The Battle of Red Cliffs - Solo Play Review (0n Kickstater Now)

There are few games out there that can play well with 1-9 players.  Usually you give something up playing solo or playing at the maximum.  The Battle of Red Cliffs is not one of those games.  It works very well at each level.


In my last preview of the game I talked about everything but solo play so check that one out if you are interested in team play or man on man.  This review is on the solo game.


Goal of the Game

The goal is to gain as much points as possible or reach 50 point before the 5th TZQ (Zhuge Liang) is revealed.

Setup:
1. Remove the event card from the game
2. Shuffle all the cards, including all nine TZQ cards, to form a draw deck
3. Place a card on the discard piles.
4) Draw 6 hand cards from the deck.
5) Next to the score board, place one token of your favorite color under vp 1 and one token of your least favorite color under level 1.

Note, TZQ is not a wild card. It is used as the end game condition.

Game Play

The rules for creating sets are the same for man on man and team play.  The difference is that the card actions and set actions are not available in the solo game.  Also, if a TZQ Card is drawn, place it in the trash pile and move your least favorite token up 1 level. When it reaches level 5, the game ends at end of the turn. 

On your turn you will take the following steps:


1. Draw 1 card
2. Create 1-2 sets or Discard 1-2 cards
3. Refill up to 6 hand cards.
4. Score if you have 5 to 6 score cards.
5. Game end if meets the condition, otherwise continue with next turn.

My Thoughts

I'm starting to understand the value of solo play.  Taking your time, not worrying about others waiting for you to make a decision, and even making mistakes really helps you to get know and understand a game.  That is why I'm very glad that Ta-Te included rules solo play in Red Cliffs.  Playing solo helps me to get to know the game without the pressure of team play or making my opponents wait.  Red Cliffs also works very well as a solo game and is still a lot of fun solo.

You can use it as a tutorial for yourself before you introduce this to other players or to help brush up on your strategy.  It is just another reason to play!  The Battle of Red Cliffs is an absolutely beautiful game.  At every level this is a very strategic game yet the rules are so easy to learn that even new players will feel comfortable enough to play.

You can support the Battle of Red Cliffs now on Kickstater at: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tatewu/the-battle-of-red-cliffs-one-to-nine-player-tien-z?ref=live.   Pledge before July 10th to receive one additional Command Card as an Early Bird special!  There are also some really nice stretch goals like additional Command Cards and Event Cards.  And when Red Cliffs is funded $40,000 or more, backers may trade three Command cards for one Score Tower. The Score Tower is UNFOLDED when delivered but instructions are included. This is my favorite Stretch Goal by far! 

 Quick Stats
Publisher: Sunrise Tornado Game Studio
Designer: Ta-Te Wu, E.R. Burgess
Players: 1-9
Time: 25 Min
Age: 10+
Mechanics: Card Drafting, Hand Management, Partnerships, Set Collection

Photo Credits: Ta-Te Wu, E.R. Burgess