Rebels, Ghosts, and Horses: More Exciting Tales in Oltréé
Protect the satrapy from threats great and small while working through one of many chronicles as mounted Rangers in Oltréé.
Far too much time passed since I last brought Oltréé to my table. Time to ride again! I loved all of the chronicles so far, and the last couple from the base game were up next. With amazing components and all sorts of challenges, I eagerly opened up the box to be greeted with this simply beautiful production. Back to the satrapy to ride along ancient, forgotten paths!
Game Overview
Game Name: Oltréé
Publication Year: 2021
Designers: Antoine Bauza & John Grümph
Artist: Vincent Dutrait
Publisher: Studio H
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game (Cooperative)
A total of 8 villages surround a crumbling fortress. Rangers must secure the area, slowly working to resolve incidents and problems. Buildings take shape, yet events threaten to slow progress in a story-driven chronicle. Anything might show up or happen… Such is the perilous life of a Ranger!
First Play
September 3, 2022
Complexity
3
Latest Play
October 9, 2025
Expansions
1
Setup Time
10 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
10
Play Time
50 Minutes
High Score
N/A
Game Area
38" x 30"
Low Score
N/A
An Honorary Medal
Part of the appeal of this one is its sentimental value to me. My husband took part in a demo at a convention we went to, and was awarded with this amazing Ranger medal.
It serves no gameplay purpose, but I love to keep it nearby as I try to get into the narrative! Just a lovely reminder of where this game came from with a little personal memory.
However, it stands on its own with excellent gameplay with tower defense elements and skill tests, plus many twists.
The fact that it never took off always makes me a little sad, for there is a wonderful experience in this lovely artwork.
Rangers, Ride On!
A total of 8 different Rangers can be utilized. Solo requires at least a pair, yet I always like to use the maximum group size to explore the synergies and lean into various strengths.
But I always have to pause during setup to admire these amazing wooden meeples! Every mounted Ranger is unique and looks like their character artwork in many ways.
Movement around the map happens a lot, and it may not be the most exciting… But it is with clip-clop noises.
Horse sound effects are always on at my solo table. Ha! And you better believe these move via tabletop galloping!
A New Ranger
A-ha! When the call for Rangers went out, a quiet sort of clip-clopping indicated I had a Calico Critter arriving. And in costume! Although there was some debate about this…
A cloak and a fuzzy hat adorned with jewelry? This felt like one of those costumes someone puts together when they want a hat and can only locate something random… Ha ha!
On the subject of personality, I tracked down some early promotional material that defined the villages and Rangers.
Just a shame this information wasn’t printed in the game, as I had some fun making the satrapy feel even more alive.
Special Abilities
Such fantastic artwork! Every Ranger exudes a unique sort of confidence, enhanced by a special ability and profession.
A well-rounded team makes use of everything, yet I ended up with a pair of travelers and no scholar. Poor choice? Not entirely… Buildings made up for this shortcoming!
Rations act as ways to re-roll skill dice, which can be quite punishing. And note that health tracks indicate when abilities are no longer active. All sorts of considerations.
Naturally, I still always focus on the storytelling. Look closely, too: Every Ranger is wearing one of the medals!
The Thrill of Chasing Down Expansion Content
I just got finished lamenting the issues with crowdfunding exclusive content, and how frustrating it is to find all of the gameplay content after the fact. However, I’ll continue this discussion down a different path… The thrill of the chase! For in this case, there were a couple of expansions that are extremely difficult to find, which is a shame, and an opportunity.
Oltréé: Undead & Alive was on my watchlist as soon as I read the announcement. I was ready to order a copy as soon as it popped up somewhere, and I was certain it would. Fast forward to 2024, and I realized it had officially come out in English sometime during 2023, and I never saw it. Somehow, I missed it entirely and new copies are extremely scarce.
To make matters worse, Oltréé: Montures & Destriers (roughly translated to mounts and steeds) came out last year and looks like it will never see an English language release. A kind friend is looking into finding a copy of the Spanish version for me, since I would rather have content to translate than miss out on it entirely. I want those interesting horse cards!
All of this is to say that while it can be beyond frustrating to track down rare content, sometimes there’s a bit of fun in it. I think the only major tip is to keep a budget in mind, since hard-to-find games can get pricey. But with my comfortable range in mind, it then becomes a little like a treasure hunt. Will I succeed? No idea, yet it’s like a little side game right now!
Running Out of Time
The chronicle began quickly, with incidents and problems guiding the Rangers’ actions. There is a variable timer, which can sometimes mean a chapter slows down…
But not during this chronicle, which was all about rebels! Things moved rapidly, and I was also out of practice with the ideal decisions. Gathering resources early is important.
Artwork enhances every chapter, and more can be found on the problems and events. So much happened in the satrapy!
To record it all would require a storybook, yet suffice to say that I forgot how magical and mysterious this world is.
Fixed, Then Re-Ruined
The overall region is mainly made up of a huge fortress, partially destroyed and in need of restoration. Defense is vital to guarding the villages and weathering events.
Alas, I didn’t focus on it enough and managed to lose partway through this play. Oh, no! Maybe it was the mold in the cellars, or the water-damaged foundation. Yikes.
At least I built a tavern! That made some skill tests easier, yet it was the wrong decision. You know… Losing and all. Ha!
Playing the same chronicle still offers a good deal of variety, and I felt better prepared to at least not ruin this fortress.
A Major Victory!
Although resorting to a bit of battling wasn’t the best idea, it was what aligned with the strengths of this Ranger group. The final chapter arrived, and the skill dice were very kind!
I will say that it’s usually a good idea to remember how long a chronicle is, which is defined on the first page, and then expect some immediate skill tests to determine the ending.
This can seem like it sneaks up, but it’s easy to tell when the page will turn. Planning ahead definitely pays off at the end!
My progress on the Cold Forges was pretty poor, yet that was just enough to declare a major victory. Hurray!
Taking a Victory Lap
Hold on there, Calico Critter Ranger! A major victory was cause for celebration, and there was a lot of activity at my table. Ha ha! One of these horses might be slightly taller…
I don’t keep track of the individual moments for the characters during each chronicle, although the incidents and problems give them each their own experiences.
As I mentioned, tracking all of that would make for an unruly chronicle with far too much detail for a post!
But I might do that someday, for there are some surprising moments to uncover and see… Like a Calico Critter Ranger!
Annoying Ghost Tales
There was only a single chronicle I had never attempted, and it was a fitting one for the Halloween season! It started off nicely enough, yet a resident ghost was soon uncovered.
In the best plot twist, this wasn’t at all scary: This ghost was annoying, unruly, and entirely demanding. So many laughs!
One chapter was all about avoiding his harassing criticism. 3 of 4 Rangers tied for the worst… So much anguish. Ha ha!
Only Tomyris succeeded in holding out against the worst of the ghost’s meddling. She had a very active role in calming him down and making sure everyone listened to him.
Securing the Satrapy
A main mechanic is securing any of the 8 regions around the fortress. This requires clearing out all of the incidents and building a watchtower nearby. Quite a difficult task!
Yet secured regions prevent new incidents, and by the time this chronicle ended, the Rangers had everything under control in 5 of 8 regions, with others right on the brink.
Talk about a quiet realm! Problems still persisted, yet it was nice to feel like it was all under control as victory dawned.
Although I’ve now played through all of the chronicles, the game is excellent and I look forward to occasional plays!
Session Overview
Play Number: 7-10
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game (Cooperative)
Play Details: A Rebel Problem & Things Were Better Before
Outcome: 2 Wins & 2 Losses
Let’s just say that this final chronicle required building a tomb for the resident ghost, and I nestled it between the barracks and dungeon. Seemed about right for what we learned about the ghostly presence. Ha ha! I really enjoyed returning to this one. The variety might seem limited with the chronicles, yet there are many other small elements that make each play a different challenge. Go, go Rangers!
%
10 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
10
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
8
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
8
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
9
+ Pros (Positives)
- The entire satrapy comes to life with different incidents, problems, and events that happen throughout a chronicle.
- Each Ranger has a unique ability and profession, making each group rather different in their specialized strengths.
- All of the artwork is amazing, and although some chronicles have other illustrators, everything looks amazing.
- Some surprises exist within chronicles, but there is still plenty of variety outside of the main storyline.
- Skill dice often have a low chance of success, although rations allow for re-rolls and not all failures are problematic.
- Managing everything in the satrapy to secure regions and advance towards goals is a very fun and interesting puzzle.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Typos break the immersion in the story a fair amount, while the rulebook is much more confusing than it should be.
- Some expansion content exists, but this is extremely difficult to locate, particularly in the English language.
- Having an idea of an incident card’s contents by its back is excellent, but these can be easy to remember very quickly.
- Endings often involve immediate dice rolls, and these are sometimes based on hidden goals one can’t prepare for.
Victory Conditions
Successfully Complete the Chronicle
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Complete all base game chronicles.
Complete the Rats, Rats, Rats chronicle.
Continue the Conversation
What is your favorite aspect of Oltréé? Is there a chronicle, or even Ranger, you enjoy the most? This is a beautiful setting that offers all sorts of stories, and I continue to lament how it seems to have come and gone without much of a splash. I love this one and hope to play through the chronicles several more times! Just an excellent and unique sort of solo game.
I loved your first review of this game and it was responsible for me buying it. I find it a fun game as well and have had similar issues tracking down expansion content. I finally found the undead one online but I didn’t know about the horse one. Seems a shame it won’t be put into English.
The game reminds me a lot of Thorgal, which I’ve been playing recently. They both revolve around storytelling mixed with resource conversion and a bit of dice rolling. Thorgal also has outstanding artwork. I’m not sure what it’s called as a genre but it’s one I enjoy. I think it’s well suited to solo gaming because of the light storytelling and variability with the dice.
The Breaker of Wallets strikes again. Ha ha! Awesome to hear that you’ve had a lot of fun with it. I still want to hold out hope that there will be more readily available expansion content. Alas, the search is on!
Interesting to hear about another game that has some similarities! It sounds like a great time, and I agree that I’m not sure what exactly this genre is classified as, but it’s often an excellent time. I find that having a narrative core with lots of board game elements is wonderful for solo, too. Playing with others sometimes gets us focused on optimizing our strategies, whereas I often prefer to lean into the stories some more… And clip-clop sound effects. Ha ha!