Solo Area Control in the Mayan-Inspired World of Mezo
Guide shamans and warriors against a trio of mighty, vengeful gods intent on maintaining their power in Mezo.
After my fantastic first experience with Mezo, I was eager to see more of the gods and how gameplay might change. Reusability is a key part of how I rate most of my games! Yet area control has never been one of my favorite mechanics, so I was still a little skeptical about how I would continue to enjoy the game. At the same time… What fun I was having!
Game Overview
Game Name: Mezo
Publication Year: 2020
Designer: John Clowdus
Artists: Chris Byer and Daryl Toh Liem Zhan
Publisher: Kolossal Games
Solo Mode: Included in Mezo: Souls for Xibalba
Regions provide the foundation for conflicts, which happen during each of the 3 ages. Vengeful gods bring their own abilities, while shamans and warriors form the main forces. It all flows smoothly enough, yet working out a plan to rise to power as a fledgling god is a challenge!
First Play
November 1, 2022
Complexity
3
Latest Play
November 4, 2022
Expansions
3
Setup Time
10 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
4
Play Time
1 Hour & 15 Minutes
High Score
174
Game Area
40" x 28"
Low Score
125
Cabrakan the Mighty
I moved onto a different god, Cabrakan. Such a huge and awesome miniature! This towered over the regions, which definitely played into the theme quite a bit.
The abilities were very different, too. Whereas I had used smite a lot, this was all about moving units around.
Conflicts must be won to move ahead, yet it’s not possible to win them all. Using units in losses just uses them up for no real benefit, aside from shaman or warrior majorities.
I immediately had to readjust what I had already learned to make the most of Cabrakan’s strengths. Very neat!
An Unbeatable Trio
Each age introduced a new vengeful god, randomly chosen from the deck. By the end, I had to contend with Zotz, Ixchel, and Au-Puch. Far from an easy time!
With very limited space for the gods, most conflicts had at least 1 or 2 of these lovely characters lending a hand.
Admittedly, I was able to plan ahead for some of these issues. Au-Puch’s ability was often all for naught as I moved in extra units prior to those conflicts. Take that!
Yet I felt like I didn’t quite know enough about how to utilize Cabrakan’s abilities. Victory was slipping away…
Regrouping Again
My first loss wasn’t too terrible. Time to rest! I went back in, a little more prepared to move units around and really focus in on the conflicts that meant the most.
This engagement in Hochob was carefully planned! Even with Uayeb keeping a close eye on things, I was all set.
I ended up with 10 victory points and placed a warrior on the codex. Those extra abilities helped a lot, and the victory points each age were incredibly lucrative.
Several conflicts were losses before they began, yet I got a lot better about setting up other regions for success.
Asymmetric Characters and a Game’s Rules
Different abilities help make a character or faction unique, and it’s nice to try new ways to play the same game. In a lot of these instances, though, asymmetry introduces rules exceptions. Movement might be limited to 1 space per turn, but a character could allow 2-3 spaces of movement. In a way, this can still help teach the core rules.
However, rules exceptions often trip me up. Outlier interactions also add some doubt to resolving turns, and I spend enough time learning all sorts of new rulebooks! In the case of this game, the gods don’t break the rules, but simply focus on a specific element. Cabrakan was all about moving units, which isn’t anything brand new nor unusual.
I appreciate games that enhance their longevity with lots of different options, especially in the way I’m encouraged to play. There are some obvious strategies I tend to follow, so it’s nice to have the challenge of using other actions. Perhaps asymmetry comes in all sorts of flavors, yet in this case, I simply love how it doesn’t add on more rules!
A Very Good Age
What a rousing success! In each of the 5 conflicts outside of the blessed region, a shaman and warrior may be added to the calendar and codex. It’s all about the majority!
Besides the immediate benefit, each of these units was worth another 2 victory points at the end of the age. Nice!
They cleared out each age, though, so it was all about finding ways to continue to win conflicts. And I wasn’t necessarily the most skilled, yet things looked good.
Cabrakan turned out to be very versatile. I guaranteed myself some victories, then took a few calculated risks.
Cabrakan the Great
Victory! I figured out some of the best ways to utilize Cabrakan’s abilities. It felt like a very challenging and fun experience. Much different from Au-Puch!
The first age still threw me for a loop when I wasn’t quite sure where to commit my units. But it all worked out!
I should also note that I haven’t adjusted the difficulty level, which simply involves giving extra victory points to the solo opponent. Far from mastering anything here.
Cabrakan’s miniature definitely looked the part as I got all excited about my win. Who wouldn’t be?! Ha ha!
Examining the Cards
Not entirely finished, I decided to give Ixchel a whirl. These ability cards were very different, and the Call ability was all about deploying shamans. So many shamans!
Yet this was a difficult strategy, since it wasn’t always an easy thing to pull them back in time to deploy more.
Cabrakan, on the other hand, was a lot more open-ended with simply moving units in the regions. Focusing so much on the shamans required very different thinking.
I was laughably inept, and Ixchel was probably just done with me. Ha! These abilities really threw me for a loop.
Session Overview
Play Number: 2-4
Expansion: Mezo: Souls for Xibalba
Solo Mode: Included in Mezo: Souls for Xibalba
Play Details: Monument to the Gods and Endure the Ages
Outcome: 146-167, 174-162, 125-175 (1 Win, 2 Losses)
Poor Ixchel! I would have to rethink my way through this. On a very positive note, I didn’t even check out all the content I have. So many more gods to play as and add into the vengeful gods deck! This one continues to surprise me and make me actually enjoy area control… Didn’t think that was possible, but there it is. Awesome fun!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
7
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
9
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
7
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
7
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
10
+ Pros (Positives)
- Deciding which conflicts to focus on takes a lot of strategic planning, and rarely is success guaranteed.
- Each god plays very differently, yet each only involves a hand of 5 cards to use during all of the conflicts.
- Moving through the ages simulates a large-scale battle that fits into the theme of rising up as a new god.
- All of the component quality is excellent, with enormous and highly-detailed miniatures plus a lovely board.
- The rules are generally straightforward in most cases, and actions hinge on specific keywords with no exceptions.
- Many plays come down to pulling ahead by the equivalent of just a single conflict, creating a close challenge.
– Cons (Negatives)
- The solo mode comes in a separate expansion, as do a lot of the other gods, making the base game feel limited.
- Some of the god abilities seem to veer in a very specific direction, while others are useful in a lot of situations.
- Although the text legibility is excellent, the use of a standard font in many areas detracts from the theme a bit.
- There are a lot of components to organize and put away, and the included insert isn’t as useful as it could be.
Victory Conditions
Score the Most Points
- Overall Goal Progress 60%
Goals and Milestones
Score at least 150 points.
Win at least 1 game as Au-Puch.
Win at least 1 game as Cabrakan.
Score at least 175 points.
Win at least 1 game as Ixchel.
Continue the Conversation
Have you tried out the solo mode for Mezo? I may be packing it up for the moment, yet it’s a wonderful game that I plan to return to in the future! Are there any solo games on your shelf that you hope to play soon? Area control isn’t a mechanic I particularly enjoy, yet the challenges here made me rethink that opinion. Overall, a great game experience!
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