My Discovery of Outdoor Survival: Going Back 50 Years
Explore the wilderness in a series of random but rather realistically dangerous scenarios in Outdoor Survival.
I went to a local board game swap this past weekend, trying not to add much to my collection. As I finished up and was making one last perusal over the last table, I saw it. Outdoor Survival! Not exactly a classic, yet I was still ecstatic to pick up something that was published over 50 years ago. Onward to discover what this ancient game design might entail!
Game Overview
Game Name: Outdoor Survival
Publication Year: 1972
Designer: Jim Dunnigan
Artist: Uncredited
Publisher: The Avalon Hill Game Co
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
This is all about surviving! Across a vast hex-based map, food and water are needed to stay alive. Scenarios provide their own goals and ways that the world might be a little different. Although quite old and focused on a lot of random rolls and movement, adventures can be found!
First Play
November 23, 2024
Complexity
2
Latest Play
November 23, 2024
Expansions
0
Setup Time
Almost None
Lifetime Plays
2
Play Time
10 Minutes
High Score
N/A
Game Area
34" x 26"
Low Score
N/A
Homeward Bound?
Since I wasn’t exactly excited about the standard tokens included for the characters, it seemed only proper for a few tiny animals to join this outdoor adventure!
A few older Littlest Pet Shop kittens took the place of humans, giving me a sort of Homeward Bound vibe…
And that will only improve, because I have some puppies who can stop by next time! But no matter: I dove into the quick start rules with brothers Peanut and Eggnog.
Honestly, there was no reason to ease into these very simple roll-and-move mechanics, but yeah for 1972!
Life-Sized Dice
I am almost certain that this is the original die, but don’t let this exceptionally tiny kitten fool you… Eggnog is a very small cat, as is this rolling contraption!
There was a little race to reach any edge of the map from a central position. All of this came down to getting lucky with the rolls, aside from basic route planning.
Despite it being pretty straightforward, I actually really liked a lot of the ideas! Almost felt like a solo RPG in a way.
Perhaps my substitution of the generic tokens brought it to life, too. Eggnog got lucky when he located a trail!
The Swamps of Sadness
Poor Peanut! He was on track to be far ahead of Eggnog, but an errant roll had him lose his way and get stuck in the swamps for a time. I imagine that was an unpleasant day!
There aren’t a lot of decisions to make, even in the full game, yet I didn’t go into this expecting to find a game that could be compared with modern design ideas.
I loved going back in time and appreciating my discovery. This is in almost perfect condition. Love that level of care!
Yet I wanted to at least explore a full scenario and see what sorts of stories might go on with Peanut and Eggnog.
Life Level Index Chart
At a glance, this might seem kind of basic, but it tracks water and food intake, along with the current life level.
So there are some connected ideas about managing how far from the river to explore. Going too quickly might end up being a terrible idea, leading to barely crawling along!
Again, this is a game that’s over 50 years old. There aren’t any amazing revelations that suddenly make it excellent… I still liked a lot of the aspects, especially as a solo RPG.
I actually think this has some elements that tie into roleplaying for a pretty enjoyable overall experience!
Why Invest in an Old Game… That Isn’t a Game?
I know what many will see here: A 50+ year old simulation that wasn’t a popular hit back then, and doesn’t hold a candle to modern board games. But that wasn’t what I expected to find. This was never going to be this sudden, amazing discovery that everyone had overlooked for years. It was something for me to explore and learn from.
Many of my new solo games come with lengthy setup processes and extensive rules that require a lot of learning. I love them! Yet I’ve been looking at some older titles to see if there’s anything to take from them to apply today.
Simplicity seems to be a big key. Even though there are a couple of rulebooks and scenario sheets to read through, I got into gameplay in a few minutes and it all boils down to dice rolls. That’s about it! Not exciting, but again, the expectation wasn’t to reach that level. Being able to appreciate what this one did in 1972 today was pretty awesome!
Granted, I don’t go out of my way to collect older games just for the sake of evaluating a bunch of them. This one was a title I was vaguely familiar with, though, and couldn’t pass it up for the whopping price of $5 USD. That’s like a dollar per decade. Ha ha! It will be one of the most unusual parts of my collection, yet one I’m happy to have found in the wild.
Lost… Utterly Lost!
Oh, goodness! I went for the alternate goal of requiring an exit off the east edge of the map for a victory.
Peanut was off to a good start and tracked his way along the river, staying hydrated for a good deal of the journey. But he just couldn’t get his bearings in the mountains!
Meanwhile, Eggnog had a clear race to the edge of the map. Unfortunately, he got confused and was forced to travel downstream much longer than expected.
By the time he turned east, the final forest was simply too much. No one made it out of the wilderness this time!
Home, Sweet Home
Luckily, I treated this scenario as a very forgiving sort of movie simulation… Peanut and Eggnog were unharmed! In fact, they were back in a cozy basket before I could blink.
Was gameplay exciting? Not particularly, as it all felt very random and entirely up to the rolls. Getting stuck in place was more frustrating than thematic most of the time.
But the possibilities! I still enjoyed these perilous kitten adventures and coming up with the story of their journey.
There are other scenarios to eventually explore, along with some others created by the community. Excellent!
Session Overview
Play Number: 1 & 2
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Quick Start & Scenario 1
Outcome: 1 Win & 1 Loss
Well, that didn’t exactly go well overall! The randomness was a key factor, but I still had a nice time looking at what this one has to offer. There are better scenarios to check out and lots more to find in the sprawling wilderness! For a game this old, it was quite pleasant to see some of the highlights in the design. I’ll be back to tackle these scenarios again, complete with adorable animals!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
8
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
6
Originality
Design & Theme
6
Quality
Components & Rules
8
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
3
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
3
+ Pros (Positives)
- For being over 50 years old, there are some interesting design ideas around simulation games and tabletop RPGs.
- The map is sprawling and features a very robust and complete wilderness region with lots of challenges.
- Managing unexpected wandering along with food and water requirements provides some difficult choices.
- Multiple scenarios offer different ways to play, and fan-made scenarios seem to offer even more possibilities.
- Life level tokens aren’t necessary to use, but the slow visual decline in condition is simple and thematic.
- Play time is very quick, even with multiple characters, and offers a short story with a few milestone memories.
– Cons (Negatives)
- There isn’t too much game beyond the roll-to-move mechanics, although there are some neat design ideas.
- Some of the food source icons stretch across a few hexes, and it’s unclear if this is intentional or a printing error.
- Random dice rolls determine the vast majority of decisions and there isn’t necessarily any strategic planning.
- Apart from being a neat piece of history and looking back at the past, gameplay is not really suited to solo play.
Victory Conditions
Complete the Scenario Goal
- Overall Goal Progress 50%
Goals and Milestones
Complete the Quick Start.
Complete Scenario 1.
Continue the Conversation
Have you ever played Outdoor Survival? Although a bit obscure, there’s a chance it’s a little more known after being around for so long! Do you have a favorite scenario? I’m looking forward to playing occasionally. It’s nice to find this little piece of the past and see how it can still be enjoyable in the modern board game world. Fantastic discovery for me!
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