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I don’t know whether it was the effect of the last few years, or whether I am just a greedy-guts gamer. But I have fallen head over heels for solo gaming. And one publisher that is synonymous with excellent single-player modes is Stonemaier Games.
Wingspan, Libertalia, Viticulture… The Automa Factory AI opponents aren’t just afterthoughts tacked on to the end of a rule book. They have fully fleshed out opponents who happen to exist only inside the rule book. And Red Rising is no different.
In case you have stumbled here without knowing much about the game itself, Red Rising is a hand management, deck building, card drafting game based on a young adult series of books by Pierce Brown. Set in a strict caste system, 6 power hungry Houses are clawing, fighting, and thinking their way to supremacy.
But for you to rise up over all others, you must accumulate the most points. And you do this by amassing the greatest group of followers there ever was. Luckily, your own House has asymmetric abilities which you can trigger throughout the game.
Plus, each character (all 112 of them!) has its own particular power. What you want to do is exploit the synergies between certain characters. Because when that happens, believe me, the gameplay really pops!
Tull Au Toma
The solo mode has been designed by a master of single player variants, Morten Monrad Pedersen. And, as I had hoped for, Tull Au Toma is quick and easy to operate with minimal thinking on your part.
(Note: for the remainder of the review, I’ll presume you are now familiar with the multiplayer rules but if you aren’t, click here for a Red Rising rundown).
The board and your components are set up almost exactly the same way as the multiplayer game. End game triggers are also the same (at least 7 helium, 7 on the fleet track and/or 7 Institute cubes). The only difference for solo play is the addition of an automa deck of cards, an EVEN/ODD card (for Tully’s end game scoring), an extra set of cubes on the Institute, and the addition of “priority” cards (A, B, C, D) at the back of each of the 4 locations.
You take your turn in the same way as you would in the multiplayer game – deploying and scouting and trying to form your ultimate hand of fantastic followers.
But when Tully (yes, we are now that close haha) takes a turn, you draw two cards from the special automa deck. Each card shows two moves, and she carries out both of them, one after the other (so 4 moves in total per turn).
Her first move will be to place a card from the deck to the location shown in the first half of card #1 (using the priority lettering indicated). She doesn’t activate any immediate benefit on the card. The second move will be to take a card from the location shown in the second half of the card (again using the priority lettering).
If the card allows, she also takes the relevant bonus. This is then repeated for card #2. Once done, those cards are discarded and two new cards are revealed from the automa deck.
As the game goes on, Tully will be stockpiling cards like crazy until the end game triggers are satisfied.
A Different Dystopia
You may have guessed by Tully’s indiscriminate card hoarding that she is a very different opponent with a very different objective. Her only goal is to amass VPs. And the way she does that is by virtue of the EVEN/ODD scoring card. Essentially, that little nugget of insider information tells you whether Tully’s even or numbered cards are going to score higher when her end game card collection is totted up.
Granted she doesn’t get to keep all of her cards, but you’ll know from the get-go which digits are going to pay out big time for her. And so, with that in mind, in solo mode, you also take a different approach to your own gameplay (or you should if you want to beat her!).
Final Thoughts; A Satisfying And Surprising Sci-Fi Solo!
I really love the multiplayer mode in Red Rising. But I also really playing the AI even though it feels very different and requires a different approach. When playing with other humans, the unpredictability of their choices can send me into an analysis paralysis spiral. And that, although exquisitely enjoyable, can be quite intense.
But with the AI, I know card benefits don’t wash with her. She’s not into relationships. She’s all about the numbers. And I get to adapt my strategy to suit. I appreciate that some might not like the fact that Tully’s location priorities remain the same throughout the game, but that small constant gives me comfort. One less thing to factor into my decision making.
It also keeps the solo mode pacey as her turns are over and done in seconds. Tull’s variation on House powers (in that she doesn’t lead one but when triggered it will give her a location bonus), also helps to mix things up a bit when playing against her. And most enjoyably, it enables me to cycle through more cards in a game than I would see in a regular multiplayer game.
With 112 characters, it’s nice to dig down the deck and try out new synergies and combinations before unleashing them on fellow players!
Overall, I really enjoy the challenge Red Rising Solo presents. It encourages me to make better choices and smarter combinations each time I play. And for that, I will gladly have a game against Tully any day!
