variables that you can get tons of replay. I have recently started thinking about how easy it is for most of my favourite games to be played solo as they are cooperative games, or at least have cooperative modes like Descent. So I thought I would embark on a journey in to the dark, and stereotypically lonely, world of solo play by playing through some of the Descent campaigns. 

Today I sat down for about an hour and a half and played through the first mission in the Rise of all Goblins campaign that I have previously played and filmed on the Missing Geek channel. 

As you can see it all fits quite nicely on to the currently unclaimed computer table, just don't ask for a shutoff the rest of the room as it is covered in foam trays!

I know this may seem a tad strange as you would think you would want to play something new, especially to give a good first impression of solo play, but I was working on the opposite end of positivity spectrum and thought that if I enjoyed playing through something I already know then I would really like the newer stuff! And if not I always had something else to try to see if the fun was in the stories rather than the game play.

that's right I took only two lone champions, I only have four painted so not the greatest range of options.

 I plumbed for two heroes as I didn't want to over burden myself with getting rules interactions wrong (I still forgot a preroll each turn for Hawthorn's sword, even though I would use it the roll before and after!). Plus I really like the fact that you either get a free attack or minor heal which is invaluable as you absolutely need a healer otherwise. 

Still really pleased with how the Merriods turned out, especially as they were one of my earliest models to paint for the game after a very long period not painting anything.

 So on to my observations about playing Descent solo for the first time:
+ Even though I have played the scenario before I was still somehow surprised by a couple of the events in the game and the range of monsters that I faced from across the expansions I have painted, meaning there were real points where I had to properly problem solve or I would have lost early to running out of morale (your start with one for each hero and after you go below this you lose the scenario).
- I really struggled at the start to get into the characters as it was just me so didn't have anyone to riff off or to tease me when I fluffed a roll, I didn't eventually start a bit more roleplaying between the characters but it is definitely the big draw back, even if it is damn obvious.
+ With all the models painted this is just such a great looking game that I get a proper thrill from seeing the models in action. I get that being the owner/painter means I feel this more than others but the spectacle of it is a real draw beyond just having them on a shelf.
- Not having someone else to spot your bad gaming habits is a curse and a blessing depending upon how you feel about mistakes in your game (and based on the YouTube comments from the past videos this really varies!). So there is a slightly slower pace at some points and faster pace at others, and I enjoy having someone to double check my maths against from time to time.
+ Speaking of maths/logic the level of challenge in the game really amps up when it is just you there to spot the issues. there were couple of times I had to really take care with the actions and order far more than I probably would have if playing with others, as I can tend to defer responsibility once I get into character.
- Not having multiple people for set up and tear down is a bit less fun, though you do always get things done the way you like so again a mixed bag.
+ The big one for me is that I felt that I was really getting use out of a product that I have invested time, money and effort into and it felt worth it.
+ Final bonus was that I showed Raef when he got home from nursery and he is now really interested in actually playing it (I have stipulated that need to be able to count before we can play as I want him reading his own dice to make decisions but I'm happy to read too text to him)

Hawthorn charging into the action once again!

So final thoughts are that it wasn't as awkward feeling as I had thought it would be and I have a greater appreciation for all those solo players out there. Maybe when I have finished Desecnt I will turn my hand (and brushes) to some of my other cooperative games... now where did I put that Firefly game... 

With only four health left and no morale to spare Lord Hawthorn swings for the  win!