The Kingdom is in grave danger. Powerful enemies are conspiring to resurrect the vile and powerful Unhallowed that your party has just slain. Now you, the mighty adventurers of the land, must visit these summoning locations and defeat the hordes of creatures behind this evil plot. It falls to four mighty adventurers, each of whom has a unique set of skills, to band together once more to vanquish this evil before the Unhallowed consume the world in darkness.
In Set a Watch, a cooperative game for 1-4 players, you must clear out nine locations to stop the acolytes from breaking the seals holding back the evil Unhallowed. Every round you will visit a new location and pick an adventurer to rest and take camp actions. The rest of the party will take watch and battle a line of monsters trying to make their way into camp using your dice and unique character abilities. Manipulating the creature line is essential to solving each round’s combat puzzle. It is a battle to stay alive and keep the campfire burning! Use your wits and skill to fight for the light…or all will perish in the darkness.
- compact, surprising depth for a tiny package
- solo-friendly cooperative design
- strong thematic resonance in lighting and theater of the camp
- rule terminology could use a second pass (FAQ helpful)
- some players might prefer bigger, more feature-rich co-ops
- cooperative dungeon/monster defense
- fantasy adventurers defending a camp against monsters
- Forbidden Island
- Descent: Journeys in the Dark
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- camp/line-of-encounter structure — rounds progress with camps and line-encounter mechanics
- character powers and damage management — each of six characters has powers and health that can be depleted and recovered
- cooperative play — players work together to seal the camp and manage threats
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the three new solo games that I have played this last period since I have played these since this is coming out somewhat irregularly
- this is a fantastic solo game and the fact that the Box unrolls in order to become the board through which you have the camp and that's your fire
- it's a cooperative game and one of the things that would frustrate me as a higher multiplayer count game is that the solo and the multiplayer are exactly the same— you just divide up the components among other people
- there are a lot of really good games out there with just okay solo modes
- lean into those solo efficiency muscles and feel great about it
References (from this video)
- great depth in character options
- lots of math and optimization without excessive upkeep
- solo mode is particularly well-suited for seeing all options at once
- not a new game for some players; newer to host/guest
- heavy on optimizations that can be intimidating
- tactical survival with stacking math for optimal runs
- fantasy dungeon quest with a deep roster of characters
- eurowork-leaning puzzle with high strategic depth
- One Deck Dungeon
- Imperial Assault (solo rules)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- dice- and math-driven optimization — maximize lines with minimal damage and resource use
- simulated line-management — multi-character optimization with a clear progression path
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's going to be our individual top 10s that may have overlap
- Spirit Island is the best solo game there is
- one class two characters combine it all into one deck
- the solo mode is neat
References (from this video)
- cozy, indoor-friendly theme
- supports solo or cooperative play
- mechanics can be opaque without playtime
- Cooperative fantasy adventures; clock/time awareness
- Fall/well-worn cozy adventuring indoors
- cozy, adventuring, time-centric
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Cooperative adventure — players explore adventures together, mindful of watch/time mechanics
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Essentially Bingo in a box
- it's essentially Bingo
- Baron Park is about bears and guess where bears go soon they hibernate
- Three Ring Circus a games we already know it's excellent
- this whole video series is evolving into chaos
- it's a cozy engine like Tableau Builder it's very good
- everything ever about fall everything ever is a good party game
- you got to remember to set your watch
- it's time for another seasonal recommendation video
- Sonia Blair from Mortal Kombat
References (from this video)
- cozy vibe; adaptable to solo or group play
- description-heavy rules may need guidance
- Group adventuring; time awareness
- Cozy autumn/adventure interior
- tableau-driven, story-forward
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cooperative adventure narrative — players form a party and tackle adventures with time/watch awareness
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Essentially Bingo in a box
- it's essentially Bingo
- Baron Park is about bears and guess where bears go soon they hibernate
- Three Ring Circus a games we already know it's excellent
- this whole video series is evolving into chaos
- it's a cozy engine like Tableau Builder it's very good
- everything ever about fall everything ever is a good party game
- you got to remember to set your watch
- it's time for another seasonal recommendation video
- Sonia Blair from Mortal Kombat
References (from this video)
- Cheap acquisition
- Unknown game quality
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the fastest-growing boardgame community in the world
- I'm a big fan of Kitchen rush
- why isn't this an everybody toy store this should be sold alongside uno
- I think one of the best low-complexity games over the plate
- my favorite board game reviewer is a channel called alas board games
- so bloody good game
- wow this is I should have played at ages ago
- reckoners is really cool game
- this is a fabulous looking game real-time submarine warfare game
References (from this video)
- Great component quality
- Interesting character mechanics
- Good solo gameplay
- Multiple expansions available
- Potentially complex setup
- Games can be long (1-1.5 hours)
- Cooperative adventure with multiple characters
- Fantasy adventure
- Scenario-based exploration
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- character management — Players control multiple characters with unique abilities
- Deck building — Players can construct decks and acquire new cards
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I hope I would like the game
- Components feel and look really really nice
- Looking forward to checking out how it is when you play all of them