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I hear you. I'm unlikely to buy another game this size that doesn't have those options. The good news is that more and more publishers are offering them.

Yes, for one, I'm not as precious as some about how the components are stored. And two, I fiddle around quite a bit to get things how I like them, so other people's designs don't usually work for me, either from the game makers or from the 3D printer file designers. Point 2 might contradict point 1...

You're right, besides web2.0, the art definitely has a workplace education course vibe. I got it because I liked the different, colorful art, enjoy dice worker placement, and like factory games, though usually in video game form.

That's so crazy that you asked that: I have it on my table and spent last evening learning the rules! I plan to try it tonight. I'll be posting an unimpressive unboxing video soon (unimpressive since it's basically a bunch of cards)

From everything I can tell, they're a great company that had one thing go wrong

I'm definitely loving the solo experience. The AI probably has the highest level of realism-to-ease-of-play ratio I've ever encountered.

and it's so quick to table!

I think the only game I've played that feels similar to Halls of Hegra is Pavlov's House, maybe superficially because of the tower defense and trying to send resources (it's been awhile). Thanks for the wargamer perspective, and the recommendation

@@JAlanRykerGames Pavlov's house? Never heard of it. Thanks for bringing it up, I am off to research. 😁 Edit: Ooh, thank you very much for the tip.

I haven't played MHW, but I do own a lot of Dark Souls, so I think I have some understanding. I think they're different enough that it's like saying apples are superior to oranges. I'm going to be glad to have both in my collection.

@@JAlanRykerGames I’m definitely coming from a place where there can be only one or the other. Owning both for me I don’t feel is going to happen.

Oh yeah, if you like a constant slide into misery along with a unique historical setting, this is absolutely a game for you. You know, with the Magnificent, I enjoy the aesthetic so much, and find the gameplay pleasant, but if someone didn't find it engaging, I wouldn't argue with them.

Maybe it's growing up in rural Kansas, but farming is the one regular Euro theme I find engaging. Otherwise, I am totally with you. How does mushrooms become a year-long obsession in the board game industry? It's so random. Or games that just have the name of a city. Definitely happy for people who enjoy it that there's plenty of choice, but please make more with a bit more intense themes. Man, you do real pnp. I will print some cards, make some tokens, but this would be beyond me. With the way prices are headed, though, I might have to up my skills.

if you want to check out mork borg base, they have a text-only version for free. It's called Bare Bones Edition. And then there are like infinite free supplements over at ex libris. I bet you'd like at least the tone and style

@@JAlanRykerGames Oh yes, I love the tone/style. Total deathpunk vibes. I'll check out ex-libris, too. Thanks for the heads-up!

I'm also happy they made the awesome minis. I'm seeing a lot of people mistaking what I'm saying. I like standee versions. I can of course print something that spins, but I've already bought the minis. I won't be able to afford to buy the minis in the future. The argument for making it a lifestyle game with constant content is 1. a lot of people like to have regular content for their game, and that doesn't impact you as an individual if the base set fulfills your needs, and 2. that's a way to make money for the company that goes beyond the kickstarters. Them offering things for other people doesn't detract from those who choose a different offering.

Saying miniatures are better than standees because with standees you don’t know where it is looking at is just ignoring Oathsworn… and here it would be sooooo easy to it has 4 sidings, obviously the thin parts are flanks and then you can both put a front and back print on the standee and just better specify it with a good base that specifies front and back. Standees give the possibility to increase market by reducing cost/price

I definitely intend to check this out at some point. I've been considering it for years at this point!

Thanks for the suggestion. I think at some point I'll try it as a digital game. I don't have the money and probably don't have the table space to play the physical game

@@JAlanRykerGames OK, better you try it digital than miss it ... but I warn you, after you played it, you want your own copy of KD:M ... it's such a great game! Try it, have fun ... ;)

I thought about talking further about the round tracking, but knew the video would be very, very long. I think that if a person is prone to turtling, it's a good motivator. They decided instead of having large penalties when renewing the various decks, to have the round tracker to punish players who play too slowly. I appreciate that, but, I err on the side of overaggression, so don't need that prod. And I find it unfun to lose to the timer after playing for that long, so it stands as my house rule

I know what you mean, but I decided to believe Alex at boardgameco that it was really dynamic, and it is. The movement here matters more than in almost any game I've played

Pretty bad take. The movement in this game is huge and the game benefits from cutting out a large empty board. Only thing is I wish terrain was used a little more often in battle setups but what can you do, what's there is important and the Fire spreading monsters are annoying as hell to stay out of the fire in a good way.

@@TheWeapon33 well to each his own. For me those giant pretty minis are really unnecessary because all they do is turn. They are literally a token and nothing more. I had some FOMO but the more videos I see the more I’m certain it was the right choice for me.

1. I'm very slow, and 2. I think that it is possible to plan ahead somewhat during your turn, despite the dynamic nature of the game. Most co-op games play faster multiplayer for the same character count due to this.

@@JAlanRykerGames thats fair, you might be surprised how much players pre-plan then I remind them that they'll trigger a reaction, and then they have to completely rethink their strategy on the fly, I think people are used to planning out hands but because monsters react in the middle of the turn they aren't used to pivoting, they've got that marvel champions mindset then realize "ah I've got fire in my sector or crap the monster turned and now aI can't play attack cards" even with those moments where their whole strategy flies out the window, it still only takes us an hour per encounter, but I've also heard 3p is easier than playing with two characters because of the knockouts.

@@joshuag7027 I can definitely imagine with the way this game goes that a lot of time planning off-turn is wasted, which works for me, because if I tried to plan multiple characters ahead like in, say, gloomhaven, I'd actually make myself miserable. As it is, although I play very slowly (remember I said, "a minute, or 5 if you're me"), I find that to be one of the joys of solo gaming. There are limits, though!

I'm very glad it helped! I'm glad that my inability to be concise can be beneficial in some situations.

The minis are definitely beautiful enough to display. Once I was emotionally able to let go of the box and fit it into two expansion boxes, it's now packed full of play value compared to the space it takes on my shelf!

I like your idea of creating a travel set. That's something I think about for the games I take on vacation. Good point about the expedition mode. I didn't try it just because it's not my playstyle, but especially for people who have to set up and take down games in the same session, it's very doable. I should have thought of that.

I got my box and was like, "that's a very big box, guess that's the whole pledge." I opened it and found just the base game and I was stunned. I am happy to see companies like Awaken Realms, known for minis, embracing standee options. It seemed like the practice was already becoming more common, and I think now it's becoming more thought of as a standard practice.

Wait till you see how nice these minis are. They are some of the coolest ever.

I like how you describe MHW. It sounds like there's room for both in a collection, if you're into the theme. I can't imagine any game of this sort beating primal, but I can imagine occasionally wanting to agonize less over every single action I take!

I hope they read this!

If you don't like drip feed, with these games you can stick to the yearly big boxes, while the small expansions give people with less money a way to get new content

@@JAlanRykerGames That’s true I just find LCG games very hard to keep up with. I like a marvel champions too. Just wish I didn’t have an urge to get everything. It’s more a me problem than anything else and I admit that.

@@Solcoyote I know more than a few people for whom that's an issue! It's especially tough with MC because you see all these awesome decks in the database that use one card from this hero and one card from that hero. Drives me nuts

@@JAlanRykerGames Yup that’s what I mean. It’s kind of nice to just have everything and be done with it.

I think they'll live in a collection together really well, which is why I'm currently agonizing over if I should add a hunter's arsenal to my mhw iceborne pledge

@@JAlanRykerGamesget it.

I'm a big fan of acrylic standees, too. Very vibrant

I agree but problen with Arcylics apparently cost wise are close to miniature pricing. I'd also assume shipping isn't all that much better with packed weight. You also don't get better bulk pricing if you split your order as the game maker. So there's a few factors. Now! That said I think there's a market for something like what Rove did. Make people purchase a miniature box. Maybe you upcharge the miniature box. I do think Primal *should* have had an option personally. It's a fun game but God the miniatures and the packaging just seems like such a waste.

@@AHolyRelic Wow I had no idea they were similar in cost. Minis are so detailed these days I just sort of assumed it would be more expensive than layering a flat image onto plastic

I don’t really like standees in games like this because someone will only see the side of it. I think a top down circle disc makes more sense.

@@Dratio Yeah I thought the same until I talked with ITU people (makers of Aeon Trespass Odyssey), they have Kingdoms Forlorn were they upgraded the acrylics to miniatures as a stretch goal. Some people wanted a cheaper box with just the acrylics until ITU talked about the cost inefficiency.

Setup is quick. Everything else takes a lot of time! If AP bothers you, I wouldn't drop the cash to try this out, because it's AP to the next level

That has been confirmed.

Glad to hear I'm not alone! I didn't realize they'd shrunken it. Besides my requiring solo, consolidation was a big draw for me.

Thanks! It's been long enough I'm having trouble remembering the exact rule, but it's about how far you have to go back if you die. I won't start all the way over

haha you're totally right

Thanks! The good thing about final girl at this point is that you can just try it out without buying a whole season. It's available at game nerdz for like $15 a box. If you're interested and the cost and hype is holding you back, know you can get it piecemeal and then decide to get more if you like it

Thanks for commenting! Your videos on the Dungeon Dive are some of my favorites. I've done solo rpg only in the most gamified ways: 2D6 Dungeon, 4 Against Darkness (a lot of 4AD). Also skirmish games like 5 Leagues from the Borderlands, which gives that gamified focus of the battle. When it becomes story creation, as a novelist, I want to just write the story down. I do intend to use some solo journaling rpgs in this way in the future, like Wretched & Alone. This year I plan to play Warlord Ascendent, Forbidden Psalm (Mork Borg) and Doomed!, since those have that skirmish core. Then also Six Crowns in Hell which seems structured from the description. And Broken Shores to go more in the direction that I think you're talking about. I've been very interested in Fallen. Do you think there are any supplements that especially help gamify for solo play?

@@JAlanRykerGames Dungeon Dive is an excellent show! I just received forbidden psalm and very excited for that one. 5 Leagues is high on my try list. I feel taking something like 4AD to the next level via world adventuring would be a great sweet spot. I published free solo sheets, that basically do this, but you choose the rpg of your choice pretty much. Melv Li You Tube did a cool video gamifying Fallen! suggest googling that. Also, there is a solo zine to help. It's also very oracle heavy to facilitate solo play. Cheers - happy to have discovered your channel!

Thanks! Yeah, this game is amazing. I still want to play it some more before giving it my final review (I played for 2 weeks, then sat it aside to play primal the awakening), but I don't see my thoughts on it changing. It's just brilliant.

hahaha I love it! I tackle so many problems out of spite and indignation...

That's a good summary. I do think that what you described is what throws me. I'm going to review this when I get undaunted to the table again. Thanks so much!

That's good to hear about Horizon. I might use some cubes instead of tokens. I do that a lot even when the tokens are working fine just because cubes or pawns are easier to grab. I'm glad Mage Knight stuck for you this time. Gives me hope for my own second attempts at running at the brick wall! Thanks for the kind words

I'll definitely be getting forbidden psalm to the table and reviewed, though I don't usually put my actual playthroughs up... But maybe. Not a lot for people to correct me on there. I'm afraid you might be disappointed at my ability to riff live, though! Do you play Mork Borg base game solo? If so, do you have any favorite adventures that are solo suitable, or do you make it all up as you go? Do you use Solitary Defilement? And thanks so much for the kind words!

hahaha honestly, it's one of my least favorite things I've encountered in games. I do wish I'd thought to try without it before trashing stuff

@@JAlanRykerGames True. While house rules are great, I prefer to play the game the way the designer intended. I'm curious what folks thought during play testing?

@@MichaelGaskin My thought about the playtesting is that it was done in groups, and the fact that you aren't allowed to say what you're doing means you can't plan that far ahead, so then the extra bit of output luck didn't hit so hard. Other players must mess up your action way more often than the modifier at that point. Probably also meaning the bonus cards often really were a bonus, while when I play, I (and probably a lot of solo players) plan it all out with the numbers on the cards and usually don't need the bonus, so the positives are that positive while the negatives are very negative

Okay, thank you so much for confirming that there is something confusing about it! I've found that theme can make a surprising amount of difference in these things. My brain resists the way the fantasy theme ties to the mechanisms in hero realms but totally gets star realms

Dungeon Alliance is one of my all time favorites! I do need to get hexplore it to the table, but according to my spreadsheet, it's likely to be awhile unless I get a wild hair

@JAlanRykerGames so when are you going to get time to write some more if your mind is filled with spreadsheets and math's. I want to say you inspired me to sell 1/3 of my games and I may/ will do it again. I was holding on to certain games but it was becoming a burden to carry rather than pleasure. I also picked up Skytear Monolith, I can't wait to play. You may be interested in 51st State and Fallen Land.

Thanks! For me, the only one that I will guaranteed buy again with the base game is the adventure pack. It adds 200 more of those sweet encounter/quest cards. If you want the monsters you're battling to feel more differentiated, then Monster Trail is a good one that I think a lot of people won't play the game without, though I was more into the adventures than the monster. I might get it, though it does add a bit of fiddliness.

@@JAlanRykerGames cool, good to know. thanx for the reply!