For Northwood! Forest Conversations of Comedy
Bid farewell to summer with a comedy tour across the forest and a shopping excursion with the animals of For Northwood!
I’ve been doing my best to follow along with the community playthrough of the campaign in For Northwood! A Solo Trick-Taking Game. Yet I fell behind slightly, only to realize it turned into a nice seasonal transition. Maybe I was also enamored with the scenarios… An animal comedy tour?! Shopping?! This is such a lovely and pleasant game!
Game Overview
Game Name: For Northwood! A Solo Trick-Taking Game
Publication Year: 2021
Designer: Wilhelm Su
Artist: Wilhelm Su
Publisher: Side Room Games
Solo Mode: Designed for Solo (Included in the Base Game)
With 8 fiefs in play, animal leaders provide their preferred suits and special abilities. Setup can simply randomize everything, but the included campaign is a wonderful way to introduce more complex rules. The theme is relaxing, and the animals are always happy to welcome new friends!
First Play
April 28, 2023
Complexity
2
Latest Play
September 21, 2024
Expansions
0
Setup Time
Almost None
Lifetime Plays
34
Play Time
20 Minutes
High Score
20
Game Area
24" x 18"
Low Score
3
Making All the Jokes
I haven’t gone ahead to read through all of the scenarios, yet everything I’ve seen shows how full of personality this campaign is. Each challenge offers something new!
Going on a comedy tour was not what I expected, and I had a few more laughs thinking about how these tricks were tied to jokes. Look at that parrot’s funny expression!
Replacing some of the usual abilities made me think through the order of my visits even more than usual.
Not surprisingly, my comedy was at its lowest with plenty of groans from the leaders. But I was funny! I knew I was!
The Perfect Joke
A-ha! After a poor initial outing, I paid more attention to how I might plan ahead to use different leader abilities.
It was made even more difficult with the challenge rule of not allowing any ally substitution. Parrot, sheep, and chameleon stepped up to the microphone to show off!
This perfect score was not at all easy to achieve, and this is a game where it isn’t possible to predict every round.
Yet with some carefully timed jokes and a final visit to amaze the turtle with some slow-paced laughter, the end of summer was a happy and silly time for the forest!
Onto a Shopping Spree
Similar to the way time marches on in real life, I paused for no one as I moved into the next season. And it began with another unexpected scenario… Shopping!
This was a fair step up in terms of complexity, and I found myself needing to carefully think through every decision.
It was a little more than I was used to, and I managed to completely embarrass my allies! My lowest score ever probably correlated with broken shopping bags. Ha!
Yet this is still a very delightful little puzzle that called me back to it. Just… With better shopping. And no jokes.
Getting Carried Away
My plans went reasonably well after a most embarrassing outing… Let’s just say out of a possible score of 20, I ended up with victory points equal to this top card. Oh, no!
Sometimes, it was impossible to avoid picking up more tricks than I wanted to. Seemed like a likely excuse for going overboard with shopping, so it wasn’t too bad.
Yet this was certainly not a challenge I could overcome! It shall remain one that I’ll need to return to again.
The campaign continues to bring me lots of joy, and I can’t wait to see what the next scenarios will feature!
Sticking with Continuous Campaign Play
I am probably one of the worst when it comes to consistent campaign play… If I can’t complete it in a fairly short period of time and have to clean everything up, that’s often the end of my campaign! There are a few I hope to return to someday, and that’s not a problem. This is why I hesitate to jump into anything new at the moment, though.
This one is a little different since it’s more about playing a new scenario every now and then. Nothing is connected, and there aren’t any elements that need to be saved between plays. I appreciate that! Technically, I still failed to play in the allotted time, yet this is a game that’s very forgiving. And I don’t think the community playthrough is after me yet. Ha!
If you’re struggling to keep up with a campaign game, know that you can do so in your own time. Sometimes, timed challenges can be great motivators, or they may feel a little stressful. Do what makes sense to ensure you’re having fun with this hobby! Games are excellent, especially since they’re there when we need them. No pressure!
Session Overview
Play Number: 29-34
Solo Mode: Designed for Solo (Included in the Base Game)
Play Details: Summer 4 & Fall 1 Challenges
Outcome: 13, 20, 3, 13, 11, 15 (1 Win & 5 Losses)
From amazing to embarrassing, I had the whole spectrum covered in my scores! At least the animals were all very friendly, even when I barely brought the easiest fiefs to my side. The added complexity of the scenarios was quite fun, despite my dismal performance! Autumn might be off to a slightly rough start, but that’s what happens when you mix comedy and shopping. You shop ’til you mic drop. Ha!
%
30 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
10
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
10
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
8
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
7
+ Pros (Positives)
- All of the artwork is adorable and friendly, with lots of bright colors to create a peaceful sort of play space.
- The campaign is wonderful to play through with new surprises during each scenario and new rules to learn.
- Although there is a bit of luck, the strategic depth is amazing with lots of nuances to figure out over time.
- Gameplay is easy to learn and moves quickly, allowing the focus to be on planning rather than rules questions.
- Everything fits inside the tiny box so that it’s easy to travel with or store in a small space between plays.
- Talking to animal leaders and visiting for fun conversations are extremely pleasant themes to enjoy anytime.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Bad luck is impossible to avoid, and even the best-laid plans can be spoiled by the wrong card showing up.
- The campaign challenges can add extra complexity that makes gameplay a little less breezy, though this is minor.
- Although the play space is compact, it takes up a slightly larger area than might be expected from the box size.
- It can be easy to forget about the ability to substitute allies, and this can be greatly affected by the challenge.
Victory Conditions
Score 20 Points
- Overall Goal Progress 57%
Goals and Milestones
Score 20 points with the introductory game.
Score 20 points with the full game.
Score 20 points in the Summer 1 Challenge.
Score 20 points in the Summer 4 Challenge.
Score 20 points in the Summer 2 Challenge.
Score 20 points in the Summer 3 Challenge.
Score 20 points in the Fall 1 Challenge.
Continue the Conversation
How far have you made it in the campaign included with For Northwood! A Solo Trick-Taking Game? Are there any plays that stand out for you? I can’t wait to keep playing to find out what these scenarios will entail! So many cute moments and laughs, even when I’m doing poorly and making the worst jokes. Ha! Always a fun time with this one!
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