When All is Lost: A New Era to Add to the History of Oath
Tell sweeping tales that travel through the history of a land from chancellor to chancellor and era to era in Oath.
I found myself thinking about Oath immediately after I finished my first play of this new campaign, so it was only fitting that the story would quickly continue! Gameplay is very much about storytelling, but it also features setting up interesting turns, trying to outwit others, forming shaky alliances, and simply discovering new cards. So cool!
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
At a glance, this might look like both a ton of components and not too many. The game creates an abstract view of history that unfolds during an era over multiple rounds. The world changes, rulers rise and fall, and power shifts. All of the stories are awesome, and constantly evolving!
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
New Exiles
One of the nice elements of the abstract design is that there aren’t necessarily specific characters. Player colors are there to differentiate pieces, not lock anything in.
Still, I felt like it was a good idea to swap in some different boards this time. This artwork gave me a little bit to go on in terms of personality, but it wasn’t distracting.
Pardon the continuation of storytelling posts… I’m just having so much fun and enjoy playing solo this way!
It won’t last forever, yet I hope that my fun with writing is at least mildly entertaining to read. Games are amazing!
Passing on the Mantle
Queen Alice firmly settled the House of Caley during her rule, but there came a day when time began to catch up. She would not last forever. An heir would rise to power.
Prince Bartram was young, but eager to learn. To protect the kingdom and all its relics was a lot to ask, yet Queen Alice knew it would be so. He was her son, after all.
So the era of change began, with Prince Bartram thrust into the deep end of his chancellorship duties.
It was written that it would be a simple transfer of power with nary an exile around. The written word was wrong.
Tiny and Mighty
Lancelot Brougham was an enemy of the chancellor before he could run. His relic-stealing schemes went off with every blundering mistake imaginable, and he was exiled.
For one so small, no one thought much of him. Except for Lancelot himself. He wanted the throne, no matter what.
It was foolish to steal relics, though, so he switched tactics to lead warbands into battle. His decisiveness stood out against the timid early reign of Prince Bartram.
Indeed, Lancelot earned the favor of the masses and it was not long before he was expected to swiftly rise to power.
Narrow-Minded Or…
Far in the hinterland, none bothered with the politics of a new chancellor. There were more important matters, like solving the incessant flooding that threatened lives.
Frances Petley wasn’t exactly an exile. She had her own priorities, though, and never agreed with Queen Alice’s policies or actions in the hinterland. More like inactions.
If history only looked at the important characters, Frances would not have even been a footnote in the appendix.
Her goal was simple: Stop the flooding and save those who had been ignored in the hinterland. Or… Maybe more?
The Various Depths of Storytelling
I’ll be honest: Part of this play felt a little boring or scripted to me. It was hard to follow up that first era that was filled with some of the coolest turns I’ve ever pieced together. Sometimes, telling stories can be downright difficult! Yet I didn’t have any expectations and kept on playing, allowing everything to fall into place until it all became very clear.
A lot of my actions centered around things I hadn’t tried before, so a lot of my time went into making sure I got the rules correct. No surprise… I got a few things wrong! Yet I was able to gloss over them and learn for next time, or simply make a change that didn’t affect anything else. It’s not easy to tell a story while trying to play within a set of rules.
Of course, the end result was another wonderful story that I thoroughly enjoyed writing down. It was nice to take a moment after I finished playing to really think through what went on in the world and how things changed. The main elements of the first era are already fading away and getting replaced, which is pretty neat to see early in the campaign!
Recovered Alliance
Prince Bartram knew that if he was to become the next chancellor, it would take more than a simple ceremony. Most saw him as an unproven child lacking in strength.
Leaving the cradle behind was his first task. The journey was easy, but the mine was a place of foreboding.
He steeled his resolve and spent time with the denizens of this realm, until he happened upon the Bandit Crown.
Practically overnight, Prince Bartram gained the alliance of every bandit from the provinces to hinterland. And with a proper garrison, his rule was quickly secured.
The Drowned City
Meanwhile, Frances picked her way along soggy trails, avoiding the coast and river. Her senses told her there was something else at the heart of this terrible flood.
And so she happened upon a lake in the provinces where a few rooftops peeked above the lapping waves. Beneath the surface, an entire city lay in preserved splendor.
Frances remained, driving out bandits to call the place her own and learning secrets of the city’s watery ways.
She never saw Lancelot’s warbands storm the sites ruled by Prince Bartram. She never knew of this deep threat.
When All is Lost
Devastation swept throughout the land as power landed in the lap of Lancelot. With one aggressive move, he had most of the kingdom under his rule, save for the cradle.
Prince Bartram retreated, racing home to hide from the shame. It was all over. There was no way to hold on.
But Queen Alice still lived. Much like the elders, she had a spot of wisdom for the young, despondent chancellor.
“When all is lost, you will find yourself.” It was a riddle. A bit of nonsense. Prince Bartram wept for the kingdom without realizing that he had been given his second wind.
Relic-Stained Battle
In his coffers lay all the relics collected, and their power laid dormant. Queen Alice had called for their protection. But who would protect them if Lancelot stole the throne?
The quiet days of safety were erased from the cradle, and a call to arms went up. Prince Bartram’s warbands grew, as he went against everything he thought he would do.
Great battles rose up against Lancelot and the forbidden realms of the relics came to life in great, terrifying force.
Warbands were captured. The fallen rose from their graves. Suddenly, the chancellor was not so young.
Exiled Whispers
Lancelot’s rise to power was utterly destroyed by the unexpected campaign by Prince Bartram. His power was not to arrive quickly, but would grow through scheming.
He met Frances, lost in her world of floods. She posed no threat, unless she were prodded. And Lancelot prodded.
He knew she held a vision, and was quite certain she could use it. Surely, she had held the Banner of the People’s Favor not so long ago? What could she do as chancellor?
The lure of power was great, and Lancelot’s sweet words were enough to draw her out of the floods, for once.
A Stable Regime
Yer for all his scheming, Lancelot could not fathom how his defeat bolstered Prince Bartram. Before Frances even had a chance to act, the chancellorship was decided.
Queen Alice lived long enough to see the real succession of power to her son. He was a leader, not one who would cower behind the throne as she had seen in times past.
Lancelot and Frances faded away, forgotten by the people who wanted to offer favor to the new chancellor.
It happened subtly, without fanfare. Like a rivulet grows into a mighty river, Prince Bartram became King Bartram.
Session Overview
Play Number: 4
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game or Multi-Handed
Play Details: 3-Handed Solo
Outcome: Stable Regime Victory (Discord Faction Focus)
Another very fun time! I should note that things were a little more… Bland for a bit? The story didn’t start to leap out until the final rounds. Ultimately, that felt like it mirrored everything that happened. The chancellorship didn’t change and only a couple of major highlights shaped this era. Now, to see what will happen to King Bartram when he’s faced with the next exiles!
%
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)
- The world truly does feel like it changes, even after just a few plays, with the way familiar or new cards show up.
- Factions offer a more subtle change that takes multiple eras to see, but this is another fascinating look at history.
- Stories might not come out of every turn, nor even every round, but there is always a bit of storytelling present.
- Abstract features mean the setting can be interpreted in many different ways, such as mine with tiny animals.
- Decisions about how to use action points each round have enormous repercussions that aren’t always obvious.
- Even when all seems lost for the chancellor or exile, there are often clever ways to prevent another from winning.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Not all of the rules are easy to internalize, and trying out new strategies can slow down a play quite a bit.
- With the size of the pawns and warbands, some important information can get obscured from view.
- Some of the card or banner timing can be easy to overlook at times, making it easy to miss an important action.
- Site iconography is a central element, yet still blends in and can be hard to remember at all times.
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
Have you played Oath solo lately? Any highlights stand out from your plays? It might sound like I keep saying the same thing, yet this is just a wonderful storytelling game. The world is abstract and could represent anything, including a land of Calico Critters! Still keeping this on my table to discover what might become of this chancellor in the next era!
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