Solitaire question

[kleric]

First off, this game looks great. I'd seen it advertised here awhile ago, but then while at GenCon I saw it in person and it just looks very slick. I'm ashamed of myself for not pickin' it up there, but I'll be orderin' it soon.

So my question:
A very generic one that I haven't really seen talked about much elsewhere on here, how does solitaire play work? Mark said at GenCon that it was a lot like the old Ambush! series of solitaire play. Does that mean it comes with a paragraph book? Or how does the system work for playing it solitaire? This is going to be a huge factor for me, since I don't have a lot of local gamers that i know who would want to play this.
Thanks.

[Tim Brooks]

Hi Kleric:

Thanks for the compliments! Mark usually stops by here daily, but I know he's on vacation this week.

As to solitaire play, it works great. There are paragraphs that come with most missions, although some missions don't have any. The system is solid and works very well playing all by yourself. It does however come with a CD, that is a one click install and lets you play with others over the internet. The internet play community is growing daily, so if you like that kind of thing, there are oppenents available.

Best regards.

[Psitticine]

This might be a good time for me to pipe up as well.

I was one of the beta-testers for LnL, but don't live anywhere near any of the others, so I've played it quite a few times solitaire.

The paragraphs are optional components of each scenario, printed on the back of each of the individual scenarios. Some are rather set, in that they have the same effect every time, but most are random to some degree. (i.e. you roll a die, and the results send you off to different paragraphs that might lead to any kind of different effects either for your side or the opposition.)

You can play the scenario a dozen time, have memorized exactly what those branching paragraphs say, but the randomness means you never know what you'll get with them. They add a lot of freshness to replayed scenarios, no matter if you play by yourself or with others, and can change the whole nature of how a scenario is playing out based on what happens. ("The US just got reinforcements from the east! The VC encirclement just turned into a US pincer!") They're rarely unbalancing though, unless one side has really failed to plan for unpredicable events (and that's always dangerous in warfare!)

Those paragraph triggers that are set work rather like traditional VP objectives, but they have more of an effect on the game than just pumping up your endgame VP total; IOW, an optional US objective in one scenario might become to get to the hex to activate a paragraph that describes the discovery of a support weapon lying with the remains of a less-lucky recon team.

I'd rate solitaire play very highly. All tactical and strategy games are going to be more fun with an opponent to outwit, obviously, but the game mechanics make it fun and easy to "role play" both sides.

The hero and leader system gives the sides some real personality to get into to as you play. It's very involving having a hero get born out of brutal battle, see him tear into the enemy, and then fall in glorious battle. (I try to skip the Last step with my own heroes, but, well, you know . . . )

In any case, that gives the sides real flavor, even when playing both by yourself. The dynamic nature of hero creation and the paragraph system means the scenarios never play out the same way. Overall, I'd say it's an exceptionally good, solid system for solo play.

BTW, not having any gamers near you might not be as big a problem with this game as others. There's an Internet client included with the game that lets you go Online and play against other people around the world. A lot of the beta-testers are on it a lot (I would be myself, but I've been too busy lately) and they enjoy helping to get folks started in Online play. (It's just too much fun watching people play and enjoy something you've worked hard on. :-) )

I seem to have rambled on quite a bit here, but I'm still not sure if I've answered your question. Did all that cover it?

[kleric]

Thanks Tim & Psitticine!
I ordered the game, so expect to see me in the Online circle in a week or so. I'm really lookin' forward to this game.

[Psitticine]

Have fun, and watch out for Peter: he's a melee machine!

[Mark H. Walker]

Hi Kleric,

Sorry for not replying sooner. As Tim said, I was at the beach. Like everyone has said, the game does play well solitaire. The impulse system keeps both sides manageable, and the spotting rules hold the arverarching knowledge of the solitaire gamer in check. I still play solitaire, and I love it.

But the INternet gaming is also great fun. We are working on a tutorial that explains how to get up and running, and an enhanced Version of VLnL. Shrapnel will post a press release when they are ready.

Thanks for playing!

Best,
Mark