If you've followed my writings over the past decade, you know that I absolutely adore horror movies. As such, I’m always keen to play through my library of spooky games this time of year!
Despite the generic settings, I couldn’t resist picking up Final Girl with the “The Happy Trails Horror”, since that particular "Feature Film" pack is the closest in theme to my beloved Friday the 13’th film series. I’ve since acquired “Frightmare on Maple Lane” (because, d’uh) and, since then I’ve been sorely tempted by their serial-numbers-filed-off takes on both Alien and The Thing.
So, what’s the lore surrounding this particular bogeyman? Well, here’s the scary misc-en-scene directly from the scream-writers at Van Ryder Games:
"Playing on a famous horror movie trope, Final Girl is a solitaire-only game that puts the player in the shoes of a female protagonist who must kill the slasher if she wants to survive.
"The Core Box, when combined with one of our Feature Film Boxes, has everything you need to play the game. Each Feature Film Box features a unique Killer and and iconic Location, and the more Feature Films you have, the more killer/location combinations you can experience!
"In game terms, Final Girl shares similarities with Hostage Negotiator, but with some key differences that change it up, including a game board to track locations and character movement. You can choose from multiple characters when picking someone to play and multiple killers when picking someone to play against. Killers and locations each have their own specific terror cards that will be shuffled together to create a unique experience with various combinations of scenarios for you to play!"
Looking for a conveniently-informed, kindly old librarian to help you research the killer’s full back-story? Then click on the following link for a crash course on how to use a microfiche!
***
Final Girl Play-Through - "Camp Happy Trails"
Starting Event:
“Vengeance”...the Victim furthest away from the Killer becomes “The Damned.”
Setup:
"Meditation Hour"
Final Girl:
Reiko
Turn 1
Action Phase
Knowing how important it is to roll as many dice as possible, Reiko tries to "Focus", scoring a "6" and a "3." She jettisons her "Weak Attack" and "Short Rest" cards to turn the "3" into another Success...netting her two increments of Time and a bump down on the Horror Track!
Attempting a second "Focus", she gets a "6" and a "1", which equals one Success! The Horror Track reduces by one and she loses one Time.
She then tries to "Walk", but rolls a "3" and a "2"...a double failure! She decides to move a single space, lose a Health and go down two increments of Time. She’s now at five Health.
With only one "Walk" card left, she decides to move onto the...
Planning Phase
Reiko buys a "Distraction" card for three Time and a "Sprint" for two, reducing her to zero. She then resets her time to six and places her spent Action Cards back in the Tableau.
Killer Phase
The Killer Action for Hans doesn't include any Boot symbols, so he doesn’t move! He then draws a Terror Card and gets “Taking Souvenirs.” With “The Damned” in play, he has to target that specific Victim. There are two equidistant paths to his prey - north and south - but with more potential Victims along the southern path, he goes that way.
Even though Hans moved through a space with a Victim, the rules clearly state that he “will not stop because they aren’t his intended target”, so he just plows through. Since there’s no-one in the space he arrives at, the double attack is mercifully ignored!
Panic Phase
n/a
Upkeep Phase
There are still Terror Cards left, so the Finale isn’t revealed.
Turn 2
Action Phase
Reiko plays “Distraction” and rolls a "6" and a "4." She can’t afford to throw out two cards, but the single Success does finally nudge the Horror Track into the green three-die range and gives her one increment of Time!
Anxious to rescue a Victim, she plays “Sprint.” Unfortunately, she rolls two "1’s" and a "2"...another catastrophic failure! Begrudgingly, she opts to take a damage and lose two increments of Time. She’s now at four Health! She then tries a “Walk” action and does much better, rolling two "6’s" and a "3"!
This lets her escort a Victim two spaces to the exit! She places the rescued pawn on the “recover one Health” space on her player card, which brings her back up to five Health.
With her cards all played out she moves on to the...
Planning Phase
She spends her remaining four Time on a “Guard” and a “Sprint” and then retrieves her zero-cost starting cards! Her tabled cards are then re-added to the Tableau.
Killer Phase
There’s nothing in the Killer’s space, so his main Killer Action doesn’t happen.
The Terror Card reveals “Hans Wants Me. He’s always wanted me.” Again, “Vengeance” kicks in and Hans moves two spaces towards “The Damned.” Since there’s no-one in his space, nothing happens!
Panic Phase
n/a
Upkeep Phase
There are still Terror Cards left, so the Finale isn’t revealed.
Turn 3
Action Phase
In an effort to get “The Damned” moving, Reiko tries to “Sprint.” Once again, completely defying the odds, she rolls three "1’s"! Remind me again...why do I place dice games?
Soooo, Reiko takes a damage and loses two Time, putting her back down to four Health! She then tries to “Walk” and rolls two "4’s" and a "2." It’s a heart-breaking decision, but she discards a pair of “Focus” cards, as well as a “Short Rest” and “Weak Attack”, to get two Successes and move two spaces, joining “The Damned” in their space. With only a “Guard” left, she opts to end the Action Phase.
Planning Phase
With her remaining three Time, Reiko gets a “Close Call” and a “Search” Card. The “Walk” played last Turn comes back into her hand and the cards she just dropped are returned to the Tableau.
Killer Phase
There’s nothing in the Killer’s space, so his Killer Action doesn’t happen.
The Terror Card reveals another “Hans Wants Me. He’s Always Wanted Me." Still driven by "Vengeance", Hans moves one space into where “The Damned” and Reiko are standing...and he attacks! Since Victims always get attacked before Final Girls, “The Damned” takes two points of damage and is killed! This results in a +2 Bloodlust bump which - in turn - drives up the Terror Track by one!
Panic Phase
n/a
Upkeep Phase
There are still Terror Cards left, so the Finale isn’t revealed.
Turn 4
Action Phase
Seeking some defense, Reiko “Walks” to the Cabins, rolling a "1" and a "6" and scoring a single Success. After reducing her Time by one, she then "Searches" that space and gets a "4" and a "1." Frustrated by this result, she plays “Close Call”, which reduces her Time by two and lets her re-rolls both dice...this time she scores a "1" and a "5" - one Success! She finds and picks up the "Pepper Spray"! With only a single “Guard” left, she ends her Action Phase.
Planning Phase
With her remaining three Time , Reiko picks up a “Distraction.” She then takes all of her zero-Time starting cards back into her hand, resets the Time count to six and puts all of her played cards back into the Tableau.
Killer Phase
There’s nothing in Hans' space, so his Killer Action doesn’t happen.
Terror Card: “Let’s Go See if the Rumors are True!” adds two new Victims to the Lake, the Horror Level goes up by one and a new Event Card is pulled: “Girlfriend.”
Panic Phase
n/a
Upkeep Phase
There are still Terror Cards left, so the Finale isn’t revealed.
Turn 5
Action Phase
Desperate to roll three dice again, Reiko plays “Distraction”, dialing up a “6” and a “1.” The Horror level reduces, at the cost of one Time increment. She then plays a “Focus” and gets a "3" and a "4." Still craving another Success, she throws out a “Focus” and a “Weak Attack” to get the Horror Track back into the Green and improve her Time by one.
She then rolls two “6’s” and a “4” for a "Walk"! She moves northeast two spaces and loses a third Time! Next, she opts for a “Short Rest”, but comes up short with two "4’s" and a "2." Since she has no cards left to throw out, she's forced to lose a Health (!), increase the Horror Track by one, reduce her Time by one and end her Action Phase! Brutal! She now at only three Health!
Planning Phase
Reiko gets her zero-Time “Walk” back and then buys a “Sprint” card for two Time. The Time count is then reset to six and all of her played cards are re-added to the Tableau.
Killer Phase
With no potential targets in his space, Hans' Killer Action fizzles.
Terror Card: “He Just Keeps Coming!” This moves Hans a space towards Reiko. He doesn’t quite reach her, and there are no Victims in his space, so there’s no attack!
Panic Phase
n/a
Upkeep Phase
There are still Terror Cards left, so the Finale isn’t revealed.
Turn 6
Action Phase
Attempting a “Sprint”, Reiko rolls a “6” and a “4” and moves two spaces, hooking up with her "Girlfriend." She can now roll three dice!
Planning Phase
She decides not to move anymore, choosing instead to buy a “Sprint” for two Time and a "Distraction" for three. The Time count is reset to six, all of her zero-cost cards come back into her hand and her played “Sprint” card is returned to the Tableau.
Killer Phase
There’s nothing in the Killer’s space, so his main Action doesn’t happen.
Terror Card: ”He’s Just Standing There!” The Terror Level is increased by two - dammit! - and then Hans is moved two spaces towards Reiko.
Panic Phase
n/a
Upkeep Phase
There are still Terror Cards left, so the Finale isn’t revealed.
Turn 7
Action Phase
Reiko needs to haul ass, so she plays her “Sprint” card, rolling a “2”, “4” and “6.” She throws out her "Focus" and "Weak Attack" cards to generate two Successes, reduce her Time by one, move three spaces and arrive just southeast of the Lake.
After playing her “Walk” and rolling two “3’s” and a “1”, she converts one of these into a Success by discarding a “Focus” and a “Guard”, reducing her time by one and escorting two Victims to the exit! She covers up the two single space Move spaces, backtracks to fetch her Girlfriend and then attempts a “Distraction.” She rolls two “6’s” and a “2”...moving the Horror Track back two spaces and gaining two Time!
Planning Phase
She spends a whopping six Time to pick up a “Critical Blow”! The time count is reset to six and all of her spent cards are returned to the Tableau.
Killer Phase
There’s nothing in the Killer’s space, so his main Action doesn’t happen.
The Terror Card drawn is "He Kept Swinging his Hammer and Killing and Killing...”, which requires Hans to target Victims specifically. Three groups are two spaces away from him, but he heads towards the Lake / Makeout Point because there are more Victims in that direction. After arriving at the Cliffs, he’s tasked to move again, and picks the Lake. He then attacks, murdering a Victim, which drives up both the Bloodlust and the Horror Level by one.
Panic Phase
On a roll of “5”, the remaining Victim swims to shore at the Dock!
Upkeep Phase
There are still Terror Cards left, so the Finale isn’t revealed.
Turn 8
Action Phase
Reiko plays “Short Rest” and rolls two “2’s” and a “6”...resulting in one Success and -1 Time! She also gets a Health back, bringing her back up to four! She then plays a “Walk” and scores a “5”, “3” and a “2”...which gives her another Movement at the cost of one Time.
Planning Phase
Reiko spends four Time on a “Sprint” and a “Search.” The time count is reset to six, she gets her zero-Time cards back and all of her spent cards are returned to the Tableau.
Killer Phase
There’s nothing in the Killer’s space, so his main Action doesn’t happen.
The Terror Card "He Wants Fresh Blood!” moves Hans onto the Dock but Reiko immediately “Pepper Sprays” his ass and the rest of the Killer Phase is skipped!
Panic Phase
n/a
Upkeep Phase
There are still Terror Cards left, so the Finale isn’t revealed.
Turn 9
Reiko tries to “Sprint”, rolling a “1” and a “2”! It's another outright failure that forces her to takes a wound and lose two Time! She’s down to three Health! She then tries to “Walk” and gets two “1’s”! FFS!!! She moves one space, loses two more Time and goes down to two Health! At least she delivers two more Victims, gaining two Time back as well as the “Planning” card! With her last card slot filled up, Reiko unlocks her Special Ability!
Planning Phase
Reiko spends four Time on a “Sprint” and a “Guard.” The time count is reset to six, she gets her zero-Time cards back and all of her spent cards are returned to the Tableau.
Killer Phase
Hans has no company, so the Killer Action doesn't trigger.
Terror Card: ”Unholy Rage” gives Hans one extra damage per hit and two more Health! Wonderful!
Panic Phase
n/a
Upkeep Phase
There are still Terror Cards left, so the Finale isn’t revealed.
Turn 10
Desperate for a “Short Rest”, Reiko rolls two “3’s” and a “5”, throws out a “Focus” and a “Weak Attack” and heals two damage! She’s back up to four Health! She then attempts a “Sprint”, and gets a “1”, “2” and a “3”! This forces her to throw out a “Focus” and a “Guard” to move two spaces and reduce her Time by one. She then attempts a “Planning Action”, rolling a “3”, a “5” and a “6”, which nets her +3 dice for her next roll! The subsequent “Walk” turns up three “1’s” (!), a “2”, a “5” and a “6”! Time reduces by one and she finally arrives at the Utility Shed! Finally, she tries to “Search”...but rolls a “1”, “2” and “4.” Sadly, she doesn’t have enough cards to generate a Success, so she just reduces the Horror Level by two and loses two Time. Another heartbreaking result!
Planning Phase
Reiko spends two Time on a “Sprint” Card. The time count is reset to six, she gets her zero-Time cards back and all of her spent cards are returned to the Tableau.
Killer Phase
With no Victims or the Final Girl in his space, Hans doesn't move and his Killer Action doesn’t trigger. A tender mercy, for sure!
Terror Card: "I Fell Asleep. What did I miss?" places a Victim in the Cabins and the Horror Level plummets two more spaces!
Panic Phase
n/a
Upkeep Phase
There are no Terror Cards left, so the Finale Card - “Bloodbath” - is revealed! It also unlocks "Feed!", I.E. the Killer’s Dark Power. Things aren't looking promising for our girl!
Turn 11
Action Phase
Reiko tries a “Sprint”, rolls two “5’s and a “1.” She escorts the Victim in the Utility Shed two spaces west, intent on the due north exit.
Planning Phase
Reiko spends three Time on a “Distraction” and another two on a “Sprint." The time count is reset to six, she gets her starting cards back and her spent "Sprint" card is returned to the Tableau.
Killer Phase
With the removal of the last Terror Card, Hans has become a lot more mobile! He lopes two spaces towards the Firepit and murders the Victim there, which bumps up his Bloodlust to three Damage and two Movement. Yikes!
There’s nothing in the Killer’s space, so his main Action doesn’t happen.
Panic Phase
n/a
Upkeep Phase
n/a
Turn 12
Action Phase
Reiko’s “Distraction” roll is a “1” and a “6”. She improves the Horror Level by one and acquires one Time! She attempts another “Sprint”, rolling a “2”, a “4” and “5.” In order to unlock two Successes for three moves, she reduces her Time by one and discards a “Walk” and a “Weak Attack.” She's now at the Dock, close enough to Hans to trigger her Special Ability and move into his space!
With a “Critical Blow” result of “2”, “4” and “6”, our heroine discards two “Focus” cards to get a pair of Successes. Hans loses four Health in total (+1 thanks to the Knife), which scraps his “Unholy Rage” card before it deals extra damage! This also improves the Horror level by one! She then attempts a “Short Rest”, rolls a “3”, “4” and “5”, reduces her Time by one and congeals back to five Health.
Planning Phase
Reiko spends four Time on a “Retaliate” and one on a “Close Call." The time count is reset to six, she gets her zero-Time cards back and all of her spent cards are returned to the Tableau.
Killer Phase
There's a valid target in his space, so Hans doesn’t need to move. He attacks two times, giving priority to Victims. First he deals three Damage to the Girlfriend, killing her outright. Thanks to his Dark Power, Hans recovers one Health. Awesome! This then triggers a -5 (!) Horror downgrade. Two are soaked up, but now the Bloodlust track is driven up by the remainder. This crosses yet another Horror benchmark, nudging the Bloodlust meter up one more space! This, in turn, also unlocks another +1 bump on the Bloodlust track! The meter is now totally maxed out!
Well, that was only his first attack! Another five damage is coming Reiko’s way! In response, she plays “Retaliate” and gets a “2”...I.E. an outright failure! Reiko is reduced to zero, but flips her Health Marker and gets a surprise +2 Health!
Panic Phase
n/a
Upkeep Phase
n/a
Turn 13
Reiko knows that she can’t outrun Hans, so she does nothing.
Planning Phase
Reiko spends four Time on a “Retaliate” and two on a “Guard.” The time count is reset to six and she gets her zero-Time cards back.
Killer Phase
With Hans’ first attack, Reiko responds with “Retaliate” and rolls a “5”! However, even with the -2 damage reduction, it’s still enough to kill her, thus ending the game!
***
NOTES
Pretty much every “Sprint” I played blew up in my face! In fact, my overall luck in this game kinda sucked. Oh well, at least this inspired the "Strategy Tips" I've listed below...
Failing to get “The Damned” in motion quicker was my probably my first error in a long series of errors. Having said that, they're an annoying albatross to tote around 'cuz they can’t be rescued until there are literally no other Victims on the board. That turn I was hoping the Terror Card draw didn’t move Hans but - as was clearly self-evident - luck was not on my side in this game.
The Girlfriend's +1 die boost might have been handy, but the Killer’s attack priority towards Victims makes her a liability. Her death resulted in an absolutely brutal Horror Track death-spiral! In retrospect, I should worked at getting the Horror meter back into the green and left her behind whenever I attacked.
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STRATEGY TIPS
There’s a temptation to do a million things on your turn, but don’t leave yourself card-poor. The ability to flip a “3” or a “4” to a Success can sometimes spell the difference between a decent turn and a disastrous turn.
Yes, it makes sense to try and unlock three dice dice by improving the Horror Track, but don't pursue this to the detriment of all else. The early acquisition of an “Improvise” and / or “Planning” card might allow you to mitigate bad luck when attempting a clutch Horror Roll.
It might make sense to do some early hit-n’-run attacks on Hans before he beefs up and becomes aggressively mobile.
PROS
Even though the game’s art design is a tad “intro to Photoshop”-y, I do like the magnetic boards, the dice and all of the little bits n’ bobs.
You definitely can't accuse Final Girl of being unambitious; it literally attempts to simulate everything in a slasher film. The character powers, the Terror Cards, the Items, the possible Actions and the Events all make you feel like you’re doing exactly what it says on the tin.
If the best games are the ones that ask the player to make heart-rending decisions from round to round, then Final Girl is absolutely stellar. For a solitaire game, it’s surprisingly deep. Should I rescue Victims for a few early perks and deny the Villain his Bloodlust? Should I just arm myself with a few “Guards” and “Retaliates”, find a decent weapon and then start swinging? Should I get my character's special ability up and running before taking on the big bad? There’s a lot to consider!
It’s challenging and exhilarating! I haven’t won this game too often, but when I do, it feels like a real triumph. Unlocking a bonus card when you beat the game with a specific character is also a fun little bit of incentive.
The game is a very interesting and challenging exercise in mitigating risk and bad luck. It's as if Blood Bowl had a baby with Horrified.
THE M’EH
Traitorous dice are one thing, but you can actually find yourself behind the 8-ball even before the game begins "thanks" to a crappy Setup, some lame revealed Items and a brutal starting Event. Having said that, I dig a challenge, so I don't see this as an outright negative.
Between the elaborate “circle of life” with the cards, monitoring active Events, keeping track of the Horror level, maintaining two Health tracks and the Killer's Dark Power, it's a lot for a solitaire gamer to remember! Often you'll find yourself asking 'Hmmmm, did I already remove that Heart for that last attack? And which cards did I play last turn?'
CONS
As written, the rules are actually pretty good, but when your game’s got as many moving parts as this one does, confusion and misinterpretations are bound to creep in. With a whopping 750 (and counting) rules threads about this game on BGG as well as a dedicated, designer-compiled FAQ, this one clearly needed a more comprehensive guidebook right out of the gate.
Related, here are just a few critical rules to remember:
- You can move to and from the Killer’s space without restriction.
- Victims won’t move with you into the Killer’s space.
- Weapons can be used with reaction cards like "Retaliate."
- A Killer will not move unless a Boot Icon is shown on a Killer Action or Terror Card.
- The Killer moves towards his intended target and won't stop for lower priority targets. He will, however, attack anyone in the space he ends up in that turn, with preference given to Victims before the Final Girl.
- You only get your Adrenaline Rush bonus die when you literally have one final Health Token left!
- You can’t buy a card if it puts you below the zero Time space.
- Reaction cards can’t be used to defend Victims.
- You can voluntarily discard cards to gain +1 Time for every one chucked out.
- You have a hand limit of ten cards.
- When a Final Health Token keeps a Final Girl or Killer in the game, any excess damage generated that round is ignored.
- If the Dark Power is still unrevealed when the Finale happens, reveal the Dark Power as well.
***
FINAL THOUGHTS
Given how often I gripe about incomplete, vague or sketchy rule books, you'd I would eviscerate this one like Jason Voorhees mangling a horny, stoned camp councilor.
Sure, it's irksome to pause the game fairly frequently to seek out clarifications on things like Killer attack priority, Event adjudication and Item usage, but I can deal with that. Why? Well, it's because the game is so thematic, engaging and comprehensive that I'm willing to put in the extra effort to experience the illusion.
Speaking of illusion, there's a scene in the otherwise-ludicrous Jason X (yes, the one that launched our beloved murderboi into space) where one of the ship's crew distracts Monsieur Voorhees via a holographic simulation of Camp Crystal Lake. Well, playing a game of Final Girl is so immersive it feels like stepping into a slasher movie holodeck as Sidney Prescott, Laurie Strode, Ellen Ripley, Nancy Thompson, Sally Hardesty or - my own personal favorite - Amy Steel's delightful Ginny Field.
For its slavish devotion to the source material and display of absolute audacity, I'm giving Final Girl five pips out of six.
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