Based upon the stories by Robert E. Howard (creator of Conan), Solomon Kane is a narrative adventure board game featuring exceptional 35mm miniatures. It is a highly innovative co-operative game of storytelling, resource management, and tactical miniatures play. Players take the part of the invisible powers of good and light who aid Solomon Kane in his quest to overcome the forces of Darkness. Each player is one of the four Cardinal Virtues: Courage, Prudence, Temperance, and Justice, each with special powers that reflect their unique role.
Drawing upon Howard’s famous tales of the Puritan avenger, the core box allows players to tell their own versions of the Rattle of Bones, Skulls in the Stars, and Blue Flame of Vengeance. Expansions recreate Howard’s other Solomon Kane stories, as well as adding original adventures for the hero, created especially for the game.
In Solomon Kane, each of Howard’s tales is told as one or more Acts, with each Act comprising a full game session. Shorter stories like Rattle of Bones can be completed in a single session, whilst longer tales will take multiple sessions to play through.
An Act is broken down into 8-10 Chapters, and each Chapter has multiple possible outcomes depending upon the actions of the players. Some Chapters offer story choices, whereas others see the action play out on the game board as the players work together to aid Solomon Kane in his quest.
Using custom card decks and dice, each Virtue can control Solomon Kane or his allies, moving them around the board, fighting enemies, exploring locations, and interrogating suspects for information. If the odds get too stacked against Solomon Kane, the Virtues can even manifest directly to intervene on the board.
Opposing Solomon Kane and the players is the Darkness. This twisted reflection of the Virtues is controlled by an AI deck which determines the actions of enemy miniatures, thwarts the player’s best plans, and competes with them to drive the story in an evil and unholy direction.
The world of Solomon Kane is brought to life through the stunning artistic vision of Guillem H. Pongiluppi and game designer Jake Thornton, whose ‘puppet master’ game mechanics break new ground in co-operative gameplay. With multiple versions of every single Chapter, Solomon Kane is able to combine immersive storytelling with abundant replayability for a truly unique gameplay experience.
Who is Solomon Kane?
Solomon Kane is a dour English Puritan and redresser of wrongs. He roams the world, fighting against the ungodly and evil works of men and foul magic alike. He follows no master save his conscience, though that alone drives him to the ends of the Earth to fulfil his quest.
All his life he has travelled, aiding the weak and fighting oppression. From the bleak moors of England, through the damp forests of Germany, to the sweltering jungles and savannahs of Africa – even to the shores of the distant New World of America. He neither knows nor questions why is driven to do this. It simply must be done.
To Solomon Kane he is the fulfiller of God’s judgment; a vessel of wrath to be emptied onto the souls of the unrighteous. To his enemies he is an implacable fury, armed with flintlock and rapier, and armoured in unshakeable faith. The knowledge of the rightness of his cause makes him unstoppable, and gives him the ability to overcome any fiend or demon.
- co-op storytelling
- rich miniatures and theme
- long campaign with multiple adventures
- not mentioned in video
- virtue vs. implacable darkness, heroic fantasy
- 16th century crusade of Solomon Kane
- campaign-driven, adventure-based storytelling
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- campaign_adventure — three complete adventures across sixteen chapters
- cooperative_gameplay — players cooperate to overcome a formidable foe
- resource_management — manage virtues/resources to progress
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's so gorgeous
- it's a zen-like euro game
- it's a truly beautiful tile placement game
- easy to learn
- fast to set up
- takes 30 to 45 minutes to play
- Solomon Kane is a game for wonderful players taking place in the 16th century where you play at virtue guiding Solomon Kane during his lone crusade against the implacable darkness
- the Darkness is the fearless opponent who tries to thwart the hero
- multiplayer card game about sacrifice betrayal and hoarding
- Escape at their Castle is a simple fantasy adventure game with a focus on atmosphere, storytelling and player cooperation
- you have another chance to get the original game and the old expansion
- thank you for watching
References (from this video)
- multi-campaign structure offers variety
- character ability integration across sessions
- complex rule set and memory-heavy
- Heroic campaigns with multiple campaigns and branching arcs
- Dark fantasy adventure with mythic tones
- Story-driven with campaign progression
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Campaign-based progression — Different campaigns with varying outcomes
- One-person control with team support — Aspects of the lead character controlled by players
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Sleeping Gods is so good it's so good
- it's like playing a Choose Your Own Adventure storybook
- The Minis on this are huge
- this box is so much heavier than I thought it was
- it's the slowest game ever
- it's a worldwide contest
- have fun keep gaming be social
References (from this video)
- Innovative cooperative mechanic where the table controls Kane's virtues
- Campaign-driven with modular acts and storybooks
- High-quality minis with diverse and striking character designs
- Excellent production value and organized box inserts
- Strong thematic fit with Victorian occult mood and gothic visuals
- Rulebook is very long (about 55 pages) and can be intimidating for new players
- Some art styles (early renders) can look low-res or cheesy to certain players
- Unclear what content is core vs expansions, which can be confusing during purchase and setup
- Large number of components may make setup and storage challenging; potential tipping risk with heavy boxes
- Virtue-driven heroism; Courage, Justice, Prudence, Temperance; cooperative exploration with a supernatural motif
- Dark fantasy, occult horror with Victorian-era aesthetics and demon-threats in a campaign setting
- Campaign-based, story-driven with episodic chapters and acts
- Gloomhaven
- Dominion
- Bloodborne: The Board Game
- Batman: The Board Game
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Campaign/storybook structure — Storybooks guide progression through chapters and acts, driving the campaign forward
- Dice-driven action economy — Roll dice to trigger abilities; leftover dice can be shared with other players or saved for yourself
- On- and off-board minis — Aspects or parts of Kane can emerge as minis on the board, with different effects when on or off the board
- One hero with multiple active Virtues — All players control a different virtue/aspect of Solomon Kane, which can be brought into play for bonuses
- Resource management of dice and relics — Dice are used to upgrade abilities; dice can be sacrificed or allocated to various effects; artifacts influence play
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the game mechanic the premise what this is selling me as far as game mechanics
- there's like yahtzee mechanic where you like you roll dice and then you match the dice on your board to make solomon do things
- i'm digging the artwork
- these minis are fabulous
- i'm really looking forward to this i love the concept of the mechanics of this game
- it's heavy it's heavy it's like gloomhaven heavy
- i'm sold on that but as far as game mechanics
References (from this video)
- high quality, highly detailed minis with varied sculpts
- strong artwork and thematic presentation
- engaging campaign structure with meaningful choices and consequences
- rulebook has encountered errors and required errata
- significant component load and potentially long play sessions
- storage and organization can be challenging due to the volume of books and tiles
- collaborative adventuring with a modular, story-driven campaign
- pulp-era jungle expeditions with supernatural and occult elements
- campaign-based, book-by-book storytelling with varying chapters
- Bloodborne (board game)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- aspects of Solomon Kane — players control different personality aspects (e.g., bravery, honor) to influence actions
- Cooperative campaign structure — players work together across multiple books/chapters with branching storylines
- discovery and encounter cards — cards drive events, threats, and story beats during play
- miniatures-based combat — combat with detailed minis and thematic, cinematic presentation
- tile-based exploration — map exploration using tiles that shape encounters and progression
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I like the artwork on these
- this is a thick one
- I would not get the neoprene mat again
- it's a heavy freaking book
- the game is great minis, great detailing
References (from this video)
- strong thematic unity
- gorgeous minis and production
- clever integration of story with mechanics
- can be heavy and rules-dense
- solo mode less appealing for some players
- guardian/arbiter guiding Kane toward virtue
- dark fantasy world inspired by Solomon Kane
- story-driven, branching chapters
- Descent: Journeys in the Dark
- Gloomhaven
- Dune: House Secrets
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- chapter-to-chapter progression — the story progresses and impacts future setups
- Dice-driven actions — roll three dice to activate cards or spirits on your board
- guardian/arbiter role — players influence Kane’s actions as a guiding force
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's so simple to play where you are literally you've got a spread of five tiles at your disposal
- the board looks absolutely fantastic and you are trying to do lots of different things
- this is the living game where the next setup is based on how you played the prior game
- the engine-building in Deus is really tight and rewarding
- the app integration in Chronicles of Crime adds ongoing content and keeps the game fresh
- Deep Sea Adventure is charming and tense with the oxygen mechanic