Lost Ones by Greenbrier Games – Kickstarter Preview

Lost Ones is set in a Dreams & Shadows world, each player assumes the role of a young character who has been kidnapped and taken to the Otherworld, the realm of the Fae.

Setting Up the Game

1. Prepare the play area:
   1. Place Map Tile deck. Do NOT SHUFFLE this deck.
   2. Place Map Tile 1 at the center of the Map area. Leave ample room for more Map Tiles.
   3. Shuffle and place the Ability, Foe, and Bane decks at the side of the Map area.
   4. Place the Boon deck, unshuffled next to them.
   5. Place the Moon Clock card at the side of the Map area with the Fate token on the New Moon space on the Moon Clock card.
   6. Place all the tokens at the side of the Map area.
   7. Each player selects a Character card and places it in front of them.
   8. Remove any additional Character cards from the game.

2. Each player creates their Hand by drawing Ability cards from the top of the Ability deck and placing them face-up, next to their Character card. The number of cards to draw is called the Hand size and depends on the number of players.

• • 1 player – 7 Ability cards
  • 2 players – 6 Ability cards each
  • 3 players – 5 Ability cards each
  • 4 players – 4 Ability cards each

3. Place the Character standee(s) on Map Tile 1. In the first round, the first player is the person at the table who most recently had a nightmare. Then read the Prologue and Story Encounter 1 in the Story Book.

Objective

The game begins just as their character(s) escapes captivity during a conflict between warring factions. They become lost, and must explore this magical realm of dreams to discover a way home. Besides solo play, there is a cooperative mode for up to 4 players.

Player(s) must find a Hollows Tree and open a Gateway to escape home and win the game. Details on what happens when the player(s) opens a Gateway are revealed in the specific Story Encounter

Rounds

Begin each round with the first player. In the first round, the player who goes first is the person at the table who most recently had a nightmare. After that, the players collectively determine turn order. A round finishes when all players have taken a turn.

Each player may complete up to three actions in their turn. Players may also pass on their turn. The menu of actions a player may complete are listed below:

• Explore a new Map Tile – Players explore and uncover new areas in the Otherworld by placing a valid Map Tile adjacent to the current Map Tile, and then moving their Character standee to the new location. If a player wants to move to an unrevealed location, they may step off the board orthogonally to that spot, as long as the current Map Tile indicates there is a new Map Tile in that direction to place. Whenever the player moves to a new Map Tile, they must flip to the relevant page number in the Story Book, shown on the bottom right corner of the Map Tile.
• Move – A player must move orthogonally and may move as many spaces as actions available so long as there is not an effect on a Map Tile, which forces them to stop and resolve it first. Other players on the same Map Tile can also choose to “piggyback” and move together without costing any additional actions. There are advantages with moving together across dangerous terrain or when exploring a new Map Tile, but there are also risks as certain effects will apply to each player that are moving together i.e. Bane, Blizzard, Lava and Underwater.
• Complete an Action in a Story Encounter – Players are introduced to Story Encounters when reading the Introduction section in the Story Book. On their turn they may try to complete an available action.
• Activate a Boon card – As the player(s) explores and progresses through Story Encounters in the Otherworld, they may gain Boon cards that represent Fae-like powers or magical items. Acquired Boon cards are placed face-up next to the Character card. Boon cards may have a persistent effect that is always on to help the player. Many Boon cards also have a special effect that can be activated by spending an action in the player’s turn.

Story Ending

Players must find a Hollows Tree and open a Gateway to escape home and win the game. So long as one character opens a Gateway, all players win the game. If you win, you will be told to turn to a particular page in the Story Book that will detail the end of your adventure. Also, players who acquired a Plot token(s) can read from the Story Ending page listed on their Plot token(s) to find out more about what happens to their character. We recommend you do not read the other Story Endings until you have found them playing the game during another adventure.

All players lose the game if:

• A player runs out of Ability cards in their Hand.
• A character is caught by the Nightmare.
• A character enters battle with a Foe, but cannot defeat it.
• A Story Encounter specifies that a character loses the game.
• All characters become trapped in a Story Encounter, where they are prevented from moving (all directions are locked), but cannot complete the Story Action to unlock a path out.
• The 4th Phase on the Moon Clock finishes before a Gateway is opened

 

 

First Impression

Being lost in a world set in nightmare against the beautifully stunning and haunting backdrop of the Fae.  Need I say more?

But is an amazing theme & stunning art enough to turn this nightmare into the sweetest of dreams?

Game Play

In a word, WOW.

Lost Ones takes you on an epic journey full of twists & turns woven beautifully with an amazing narrative. It allows you to control the story but seamlessly weaves every playthrough into its own unique story. As someone that rarely plays solo games (Lost Ones can be played by 1-4 players, just I only played solo), this blend of narrative gameplay really allows you to get sucked into the world & game. It’s like playing an RPG with a full party, yet solo, which blows my mind. As you get everything you would from playing your favorite RPG in a compact form & played in a fraction of the time.

Lost Ones drives this narrative, based on where you choose to move & linking them to a part of the story through the tile numbers. It seems so simple, yet it really does an amazing job of keeping the story flowing in a way that feels so organic. At times you actually forget you are playing a game & not just part of an epic tale.

The gameplay challenges you at every turn. You need to make choices, on not just where to go; but are met with decisions to be made on many of the map tiles. Some help you, while more hinder your progress. Then throw in managing your hand, playing cards at the right time & trying to escape the nightmare. It is a lot of fun, & by no means easy. It is a game that will keep you guessing till the very end. Let’s hope you make it out alive more than I did!

Art

The art in Lost Ones is stunning. The Fae world they have created feels like it has been plucked out of my own brain (Sorry, I love the Fae & their stories). The use of cold & warm blues blended up to purples gives this hauntingly stunning world, life. Mix that with the floating above the clouds feel of the box art, it gives this magically haunting feel to it.

Once you starting turning over the Map tiles, that is when you truly get this wonderful feeling of the vastness of the world. Waterfalls, forest, fog & riverways; the world just feels so complete. And this is no easy task, as the Map tiles are actually surprisingly small.

Not sold yet, well did I mention miniatures? Yes, that’s right. In the Deluxe Version of Lost Ones, the 4 main characters will have these beautifully sculpted miniatures (You will need to pain them yourself, unfortunately).

I love that more companies are using miniatures at their play tokens. For the extra cost, it adds to the aesthetic of the game & allows players to get a more personal connection to their character. But also, the difference in table presents is incredible. It is the difference between seeing someone playing a game at a game store, to stopping and watching the gameplay.

Final Thoughts

As someone that doesn’t enjoy solo games, the reason I love Boardgames is that I want to play with friends. It is a social event for me that makes me enjoy them. & Yes, I know Lost Ones can be played with 1-4 players. Yet, this game is so amazing solo, I plan on getting a copy to only play solo…… and paint the miniature (A passion of mine). I may try it with multiple people, but never before have I ever wanted a game to only play solo.

If you love a beautifully stunning, every changing thematical story set in a world of Fae nightmare, Lost Ones is for you.

Lost Ones has already been funded & working towards further Stretch Goals. You can get your copy here