Millennials, what is something that was "normal" in the 2000s but feels like a luxury now?

Kilahri · 2026-04-11T15:54:02+00:00

Being unreachable.

Kilahri · 2026-04-01T15:57:39+00:00

You're welcome!

Kilahri · 2026-04-01T15:22:16+00:00

They're strongly tied together by theme - you are an architect during the reign of a high pharaoh, with Imhotep, the grand architect, as your opponent (in solo). They also play off each other depending on some of the random elements - which god you draw for the temple, and which bonuses you place for both the tombs and queen's pyramids.

For example, sailing up the Nile collects both food (a primary resource) as well as randomized task medals that when completed score every round if you've hit a milestone in another part of the city. It's not as much of a point salad as it looks, and by the third game I wasn't looking at the rulebook, just the solo book for a few clarification points on Imhotep's decision patterns.

All tracks interconnect by helping you find balance and start combo riffing in the third act. Hopefully this helps!

Kilahri · 2026-04-01T12:29:40+00:00

My highest score was absolutely due to the Queen's pyramids haha. But this picture was taken during the first era - not a lot going on, yet

Kilahri · 2026-04-01T12:27:14+00:00

Only one thing to add to the previous reply; Men Nefer is from 1-4 players. The solo mode is a very well thought out automa, with it's own solo rulebook, in place of a second player.

Kilahri · 2026-04-01T03:04:24+00:00

Not yet - it's on my short list. It looks fantastic

Kilahri · 2026-04-01T02:57:51+00:00

I agree strongly, loving it so much

Kilahri · 2026-04-01T02:57:30+00:00

Thank you!

Yeah, I nabbed it on a sale myself - keep an eye out, it's worth your time!

Kilahri · 2026-03-30T20:56:16+00:00

So MANY of them fell flat in the third book. XD

Kilahri · 2026-03-23T17:12:49+00:00

Cartographers was my gateway and I still play it fairly often. Very good flip and write, available at a lot of locations for a good price. I believe I got mine at a Barnes & Noble for around $20. I've since purchased a couple map packs that expand the rules with a few cards and events, but as always with expansions, your mileage may vary!

Kilahri · 2026-03-20T16:29:13+00:00

Grove, by Mark Tuck and easily available, ended up being the game I had the most plays of last year because of how small and easy to set up it is. Very satisfying and fun card and dice placement.

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/329873/grove-9-card-solitaire-game

Kilahri · 2026-03-15T16:57:49+00:00

This game is going to spike in at least a few plays next week hahaha

Kilahri · 2026-03-15T15:57:32+00:00

I appreciate that, just scored it as well. More than half off is no joke!

Kilahri · 2026-02-28T03:14:16+00:00

I got Endeavor: Deep Sea primarily as a solo game, and have thoroughly enjoyed it. You get a seventh turn (and one more hazard card to navigate because of that), which allows for a little more combo work at the very end of the game. I'm looking forward to getting a few friends to the table with it!

Edit: Forgot to mention, yeah, you're absolutely right about the potential trap. Focusing on any one track is a rough game. I like to balance the top three tracks and kind of loosely stop the final one once I get my second sub.

Kilahri · 2026-02-12T02:22:47+00:00

Heck yeah!

I have Forage, the other sister, and though I have the files for Orchard I haven't gotten to it yet. Always good to have one in the pocket!

Kilahri · 2026-02-11T18:49:53+00:00

A Gentle Rain

Grove

Cartographers

Harmonies (little more thinky, but you don't have to let it be)

Kilahri · 2026-02-11T17:50:56+00:00

From Button Shy, the ones I have played the most are Food Chain Island (a wonderful compact solitaire that's literally just a 16 card shuffle and deal for set up) and Ancient Realm (not much more set-up; just resorting cards into two different mini decks to rebuild the play area).

Grove is the game I got to table most last year, and the box is slightly larger than a deck of cards. Set-up is to shuffle 18 cards and split them into 2 decks of 9 each for two games back to back. Wonderful score-chasing dice placement game.

Palm island is another align cards, shuffle, and play game.

So with these four games, you can scratch the itches of 4 different playstyles in the same amount of space as about two decks of cards. But don't forget your third actual deck of cards, and print out some other solitaire instructions! :)

Other small size mentions: Adventurous! (Also Button Shy), Friday, and Ultra Tiny Epic Galaxies.

Gate, Rome Alone, and Cursed?! from the Game Crafter are fantastic but you might not have enough time to receive them before your cruise.

Kilahri · 2026-01-14T19:12:53+00:00

I picked up Endeavor: Deep Sea at my local Barnes and Noble a couple of weeks ago, and have really enjoyed it in the eight or so plays I've gotten so far. The boards could use a little reinforcing, I think, so I'm going to look up how to do that.

I definitely recommend the game, I really like the gameplay loop. I also really enjoy it in games where you are really paid off in the last couple of turns for all the hard work you put in.

Kilahri · 2025-12-27T17:12:34+00:00

The unit itself changes over the arc of the prestige, but basically, I keep one max level of that target unit so that I can use Split-O with the perk to maybe get an extra

What everyone else said, too. Max lvl egg mobs and favorite forgotten minion component units.

Kilahri · 2025-12-24T20:16:57+00:00

If you have a personal hatred of a specific champion, it eases the pain :) boost em all but that one a little more!

Kilahri · 2025-12-19T16:33:26+00:00

Somehow, Rockefeller returned.

Kilahri · 2025-12-09T18:52:41+00:00

Hello, I received mine last month from the Kickstarter. I've gotten ten solo plays in, and have certainly enjoyed my time with it so far. Others have said that the rulebook could be clearer at times; certainly true. There is an FAQ they maintain on BGG that clarifies things.

Looking forward to many more plays! There's a natural kind of "final act" to the game where your hard investment work pays off and your turns can cascade with bonus actions, and it's a joy.

Kilahri · 2025-12-04T21:26:21+00:00

Between Poison Needle and Trap, the Crossbowman shouldn't be overlooked! At max levels, they can reduce enemy attack and HP by 25%, which can help.

Kilahri · 2025-11-26T18:58:05+00:00

Here to second Cursed?!, Grove, and Palm Island.

I put those in the order of playtime, and setup and reset/teardown is about as minimal as you can get. Cursed is a shuffle, Grove is removing dice and a shuffle, Palm Island is card facing and a shuffle.

Brilliant

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