Digging Into the First Course with A Feast for Odin
Enter a bustling world of resource production, action optimization, and Viking history in A Feast for Odin.
At last! A Feast for Odin has been near my game table for months. I sorted through the components… Then did very little else. Oddly enough, the box has been prominent because I use it to block out some direct sunlight and overhead lighting glare! Fortunately, I decided its time had come. I set out to learn how to play and dive into my first session!
Game Overview
Game Name: A Feast for Odin
Publication Year: 2016
Designer: Uwe Rosenberg
Artist: Dennis Lohausen
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
What a beautiful solo board game. Not exactly small with this play area, but still iconic and lovely! With so many choices, I was just going to have to try everything out.
The goal is to produce some of the best goods to hide any negative points. It’s a puzzle, and a great one at that!
First Play
April 5, 2020
Complexity
4
Latest Play
July 19, 2020
Expansions
0
Setup Time
10 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
8
Play Time
1 Hour
High Score
113
Game Area
44" x 28"
Low Score
45
The Pre-Setup Phase
Before even learning the rules, it’s an absolute necessity to punch and organize all of the components.
Fortunately, the game includes a pair of containers to keep all of the goods tokens in order. You might see mine above, in an exceptionally organized fashion!
I also included a Darice bead organizer for everything else. Very nice! This also allows me to cut down on extra setup and cleanup steps by keeping things in a central location.
You might wonder why I have some red Vikings mixed in with the black Vikings. Simple: My copy came with extras!
The Importance of a Good Rulebook
With over 20 pages in the rulebook, I was a little overwhelmed before I began. I actually played this once a few years ago, but nothing actually stuck. Well, I think I recognized some of the pieces. Ha! So I set out to read and learn.
As I went through the setup process and descriptions of every element, I was very pleased. Not every game has a coherent rulebook. I’ve been utterly lost in some situations or confused even through many plays. Although I had a lot of information to sift through, it made sense. Examples provided clarity and I didn’t have a single question by the end.
On that note, I have to thank everyone involved in making this rulebook work! Sometimes, I think the language and layout of the rules are overlooked. When they’re executed well, I get a lot more enjoyment out of my first few plays. Flipping around, struggling with ambiguities, or feeling confused is not fun. And I never felt that way. Thank you!
Moose on the Loose
Is this the greatest component in the game? Arguably, yes! Who doesn’t want a cute moose hanging around?!
Granted, this is the first player marker that has no purpose in the solo game. Still, I wasn’t about to leave him in my storage container. That would be mean.
I think I worked out a nice way to use this critter in future plays. Nothing too outrageous, and if all goes well, I’ll cut down on the amount of downtime during play.
It’s nice to have a game with almost no unused nor unnecessary components… A moose is always necessary!
Useful Reminders
With so much to remember, I wondered if I could actually memorize the round sequence. But of course, there was no need for that! This handy reminder says it all.
The details might not be here, yet I was amazed by how simple the round sequence felt. Laid out in this way, I could basically concentrate on step 5 and my actions.
I purposely steered clear of all Uwe Rosenberg for years after someone taught one of his games in a terrible way.
I assumed the rulebooks were convoluted, and the designs poor. Never ruin a board game teaching opportunity!
Charming Artwork
There may not be an enormous amount of artwork present here, yet it’s all done in a lovely style. The color palette is almost relaxing so that action selection isn’t so daunting.
Over the years, I’ve come to appreciate a board game’s unique style. Whether that entails high-quality artwork or a different sort of atmosphere matters not.
“Beauty” can mean a lot of things when it comes to games. Sometimes, it can actually apply to the mechanics!
So onward I went through the actions, trying to produce goods and make my little civilization a worthy one.
A Valiant First Attempt
The best advice I’ve read is to simply play! It’s impossible to see all of the intertwined parts from the very start. Better to experiment and try to improve with time.
My first play went pretty smoothly. I never felt like the rules were too much, and I may have looked up one thing.
At the same time, I definitely didn’t play well! My actions felt sub-optimal, but I had a wonderful time trying to piece them together. In the end, I wasn’t embarrassed. Ha!
There are a ton of options, though. I just went with the flow, although I can see how analysis paralysis is possible.
Setting Small Goals
A board game of this sheer magnitude can be overwhelming, and not just from a rules standpoint. I had dozens of options and paths available to me. So what was the best one? I didn’t look at it from a very general viewpoint. Instead, I decided to make small goals for myself to see how some of the mechanics worked.
My main goal was to breed my cows. That was it! It wasn’t until near the end that I finally acquired a second one. Just before final scoring, a little baby calf entered the world. Success! Well, more like a very small success.
That’s often one of my strategies when it comes to a new board game. I don’t concentrate on winning, because that’s not a realistic expectation early on. It’s about learning and having fun at the same time!
Back to the Beginning
My lackluster initial attempt resulted in 47 points, which was a far cry from a decent solo score. Still, it was a learning experience. I quickly reset and started out again.
On the subject of setup, it isn’t too bad when it comes to resetting for back-to-back plays. It only took a few minutes before I was ready to jump back in!
In the same sense, I felt somewhat lost as to what to do. I tried out new actions, though, which was a good idea!
I picked up new goods, including a few special tiles with all of the extra coins I generated. But what would I score?
Session Overview
Play Number: 1 and 2
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Deck A
Required Play Space: 44″ x 28″
Setup Time: 10 Minutes
Play Time: 50-75 Minutes per Play
Outcome: 47 and 45 (2 Losses)
The moose was not pleased. Even with more diverse sources of victory points, I ended up scoring less. Oh, no! There are a lot of elements to learn, yet I’m excited to see my scores improve with time as I figure it all out!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
7
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
7
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
6
Victory Conditions
Score 80+ Points
- Overall Goal Progress 67%
Goals and Milestones
Score at least 50 points.
Score at least 100 points.
Score at least 120 points.
Continue the Conversation
Have you played A Feast for Odin? What do you think of it? I was reluctant to dig into it at first because all of those components looked like a lot! However, it’s been a very pleasant experience so far. I have a lot of learning ahead, yet I’ll be happy to improve just a little bit. There’s a challenging puzzle here, and I’m having a great time working through it!
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