In the Beginning: The First Era Playing 3-Handed Solo Oath
Turn the tide of history and watch empires rise and fall in different, unexpected ways in Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile.
So many solo board games to try out in my collection, and more arrive every week! Part of me has wanted to play through smaller, quicker games to move along faster. But not today. I wanted to sit back and see just what I might find in Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile. This almost strange sort of enigma was in a class all its own! To the table!
Disclaimer
I received this copy at no cost from Leder Games. My thoughts are my own and entirely independent. All of my positives and negatives contain my honest opinions, and I was not asked to post a review. For full transparency, this was more of a gift for my game group, but it didn’t quite work for everyone. Just means it’s mine to play solo forever. Ha ha!
Game Overview
Game Name: Oath: Chronicles of Empires and Exile
Publication Year: 2021
Designer: Cole Wehrle
Artist: Kyle Ferrin
Publisher: Leder Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
There isn’t a simple way to describe everything about the game. It’s like a sweeping tale about how a leader must try to keep their hold over the land while others gain power. Sites take shape, unique abilities appear, and slight shifts in influence control the flow of history. Truly epic!
First Play
April 2, 2022
Complexity
4
Latest Play
March 1, 2025
Expansions
0
Setup Time
10 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
10
Play Time
2 Hours
High Score
N/A
Game Area
50" x 26"
Low Score
N/A
A Very Custom World
One of the game’s unique aspect is how abstract it can be. There aren’t specific leaders, and even the factions in play, like Discord or Nomads, are pretty vague in general.
To keep things close to home, this would be a battle of the Calico Critters. Friendly battles, naturally!
The first chancellor was King Umfrey, ruler of the rabbits and their absolutely, no-good tiresome ways.
Carrots had to be grown. Carrots had to be eaten. Races against turtles were mandated every weekend… It was time for a change, and the beavers and cats were up to it!
What is This Game Actually About?
This is a rather nebulous sort of board game that actually might appeal more to tabletop role players. It’s about a very high-level story of the rise and potential fall of an empire. The visuals are vague for a reason: Creativity and imagination are paramount to getting the most enjoyment out of each play. And it doesn’t stop there!
A single play isn’t going to do it. Legacy elements shift some elements on the map. Previous sites might stick around, acting as the core areas where the Chancellor holds a strong position from generation to generation. The denizens, or a giant deck that consists of all sorts of places and characters, shift over time based on the winner of each era.
In many ways, the game takes on a life of its own and should never be exactly the same from group to group. Granted, the law of probability likely means the same cards will come out, but it’s the custom story that will remain unique.
This post is at least a few days after I actually played. Not to spoil anything, yet I still find myself thinking back on some rounds and decisions I made. I played each group as best I could, and there were plenty of surprises and twists! Future plays will build on this story, evolving the world from the core ideas I set forth… But never along a clear path.
Keep in mind that there are warbands and clear conflicts between the characters. Yet in my world, I left these fairly nonviolent by choice. There’s enough here to define all sorts of settings with a little imagination. Know that the game doesn’t tell the story itself, though! It’s more like a set of story prompts, all ready to come to life with a little effort.
Factions and Favor
A large part of gameplay revolves around not only the main characters, or the Chancellor and exiles, but also 6 factions that begin with equal favor.
Over the course of play, denizens of matching factions might gain or lose favor. Actions all have implications, although it’s not necessary to roleplay every moment!
The large stack of denizen cards contains an equal amount of each faction at the start, but this will change over time.
Note, too, that these aren’t necessarily specific factions. These can represent a myriad of options to fit each story.
Deciding How to Play the Game Solo
Although there is a dedicated solo mode via the Clockwork Prince included with the game, my research pointed to another way to play. Rather than follow sequence charts and add on another layer of rules, I decided to play 3-handed solo. This took away some of the hidden information, yet this wasn’t an integral part of gameplay.
I took a few liberties with the shared knowledge, but this never felt like I was cheating to give anyone an advantage. There were only a couple of instances where I had to pretend not to know what was coming next. Again, though, this felt pretty natural since there weren’t any public indications that a trap was being set. All in good fun!
What kept a lot of the play balanced was my own play style. I’m naturally not too aggressive, so battles were few and far between, often surprisingly close. I’m sure I’ll learn more nuances with the sites and denizens as I play, too! The bottom line is that 3-handed solo maintained the story elements and actually helped me focus on the narrative fun.
A Change in Fortune
It was so difficult to stop for photos once I got started! The first couple of rounds saw everyone claim a strong hold over their general domains, adding denizens.
The Chancellor, King Umfrey himself, amassed a huge number of warbands and finally set out to campaign.
In the provinces, the beavers were sort of hidden in the background, minding their own business for the moment.
But the cats? The chancellor moved into the Wastes. Yet something went awry. By some extreme luck in the dice department, the cats triumphed and drove out the rabbits!
Banished to the Cradle
King Umfrey managed to escape into the Hinterland, where he rebuilt his forces in relative safety. A show of might was not what he needed in order to maintain order.
So he used his sway to observe and challenge. Secrets swirled and passed from friend to foe. The darkest one trickled down the river for the beavers to take hold of…
But King Umfrey held far too much power, and twisted it into a commodity he could hold close to his heart.
Back in the Cradle, he bided his time and even held sway over his empire. They loved him, carrots and all!
A Look at the Provinces
Perhaps the most contentious site of all was the Buried Giant. Control of this peculiar area passed through all of the characters, with the cats ultimately dominating it.
Alas, this proved to be an unwise decision. The beavers claimed a single site during the entire era, and the cats were meant to be cautious allies against King Umfrey.
The cats schemed away and stole the Buried Giant. From the shadows of the Wastes, the beavers had nothing.
Only… They were first to discover the king’s secret, before it was twisted. And they knew the vision that led to power.
The Distant Hinterland
It was in the far-off regions that the cats began their climb to power. They gained favor and allied with all sorts of denizens. They would be the ones to topple the rabbits!
Yet it was an unwise move. The people soon saw how the cats were mere copies of the rabbits. In no time, yarn would be manufactured and mice would be chased.
The warbands gave them away. Despite their assurances that this was the right way, the cats lost their allies.
No one wanted to see the current empire succeeded by a copy. There was unrest, and the cats were the target.
Fallen from Power
The Chancellor was almost too good by the end of play! Dice rolls can end the game abruptly at the end of rounds 5, 6, and 7… But not during this era. We made it to the end.
At one point, the Chancellor had the ability to steal a relic or banner from the beavers. He bided his time, then stole the Sticky Fire after it was used against his warbands.
Alas, this would be the undoing. For the beavers claimed the Banner of the People’s Favor with a total of 5 favor.
No matter how it was laid out, the Chancellor could never reach 6 favor. From the shadows came a surprise victor!
An Abbreviated History of the First Era
In total, I ended up playing a total of 22 turns that took me into the last possible round. So much happened! To write a full history would go beyond the scope of what I wanted to achieve with this. But as I said, it’s a system that can adjust to work in whatever way might be best. Every action of every turn might have had a little story! Yet in a nutshell:
- Early Power: Everyone was evenly matched for at least the first couple of rounds, finding unique advantages.
- Miscalculated Battle: This may have been on me, but the Chancellor’s major battle loss was a blow to the empire.
- Opportunities: The cats moved in, while the beavers used Sticky Fire to chase off all the Chancellor’s warbands.
- Regroup and Betrayal: The Chancellor retreated to build up his warbands, while the cats attacked the beavers.
- Flying Banners: The beavers learned the Darkest Secret, but the Chancellor quickly stole it away from them.
- Revenge of the Relic: At an opportune moment, the Chancellor stole the Sticky Fire away from the beavers.
- Final Battles: With many warbands and controlled sites, the cats were poised to take power from the Chancellor.
- Surprise Victory: Yet with one fell swoop, the beavers claimed the People’s Favor and fulfilled a secret vision.
There were many other moments between the different sites and denizens. So much to possibly tell! Yet this is a game about appreciating the macro-level overview, rather than diving into every little detail. For it’s not about the single era played out over 5-8 rounds, but the bigger picture, which can change with each play. What an experience!
Rise of a New Empire
Victory for the beavers! Lady Gillian proudly celebrated, for she had many plans for the rivers of this land. Dams needed to be crafted, wood needed to be gathered…
She had the option to offer citizenship to the cats, which would make them a sort of ally. But after that betrayal over the Buried Giant? It wasn’t even an option!
Up next was to adjust the denizen deck just a little bit. With more and more plays, it would take on its own life.
Most interesting of all, though, was how the beavers won with absolutely no controlled sites. All will be new!
Session Overview
Play Number: 1
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: 3-Handed Solo
Outcome: Vision Victory (Beast Faction Focus)
So exciting! This was all the beavers had, and I ended up sort of creating a decoy with so many warbands. Playing 3-handed took away some hidden information, but not to the point that I felt like it spoiled anything. Had the Chancellor just held out a little more and not been so spiteful, King Umfrey would have remained in power! Yet this was a time of rebellion, led by the favored beavers.
%
10 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
10
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
9
Originality
Design & Theme
10
Quality
Components & Rules
8
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
9
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
9
+ Pros (Positives)
- All of the elements set the foundation for a sweeping tale that comes alive through creativity and imagination.
- Turns require some thought, yet feel like pieces of a chapter with only a handful of rules to keep in mind.
- The map evolves over time not just thematically, but also in a mechanical sense as factions gain or lose favor.
- Resources are mainly limited to favor and secrets for a streamlined experience that’s open to interpretation.
- Play time can vary greatly with the way the final rounds can immediately end, yet rounds don’t drag on and on.
- Setting aside the fantastic story elements, there are still important decisions to make about denizens and more.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Gameplay can be difficult to explain and setting the expectations for what the game is about is far from simple.
- There is a fair amount of setup and cleanup with all of the different components, which takes time between plays.
- Learning the rules for the first time is a lot, even though the overall set of rules is fairly small with practice.
- It’s not always easy to want to play for the story, especially when an exciting turn is ruined by poor dice rolls.
Victory Conditions
None
- Overall Goal Progress 75%
Goals and Milestones
Achieve an Oathkeeper victory.
Achieve a Usurper victory.
Achieve a Vision victory.
Achieve a Successor victory.
Continue the Conversation
What are your thoughts about Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile? I wasn’t sure if this was going to be too abstract for me, but what a fun time! Are there any other board games you enjoy that help craft stories? Although I have so many unplayed games left, this is sticking around for at least another play. Can’t wait to see what happens with the beavers!
Yikes! We had a play-by-forum series over on discussion.tekeli.li, and the players were very much helped by the moderator keeping intricate track of exactly what could be done where and when. Doing it entirely oneself for three hands at once feels as though it would be a real challenge.
Very interesting! I had to do a lot of rules referencing for the first few rounds, but generally I didn’t feel like I was overwhelmed with choices. Some turns certainly took me upwards of 10 minutes as I tried to figure out the best options, though!
I think I treated it more like a narrative story, though, so I didn’t play as optimally as I might have. And that worked for me! It’s a very interesting game, though, and one that requires some research up front to determine if it’s right or not.
Am I playing it correctly? Hopefully. Ha ha! I think from a rules standpoint I’m doing as well as I can, and some of my choices are more thematic than strategic, if that makes sense. That’s the sort of game it turned into for me, and I’m glad it did! Definitely not a way to play for everyone, though.