Lockup: A Roll Player Tale of the Wisest Insectoids, Bar None
Manage an imprisoned crew to craft items and outwit the corrupt guards that patrol the halls of Lockup: A Roll Player Tale.
It’s been roughly half a decade since I last explored Kulbak Prison, the setting of Lockup: A Roll Player Tale. Seems like I kept this game locked up for far too long! Just returning to the board artwork was fun, as this features a challenging puzzle that isn’t obvious at first. Managing resources, taking risks, and making deductions are all part of the routine here!
Game Overview
Game Name: Lockup: A Roll Player Tale
Publication Year: 2019
Designer: Stan Kordonskiy
Artists: JJ Ariosa & Lucas Ribeiro
Publisher: Thunderworks Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Over 6 rounds, a crew faces off against automaton guards. Strength determines who earns the rewards at a variety of locations. Resources, goons, and items all act as important pieces of the puzzle! Suspicion is also a central aspect to manage, as victory is a dubious and risky undertaking.
First Play
September 7, 2020
Complexity
3
Latest Play
August 29, 2025
Expansions
2
Setup Time
10 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
10
Play Time
40 Minutes
High Score
110
Game Area
30" x 24"
Low Score
61
Locked Up in Shadow
Some late afternoon sun streamed in across the shades in a very striking pattern… And I couldn’t resist the opportunity!
Now, playing a game all about a crew locked up in prison might seem a little unusual. However, note that there is no violence and this is very much about crafting and collecting.
The crews have a short backstory that explains what they did during the war to warrant being locked up in Kulbak.
The solo opponent is a group of corrupt automaton guards. Difficulty levels offer increasing challenges, as this is not a game with a simple set of mechanics to just relax with!
The Insectoid Crew
My random crew turned out to be the insectoids. Such great and unique portraits for everyone! Strength is vital to earning rewards at different locations around the board.
I chose to use the advanced setup, which introduces trait cards for more asymmetry and flavor. Much more enjoyable!
Note, too, that I purchased the upgraded components awhile ago and got to play with them for the first time. Excellent! The cardboard tokens are nice, but these are amazing.
The rules didn’t come back to me that quickly, and I had a few issues with the rulebook layout as I tried to re-learn it.
Managing the Guards
Fortunately, the solo mode is pretty straightforward! The guard cards are placed face-down on 7 locations at the start of a round, then can be slowly revealed to get information.
Location cards add more guards, so it comes down to figuring out when to place the crew… And what strength to commit at the various locations. Very, very important!
Since multiple crew tokens may be placed at each location, it also boils down to figuring out how many risks to take.
Splitting up the crew means more guards, which might mean rewards will be lost in areas. Lots to think about!
Amazing Feats
It took me several plays to even come close to winning! The concepts aren’t difficult, but seeing how everything interacts during a round takes a little bit of experience.
Recruiting goons and crafting items are the major ways to earn victory points, but sometimes, the obvious path isn’t the optimal one. Blocking the guards is also important!
This victory was made possible with lots of power and a few hobgoblins. 18 victory points right there, thank you kindly!
I enjoyed getting into the artwork, too, as it’s set at an angle and features a lot of little details when you look closely.
Sentenced to Life on the Shelf
Since it was almost exactly 5 years ago that I last played, it got me thinking about how long some of my games sit around, waiting to be played. Yet that’s kind of a nice thing, in that board games are very patient! The only real pressure to play sometimes comes from the hype of a new release. Otherwise, it’s up to me to build up the excitement for each game.
I don’t exactly like to say that I don’t play all of my games regularly, but that means I have all sorts of fun experiences to discover down the line. There are terms like “shelf of shame” or “shelf of opportunity” to label the games that have yet to be played. I don’t put them into either of these groups. Neither is there shame, nor a specific opportunity to play.
Rather, I get to my games whenever I get to them. Sometimes, that means I admire a box for half a decade. Ha ha! Yet it’s that idea of not having any pressure that makes the hobby more fun for me. The statistics and details are neat, yet at its core, my collection is there for comfort and joy in various ways. If that means a long wait before I play, so be it!
My Least Favorite Spot
Perhaps there was a single element that threw me off for a bit, and that was at the cell block location. This is where items are crafted or reserved. No issues with those icons!
However, on this 1-2 player side of the board, every other location has 1 row for a single reward, or 2 rows if both players would earn something. So guess what I did?
Yeah… I only allowed the crew with the highest strength to interact with the items. No wonder the guards had nothing!
But that was still during the plays when I lost, so it was fine. Still, a bit of confusion on the 1-2 player side of the board.
So Many Dwarves!
It was neat to see the subtle ways to adjust strategies, especially since each play offered a different assortment of choices. Here, it was all about recruiting the dwarf goons.
Crafting items took a little bit of a backseat as I got my bearings with the way everything interacted. Even then, collecting resources sometimes happened indirectly.
For instance, the upper left of each dwarf card shows the immediate reward… And those helped out so much!
Too much suspicion was not at all helpful when it came to the raids, yet I often tossed the blame on the guards!
Session Overview
Play Number: 5-8
Expansion: Lockup: Kulback Pack
Accessory: Lockup: Acrylic Tiles
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Moderate Difficulty Level
Outcome: 88-120, 92-106, 110-78, 100-71 (2 Wins & 2 Losses)
It took me a few plays, but then I picked up on the strategies! The guards were outwitted time and time again, and I even stopped them from recruiting any goons. Nice! Up next is a larger expansion that adds a lot more… Time to find out what lies beneath Kulbak Prison in the catacombs!
%
10 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
9
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
9
Originality
Design & Theme
10
Quality
Components & Rules
8
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
7
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
7
+ Pros (Positives)
- All of the artwork is very bright and colorful, particularly the board with its many details and unique perspective.
- The difficulty level is easy to adjust during setup, and the solo opponent can be quite formidable from the start.
- After a few plays, the sequence of play is straightforward and easy to remember so the focus shifts to better decisions.
- Not a huge amount of variety is present, yet this makes the unique options and combinations stand out even more.
- Each crew has a little backstory and feels unique with different members and what their roles seem to be.
- Managing the solo opponent doesn’t take much time, and flipping cards can be quite exciting with a little bit of luck.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Gameplay can feel like it goes on a little bit too long with the 6 rounds, although each one can be seen as a puzzle.
- It’s not possible to correctly deduce every face-down guard card, which can lead to some unfortunate results.
- The cell block location is more confusing on the 1-2 player side of the board than it should be with a single row.
- Figuring out the optimal way to play takes a little practice with the various moving parts and intricate strategies.
Victory Conditions
Score the Most Points
- Overall Goal Progress 50%
Goals and Milestones
Win at least 1 game at the moderate difficulty level.
Win at least 1 game at the challenging difficulty level.
Continue the Conversation
What do you like most about Lockup: A Roll Player Tale? Have you tried out the expansion content for it yet? It’s been far too long since I explored this one, yet it offers such a different sort of puzzle. I’m looking forward to increasing the difficulty level and adding in new features to make it more challenging! Very glad to finally re-visit this solo game again!
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