Into the Solo Side of Fantasy Realms with a Pair of Realms
Combine a variety of elements like artifacts, beasts, lands, outsiders, and even weather to weave a tale in Fantasy Realms.
It’s interesting to consider that some games I consider to be relatively new are already nearly a decade old… Time flies! I only vaguely played Fantasy Realms over the years, but my husband was pretty excited to pick up a copy recently. In a nice discovery, I found an unofficial solo variant that stayed quite close to the multiplayer rules. About time to try this one out!
Game Overview
Game Name: Fantasy Realms
Publication Year: 2017
Designer: Bruce Glassco
Artist: Anthony Cournoyer
Publisher: WizKids
Solo Mode: Unofficial Solo Variant
The cards are all unique and provide all sorts of bonuses and penalties, making it important to create a cohesive group! In this unofficial solo variant, the goal is to create a pair of realms, with the lowest scoring one being the final score. Finding cards that work together is quite a fun experience!
First Play
September 7, 2025
Complexity
2
Latest Play
September 7, 2025
Expansions
1
Setup Time
Almost None
Lifetime Plays
4
Play Time
10 Minutes
High Score
159
Game Area
26" x 18"
Low Score
122
Simple Mechanics
These rules are some of the easiest ones to understand, as the complexity only comes up during final scoring. It’s all about the cards and finding ones that score from each other.
I was surprised by how nicely this worked! The decisions were interesting, especially with how I had to build up a pair of realms without overloading one with the best cards.
Maybe there isn’t anything groundbreaking in many senses, but the gameplay was solid! Quick turns and clever choices.
All of the unique cards helped with the variety, too. Only about half the deck was used during each play. Excellent!
Creating Stories
I added in the expansion cards for even more variety, which means the solo variant uses 8 cards instead of 7 cards. Easy!
Narrating the ongoing story was pretty fun, too. In this case, the Shield of Keth was quickly claimed by a warhorse-riding wizard, who was very well-armed with pointy things.
Inner turmoil ensued with the arrival of an angel and judge, who set a hydra out to chase down the warlock.
He escaped in a war dirigible, clearly so focused on everything that included the word “war” in it! And then the knights set out to chase him down… That’s some realm!
In Another Realm
The dual nature of this solo variant allows for double the stories! But I also enjoyed the strategies: I couldn’t just pick the best cards. Sometimes, I had to split them up a bit.
It also made sense to make sure a major bonus wasn’t scored in some rare instances… Might seem like the opposite of good gameplay, but it was a neat challenge.
This realm was all about the undead from a crypt. That collector? Obviously about 450 years old, revived. Ha!
I enjoyed reading the cards and figuring out how I might move ahead within both realms. Just enough to think about!
The Most Trustworthy
The artwork didn’t strike me as the sort I typically enjoy, but I liked it for what it was. Take these outsiders from the expansion, for instance… That’s one way to start a realm!
Personality came through on a lot of the cards, and it was fun to connect everything together. No worries here: The demon’s penalty was cancelled by a protection artifact.
This isn’t going to hit the top of my list of favorites, yet there is a lot to enjoy here, especially with the dual realms.
Very happy I took a quick look at the forum to find this unofficial solo variant. You never know what you’ll discover!
When Random Searches Lead to Fun Times
Ask me why this game only recently made it into my collection… And it comes down to my husband remembering that it seems like something everyone should own. Oh, and it was on sale with the expansion! I just can’t stop him. Ha ha! But when these unexpected arrivals get unboxed and added to our shelf, they can be forgotten very quickly. Like this one.
We never played it together, yet part of me vaguely remembered seeing an unofficial solo variant for it at one point. A few minutes later after digging through old forum threads, and there it was! At first, I was concerned it might not work for me. Managing a pair of player areas kind of felt uninteresting. Without a strong theme, I figured I would bounce off of it.
Naturally, it worked really well! Not to the extent that I would classify it as one of my favorite solo games, yet it’s something I expect to play again. Even for multiplayer-only games I haven’t spent any time thinking about, it’s often worth a quick search to see if I might find something. Unofficial solo variants can be rather spotty, yet this one is one of the great ones!
Session Overview
Play Number: 1-4
Expansion: Fantasy Realms: The Cursed Horde
Solo Mode: Unofficial Solo Variant
Outcome: 155, 122, 159, 155 (3 Wins & 1 Loss)
My realms turned out to be pretty nice! I had one play where the other realm scored 217 victory points… Alas, I clearly neglected the smaller one that granted my final score. It was a fun time working through the deck and making quick decisions. Too quick? I’ll have to consider balancing the cards better next time! In any event, this one is a solid little game that works quite well solo with thoughtful turns.
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
7
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
9
Originality
Design & Theme
5
Quality
Components & Rules
9
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
9
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
7
+ Pros (Positives)
- Managing a pair of realms is a fun challenge that doesn’t require too much mental overhead and uses the same rules.
- All of the cards are unique with their own artwork and abilities, which leads to a ton of possible variations.
- Not all of the bonuses work well together and the required thinking from round to round is a fun experience.
- Play time moves very quickly with an initial hand of cards and a few new ones drawn to provide just enough choices.
- Each realm feels like it has its own little story to tell with the selection of cards, and even the order they’re played in.
- Gameplay is quick and lightweight without much tension, making it easy to play even with limited time or energy.
– Cons (Negatives)
- There are tons of card interactions to keep track of, which can distract from some choices as keywords are matched.
- Although the artwork is great, the theme is a bit on the generic side and doesn’t help the game stand out.
- Suits are in large print and can be found, but having them vertically along the left edge takes a little getting used to.
- Final scoring is the only time victory points are calculated, so some bonuses or penalties may be somewhat hidden.
Victory Conditions
Score 150+ Points
- Overall Goal Progress 50%
Goals and Milestones
Score at least 150 points.
Score at least 160 points.
Continue the Conversation
What do you like the most about Fantasy Realms? Are there any other great unofficial solo variants you’ve stumbled across recently? Creating a pair of realms worked really nicely, and I had a lovely time coming up with quick stories for a handful of cards! This was a nice surprise to breath some more life into a slightly older game. But I am no necromancer… Ha ha!
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