Far Away: Understanding a New, Living Ecosystem
Find a way to survive on a strange planet as the local wildlife and ecosystem come alive in the missions of Far Away.
Time to give the tutorial mission another whirl with Far Away! While my initial impressions were still pretty positive, I felt like things dragged on a little bit… Mostly from my own mistakes, though. My brave explorers had all they needed to try this simulation once again. Success or failure, this would set the stage for missions to brand new worlds!
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)
A pair of explorers must manage loneliness and hunger as they work on mission objectives. Unexpected surprises might pop up, yet the main focus is on the diverse range of creatures that might inhabit an ecosystem. Exploration offers real discoveries… Along with unbelievable dangers!
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
Fun Acronyms
I mentioned the rulebook humor before, yet the acronyms might be where it really stands out! Were these needed? Nope, but this is part of what makes the game unique.
Adding a dose of silliness can be a disaster in many ways. Rulebooks might seem like they’ll be memorable, but making jokes in the middle of procedures is distracting.
However, I welcomed this humor! It was sprinkled between the rules so that it didn’t detract from learning.
Now, I think I want to adopt this proper definition of what roleplay actually means. Makes so much sense! Ha ha!
The Control Group
Most of my issues with the first play came from not giving the creatures realistic behaviors. I merely read the cards and symbols, but didn’t think everything through.
Call me silly, yet I ended up keeping the same den and wandering creatures this time! I really wanted to show what could be done with them, particularly for myself.
If it’s not obvious, the issue is that almost all of these creatures are passive and not exactly dangerous.
Yet I wanted to make sure they acted logically, going outside of just what was written on their cards.
Safe Construction
Captain Katherine and Ensign Samuel were at it again! This time, I had a little more information about where these scout towers needed to be placed.
Extra exploration was ignored, mostly to make sure those dangerous dens didn’t end up all over the place!
A little extra luck dropped resources or natural production areas. With some better planning, the first scout tower took shape in a fully explored, relatively safe spot.
Katherine kept an eye on the nearby ruins for backup resources. Yet they were already in excellent shape!
Minimal Goo Problems
Naturally, it wasn’t as easy to avoid the Vomo Ranae… More commonly called the goo creatures by me. Ha!
This scout tower still ended up within reach of a den. With 4 creatures, they could swarm a structure, cover it in goo, and transform it into a very unpleasant kind of den.
Last time, the explorers abandoned their post and didn’t want to deal with the goo. Ah, not the best decision!
This simulation had a lot of lessons to learn. Instead of running off, Samuel used up a lot of energy to dispatch this lone creature. Not so fun, but much safer!
Is Violence a Required Way to Explore?
Creatures can simply be scared away from important hexes, which will often deter them temporarily. I’m someone who doesn’t enjoy fighting creatures when exploring, but in this case… Not the goo creatures! After my previous experience, destroying the lone creature from a dangerous den seemed like the best action to complete the mission.
However, the game itself doesn’t actively encourage fighting: It only does 1 damage, so larger creatures are difficult to defeat. Additionally, it takes a lot out of an explorer, adding more hunger after expending all that energy. A clever way to keep the option open while not making it an explicit requirement to succeed during most of the missions.
It looks like there are later missions that introduce specialized creatures, and those could be extra dangerous! But still, I like how the game encourages exploration and understanding of the ecosystem instead of outright violence.
Watching Over Needs
In a realistic sense, loneliness and hunger add up during every round. Fighting creatures and some actions can also affect these needs, which must be tended to.
Plant material is the easiest resource to collect most of the time, and satisfies all hunger. It’s fine: I’m sure the Federation Alliance ensured food safety. Probably…
Just as important are social interactions, marked by a loneliness track. Scary, empty planets can be draining!
Explorers often meet up in the same space to thwart this need, while domesticated creatures can also be friends.
Exciting Interactions
A-ha! I went a little outside the box with the ecosystem, yet this was so much more interesting. First, this pair of Matellum Aprum started to get hungry… And hunted.
The gentle giant, shown on the far left, was seriously injured, causing her to initiate stampede mode!
She raced off to the next canyon hex, where that frightening creature is actually an Oasis Ambula, who provides security and protection to other creatures.
He produced extra nectar, which healed those wounds. Now, this wasn’t such an easy prey for the hunters!
Session Overview
Play Number: 2
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game (Cooperative)
Play Details: Mission 00
Outcome: Win
Do you see it? This trio of scout towers completed the required triangle, and the mission was a rousing success! It took much less time than I expected, while offering up a much more interesting ecosystem with the same creatures. These explorers are definitely ready to take on the real missions now… Provided I can keep roleplaying properly. Such a wonderful and different kind of game!
%
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)
- Wonder and discovery feel real with the unexpected creatures that feel very alien-like, but not in a negative way.
- Missions provide definite objectives and goals to guide the explorers as the world around them takes shape.
- Variety seems to be very high with the unique creatures and different kinds of anomalies that can be found.
- Loneliness and hunger are fairly simple needs, but managing them adds the right amount of considerations.
- Even though the design looks dated, it flows well into the overall humorous tone and exploration of the unknown.
- Roleplaying the creatures and ecosystem itself is quite memorable, often creating small stories during a play.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Each ecosystem is very different, which is excellent, yet bringing it to life requires creativity outside the rules.
- The amount of required table space can stretch out indefinitely with the way the exploration area expands.
- There are a lot of components that aren’t necessarily neatly organized, even with the insert for some elements.
- Some rounds can feel a little repetitive when not a lot of creatures are around to provide dangers or interactions.
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 are your thoughts about Far Away? Have you played any other solo space games focused on exploration? I’ll still stick by my original statement that this is a very unique title that won’t be for everyone… But the roleplaying! It was so much fun to see that this assortment of creatures could thrive in a realistic way. Now to see what mission is up next!
Interesting review. This game wasn’t on my radar but I’m intrigued. The game is listed as two player. How have you found the adjustment to solo?
Playing with 2 explorers has been easy! The 2-player mode is designed around not communicating with the other person when you’re not in the same hex. So there’s a slight undercurrent of hidden information, since it’s important to meet up regularly to alleviate loneliness (and also share what your plans are).
I’m just assuming that my explorers must meet up every 2-3 rounds to create short-term plans and assign tasks. So far, it hasn’t taken anything away from the fun of the game! It’s arguably a little easier since you know what you’re doing with both explorers, yet I think it works really well as a solo hybrid between game, roleplaying, and simulation.
Thanks! I’m definitely close to ordering it. I’m a sucker for exploring games.
I should have another report up by early next week. Just settling in to play the very first actual mission, and I forgot that there’s a lot more! 2 additional terrain types and resources, plus contingencies that can affect future missions. Plus, there’s a way to earn money to buy bonuses in between missions. No idea how it will work yet, but I’ll have a much more in-depth writeup of what the full game is all about soon!