A Surprising Sort of Campaign Ending in Oath… For Now
Discover the ways history repeats itself as a world remembers its greatest stories in the campaign found within Oath.
This is it: The final entry in my solo campaign of Oath. Honestly, it wouldn’t be hard to continue playing, and this only felt like a good place to stop for the time being. So many adventures! This is a game that creates meaningful turns and decisions, but the stories have a way of bringing everything to life. Hang on for a twist ending that even I didn’t expect!
Game Overview
Game Name: Oath
Publication Year: 2021
Designer: Cole Wehrle
Artist: Kyle Ferrin
Publisher: Leder Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game or Multi-Handed
With a fairly small amount of components, this creates a setting filled with narrative potential. Sites, denizens, and relics are found throughout the world, while characters fight for power to rule as chancellor. But nothing is as neat as watching history unfold in the stories, big and small!
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
Hanging Onto Hope
Chancellor Amphillis found herself back in power for another era, and this time, she had a strong hold on all.
The cradle itself was hardly a place to call home, though. It housed a new wizard school where her arcane powers found their strength again, but it was not magical.
Many areas felt devoid of life and happiness. She herself knew not what created this unease, although it likely had to do with her unwise move to salt the earth.
Whispers of a chancellor who was ready to fall crept out into the world, threading their way to the provinces.
A Sneaky Citizen
The former leader of the chaos cult retained citizenship, along with anonymity. Not long ago, the chancellorship was within striking range. That loss was a difficult one.
But now was the time to continue working against one who had already given over her trust.
It was only ironic that the salt flats returned as a focal point. From the ground arose the ancient forge, where it had once stood long, long ago. History had returned.
Indeed, Chancellor Amphillis sensed that something unusual had come back to her kingdom to fight.
From the Barren Coast
The remnants of a nomadic ship washed ashore in the hinterland, filled with families of exiled lineage. None recognized them, including the bandits on the coastline.
It would have been easy to write off the leader of this mysterious band of visitors. Indeed, most considered these exiles to be mere travelers passing through.
But a force was at play that brought them into the domain of the chancellor. One such exile was Myra Flinders.
She was fairly unremarkable, yet many admired and respected her kindly ways that shined in this new land.
A Nomad Stronghold
Aligned with the nomad faction, the newcomers quickly formed a stronghold far in the hinterland. Their kinship awarded them secrets and relics none might have found.
Myra herself ventured forth to try to understand why her family and friends seemed to be guided to the steppe.
It was here that she gathered important secrets and delved deep into history. An oracle proved to be most useful, offering endless knowledge of the past… And future.
Chancellor Amphillis arrived to investigate, along with her former adviser. Here, the world would find its new ruler.
Seeing the Real Power of Storytelling in a Game
It might seem way too perfect the way this all came together with a callback to an old relic that used to be important in previous eras… And yet, that felt like the strength of the game. The fight for the chancellorship always takes center stage and is certainly the main strategic part of gameplay. Excellent! Only, I found the stories to be so much better.
I referenced a few small items from past entries to get the names right, yet it’s interesting to look at what I actually remembered and what trickled down through history. Was the chancellor the most important? No. I immediately went to a place where I could tie a relic I hadn’t seen in a long, long time into this ongoing narrative. And it was so very cool!
A lot of the storytelling came up after I played in these posts, yet this all came about from actual gameplay. Nothing was staged and although I could have easily cheated by drawing a different card or rolling a few dice again, every outcome felt like it fed into the story. This world changed and evolved from my decisions… But the world shaped those choices.
Just a fantastic experience! It still isn’t a game I would recommend playing solo to everyone, as it can be rather unusual and vague in many ways. But for me, this was exactly what I was looking for. It showed me how amazing solo games can be, particularly the ones that allow my imagination to run wild. This is a campaign I’ll always look back on fondly!
Terrifying Power
Rumors swirled that Myra had uncovered the greatest secret of all, and it was this knowledge that seemed to hold the most power. Naturally, all coveted it.
Yet Myra entrenched herself with those loyal to the nomads, and it was only by force that the chancellor’s former adviser tried to steal it from the mysterious visitor.
It was a foolish undertaking, of course, and the secret remained safe with Myra. Enraged, this anger turned…
Conspirators aided in stealing the Grand Scepter from Chancellor Amphillis, cracking the alliance from within.
A Crown Like No Other
Had any paid attention to ancient history, they might have noticed a long-lost relic. Myra uncovered it along the barren coast, thinking little of the old, battered crown.
Yet the bandits knew what it was from the ancient legends. Lost years and years ago, this was the crown worn by a king who had ruled before Chancellor Amphillis took over.
Myra was frightened by the sheer power of the relic and the stories behind it, but better still was the darkest secret.
For it was no coincidence that she should arrive on these shores to find this crown. No… She was bound to it.
Return of the Caleys
Indeed, Myra Flinders was a descendent of King Bartram, of House Caley. Exiled long ago, she knew nothing of her family history. Not once had she thought of ruling.
And yet, the nomads guided her throughout the chaotic landscape. There was no mistaking her resemblance to King Bartram, especially with the ancient bandit crown.
Chancellor Amphillis fell out of favor and the throne passed to who many claimed to be the rightful heir.
The world may have lost its magic, but the real magic of history returning that which was lost echoed for all time.
Cleaning Up a Story
All done! I was rather torn about this campaign, as it felt like I just stumbled across a huge turning point. Yet it was time to move on, and I quietly packed everything up.
This box is excellent, for it even fits the neoprene mat with a little extra room for more components.
Even better is the fact that I tucked everything away so that the campaign has been preserved. I can come back!
Or, I might start over when the new expansion content is available. The nice part is that I can decide at that point, and this world will happily slumber away until that day.
Session Overview
Play Number: 10
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game or Multi-Handed
Play Details: 3-Handed Solo
Outcome: Usurper Victory (Nomad Faction Focus)
Definitely didn’t expect this sort of ending! But it was a really awesome way to circle back to the beginning of this campaign. Absolutely amazing. Taking a look at the cards, it should be quite clear at a glance how the discord faction shaped this world. But with a new chancellor aligned with the nomad faction, perhaps a major shift would be up next… Yet all stories come to an end, and this is the end.
%
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)
- Everything about the world slowly changes throughout a campaign, often in very unexpected or surprising ways.
- Turns often move fairly quickly without much downtime, although every decision must be carefully calculated.
- Altering the world deck at the end of each era is exciting and makes cleanup a fun sort of process to follow.
- Different factions affect strategies in their own ways, and have a subtle effect until they start to show up a lot.
- Managing the faction favor banks during play seems simple, but is a highly strategic and satisfying element.
- Stories pop up naturally, and even past eras can have glimmers of recognition again with the randomized cards.
– Cons (Negatives)
- A campaign requires a significant time investment to get the most out of the game, which can be tricky to plan for.
- Multi-handed solo is a lot of fun, but takes away a bit in terms of alliances and the most cutthroat strategies.
- Some of the cardboard tokens blend into the play area to the point that they’re easy to miss or forget about.
- The vague nature opens up lots of storytelling possibilities, but this requires a fair amount of imaginative work.
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
Is there a preferred play style or type of victory you prefer in Oath? Are there any neat moments when old stories returned? My plan was to close out the campaign with this play, yet I had no idea it would feel so exciting with a clear callback to a past era that was nearly forgotten! This was a wonderful experience, and I appreciate this game even more.
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