My Lost Scout Towers of Far Away: Goo and Other Creature Tales
Set foot on a new planet with a pair of explorers as the local ecosystem takes shape in unexpected ways with Far Away.
For the holidays, I didn’t ask for much, yet guess what was on my list? That’s right: This fairly unknown title about planetary exploration and survival, titled Far Away! A random comment from last year made me look into it, and I was ecstatic about the premise. It promised to have some quirks, yet the possibilities were far more interesting!
Game Overview
Game Name: Far Away
Publication Year: 2020
Designer: Alexander Jerabek
Artist: Jake Breish
Publisher: Cherry Picked Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game (Cooperative)
With a selection of missions to try out, different objectives offer ways to explore planets. There are buildings to construct, while the explorers must manage loneliness and hunger. Most important of all, however, are the unique ways the creatures interact with the world!
First Play
January 28, 2023
Complexity
3
Latest Play
February 25, 2023
Expansions
0
Setup Time
10 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
8
Play Time
2 Hours
High Score
N/A
Game Area
50" x 26"
Low Score
N/A
Creature Setup
Many descriptions will point to this game as one heavy on exploration and mission completion… But I’m going to point out what it’s really about. The E.C.O. System!
This has so many fantastic lengthy descriptions of what simple terms mean, like cardboard, hex, and roleplay. Ha!
During setup, wandering creatures typically populate the map and start to set the foundation for what will happen. This is where the real action and game exists.
So… Are you just roleplaying creature behavior? In some ways, yet there’s much more to this than mere mechanics.
Establishing Buildings
As most seasoned explorers know, making use of the natural environment and resources is typically the best way to survive. Yet building structures can be integral!
Most missions offer special technologies. Basic resource production facilities are readily available, though.
For my introduction to the game, I wasn’t too worried about doing much in terms of construction.
I’ll also point out that injuries, anomalies, and artifacts come from randomized decks. This is definitely more of a roleplaying situation with some fun game elements!
A Tutorial Mission
One feature that might be hidden amidst the gameplay is the writing tone in the rulebooks. There is a rather funny, sarcastic undercurrent that pops up from time to time.
It didn’t detract from learning the rules, and I actually laughed a few times as I flipped over components or read through text-heavy sections. Very unique for a game!
But I still wanted to understand a little bit of what I was doing by diving into the simplest mission out there.
It wasn’t even deadly, as it was just a simulation, or a Low-Investment Training Experience. Ha ha!
Crash Landing
My first order of business was finding the right candidates. Does anyone think I was about to use the standard cardboard tokens? Absolutely not!
Captain Katherine was all prepared with her rabbit ears. And yes… I may have chosen her mainly for her red shirt status as a little joke. Ha ha! Ensign Samuel joined her.
It might have been a simulation, yet it began at the crash site with ruins and plenty of creatures around!
Don’t judge them by their appearances, though… Things are not what they seem on other planets, after all!
Fleeing to the South
Well, maybe I was the only one who figured out how not to panic. My intrepid explorers immediately high-tailed it out of there, looking for a quiet area in the south.
The goal was to construct a scout tower, which took some resources that weren’t available. Yet a plant grove promised some constant collection of plant material.
Note, too, that they would have covered more ground by separating, but loneliness was a major factor.
Starving to death is a real possibility, yet being alone with no contact for too long can also lead to a sudden demise.
Walking Into a Den
One of the big pieces of advice in the rulebook is to never explore with the final action. Well, Ensign Samuel pushed the envelope and paid the price by walking into a den.
This creature turned out to be the only truly aggressive creature in the game… But no injuries were had as he simply ran all over the place to evade the Ursa Stella!
And this is also where I’ll pause to say that I started to play the game wrong from this point forward. Rules mistakes?
Nope. I simply didn’t look at the big picture with all of the creatures. How would this ecosystem actually behave?
Bringing Roleplaying Into a Game World
If I mention that this game offers some roleplaying opportunities, it might sound more like it’s about thinking through the actions of the explorers. After all, they’re technically the central figures who need to complete a specific mission. But guess what? That’s not it! The roleplaying is more of a simulation of the creatures and how they interact.
For that matter, I imagine this isn’t a game for everyone. I found it fascinating to think about how these species might inhabit this small area of the world. Where I went wrong was not fleshing that out beyond the first few rounds. With such a docile population, I started to get overwhelmed with creatures on the hexes. Not realistic, however.
An ecosystem doesn’t get overrun by every species. There should be territory disputes, and the carnivores and omnivores should go after easy prey. There’s a lot more throughout this post that highlights where I sort of went wrong. Yet also look at the memorable rounds and what happened with the creatures and my scout towers. Awesome!
There is a very unique game here, particularly with the variety in the different creatures. Other combinations should act much differently. I imagine that some missions will be exceptionally difficult based on the local wildlife. The fun is in finding out just what might happen, hanging onto those excellent moments, and building a story around the creatures!
Further Into Chaos
Bioplastics were so difficult to come by! And with the way the environment was changing with more exploration, plant material was needed to eat rather than build with.
Still, the pair split up in order to find a suitable site for a scout tower. Captain Katherine had no luck, discovering a nest of rat-like creatures that would keep everyone away.
Ensign Samuel, much better after his run-in with the den, seemed to locate the perfect spot to build in.
After all, this would also add hexes to all adjacent spaces. More chances for additional resources and bonuses!
Disaster… Just, Disaster
I’m fairly certain at this point that the real red shirt in the crew was Samuel, the equivalent of a tiny Wesley. Oh, no!
First, the scout tower looked like it was all set. Perfect! I had a chance to flip over the mission card to see that I needed to create a triangle with these towers. Fine.
But then, the hexes were revealed. See the dens with those slimy, lizard-like creatures? Absolutely genius move.
They were drawn to structures and devoured them with special goo with 4 creatures. Guess who called out their friends and promptly gooed my scout tower down?!
Goo Everywhere
There it was: The end of this scout tower almost right away! Now, I did have the option to try to fight them off and scare them away. However, what did that achieve?
Fighting simply wore out the explorers, leading them to accumulate more hunger. And scaring them off wouldn’t deter them from their main goal right near their dens.
Pause for a moment, though, and just appreciate this absolutely unexpected moment! It was the highlight.
Now, bioplastics were still very rare and I had to start all over in positioning the scout towers. But where?!
Scout Tower Down
Hilariously, the next scout tower ended up revealing another new creature… This seemingly docile snail-like creature. What did it love? Bringing down structures!
The deck of creatures is enormous, and there will always be a mixture of den and wandering beings. My luck was clearly not with me. Down went another scout tower!
This is, however, where I started to go wrong with the ecosystem. Nothing was opposing these small creatures.
Still, it wasn’t a case of not having fun. Where else could I have a comedy of errors in an introductory mission?
Trying to Fix Things
At this point, it was pretty clear that everything had just fallen apart. Katherine and Samuel were in good shape, surprisingly, but they would have to basically start over.
Hidden in some of the ruins was an empathy crystal, which could domesticate a creature. Normally, this requires several buildings to gain the ability. Nice!
Samuel found a neat creature to befriend. Better yet, they became buddies, and all the loneliness disappeared.
Another nice detail: Explorers are roughly a size 2, so this size 4 creature was like a towering behemoth. But friendly!
Ending the Simulation
Just like I alluded to earlier, I ended up pulling the plug on this mission after about 2 hours. Thing started to get repetitive as I simply followed the creature cards.
It was a slightly impossible situation, but I should have moved away from those dens and built scout towers in safe areas. Stop exploring too much. Ha ha!
Technically, 3 scout towers were constructed in a rough triangle shape. Just… The first 2 got eaten. I did it, right?
Despite the slog at the end, I immediately knew that it was me. There should have been more creature interactions!
Session Overview
Play Number: 1
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game (Cooperative)
Play Details: Mission 00
Outcome: Loss
I actually loved this experience! There was a real sense of discovery and danger as the unexpected happened. And had I done a better job with this ecosystem, there were some more interesting things that might have happened. Maybe a migration route opened up, or a passive creature turned aggressive after having its food stolen time and time again. I will definitely try again with these explorers!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
7
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
7
Originality
Design & Theme
6
Quality
Components & Rules
7
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
8
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
10
+ Pros (Positives)
- There is an almost endless variety of creature combinations and possibilities for each world’s ecosystem.
- Although the rules can be a little wordy, there is a rather humorous tone that offers up some funny moments.
- Missions provide different objectives to change what the explorers are trying to accomplish during each play.
- Practically anything is possible with the rather open world system, which allows for interesting sessions.
- Reference cards make it easy to remember most of the key concepts after the first few rounds.
- Win and loss conditions exist, but the real enjoyment comes from the experience of roleplaying the creatures.
– Cons (Negatives)
- With the constant exploration, the amount of required table space can be pretty expansive and ever-changing.
- Roleplaying the creatures to simulate the ecosystem isn’t fully defined in the rules, which may not appeal to all.
- Although there is an included storage tray, it isn’t great for keeping everything organized and in place.
- It can be difficult to see everything that’s on the map with flat counters and text-based cards not on stands.
Victory Conditions
Complete the Mission
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Complete mission 00.
Complete mission 01.
Complete mission 02.
Complete mission 03.
Complete mission 04.
Continue the Conversation
What do think of Far Away? Do you like any other solo games that simulate creatures like this? It’s certainly an interesting game that won’t be for everyone, but the ability to do practically anything makes it a lot of fun. These few comedic moments with the worst scout tower placements will go down in my gaming history! But first… I’ll be back!
That alien of a game piqued my curiosity. I will definitely go and read your other adventures in this world!
Thanks, Brenoit! It’s quite a different sort of experience that I’m thoroughly enjoying. Can’t wait to find out what happens with the next missions and ecosystems!
I played the tutorial and first two missions solo. They were all fun though the last started to drag a little towards the end. As a two player game though I can see that this will shine. Plenty of humour especially if you enjoy things being stacked against you.
Sounds awesome! I’m planning to get as far as I can solo with my explorers… Hopefully, they’ll survive! My husband has expressed an interest in trying it out, and the vintage style makes me wonder if my dad might enjoy it. Both will love the humor and setting. I look forward to seeing what else it has in store: So much to discover and laugh about!