Into the Darkness with Usurper and Character Silhouettes
Recruit members of factions to create a group of powerful individuals with special abilities in Usurper: A Game of Dark Factions.
There are some games that randomly show up in my collection… Often due to unexpected purchases by my husband! One such title was Usurper: A Game of Dark Factions, which we enjoyed multiplayer. When I learned about an official solo mode, I figured I would give it a try since I already liked the game! Back to the table again with a new game!
Game Overview
Game Name: Usurper: A Game of Dark Factions
Publication Year: 2021
Designers: Jesse Meunier and Nathan Meunier
Artist: Nathan Meunier
Publisher: Immolation Rite
Solo Mode: Official Solo Variant (PDF Download)
The goal is to score the most victory points against a solo opponent whose goals and extra bonuses aren’t known until the very end. A 3×3 grid of cards often provides special effects for specific arrangements of the different factions. All within a very distinct artistic style!
First Play
November 21, 2021
Complexity
2
Latest Play
November 21, 2021
Expansions
0
Setup Time
Almost None
Lifetime Plays
2
Play Time
10 Minutes
High Score
70
Game Area
24" x 24"
Low Score
51
Managing Goals
Each play involves a single, random goal to provide an additional way to earn victory points. It often helps decide which cards to choose, although it’s not the only element!
The art style is amazing and very unique. It’s almost all done as silhouettes, and each card has such personality!
I was a little unsure about the solo opponent as I began, mostly because its cards were entirely random. There was no way for me to control which cards it picked up. Hmm…
So my overall goal, outside of the cards, was to simply score as many victory points as possible. To the draft!
Successful Matches
During my first play, I had an incentive to pick up blue and yellow faction cards. For each pair, I earned 4 victory points. Not too bad for 16 victory points right there!
Yet the solo mode felt like a far cry from the 2-player game I loved. I had no control over what went into the solo opponent’s grid: It was just a blind draw each turn.
My own grid was constructed at the end so I could choose the best placements, and the instant effects felt a bit odd.
I still loved the artwork, yet it all seemed very hollow. And at 10 minutes per play, it overstayed its welcome.
Against the Darkness
The solo opponent’s grid was mostly random, while I didn’t know what the goal cards would be until the final scoring phase. It felt rather arbitrary and unnecessary.
In a way, this felt like it should have been a beat-your-own-score model with scoring tiers. Having these extra steps and another part of scoring felt superfluous.
Even my husband chimed in with some solo ideas! A round consists of choosing 1 card and discarding 2 other cards.
If those cards became the pool for the solo opponent to draw from, there would at least be some sort of strategy.
Excellent Silhouettes
I tried again, trying to appreciate the elements I enjoyed. The artwork is entirely unique and each character could be just about anyone! All of the abilities are neat, too.
There are a lot of considerations about card placements and special bonuses, particularly in the 2-player game.
Here, I didn’t feel like there was the sort of interaction that would make a solo opponent worthwhile. My only strategy was to optimize my grid and hope for the best.
Interestingly, I didn’t pull off a victory! Yet it felt like that was due to luck and the hidden goal cards. Not so fun.
Session Overview
Play Number: 1 and 2
Solo Mode: Official Solo Variant (PDF Download)
Play Details: Standard Difficulty Level
Outcome: 70-80 and 51-58 (2 Losses)
Even flipping a card didn’t do enough, thanks to the solo opponent’s extra bonuses. Let me reiterate that my husband and I love the 2-player game! After that, the solo experience just feels hollow and… Unnecessary? I may try out the ideas from my husband so that there’s a little more going on in solo besides trying to beat a very random victory threshold. At least it works nicely multiplayer!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
7
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
6
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
6
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
3
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
4
+ Pros (Positives)
- Every card features unique artwork in a silhouette style where darker areas provide an interesting focal point.
- There are all sorts of card combinations to discover with the different abilities and faction icons.
- Placing cards in a grid creates restrictions for some cards, thereby adding to the challenge of optimization.
- With a fairly small deck of cards, all sorts of scoring opportunities can be found with some clever abilities.
- Planning which cards to use and in what order for the solo game is a lot more interesting than it may seem.
- The play area is generally compact and doesn’t spread out since the grid is always 3×3 cards in size.
– Cons (Negatives)
- With black edges and a somewhat disappointing quality, the cards show wear after a single play and feel flimsy.
- After opening the tuck box, the cards barely fit inside and the rules must be stored separately since it’s too small.
- There is no strategy to the solo opponent since it draws cards randomly and sets up an arbitrary opposing score.
- Despite the solo game being difficult to win, the challenge feels entirely luck-based rather than skill-based.
Victory Conditions
Score the Most Points
- Overall Goal Progress 33%
Goals and Milestones
Score at least 70 points.
Score at least 80 points.
Win at least 1 game at the standard difficulty level.
Continue the Conversation
Have you played Usurper: A Game of Dark Factions? I highly recommend it as a 2-player experience, and the lackluster experience with the solo mode hasn’t spoiled it for me! What do you think of the artwork and design? Perhaps I’ll give it another whirl with our own solo variant someday, but there are so many other games to keep playing and enjoying!
0 Comments