Ashes Reborn Red Rains SOLO REVIEW
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- Опубликовано: 9 фев 2025
- My review of top solo deck construction game Ashes Reborn: Rise of the Pheonixborn : Red Rains : Corpse of Viros. This is a complicated one. And not just the name.
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Best review ever that explains my feelings with this game. Played it when it first came out in 2015. The game’s card text and mechanics were flawed but art and dice play set it apart. Fast forward and Nick has absolutely fixed the game but couldn’t put my finger on why I wasn’t having fun playing the solo. This review helped me feel like I wasn’t crazy. Will try your suggestion of not overthinking the play next time and see if that helps. It absolutely felt like a grind. The rinse and repeat nature of solo games usually bothers me and the solo play-thrus for red rains felt like that. The only solo ones that don’t feel like a grind for me are the legendary encounters games. I think it has to do with the amount of work one has to do for the ai in addition to their own play choices. I love this game but struggle to find people to play it in-person and when I did have people to play it with I usually felt blown out of the water back in the early days. Thanks for this review. Also thanks for mentioning the awful marvel champions mechanic of spending cards to play cards among other things. Was so disappointed in that game. It should have been so much better.
Glad the review helped put your finger on the issue. It bugged the heck out of me trying to figure it out, too!
I need to try Legendary Encounters. I've had Alien on my wishlist for years
I have only done a few solo games so far but to me it seems like the building of your board to start the game is the real challenge of the experience. If the Chimera weren’t pressuring you immediately then there wouldn’t be much challenge at all.
Great video, thanks for your thoughts.
So good to see you!!
Hey my guy! I was just thinking about you. I haven't gotten any doom streaming going 😂
This aspect of planning my turn and having other players taking there turn is what I dislike about Gloomhaven. The analysis paralysis of choosing your actions only to have another player move in your way was infuriating. I have played it solo and enjoyed it more…but not much as I like action points and rolling for randomness. Although on the flip side, in the mid 90’s I was playing combo Necropotence in MTG or black resource denial that simply removed my opponent’s ability to play at all. Fast forward several decades and I continue to play Magic while utilizing my knowledge of the game to play all colors… to prevent my opponent from playing. So in this aspect I would be viewed as the Chimera in this game. I’m currently on overload of games with several of my own projects to finish up so I won’t be adding this to my collection but would be interested in trying it if I were ever to have the opportunity. Thanks for the in-depth review and I think it is one of the most objective reviews I have ever watched.
Thank you! I'm glad it was helpful.
Yes, it did take me back to the suffering of playing exactly that sort of MTG deck. And you're right, it does feel very much like gloomhaven multiplayer. I think it must be people who don't plan ahead as much as we do who've made that game so popular. Even in gloomhaven solo, I would plan my attacks to work without the bonus of the modifier deck, so the bonuses rarely helped and the penalties always wrecked my plans.
Excellent game, as evidenced by other comments too.
Personally I find Ashes Reborn really fun. I am always a huge fan of TCGs and LCGs are always a great alternative. Sadly they never really became popular. Ashes kind of just sat on my shelf for many years and playing coop/solo lets me play.
It is quite amazing how well Ashes plays solo when it was originally a pure PvP game. Some cards are a bit overpowered to be expected. Compared to other games it really plays like a duel. The chimera generally plays 4 units + a few effects each round which you as a player get to do similar things. I think this makes it feel quite unique compared to other games. Of course at higher difficulties the Chimera does way more than the player each round.
About your main complaint, I actually find Ashes much easier to plan than other games especially once you play the Chimera/Aspect a few times. Other games cards can have such absurd effects while Ashes each enemy turn is normally a small effect. Sure, you learned by now, quickly playing allies out without a plan leads to them dead without much effect. Other games often playing allies out ASAP is often the right choice. In Ashes you often want to take a few hits and see some revealed aspects before playing allies.
Personally, my favorite way to play Ashes is Campaign mode though, not sure you looked it that. It really makes deckbuilding fun while progressing instead of just making the "best" deck against a Chimera. It really allows you to have fine tuning your deck against a certain Chimera/Aspect Combo. The higher difficulties really get tough.
Easily the best part of Ashes is Variety though. Some decks are about conjuring small allies constantly, while others have a few big allies, controlling with actions, milling the opponent or even building burn decks. Burn decks is probably the only archetype that feels very tough to play. LOTR is the only other game I have played that allows for similar deckbuilding variety.
Thanks for all the thoughts on the game. If they made a solo starter set, I think the game would be huge.
My problem isn't not being able to plan a strategy, but not being able to plan tactically. I can't think of another card battling game where you have less tactical control over what's revealed to you in your hand. Aeon's End, Marvel Champions, Primal, in each of these you draw your cards, you can plan exactly how to play them, and carry out that plan exactly.
Another commenter mentioned Gloomhaven, and I am surprised that I didn't draw the comparison. Most people love GH. I can't handle all the planning for each card in my hand to have it ruined by the modifier deck, which changes everything by leaving the monster alive, causing me to re-plan for every card in my hand. That's just me, clearly, because GH is a smash hit
Great video, thanks! If the expansion comes with decks, do you really need the base game? I've only got the first edition and heard that you need the second for Red Rains but since it comes with Phoenixborn decks, it looks as if you only need the dice (which I have)...
Thanks! I'm not sure what the difference is between first and revised edition. They push it, but I'm not sure. I'd say, buy a chimera, and see if it works. If it doesn't, get an upgrade kit. I just looked at the description, and it sounds like they made changes that might not be breaking with red rains, but just a matter of taste: www.gamenerdz.com/ashes-reborn-ashes-1-5-upgrade-kit
23:50 : You said the game is not made for this kind of start. I actually disagree with you, the set of rules actually could absolutely lets you have an easier first round. See on Chimera you have the "Threat" value which tells how many aspects you have at the end of the round. Then you have the box which gives you the "setup" so the number of aspects, their blood level and order. These two values are actually disjointed in the rules and, as such, nothing goes against the idea of having less aspects for the setup and still have a Threat of 4 for Standard 1. They just made the choice until now that these two values in number of aspects in play identical.
Finally just ordered mine
...evil Amazon
You can actually mediate as many cards as you want with a single side action.
meditate? I didn't realize. That's great, thanks
@JAlanRykerGames meditate yeah sorry hahaha. Good job on the video by the way. Although i consider ashes one of the best card games out there, i can understand that it requires a different approach away from big combo turns.
Glad somebody pointed this out because it would be super frustrating if you could only do it once per side action. Hopefully this one helps with your experience going forward.
ryker did you say that you're going to start making some solo RPG videos
Yeah, I already recorded a solo journaling rpg, and I'm going to try out playing an OSR solo this week!
hottogo
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