Voidfall: Flying Into Space with the Tutorial Scenario
Expand across the galaxy as one of the Great Houses in a fight against the corruption of the dangerous Voidborn in Voidfall.
Heavier solo games often take a little time for me to work up to even getting them to the table, but with my recent string of great experiences and renewed love of the hobby, it was time for Voidfall! This sprawling space adventure is about managing a Great House in the fight against corruption from an interdimensional force and its rifts. At last, to the stars!
Game Overview
Game Name: Voidfall
Publication Year: 2023
Designers: Nigel Buckle & Dávid Turczi
Artist: Ian O’Toole
Publisher: Mindclash Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Grand moves exist in a trio of cycles, spanning many decades of in-game time. There are a plethora of actions to choose from each turn, with an emphasis on optimizing the short time to fight back the Voidborn. With nearly endless variety, the adventures offer strategic, calculated excellence!
First Play
July 17, 2026
Complexity
4
Latest Play
July 18, 2026
Expansions
1
Setup Time
40 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
2
Play Time
2 Hours & 30 Minutes
High Score
150
Game Area
62" x 34"
Low Score
149
Preparing to Play
My biggest point of hesitation was in the sheer amount of components. It wasn’t just learning to play, but actually setting everything up. Look at this small part of the area!
I wasn’t put off by the enormous, sprawling nature of the tutorial scenario, though. The amount of table space was already known, and there would be more to come.
A lot of this turned out to be areas to store components I needed to add during play, like miniatures and tokens.
Although I wasn’t a big fan of some features of the storage solution, I ended up with a relatively organized play area.
Lots and Lots to Read
This is a game that requires a time investment to learn how to play, even before diving in. It was a little much, but I will say that it all made sense. This eased me into the system.
The rulebook provided me with the basics, while the compendium moved into the setup steps and tutorial.
I could ignore the glossary, although I appreciated how it offered a written account of practically every card. This was a great way to test out if I understood the iconography!
Overall, this all worked as intended. I could slowly start moving into the tutorial with a more limited set of rules.
To the Edges of Space
At a quick glance, the solo tutorial featured a smaller map, but I appreciated it! This was already a lot of information for me to internalize. See if you can spot my one mistake…
My fleet was temporarily marked with Voidborn cubes just before I began. “How will I know which miniatures are mine?!” Well, that was an easily corrected error, thankfully!
I know this one can be rather abstract with lots of icons, yet I took the time to read all of the lore to enjoy the setting.
Perhaps it’s not exactly a highly narrative solo game, but I was excited to see how the theme might come through.
Above the Clouds
Hello, brand new Calico Critter! I’m convinced they haven’t discovered anything more than telescopes and star constellations. So a space-themed visitor seemed unlikely…
Yet this gift arrived recently and made my day! This is what I imagined my fleet looked like. Why not? Ha ha! You need every trick to fight back the Voidborn for a chance to win!
Before I started to play, I felt kind of exhausted. There was a lot of reading, setting up, reorganizing, and preparing.
I stuck it out, though! Understanding the requirements and expectations of the game helped me a lot. Time to begin!
Learning About the Process of… Learning!
Up until now, most of the new solo games I bring to my table involve a connected process of learning while I set everything up. I play almost immediately, unless it’s a little late and I want to start my day with a new game. In this case, I spent a few days fully understanding how to play through the cycles… And that didn’t even include another portion for the solo mode!
I’m someone who learns best when reading, so while I appreciate the other avenues that are out there, I took my time poring through the rulebook, compendium, and glossary. So much information! I got a little lost with just a couple of concepts. My mistakes during this tutorial weren’t terrible, but I was happier that I found them and corrected myself.
Perhaps the lesson for myself is that a heavy game is supposed to be that, and I don’t have to expect myself to learn the rules as quickly as possible to play that day. It’s OK to read rulebooks while playing some lighter options. There’s a whole sequence of preparing to play. This might encourage me to do some more rulebook reading in my spare time.
From the Ashes
The first cycle was all about building up my Great House, which was the one of Dunlork. In the tutorial, this is quite limited, but again, it made sense to introduce the game.
Rather than having all of my focus cards to think about, I had a small subset that gave me a chance to interact with a lot of the game elements. Guilds and installations arose!
Silly me forgot to adjust my production with new guilds and changes to population dice, but I fixed this mistake.
This was a pretty nice way to ease into the game. When it was done, I had more rules to read before the next cycle!
Through a Cycle
This was where things started to get interesting! I had more focus cards to consider using. The things I wanted to do had costs, which meant I had to consider the order of resolution.
One other error I made wasn’t too important to the tutorial, but I’m glad I figured it out! I was playing all of my focus cards, skipping the clean up step until the very end.
In reality, the clean up step happens after playing each card. It has little effect in the tutorial, yet I was glad I spotted it.
Technologies started to add abilities, and the Dunlorks began to fight the Voidborn. Look at those pure sectors!
Civilization Tracks
By the end, I felt like I didn’t advance along the tracks as much as I wanted to. Yet I had to remember how the tutorial features less turns and choices. I did the best I could!
It was an intricate puzzle where I could do anything. I enjoyed the freedom, although it was a little scary at times!
A focus card features 3 actions, and only 2 actions can be performed. But there are agenda actions and trade tokens…
There is a lot going on, and I think this is a game that only shines when one’s mind is completely in it. Not that I was an expert by any stretch of the imagination, though. Ha ha!
Redemption Awaits
As I closed out the third cycle, I was surprised by how much time passed without me really noticing it. That moved quickly in my mind, and I never felt bored during any step.
I nearly wiped the Voidborn off the map, leaving a single sector under its control. Better yet, I ended up well above the victory threshold. The House of Dunlork prevailed!
This was the tutorial, though, and I imagine it’s not meant to be difficult to win. Because I had more rules to read…
Indeed, none of the core solo mode rules were used, so I settled in to prepare for my first full solo game. Exciting!
Session Overview
Play Number: 1
Accessory 1: Voidfall: Enamel Painted Metal Structures
Accessory 2: Voidfall: Miniature Pack
Accessory 3: Voidfall: Triple-Layered House Boards
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Tutorial Scenario
Outcome: 150 (Win)
Picking up agendas that worked well together was a strategic layer I didn’t do too well at, but I was clearly on the sustainability path. Ha! This offered a great introduction to the game’s mechanics and systems. Can’t wait to play again!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
7
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
7
Originality
Design & Theme
6
Quality
Components & Rules
8
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
8
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
10
+ Pros (Positives)
- All of the components are excellent with quality materials and a striking sort of appearance that feels quite thematic.
- Despite the lengthy rules and setup, the tutorial does a great job of slowly introducing the core concepts.
- There are a lot of options, which can be overwhelming, yet figuring out the best order of the actions is satisfying.
- Time flies while playing with all of the constant action and way the sequence of play is clearly laid out on the boards.
- Even with many defined elements in the tutorial, it’s neat to see just how much variety is possible during each play.
- Gameplay is very focused on icons and abstract concepts, yet the lore is interesting and helps bring the cycles to life.
– Cons (Negatives)
- The storage solution can make finding components, particularly technology cards, frustratingly hard for setup.
- Lots of reading is required to understand how to play, and referencing the rulebook during play is often required.
- With so many different components, the amount of required table space is quite enormous with a sprawling effect.
- Working out how everything interacts can be a challenge, even during the tutorial, although the rules are helpful.
Victory Conditions
Score the Most Points
- Overall Goal Progress 13%
Goals and Milestones
Win the Tutorial scenario.
Win at least 1 game as each house. (1/14)
Win the First Stand scenario at the easy difficulty level.
Continue the Conversation
Have you enjoyed playing the solo mode for Voidfall? Do you have a favorite Great House or scenario? This tutorial was just the beginning, and although I won, I imagine the full game will be a lot more challenging. Getting through the rules and lengthy setup took me a few days, yet as with many heavy games, the experience is often well worth the invested time!
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