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Description
There had been no communication with station 04 on the distant moon X483. A rescue mission was mounted, and you were on that ship as it lost use of its controls and crashed but meters from the station's entrance. After the smoke cleared, you realized you were the only survivor.
You made your way into the station in hopes of finding help, only to be shocked by the horrors within. You are alone. You must escape. You must survive...
What is Desolate?
Desolate is a solo-play card and dice game. You have many choices that will ultimately equate to your survival or your demise. Do you explore the first room you reveal, or press-your-luck and skip it to move on to another, and be forced to resolve the second? When you encounter an alien you must decide how much ammo you want to spend (Each ammo equals 1 die roll) in order to defeat it. Do you over-spend for a certain victory, or take a chance a spend less? When you defeat a foe and open a crate, do you take the larger more valuable resource, or the lesser valued resource that may be more useful now? Do you use a powerful one-use item early on in the game, or wait?
There are many choices per game, and when you die, and you will often, you will not be able to blame the roll of a die or the draw of card as much as you will have to blame yourself. You will be invested. You may yell at the dice before rolling. You may jump to your feet when you find that final power cell and fire up the escape shuttle for a sweet sweet victory.
Year Published
2018
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 4
This page: 4
Sentiment:
pos 4 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–4 of 4
Video GIBNq6AuHCg
Unknown Channel top_10_list at 40:14 sentiment: positive
video_pk 9448 · mention_pk 27921
Click to watch at 40:14
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Atmosphere and minimal components deliver a strong solo experience
- One-page rules make it welcoming for newcomers
Cons
- Not readily available at retail; relies on Game Crafter or print options
- Higher weight than some other beginner-friendly solitaires
Thematic elements
- Gather power cells, manage health, ammo and oxygen while exploring
- Space dungeon crawler
- Atmospheric, black-and-white art by designer
Comparison games
- Tin Helm (desolate family evolution)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Dungeon crawl with dice-based combat — Roll dice to determine combat outcomes against aliens and monsters
- One-page rules + expandable content — Simple core rules with expansion paths
- Print-and-play options — Multiple versions exist, including official and fan-made
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's very thematic, basically a gamification of the process of creating a character in DND
- the AI opponent is very smooth and doesn't take a lot of upkeep
- it's one page front and back, that's it very, very simple rules
- this is known as a raw and ripe game and it's a pretty beloved genre
- the universe games come with mini expansion modules that add replayability
- an 18-card masterpiece
- print this right here to turn it into a flip and ride game
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video J6_oQsadhUU
Unknown Channel playthrough at 10:01 sentiment: positive
video_pk 7772 · mention_pk 22945
Click to watch at 10:01
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- tense, compact design with familiar feel from Tin Helm and Dust Runner
- engaging exploration/reward loop and thematic sci-fi flavor
- cool artwork on the box and compact components
Cons
- outcomes can swing heavily on luck
- rules can be tricky to recall correctly in a live playthrough
Thematic elements
- Sci-fi survival with exploration and resource management
- Stranded on a derelict space station on a remote moon; hostile aliens present
- Narrated solo campaign-style playthrough with live decisions and outcomes
Comparison games
- Tin Helm
- Dust Runner
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- conflicts_and_combat — combat resolved by spending ammo to roll dice and adding to dice totals
- deck-building — build and modify a small deck through exploration rewards and item draws
- exploration_cards — draw exploration cards each turn and resolve conflicts or gain rewards
- level_progression — level ends after cycling through exploration cards and resolving encounters
- loot_and_rewards — crates provide health, ammo or oxygen when opened
- resource_management — manage ammo, oxygen, health and power cells to survive and win
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Gate is a deck builder in just a small tin
- Escape from Station 52... I think that's a pretty good one
- Desolate is a pretty tense game
- I would definitely award the gold SAS Award
- Egg... it might be a little bit too late for that because this game can take a lot longer
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 9AYp00JR6k4
Robert's Board Game Reviews top_5_list at 3:07 sentiment: positive
video_pk 4211 · mention_pk 12311
Click to watch at 3:07
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- easy to learn and quick to set up
- great print-and-play option for introducing people to solo games
- simple rules encourage replayability and experimentation
Cons
- rule delivery via print-and-play can feel less polished than boxed copies
- may lack depth compared to later entries in the series
Thematic elements
- intro-level, accessible dungeon exploration with simple rules
- Print-and-play copy of a solo dungeon/ exploration experience
- introductory solo-friendly design; easy entry for new players
Comparison games
- Tin Helm
- Tin Realm
- Dust Runner
- Iron Helm
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Print-and-play / card-based rule access — rules are extremely simple and presented on a single page front-and-back; no heavy rule overhead
- Solo-first design — built as a strong entry point for solo play with straightforward mechanics
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a great game, don't get me wrong
- the rule books come in these cards instead of a spine-bound booklet, which is annoying
- the exploration deck here has these half icons on each card
- Overland Adventure experience
- this resolution deck speeds up the game so much
- addicting quality to it once it clicks
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video XfpL8vNVAgE
Unknown Channel top_20_list at 43:11 sentiment: positive
video_pk 4298 · mention_pk 12551
Click to watch at 43:11
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- unique sci-fi dungeon crawl
- hand-drawn art by the designer
- high storytelling potential
Cons
- print-and-play and game-crafter availability may vary
Thematic elements
- hand-drawn sci-fi dungeon exploration
- space dungeon crawler
- storytelling with combat encounters
Comparison games
- Cursed
- Deep Space D6
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- combat with dice — combat uses dice and encounter cards to create tension
- deck-building and resource management — lead a lone explorer through space dungeon with items, health, ammo and oxygen
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Desolate is still my number one.
- This is a solo only game. No multiplayer with solo mode.
- There’s no better choice than Mike Lambo's solitary war game books.
- Jump Drive is a tableau building in its purest form.
- Cartographers, one of the best games in the verb and write genre.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–4 of 4