William Smith
Canada
Ottawa
Ontario
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Any game that can be played co-operatively can be played solo. This is my second game of Sky Travelers, the first being with a gaming partner. In this session, I take on two roles to walk through the gameplay.
This isn't a review, but I feel compelled to note a couple of things. One is that this game, unlike most of the Family Pastimes offerings, has a heavy roll and move mechanic to it. I feel that in the later stages of the game, this is a drawback, as it can cause some tiring 'circling around the board' moves.
Also, while the advanced rules encourage you to find a creative use for your special powers against the obstacles (the UTOCs - or, Ugly Things Out of Control), there was often no real viable explanation for how a particular power to overcome a particular UTOC. This is a departure from other Family Pastime games where there is usually a viable creative avenue by which to make use of a 'good' card against a 'bad' card. (I am thinking here of Caves & Claws, Princess, Eyes of the Jungle, Granny's House, etc..) Certainly, the power of compassion can overcome a forest fire .. but I am hard pressed to explain exactly how.
I am playing two players in this game. This game is not designed for solo-play but there is no fundamental difference between one player playing two roles, or two players playing two roles.
Our players for this game are "Ezekiel The Explorer" (aptly named, for he has explored several planets to date), and "Greybottom Killjoy" who is a novice in extra-terrestrial exploration, but is here to learn from Ezekiel.
Above: The game board set up for a two player game
Ezekiel the Explorer. Red Pawn. Starts with "POWER of HOLOGRAM PROJECTION: Remove the UTOC you are on." & "POWER to DISSOLVE & REAPPEAR. Move to any other space."
Greybottom Killjoy: Yellow Pawn. Starts with "POWER of DEEPEST COMPASSIONS. Remove the UTOC you are on." & "POWER to TELEPORT anything. Remove the UTOC you are on."
So, our team begins with 3 remove UTOC tiles and 1 escape UTOC special powers.
Round 1
Ezekiel:
- Rolls 3: Moves north from START to space 13
- flips up discovery card: Forest Fire (space 24)
The forest fire is placed on space 24, covering a face down discovery card. That forest fire will have to be dealt with before the card beneath it can be revealed.
Greybottom:
- Rolls 5: Moves north 1 space to square 1 and 4 east to square 5
- turns up discovery card: Air Pollution (space 15)
Air pollution is placed on space 15, covering up the discovery card beneath it
Round 2
Ezekiel:
- Rolls 6 for movement, and rolls to move the mothership: Moves north 2 spaces, and east 4 spaces, landing on square 29.
- turns up discovery card: Woohoo! Special metals for our escape ship
Greybottom:
- Rolls 1: Moves 1 east to square 6
- turns up discovery card: Strip Mining (space 30)
Strip mining is splace on space 30 on top of face down discovery card
This leaves Ezekiel in a precarious position. If he continues east / south, he may encounter UTOCS on squares 30 and 24.
Round 3
Ezekiel:
- Rolls 4 for movement, and rolls to move the mothership: Decides to backtrack and moves 4 spaces west, landing on square 25.
- turns up discovery card: Muggers! (space 16)
Muggers are placed on square 16, on top of face down discovery card
Greybottom:
- Rolls 3: Moves east 1, north 1, and west 1, landing on space 11.
- turns up discovery card: Special Power! (POWER of SELF-HEALING. Move to any other space.)
Round 4
Ezekiel:
- Rolls 5 for movement, and rolls to move the mothership: Moves south 1 and east 4, landing on square 23.
- turns up discovery card: Special Power! (POWER of DEEPEST HYPNOTISM. Remove the UTOC you are on.)
Greybottom:
- Rolls 4: Moves west 4, landing on square 7.
- turns up discovery card: Racial Feuding (space 19).
Racial Feuding is placed on space 19 on top of facedown discovery card
Round 5
Ezekiel:
- Rolls 6 for movement, and rolls to move the mothership: Now surrounded by UTOCs, but calculates that he can make it up top to space 26 in the mountains. Moves 4 west, 1 north, and 1 east
- turns up Earth Quake (space 3)
Earthquake is placed on space 3, on top of facedown discovery ar
Greybottom:
- Rolls 3: continues west 3 spaces to square 8
- turns up Major Flood (space 13)
Major Flood is placed on empty space 13
Above: Midway through the game - a number of UTOCs on the board.
Round 6
Ezekiel:
- Rolls 3. Moves 1 west, 1 south (past racial feuding) and 1 east, landing on square 20.
- turns up Forest Cutting (space 21)
Forest Cutting is placed on square 21 on top of facedown discovery card
Greybottom:
- Rolls 3: Moves 1 west, 1 south, 1 east to square 2.
- uncovers Rock Slide (space 25)
Rock Slide is placed on spot 25 on an empty space
Wow, these guys need to find some more spaceship parts. Thankfully the mothership hasn't moved to far towards the pickup zone yet, so there is still time. It looks like our team will have to start taking care of some of these UTOCs in order to uncover what they are protecting.
Round 7
Ezekiel:
- Rolls 4. Surrounded by UTOCs, but determined now to take care of a few of them, moves 4 east landing on square 24 - right in the middle of a forest fire!
- Ezekiel uses the POWER of HOLOGRAM PROJECTION to remove the Forest Fire UTOC. Unfortunately, while the Forest Fire has been taken care of, Ezekiel can not flip up the face down discovery card on this turn, and on the next turn, he must move on. One of the team will have to come back to this space later to see what has been rescued.
Greybottom:
- Rolls 2 for movement, and rolls to move the mothership. Moves 2 east to square 4
- turns up Crazed Animals (square 22)
Crazed Animals is placed on space 22 on top of a facedown discovery card.
Round 8
Ezekiiel:
- Rolls 6. Evaluates the various directions he could move, and decides to move 3 south and 3 west to land on square 3 - right in the middle of an Earthquake!
- Uses POWER of DEEPEST HYPNOTISM to take care of the Earthquake. Again, the UTOC has been taken care of, but Ezekiel may not flip up the card beneath it on this turn.
Greybottom:
- Rolls 3 for movement, and rolls to advance the mothership. There aren't very many useful spots for Greybottom to go - three movements will only land him on empty spaces in various directions, or at best at the Major Flood on space 13, but there are no discovery cards beneath it, so it would seem a waste of a special power to land there. He decides to move 1 west, 1 north, and 1 east to land on empty square 8 .. hopefully putting him in a better position for his next roll.
The team has still only discovered 1 out of the necessary 4 space craft elements, but has turned up plenty of UTOCs.
Round 9:
Ezekiel:
- rolls 6 for movements, and rolls to advance the mothership. Moves 2 west, 1 north, 3 east to land on square 10
- turns up Warring Tribes (space 6)
Warring Tribes is placed on empty space 6.
Greybottom:
- rolls 3: moves 1 est, 1 north, 1 east to land on square 14
- turns up POWER of X-RAY VISION. Peek at any card landed on.
Very nice. This is the most useful special power to uncover - it allows one to 'peek' at a facedown card before turning it up, thereby deciding whether the team would want to take that action. Unfortunately, you still can not peek at facedown cards underneath a UTOC. But, the power does not get 'used up' - it can be used as many times as necessary throughout the game.
Round 10:
Ezekiel:
- rolls 5 for movement, and rolls to advance the mothership. Would like to take on the muggers by moving 2 east, 1 north, and 2 west, but his only special power left is the power to dissolve and reappear, essentially transporting him to another space and would not remove the muggers from the board. He moves 3 west, 1 south, and 1 east, landing on empty square 2.
Greybottom:
- rolls 2 for movement, and rolls to advance the mothership. Move 2 east to take care of the muggers that Ezekiel had to let go on square 16. Uses the POWER of DEEPEST COMPASSION to convince the muggers of the wrong-headedness of their lifestyle. The muggers are still for a movement, contemplating what they are suddenly feeling, and move off - presumably to a better and more productive life. This opens up the facedown discovery card on square 16 to be picked up, but again, that must be on a subsequent turn. However, Greybottom has the power of xray vision, and can see that the card contains the dread LAB PEOPLE (the most villanous UTOCs in the game)
Round 11:
Ezekiel:
- Rolls 6 for movement, and rolls to advance the mothership. Moves east 5, north 1 to square 18
- turns over the POWER of SUPER STRENGTH. Remove the UTOC you are on.
Great! Ezekiel needed a special power of this caliber.
Greybottom:
- Rolls 3 for movement, and rolls to advance the mothership. Moves east 2, and north 1 to land on square 24.
- turns over JOINING MATERIALS. Another spaceship part!
That mothership is about halfway to moving off the board entirely. The team better hurry up and discover the two remaining spaceship parts.
Round 12:
Ezekiel:
- Rolls 3. Moves 3 west to take care of the Air Pollution on spot 15
- Uses the POWER of SUPER STRENGTH to take care of the air pollution (presumably by twisting some smokestacks into knots). The undiscovered card on square 15 will have to wait to be flipped over, however.
Greybottom:
- Rolls 5. Moves 2 south and 3 west to land on square 9
- uses X-RAY VISION to peek at the card. It's a MAGNET POWER element for the spaceship!
- turns over the discovery card and claims the MAGNET POWER
Only more more spaceship part to find. So close ...
Round 13:
Ezekiel:
- Rolls 5. Moves 2 west, 2 north, 1 east to land on empty square 26, hopefully positioned better for his next turn.
Greybottom:
- Rolls 4. He can't do much with that - either ending on empty spaces, or on UTOCs with no cards beneath them. Moves 2 west, 1 north, 1 east to empty space 14 .. like Ezekiel, hoping to position himself better for the next turn.
Round 14:
Ezekiel: Rolls 3. Darn. Moves 3 east to empty spot 29.
Greybottom:
- Rolls 1 for movement, and rolls to advance the mothership. Moves 1 east to square 15
- turns over ... KILLER BEES! (space 1)
- moves the Killer Bees UTOC card to space 1, on top of an unturned discovery card.
Round 15:
Ezekial:
- Rolls 3 for movement, and rolls to advance the mothership. (We are running out of time!). Moves 1 east, 2 south to empty space 18
Greybottom:
- Rolls 1 for movement and rolls to advance the mothership. Moves 1 east to space 16
- Remembering that this is the space that we discovered contained the nefarious LAB PEOPLE with the X-RAY VISION, Greybottom correctly chooses to not turn over the discovery card on this space.
Round 16 - here time begins to feel that it is standing still. The team feel as though it is going in circles.
Round 16:
Ezekiel:
- 2, mothership. Moves to empty 11
Greybottom:
- 5, mothership. Moves up to space 22, and takes care of the CRAZY ANIMALS with the POWER to TELEPORT anything.
- peeks - MENACING SHARKS
Round 17:
Ezekiel:
- 2. Move to empty space 18.
Greybottom:
- 4. Moves to square 17
- peeks: ELECTRONIC CHIP. Last piece!
- turns it over and claims it
Now to get the boys home!
Round 18:
Ezekiel:
- 4 to move, move mothership. Moves 2 south, 2 west to empty square 4.
Greybottom:
- 4 to move, move mothership (same roll as Ezekial - the stars must be aligned for these two). Move 1 east, 2 south, 1 west to empty square 5.
It's just a matter of time now.
Round 19:
Ezekiel:
- 1 to move, move mothership. Move 1 west to square 3. There is an unflipped discovery card here, but Ezekiel feels it prudent to leave it alone.
Greybottom:
- 5 to move, move mothership (gosh, that mothership is getting close to flying past the planet). This is a difficult roll - continuing 5 west will land Greybottom Killjoy on square 1, which is occupied by KILLER BEES. He has no power to remove them, only one remaining power to move off to any other space. But the only other way is to move back NE, which will bring him further away from the broken spacecraft. He decides to move the 5 west, landing on the KILLER BEES and uses his POWER of SELF-HEALING to move to any other space, moving 1 space west to space 2.
Round 20:
Could this be it?
Ezekiel:
- 5 to move. Only 2 needed to get the fallen spacecraft, and an exact roll is not needed to land on the START space. So Ezekial is back, safe and sound.
Greybottom:
- 2 to move. Exactly what is needed to land on the START (fallen spacecraft space)
The team reassemble their escape craft using the 4 elements of JOINING MATERIALS, ELECTRONIC CHIP, SPECIAL METALS, and MAGNET POWER and fly up to meet the mothership for their escape from the planet Earth.
Above: End game. The escape craft is fully constructed, and our players have returned to the START space. They are ready to fly up and meet the Mothership for escape back to their home planet.
Phew.
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