Journey To The Overland: Solo Tabletop Roleplaying Game

Solo Gaming is back! This is a great Pen & Paper RPG/Board game hybrid with just enough elements from both to keep it interesting...but keep reading.What you get:The rule-Book, a plain poster-like map large enough to fit on a medium table, 1 copy of character sheets, encounter cards and weather/event/quest cards...and a pair of D10 dice.Overview and Pros: The rules provide a system with enough detail for immersion... and nostalgia to kick in. You start by making your character, rolling the dices provided 7 times and writing down the results. Then you adjust them based on a the rules, and you assign them to different attributes. Then you get to spend your starting gold (50) on getting the right weapons/armor combo to get you started, and you are ready to start. Note: This is initially a classless system, but eventually you can "purchase" your class with experience points- so make sure to read about each class and what the requirements are in terms of attributes. There are towns and castles to visit but traveling is risky (as it should) be and spending too much time away from towns is a death sentence- just like traveling alone is a death sentence when you get ambushed by any of the encounters. When you get to a town/castle, you have a host of activities to do, like visiting the local Inn, gathering information (at a cost) , doing some work for a period of time for some really hard earned pieces of gold/silver, or buying/selling your goods. You also get to learn spells at each town, and each town has different spells available for you- but only if you get the opportunity to study there, because you may end up being attacked instead.The combat system has 2 parts: the simple, which I recommend, and one more advanced for miniature enthusiasts. I find the combat to be quite hard but not impossible- just make sure to have a handy weapon ready and a shield if you can afford one.This is not a safe world- things happen around you, there is always a weather system that either aids you or hinders you in some way, events will either help or hinder you for an entire week and a dragon attacks random towns once a month.Overall, I find the system to be very detailed, allowing you to be anything and anyone you want. With enough experience from battles/quests, you can be a powerful wizard or a merchant or knight, or even the new king in this troubled land.Negatives:From what you can see, for the asking price this is a very content-lite game. Moreover, the quality of the provided material is VERY low. You MUST sleeve those cards right away as they are poorly made. The provided map is a standard glossy paper poster that folds. That is, there is no *actual* game board to speak off.Second- and here is where the real criticism can and should be directed- the Rules are VERY BADLY WRITTEN AND BADLY ORGANIZED!!!I mean, the rules for each aspect of the game are not focused or collected in one place, but a lot of page jumping is needed. There is not even a table of contents!!!If future prints amend those quality issues, then this can easily rise to be a must have for Solo gamers out there. There is not much competition to speak off, but that is not an excuse for poor design.

Solo gaming in overdrive. Great depth. So many different things thought of and so many different ways you can adventure. Multiple goals and experiences with amazing randomizing game mechanics that make sense and avoid turning it into a chaotic mess. Huge replayability factor. An entire world worth diving into over and over. Worth it for those seeking a way to roleplay on their terms and their schedule. After a recent move and most local gaming shops closing this has been just what I was missing. A great experience.

I own this game (obviously) but I am posting this review to clarify that this is a "game" not just a book or magazine. The game includes several packs of cards (Encounter, Event, Quest and Weather), a full color map, dice, and a rulebook. Most copies will also include photocopied character sheets. I am only aware of Amazon and the publisher have "complete" copies of this game so please be careful if buying from a "used" merchant and message them directly to make sure they have the complete "game" and not just the manual. You should not pay $80 for a manual alone! Other than that the game was inspired by the old Barbarian Prince game but was intend to expand on and add more depth and continued game play to that type of mechanic. I would agree there are some quality issues as one reviewer has stated - mostly with the box to be honest. The game was originally going to be sold as a shrinkwrapped book with the maps and cards bundled with it however during the Kickstarter there was a request for a "box" so it was added later. The publisher plans to reissue the game later with a better two part box. Other than that there are plenty of videos on Youtube of play sessions and I would highly recommend you watch some and make up your own mind!