This single-player role-playing game had been on my radar for a while, promising an experience halfway between a Choose Your Own Adventure book a fiction close to Oregon Trail, this survivalist video game I'm too young to have known but which always fascinated me. Indeed, Crow Island has both elements, tinged with native culture, which is a good thing in itself, and with a rather simple management mechanism, depending on the drawing of different cards. The whole thing didn't inspire me enough to jump into the solo game practice (but one day, one day...) but it's still a nice little read!
This is a fun, introductory exploration of the Crow Island setting. My first playthrough (along the Path of Asogomas) was around 30 minutes and gave me an excellent taste of the people and places I'll encounter on future playthrough. Luck of the literal draw kept me relatively safe as I moved through the world, but I did run into a cougar at one point and wading through the rivers proved to be a hectic experience that washed a lot of my young hunter's pelts down the river.
Looking forward to more journeys in this great world!
Crow Island is an Oregon Trail style deck-crawl in which you guide your clan across Crow Island in order to secure a proper burial for your chief, in the wake of their heroic sacrifice.
The PDF is 54 pages, with lovely, charming artwork and an easy to read layout.
Right off the bat, the game makes a great visual impression. Its map is charming and its fonts pop. There's also a high density of custom artwork throughout the book, and all of it is playful and colorful.
Mechanics-wise, this is a solo game, but it's got a good crunch to it. You use a deck of cards to randomize the events your clan encounters, but you also track stats and make choices, and there are even different character classes that will set you up for different gameplay experiences, as well as two distinct routes across the game's map.
The writing is excellent, and it shifts easily between sincere and quirky. There's a Bay Of Wolves in which Eel Spears can be found, but there's also fairly stark descriptions of moose hunting and cougar attacks.
Overall, if you like solo games, if you like resource management, and if you like engaging settings, I'd strongly recommend this. It's easy to pick up, it's a solid experience, and there's even replayability in terms of different routes and classes. Definitely grab a copy if you can.
Minor Issues:
-Page 10, "Taking longer than that the situation becomes dire" maybe 'means the situation becomes dire'?
-Page 9, can dogs go a day without food, or do you lose them if you do this?
-Page 35, "Their antler's" antlers
-Page 37, river crossing, does a clan member die per 1 rolled, or if the Crossing Difficulty is reduced to 1, or just if all three dice are 1s?
-Page 38, "your total is how much food the fish you were" how much food in fish you were
-Page 39, "when the is at it's" when the sun is at its?
-Page 39, same rules ambiguity as on page 37 re: 1s and clan members dying during the crossing
-Page 48, "how much food the fish" how much food in fish
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This single-player role-playing game had been on my radar for a while, promising an experience halfway between a Choose Your Own Adventure book a fiction close to Oregon Trail, this survivalist video game I'm too young to have known but which always fascinated me. Indeed, Crow Island has both elements, tinged with native culture, which is a good thing in itself, and with a rather simple management mechanism, depending on the drawing of different cards. The whole thing didn't inspire me enough to jump into the solo game practice (but one day, one day...) but it's still a nice little read!
This is a fun, introductory exploration of the Crow Island setting. My first playthrough (along the Path of Asogomas) was around 30 minutes and gave me an excellent taste of the people and places I'll encounter on future playthrough. Luck of the literal draw kept me relatively safe as I moved through the world, but I did run into a cougar at one point and wading through the rivers proved to be a hectic experience that washed a lot of my young hunter's pelts down the river.
Looking forward to more journeys in this great world!
yooooo thank you so much for playing and your kind words!
Crow Island is an Oregon Trail style deck-crawl in which you guide your clan across Crow Island in order to secure a proper burial for your chief, in the wake of their heroic sacrifice.
The PDF is 54 pages, with lovely, charming artwork and an easy to read layout.
Right off the bat, the game makes a great visual impression. Its map is charming and its fonts pop. There's also a high density of custom artwork throughout the book, and all of it is playful and colorful.
Mechanics-wise, this is a solo game, but it's got a good crunch to it. You use a deck of cards to randomize the events your clan encounters, but you also track stats and make choices, and there are even different character classes that will set you up for different gameplay experiences, as well as two distinct routes across the game's map.
The writing is excellent, and it shifts easily between sincere and quirky. There's a Bay Of Wolves in which Eel Spears can be found, but there's also fairly stark descriptions of moose hunting and cougar attacks.
Overall, if you like solo games, if you like resource management, and if you like engaging settings, I'd strongly recommend this. It's easy to pick up, it's a solid experience, and there's even replayability in terms of different routes and classes. Definitely grab a copy if you can.
Minor Issues:
-Page 10, "Taking longer than that the situation becomes dire" maybe 'means the situation becomes dire'?
-Page 9, can dogs go a day without food, or do you lose them if you do this?
-Page 35, "Their antler's" antlers
-Page 37, river crossing, does a clan member die per 1 rolled, or if the Crossing Difficulty is reduced to 1, or just if all three dice are 1s?
-Page 38, "your total is how much food the fish you were" how much food in fish you were
-Page 39, "when the is at it's" when the sun is at its?
-Page 39, same rules ambiguity as on page 37 re: 1s and clan members dying during the crossing
-Page 48, "how much food the fish" how much food in fish
Thanks so much for your playing and your feedback, I'm adding all this to my to-do list to fix :-)