Sunday, November 10, 2024

Crankin' it up to "11" - "Rock Hard 1977"

Viticulture, Lords of Waterdeep, Century: A New World, Euphoria, Francis Drake, Champions of Midgard, PARKS, Istanbul, Caverna, and Tzolkin are just some of the worker placement games that grace my collection. Upon reading that, I guarantee someone out there is thinking 'Why so many? You just need to pick the best / your favorite game with that mechanic and turf all the rest!" 

In the immortal words of Thor, Odinson: I say thee nay

Because immersion is so important to me, I love all of my worker placement games for a variety of reasons. Whether it's hiking though a mountain trail, knocking out a cave wall to put in a micro brewery, slaying trolls in Dark Ages Norway or stomping grapes underfoot, I love the unique thematic experience provided by these different titles.

Along with movies and tabletop gaming, music is another one of my life's passions. And, as someone who ekes out a (very) humble living in the board game industry, I've always thought this category has been woefully under-explored in the past. Board Game Geek would seem to back me up on that since there are 996 music-related games out there versus almost ten times that amount for movies and television

Among those nearly one-thousand options, only a small handful use rock music as its theme. I've always wanted to design a board game that evokes shades of the video game Rock Band's career mode, but I know my design would suffer just because I've never worked in that industry. 

Mercifully, Jackie Fox, former kick-ass bassist for the seminal all-girl outfit The Runaways (not to mention resident brainiachas answered my psychic plea and graced us with Rock Hard 1977

Rock Hard 1977: finally addressing the crippling deficit of gratuitous butt shots on board game box art.

Side note: if you aren't familiar with Jackie and her group, please review the following video essay before proceeding on with the rest of this syllabus:


So, clearly Jackie has the musical chops, but does she have the design acumen to realize such a promising theme? Well, here's her pitch for the game's style n' sound, right from publisher Devir's webzone:

The year is 1977. You are a promising musician and you dream of success with your band. Over the next few months you will rehearse, perform, write songs and promote your band. With careful planning and a little luck, you will become more famous than everyone else and become the breakout artist of the year.

Designed by the legendary rock star and board game lover Jackie Fox (who was part of the 70s rock band The Runaways) and illustrated by Jennifer Giner, Rock Hard: 1977 allows games for groups of between 2 and 5 players, from 14 years old, in sessions of between 45 and 90 minutes. Through worker placement mechanics, players will take on the role of a rising rock star and compete to earn the most Fame points over several rounds of play.

Rock Hard: 1977 is played over a maximum of nine rounds, each representing a typical day in a month in 1977, April through December. You win the game by accumulating the most Fame… And how is Fame scored? Increasing your reputation, skills and song quality, earning production, performance and publicity bonuses, landing record deals and royalties, playing gigs and hanging out at the hottest nightspots.

Each player will have a unique manager, who will help them boost their musical career with a particular skill. Of course, you will have to pay for their work if you do not want to lose Fame points. And sometimes a rocker needs a little help to get through a difficult day... That's why players can also consume candy to take an extra turn and perform more actions... But overusing sweets can cause a sugar rush.

The game has an outstanding production. Just to give some examples: each player's personal board is designed as an amplifier, with its potentiometers as markers that we will modify throughout the game. The turn order tokens are guitar picks and the bills look like real dollars.

After a very original theme, Rock Hard: 1977 also shines for its mechanical gear. Players will have a feeling of constant progression, from the beginning of the game, where they must combine a job that feeds them and the humble beginnings of the band, to the big concerts on the most legendary stages. All this with a lot of different event cards and unique abilities of rockers and managers, which change with each game. Are you ready to become a rock star?    

Wanna read every clause in your record deal contract before you sell your soul to Beelzebub? Then click on the following link to peruse all the legalese and sign on the dotted line!   

***

Rock Hard 1977 Playthrough

The Lineup:

Shere Darling (Yellow) - The Musicologist  - Female Drummer 

Manager: Ross "Junior" Evans 

Current Job: Law Clerk

Leo Love (Orange) - The Showman - Male Bassist 

Manager: Vanessa Castillo 

Current Job: Massage Therapist ('natch)

Kimmy Kim (Red) - The High Roller - Female Vocalist 

Manager: Lisa Boyd 

Current Job: Wait Person 

***

April - Day

Leo rolls for his variable Job hours and gets a “3”, so he needs to Work in the Evening. 

Event: “A Major Rock Band Breaks Up”, which lowers the cost for Crew! 

Random Gig: "Frat Party" 

After popping some “Soft Candy”, Shere's Craving goes up by one and she gets an extra Action...but she doesn't need to roll for Low Blood Sugar (since a failure is mathematically impossible). She goes to Work as a Law Clerk and scores $2. She then heads off to Rehearsal Studio “A”, spends her Ability Token and bumps her Chops up to four thanks to her special ability.

Leo also gobbles down some “Soft Candy”. His Craving goes up by one and he gets an extra Action. Since it's his first dip, no Low Blood Sugar roll is required. After hiring a Crew for free, Leo jets off to Hire a Publicist...also for free thanks to his manager Vanessa! This bumps up his Rep and Fame by one!

Not to be outdone, Kimmy downs some “Soft Candy”. She increases her Craving by one and scores a bonus Action...all the while avoiding a Low Blood Sugar roll. For her first action she Hires Crew for free (since the first space was vacated by Leo) and then Donates Blood for $1. This checks off her first Personal Goal achievement!

April - Evening

Shere plays the Frat Party, gaining $1 and two (!) Candy but lowering her Chops by one. This ticks off the first step of her Personal Goal.

Leo goes to Work, netting $2.

Kimmy heads off to Studio “B”, paying $2 to Rehearse and gaining two Chops in the process!

April - After Hours

Shere wolfs down some “Soft Candy”. Her Craving goes up by one and she gets an extra Action. Her Blood Sugar Roll is "2"...so she’s safe! After cutting a Record Demo for $3 she jets off Backstage to a local gig where a “famous actor” talks to her for half an hour! Whoa! She chooses to up her Reputation by one, which is increased to two thanks to her Manager, Ross!

With the recording studio now freed up, Leo bombs in and spends $3 to Record a Demo.

Kimmy Donates Blood again, gaining another $1 and furthering her Personal Goal! Since she didn’t work this round, she's forced to take a “Missed Work” Token!

Clean Up Phase: New turn order is Kimmy (3) then Leo (6) then Shere (8).

May - Day

Leo rolls for his variable Job hours and gets a “1”, so he needs to Work in the Day. 

New Event: "Candy Sellers Offer Free Sample"! Everyone gets a l'il bump!!! 

Random Gig: Pool Party!

Kimmy knocks back some “Soft Candy”. Her Craving goes up to “2” and she gets an extra Action. Blood Sugar Roll: “2”...she’s (barely) okay! She Donates Blood one more time, gaining a $1 and completing her Personal Objective and gaining five Fame! She then heads off to Hire a Publicist, gaining one Fame and one Reputation, which starts to move the needle on her second Personal Goal.

Leo crunches into some “Soft Candy”. His Craving goes up by one and he gets an extra Action. His sugar crash roll is a “6” so he’s okay. He needs cash, so he begrudgingly goes to his Job, netting a measly $1. He then flashes his demo tape and pays $1 (-1 buck thanks to Vanessa!) to Hire some Indie Promo. His Reputation goes up to four and his Fame by one!

Shere wolfs down some “Soft Candy”. Her Craving goes up by one and she gets an extra Action. Low Blood Sugar Roll: "1"...ruh, roh! Her Low Blood Sugar indicator flips! She spends her first action working to get $2 and then decides to take it easy, doing Voluntary Recovery to complete one of her Personal Goals and netting her five Fame. Her Craving goes down by one and her Low Blood Sugar indicator switches to “OFF.”

May - Night

Kimmy plays the Pool Party, gaining one Candy and $1.

Since Leo now has four Reputation, he can play the Fox Den, gaining one Chops and a Fame!

Shere knocks back some "Hard Candy." Her Craving goes up by one and she gets two (!) extra Actions. She rolls a “6”, so no sugar crash! For her First Action she scrambles off to Studio “B”, pays $2 and gains a whopping three Chops! She then Writes a Song, bumping her repertoire up to three and then plays the Pool Party, gaining $1 and one Candy! This moves her Personal Objective along one more space!

May - After Hours

Kimmy consumes “Soft Candy”. Her Craving goes up to three and she gets an extra Action. She avoids a crash with a Blood Sugar Roll of “6." She pays $3 to Record her Demo, then Writes a Song. Again, she didn’t show up for Work, so she gets another “Missed Work” Token!

Leo Writes a Song!

Shere heads Backstage (gaining +2 Fame), and encounters a “super hot” fan who drives up her Reputation by two, improved to three thanks to Ross. Unfortunately she wakes up next morning to discover that her only dollar is missing! Thievery!

Clean Up Phase: New turn order is Leo (4 - last to arrive) then Kimmy (4 - first to arrive) then Shere (11).

June - Day

Leo rolls for his variable Job hours and gets a “1”, so he needs to Work in the Day. 

New Event: "Annual Venue Closing for a Private Event." June: Random Gig is closed! 

Random Gig: the Goldberg Bar Mitzvah!

Since Leo has a Demo Tape, three Chops, three Reputation and three Songs, he nets a Record Deal! He had to skip Work in order to do this, so he gets a “Missed Work” Token!

Flat broke, Kimmy falls back on her crutch of Donating Blood for $1.

Shere indulges in some “Soft Candy”. Her Craving goes up by one and she gets an extra Action. Blood Sugar Roll: “1” she crashes! For her first Action she Works for $2 and then Hires a Crew for $1!

June - Night   

Leo revisits the Fox Den, increasing both Fame and Chops by one!

Kimmy bounces back, playing Panda Palace (since she has four Chops, three Songs and a Crew.) From this electric performance she earns $1, one Reputation and three Fame!

Shere also plays Panda Palace, gaining one Chops and three Fame! 

June - After Hours

Leo Writes a Song!

Kimmy does the same! This means she misses work again and gets Fired. On the plus side this unlocks the Performance Bonus for her, netting her five Fame!

Shere does the same!

Clean Up Phase: New turn order is Shere (4 - last to arrive) then Kimmy (4 - second to arrive) then Leo (4 - first to arrive). Everyone pays their Managers!

July - Day 

Leo rolls for his variable Job hours and gets a “5”, so he needs to Work After Hours. 

New Event: "The FCC Is Holding Hearings on Payola", I.E. no one can hire Indie Promo this round! 

Random Gig: "Campus Lunch Concert"!

Shere has to take Recovery! She misses out on getting her Record Contract and skips Work, forcing her to take a “Missed Work” Token. At least she reduces her Craving by one and flips her Low Blood Sugar token to "OFF."

This allows Kimmy to sneak in and score her own Record Contract!

Vanessa saves Leo $1 when he heads in to Studio “A” to Rehearse, gaining him two Chops!

July - Evening

Shere plays the "Campus Lunch Concert", gaining one to Chops, Songs and Candy! This completes her Personal Goal and she gain six Fame!

Kimmy plays Panda Palace, netting $1, one Chops and three Fame!

Leo uses his special ability to play the exact same gig, scoring $1, a Reputation and three Fame!

July - After Hours

Shere ventures Backstage again, getting two insta-Fame. She encounters “Twins” and gains one Reputation and one Fame, with a +1 bump to each thanks to her manager, Ross!

Kimmy goes to Hoover’s. NOTE: the  "Derogatory Term" card she draws should read: 

Yes: +1 Reputation, +1 Fame, discard this card 

No: + 1 Reputation. 

She decides not to fight and keeps the card for set collection.

Leo Works, scoring a respectable $3!

Clean Up Phase: New turn order is Leo (5) then Kimmy (8) then Shere (11).

August - Day

Leo rolls for his variable Job hours and gets a “6”, so he needs to Work After Hours. 

New Event: "Beautiful Weather"...all spaces (except Hire Crew) are open! 

Random Gig: "Ren Faire"!

Leo buys three Candy!

Kimmy buys two!

Shere finally gets her Record Deal, but is also forced to miss her Work!

August - Night

Leo eats some “Hard Candy”! His Craving goes up by one and he gets two (!) extra Actions. He rolls a “4”, so no sugar crash! He does a flurry of Actions: first Writing a Song, then spending $2 for Studio B space (giving him two Chops) and then plays the Ren Faire, getting one each in Chops, Songs and Reputation...the latter at the expense of $2.

Kimmy pops some “Soft Candy”. Her Craving goes up by one and she gets an extra Action. Her Low Blood Sugar Roll is “4”...she's still safe! She Writes a Song and then plays Panda Palace, scoring $1, a Reputation and three Fame.

Shere indulges in some some “Soft Candy”. Her Craving goes up by one and she gets an extra Action. Her Blood Sugar Roll is a “2”, resulting in her third crash! Good gawd, this girl is a train wreck! Undaunted, she Writes a Song then plays the same Panda Palace space Kimmy played, scoring $1, a Chops and three Fame.

August - After Hours

Leo snacks on some “Soft Candy”. His Craving goes up by one and he gets an extra Action. With a Low Blood Sugar Roll of “4” he dodges a bullet! He then Works, scoring a whopping three bucks and then Writes a Song!

Kimmy gets burned with some “Sugar-Free Candy.” * whomp-whomp * So she just heads out to Slinky’s, completing a set of four different Hangout Cards for 5 Fame!

Like a trooper, Shere heads Backstage again and draws “You Get One Phone Number from a Hot Fan. Try for Two?” Opts for “Yes”, gets one Fame and draws a second card: "Photographed with a Famous Musician"! She doesn’t have $3 to spend, so she just gets one Reputation and completes a set of four Backstage Hangout Cards for five Fame!

Clean Up Phase: New turn order is Leo (4) then Kimmy (7) then Shere (9). Shere moves into Recovery...yet again! She's got more lives than Keith Richards!

September - Day

Leo rolls for his variable Job hours and gets a “6”, so he needs to Work After Hours. 

New Event: "The Rock Reporter for the Local Paper is Out Sick"...-1 Reputation when you Play a Gig this Round! 

"Beautiful Weather"...all spaces (except Hire Crew) are open! 

Random Gig: "Hire a Choreographer"!

Leo Hires Crew for only $2 (-1 thanks to Vanessa!)

Kimmy Hires Indie Promo for $2, gaining two Reputation and one Fame. This advances her Personal Goal one more space!

Since Shere has to take Recovery, she misses out on Work and gets Fired...but, on the positive side, she reduces her Craving by one and flips her Low Sugar token to "OFF."

September - Night

Leo pops some “Soft Candy”. His Craving goes up by one and he gets an extra Action. His subsequent Low Blood Sugar Roll is “2”...he crashes, but continues the round! First up he Writes a Song (his eighth!) and unlocks the Performance Bonus for five Fame Points! He then performs at Panda Palace, scoring $1, one Chops and three Fame!

Kimmy follows up at Panda Palace, scoring a single Chops and three Fame.

Shere Donates Blood for $1. Kinda sad that she's still doing this so far into the game!

September - After Hours

After quitting his Job, Leo heads to Jax, where a parking attendant asks for his autograph. He opts for one Fame!

Kimmy voluntarily "Goes To Bed Early"...who is this girl???

Ever the "romantic", Shere goes Backstage, getting a one Fame insta-boost. In the eternal struggle of "shoes versus song" (long story), she opts for the latter and goes up +1 Song, boosted by +1 thanks to her Manager!

Clean Up Phase: Everyone collects Royalties and pays $3 for their Managers. New turn order is Kimmy (1) then Leo (9) then Shere (10). Leo moves to Recovery!

October - Day

New Event: "Pre Award Show Parties" locks off Panda Palace! 

Random Gig: "Grammy Awards After Party"!

Kimmy re-negotiates her Record Deal!

Leo has to take Recovery! He reduces her Craving by one and flips his Low Blood Sugar token to "OFF."

Shere hires her second Crew Member. Since she’s the only one to hit up the space, she only pays $3 to do this.

October - Evening

Kimmy goes to the Grammy Party, scoring three Candy (um, yeah...that checks out) and three Fame!

Leo plays TJ’s, gaining one Reputation and one Fame.

With a total of nine Chops, ten Reputation, eight Songs and two Crew, Shere plays Yenser Arena! She gets $2, two Chops (maxing her out at eleven!) and five Fame! #dontcallitacomeback

October - After Hours

Keen to get a quick start on the next day, Kimmy "turned-over-a-new-leaf" Kim Goes to Bed Early.

Leo visits Slinky’s, scoring a single insta-Fame. The card's resulting wild symbol completes a set for five Fame!

Shere bombs into Jax, where a famous musician hits on her. She accepts the attention, scoring one Chops and one Fame. She’s maxed out on Chops, so she gets $2 instead. (NOTE: Ross’s Manager ability says "whenever you gain a base stat increase while Hanging Out, he increases it by one, so I assume it works in this case as well.) This also gives her a new set of cards, which she trades in for five Fame!

Clean Up Phase: Everyone collects Royalties, $1 each for Shere and Leo, $3 for Kimmy, who also gets a Fame! New turn order is Kimmy (1) then Shere (9) then Leo (10).

November - Day

New Event: "Suspect Candy"...you can’t consume or Buy Candy this round! 

Random Gig: "Late Night TV Appearance"!

Kimmy was really relying on a Candy binge this turn! Begrudgingly logy, she heads off to Hire an Indie Promo for $3, gets two Fame and two Reputation and then completes her Personal Goal for six more Fame! 

Shere re-negotiates her Record Deal!

Leo pays $1 to Hire an Indie Promo, gaining two Reputation and one Fame!

November - Evening

Kimmy would love to play Yenser Arena, but she needs one more Crew, dammit! Instead she opts for a Late Night TV Appearance, gaining $3, three Reputation (maxing out at eleven and gaining two more dollars!) as well as a Chops and three Fame!

Shere has no problems meeting all of Yenser's requirements, so she gains $2, one  Reputation (once again maxing out at eleven and gaining one more dollar) and five more Fame!

Leo uses his special ability to play the exact same location, gaining $2, two Chops and five Fame!

November - After Hours

Once again Kimmy Goes to Bed Early!

Shere bombs into Bud’s, gaining two insta-Fame and a card that lets her play at an occupied Panda Palace or Yenser Arena space! Handy!

Leo walks into Jax and is recognized by a well-known DJ, gaining a Fame right away.

Clean Up Phase: Everyone collects Royalties: $1 for Leo, $3 for Kimmy and Shere, both of whom also gets a Fame! New turn order is Kimmy (1) then Leo (7) then Shere (11).

December - Day

New Event: "Fumigation" shuts down Studio A. 

Random Gig: "Loudest Venue in the City"!

Kimmy hires her second Crew for $3.

Leo re-negotiates his Record Deal, moving up to the second Royalty level! This completes one of his Personal Objectives, gaining him five Fame!

Shere hires her third (!!!) Crew, paying $6 in the second slot!

December - Night

Kimmy finally plays Yenser, gaining $2, two Chops and five Fame!

Leo uses his special ability to play the exact same location, gaining $2, two Chops and five Fame!

Shere plays Carter Stadium, getting $6 (both her Chops and Reputation are maxed out) and a whopping eight Fame!

December - After Hours

Kimmy Visits Slinky’s.

Leo goes to Jax, getting an insta-Fame and one more from “Drinks are on the House.”

Shere goes to Bud’s, gaining two insta-Fame and then "Charms a Concert Reviewer" for +2 Reputation, with a +1 bonus from Ross. Since she’s maxed out, she takes $3.

Clean Up Phase: Everyone collects $3 Royalties and a Fame and then pays their Managers!

End Game Scoring:

Kimmy scores +5 Fame for having more Wild Hangout Cards.

Leo nets +5 Fame for having more Glamour than Fame symbols on his Hangout cards!

 Shere gets +4 points for having Chops and Reputation maxed, Leo and Kimmy both gets +2 for their Rep.

Shere 10 money +3 = 66 points

Leo 7 money +2 = 50 points

Kimmy 7 money +2 = 60 points

Shere wins!!!

***

REVIEW

THE GOOD

  • This recent acquisition is, without a doubt, one of the most thematic, immersive and narrative titles in my entire game library. Day jobs, songwriting, managers, practice spaces, promotion, demo tapes, gigs, record deals, late night hangouts, debauchery...its all elegantly and humorously replicated here.
  • This game is so well produced the sticker price will "BLOW YOUR MIND, MAN!" Between Jennifer Giner's incredible art, the amp-shaped player boards, guitar pic turn order markers, acrylic player movers and the most impressive currency to ever appear in a board game, the look and feel of Rock Hard 1977 is second to none.
  • Unlike other games of this type, you only have one worker for the entire game, which makes the concept of "candy" so phreakin' clever. It also makes the game move at a very brisk pace.
  • As evident in this playthrough, you can candy crash multiple times and be dirt poor late in the game but still come back for a dramatic win. 
  • I've been bellyachin' a lot about rulebooks lately, but I think they actually made an effort with this one. The instructions are far from perfect (see below for some clarifications and reminders), but they're pretty comprehensive, making turns breezy and intuitive. Needless to say, when I saw this disclaimer in the Rock Hard 1977 manual, my cold, dead heart warmed up a little bit:

THE M'EH

  • The mad rush to score the coveted Demo Tape / Record Deal combo creates a bit of a game play bottleneck at the start of the game, and I suspect whoever scores it first will enjoy a pretty decent advantage over their rivals as they move into the mid-game. Having said that, unexpected Events and Random Gigs can upset this apple cart pretty quickly. Of course, the biggest source of disruption are your opponents, who can easily bork up your plans by doing something unexpectedly responsible (like going to bed early!) and then deny you a key spot the next day. Of all the games I've played lately, this is the one I want an expansion for the most to just to shake up that early game narrative. 
  • Rock Hard 1977 makes the worker placement game cardinal sin of rendering the Demo Tape space completely useless after everyone gets their tape. It should either have an alternate use right from the jump or be replaced by a sensible mid-game overlay to keep the space relevant throughout the entire game.         

THE BAD

  • Nothing particularly heinous here, folks! 
***

FINAL THOUGHTS

I love this recent trend of industry professionals having a hand in designing board games. Along with equally stellar titles like Sky Team, Rock Hard 1977 is a rich and memorable gaming experience because you get the sense that designer Jackie Fox actually lived through the experiences depicted here. Combined with her acute instincts for design and mechanics, you're left with something truly special here. 

Even after my first three epic play-throughs of this game, I cant wait to navigate yet another starry-eyed hopeful through the trials and tribulations of the music biz. 

As such, Rock Hard 1977 scores five pips out of six with a giant tilt up to your band's name glowing in neon lights on that monster-arena marquee!  

***

BONUS: Important Rules to Remember

  • Be sure to record what phase you’re supposed to work in and take a Missed Work token if you fail to do the Work action in that phase.
  • Any number of players can play at the Random Gigs.
  • You can decide what order you take extra actions in. Moving your standee to perform these actions frees up the space for opponents to go there on their turn.
  • Candy use must be declared before you place your standee.
  • There’s a limit of one standee per Hire Crew space. 
  • Don’t forget the bonus Fame for visiting certain Hot Hang Out spots!
  • Place discards face up on the bottom of the appropriate deck and shuffle them all when the face up card reaches the top.
  • Even tho you must complete cards sets immediately, you can still use unused effects on cards in those sets. Just keep these cards face up and flip them when completed.
  • If your Low Sugar indicator is on at the end of the game, you lose five Fame.
  • Using Candy doesn't prevent you from going to certain spaces...it just means that you can't double up on these spaces. To summarize: you may only use one Rehearsal Studio space per phase, you may only hire one Crew per round, you may only play one gig per round, you may not Go to Bed Early and take other actions that phase (or take Candy, do Actions and then Go To Bed Early) and you can only Work once per round. 
  • In a clarification right from Jackie herself (see comment below), "You can't consume Candy on the same turn as you recover and Candy has no effect while your low blood sugar switch is on." I.E. In her May- Day crash Shere couldn't have flipped on her switch and then used an Action gained from Candy to recover. In the designer's own words: "Basically, you run out of gas as the round progresses and nothing is going to get you back on track except for recovering the next day. There is no sneaking out of losing an entire day to recovery!" Thanks for the clarification, Jackie...and keep on rockin'!!!

Wednesday, October 23, 2024

"'Camp HAPPY Trails' My ASS!" - Final Girl

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.  

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.