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Maia Strongheart stands alone against the world. A cabal of conspirators has framed her for the death of her own mother, the Sun Queen, and they intend to usurp the throne from her family. To prove her own innocence and reclaim her birthright, Maia must step into the proving grounds to complete a trial that will stretch her combat skills to the limit. Will the Wizened's chosen daughter vanquish her foes in the arena? Or will she be overwhelmed by the conspirators and their evil aspirations?
Proving Grounds is a real-time solitaire dice game that merges narrative and gameplay in a brand-new way. In this box, you will find a novella, "Only the Strongest Has the Heart of a Wizened Queen", written by Monica Valentinelli. This sweeping story sets the stage for the events of the game. Read the story of Maia Strongheart as she fights to ascend to the Sun Throne, then recreate her extraordinary battle!
Proving Grounds has a training game and six different gameplay modules. Once you've learned the basics, add a single module or mix and match to your tastes. If you're feeling truly adventurous, put them all together for a true test of your gladiatorial combat skills!
—description from the publisher
Proving Grounds - How To Play
- Can increase variety and difficulty with optional modules.
- Companion app aids in setup and timing.
- Includes an illustrated short story for background.
- Survival trial by combat to prove innocence after being framed for your mother's death and prevented from taking your rightful place on the throne.
- Illustrated short story provides background on the protagonist's predicament.
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action Point Allowance — The number of dice assigned to an enemy determines if a hit is scored, potentially moving a battle marker up or down based on specific requirements.
- Companion app — An app is used for setup, timing the dice rolling phase, and potentially tracking game progress, though a physical timer can substitute.
- Dice Assignment — Rolled dice are assigned to specific enemies based on their numerical value. Dice not rolled for an enemy do not result in an attack or a hit.
- Dice rolling — Players roll dice from their dice pool within a time limit, aiming to group matching numbers (sets) while singles cannot be rerolled. Sets can be rerolled one at a time.
- Modular board — Optional modules can be added to increase game variety and difficulty, affecting setup and gameplay.
- Press Your Luck — Players have a limited time to roll and reroll dice, deciding when to stop to avoid negative consequences like singles or running out of time.
- set collection — Grouping dice of the same value allows for strategic rerolls or meeting requirements for enemy attacks. The formation of sets can change with rerolls.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- you'll be taking on the role of Maya Strongheart who's in a fight for justice and for her own life
- if your health marker ever reaches this last space then you immediately lose
- if you've defeated eight enemies and are still alive at the end of this resolve attack step you in the game you've not only saved your own life but in trial by combat prove your innocence
- now what I've shown you here is known as the training or core rules
References (from this video)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- unknown — Not discussed in transcript.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's still such a great game
- solo is such a good game
- dungeon there will be a video quite soon