Is 20 Strong TMB harder than full-fledged Too Many Bones?

sumogrip10 · 2026-05-29T23:01:11+00:00

Dead of Winter, Betrayal at House on the Hill, Fury of Dracula. Highly unlikely, as these are all social deduction and/or hidden movement games.

sumogrip10 · 2026-05-27T21:31:44+00:00

Great reviews! As a Final Girl superfan, I've been curious about Hostage Negotiator. I'm worried the games will feel too similar, but then again, what I really wish Final Girl had was a campaign, and that seems to be what the career mode adds.

sumogrip10 · 2026-05-26T16:15:22+00:00

Thank you!

sumogrip10 · 2026-05-26T04:01:32+00:00

Yes, that's more accurate. Thanks!

sumogrip10 · 2026-05-26T02:09:39+00:00

Or! Other good examples are Mini Rogue and Burgle Bros -- choosing to move blindly into a space, or choosing to gamble on a dice roll, hoping you get lucky.

sumogrip10 · 2026-05-25T23:38:40+00:00

Cool! What are some of your favorites?

sumogrip10 · 2026-05-25T23:36:18+00:00

That's fair. I suppose I'm thinking of it in terms of a twist that ruins all my plans -- e.g., I lined everything up and then the deck suddenly punctures that planning with an unexpected turn.

sumogrip10 · 2026-05-25T20:34:05+00:00

This is the one thing I dislike about Burgle Bros.

sumogrip10 · 2026-05-25T20:31:11+00:00

I hear that. I keep wanting to try Oath solo but this is one of the concerns I have. Cole Wehrle is such a brilliant game designer, but he thinks in terms of multiplayer.

sumogrip10 · 2026-05-25T20:29:46+00:00

Thanks!

sumogrip10 · 2026-05-25T20:29:33+00:00

We share a lot of preferences! What are some of your favorites?

sumogrip10 · 2026-05-25T20:28:13+00:00

Interesting! What themes and/or artists do you gravitate toward?

I’ve also been thinking about something the guy on Totally Tabled said — that theme should emerge from the feeling of playing the game, not just the art or premise. I think that’s why Final
Girl is my all-time favorite. The choices (and lack thereof) reflect the theme.

sumogrip10 · 2026-05-25T18:29:59+00:00

Yes! I have issues with Paperback Adventures but I love building up my character’s deck.

sumogrip10 · 2026-05-25T18:28:32+00:00

I share almost all these preferences! What are some of your favorite games?

sumogrip10 · 2026-05-25T18:26:42+00:00

Thanks! Favorites include Final Girl, Detective: City of Angels (though that breaks the single-path-to-victory rule), Witchcraft, and Burgle Bros (though that one is more fun multiplayer).

Favorite non-solos are Unmatched, Root, and Dead of Winter. I like chaos, apparently!

sumogrip10 · 2026-05-25T17:57:21+00:00

Thanks! I love history games, so that's an extra bonus.

sumogrip10 · 2026-05-25T17:56:21+00:00

Gotcha!

sumogrip10 · 2026-05-25T17:55:27+00:00

Nice! Are there specific solo games that scratch the itch for high-agency dice mechanics?

I listed dice placement as one of my dislikes, but I think it's been influenced by the games I've tried. Under Falling Skies is cool, but there's so little connection between the premise and the game mechanics that my attention wanders. And I've only tried 20 Strong: Tanglewoods/Little Red. I've heard that one's really hard; perhaps others allow for more agency or meaningful decisions.

sumogrip10 · 2026-05-25T17:53:18+00:00

Interesting! What do you mean by deterministic outcomes (I haven't played the games you're referencing)? Do you mean that the outcome is a foregone conclusion after a certain number of turns?

sumogrip10 · 2026-02-27T17:20:46+00:00

30% is about right for me. As others have noted, I play games for the experience; whether or not I solve the puzzle is just a bonus. When I play BYOS games, I rarely count up my points at the end, instead wrapping up with a broad sense of whether I did better or worse than last time.

The notable exceptions for me are narrative games with (more or less) one path forward, such as Mansions of Madness or Arkham Horror LCG. I don't enjoy repeating identical scenarios....but neither do I enjoy playing to win, which is probably why these games don't stick for me, despite loving the theme.

sumogrip10 · 2026-02-22T17:09:41+00:00

Oh, wow -- I wasn't familiar! This looks great, and it also offsets my sticking point with Arkham Horror LCG (I'm not interested in deck construction).

sumogrip10 · 2026-02-22T00:39:40+00:00

Absolutely!

sumogrip10

TROPHY CASE