Adding Innovation and Holiday Cheer to Tenpenny Parks
Discover all new attractions and innovative research on the path to construct an amazing destination with Tenpenny Parks.
Determined to see if my issues with the base game solo mode could be fixed, I added new content to explore in Tenpenny Parks. It was all or nothing… This experience was going to encompass Innovation plus Winter Lights & Spooky Nights! The new mechanics were promising, as were the delightful new attractions to capture the fun. Back to the gate for a day of fun!
Game Overview
Game Name: Tenpenny Parks
Publication Year: 2022
Designer: Nate Linhart
Artist: Vincent Dutrait
Publisher: Thunderworks Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Gameplay lasts for 5 rounds with actions related to building up a theme park. New attractions can be purchased, new land can be added, and more! With the expansions, research provides a new set of options. Cheer and ghosts also add to the theme, offering neat ways to make the best experience!
First Play
September 24, 2022
Complexity
3
Latest Play
July 15, 2026
Expansions
3
Setup Time
10 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
10
Play Time
50 Minutes
High Score
85
Game Area
36" x 32"
Low Score
35
Ghostly Rides
Boo! This aptly dressed Calico Critter joined in the fun. It was a lot to add every major expansion at once, but it was well worth it. So many new avenues to explore. And variety!
The ghosts enter the game either on new rides, or as a guaranteed addition to setup and cleanup. Their ability?
On the bottom of each one is a bonus that’s hidden until they’re picked up. You never know what a ghost might do!
During the advertising step, any ride that is paid for can be haunted by a ghost, thereby claiming that bonus. It’s a very neat long-term strategy with a fun and thematic twist.
An Improved Park
Let me simply say that the base game on its own… Not great for me solo. I was ready to pack it up and be done with it.
With all of the expansions? So much better! My issues with the solo mode were all addressed. Now I had multiple paths to follow, new strategies to try out, and a chance to win.
This was my first attempt. So cool! The new research track allowed me to pick up a unique improvement, for victory points, and a specialist, for a special ability. Amazing!
I found myself a lot more immersed in the theme and didn’t have to find the only strategy to defeat the solo opponent.
Arctic Express Raid
More Calico Critters for even more fun! Combining a few holiday-themed expansions actually worked out. This Christmas-themed train raid was simply haunted!
The cheer track was another major part of one expansion. Attractions offered a way to move up this track, but special Christmas trees on the map also offered ways to advance.
It was so neat! Plus, with a research space that added an expansion board for free, I managed to do more.
At last, I was finally able to win at the standard difficulty level! And all with a lot more variety in the different rides.
Another Fun Park
Welcome to Daring Horizons! Yet again, I succeeded in winning, which set me up to increase the difficulty level.
The solo mode is easy to adjust, and simply reverses the order that Becky, the solo opponent, chooses attractions.
But back to my park! Building next to the Christmas trees made this a very cheerful place to visit. I imagined how the rides would be dressed up… And also haunted by ghosts!
I enjoyed the new attractions, and how a pair of cards was removed from each type during setup. This made it a little more unpredictable, and I didn’t see all of the same cards.
From Disappointment to Excitement: A Journey
It’s no surprise that I had a lot of issues with the base game solo mode. Try as I might, it didn’t feel like I was learning how to come up with clever plays, but being forced to figure out the single path to victory. My frustration was apparent. Games that are difficult to win aren’t a problem in and of themselves: It was the lack of interesting and diverging strategies.
Imagine my surprise when these expansions managed to solve practically everything! Suddenly, dual-type attractions meant that any stack might be the right one to guide the solo opponent towards. I could balance my income and victory points, while still ensuring I wasn’t falling behind. And the theme! The holidays were just delightful to admire and add.
Even the research track was a lot more nuanced than it seemed. Since a researcher always advances each round, where is the choice? It’s all in the timing. The solo opponent always moves first, and if this happens before the player, it’s worth a victory point and clears the top visible card. No big deal? Ah, but it can be if the scores are really close or if the card is great!
When the solo opponent went first during the round due to me losing the shovel token, I could actually choose an attraction first, which was amazing! But not overpowered in any way. I had to fight my way ahead, but the best options often changed as a round progressed. Combining an improvement and specialist also gave me a unique sort of focus.
This post is probably all over the place, owing to how much I loved the new experience! These expansions made the game so much better for me. I still don’t think I saw all of the cards, and know I didn’t make the most of my attractions in a few cases. Plus, who doesn’t want to have a haunted holiday ride?! Definitely love where this game’s journey ended up!
To Santa’s Workshop
This group got into the holiday spirit at Santa’s Workshop! Such a cute time, and I found myself imagining what the highlights of my park would be with each play.
I’ll also note that new attractions brought in dual-type cards. Managing the solo opponent often means giving up the cards that generate income and no victory points to it.
But now there were new cards in different stacks so I had a chance to vary my strategy and finally get more income.
Rotating the carousel to adjust the next round’s prices became more strategic. Did I mention how great this was?!
Onto New Heights
I felt pretty content with the way everything was going, so I moved onto the hard difficulty level. This simply means that the highest priced attraction is chosen second, not first.
What a difference! I had a few cool turns when I went before the solo opponent and forced the most expensive card to be one that awarded no advertising and few victory points.
That was the difference here: I felt clever. There were different ways I could get ahead, and I had to work for them.
I still managed to win by a small margin, although it was much more of a battle. Behold, Thunderpointe!
Researcher Expertise
Another great new addition is the research track. A meeple must move up this track once per round, but that introduces a clever decision around timing, especially in the solo mode.
The first three spaces offer choices in cards and boards to create new scoring opportunities. Then there is the chance to increase emotions, and finally… An amazing build!
That’s right: The final round now allows an attraction to be built for free. Absolutely game changing in a cool way!
Once again, timing was everything here, and I had to weigh my options a lot more. It was an engaging sort of puzzle.
Valley of Marvels
Sadly, my final play went a little poorly… Not a lot of the attractions fit on my map in the way I needed them to, and clearing out trees would take up an action I needed.
I fell behind in a way I recognized, but was still able to find ways to make up ground. In the end, I only lost due to a tied score. So close! That was exactly what I hoped for.
These expansions improved on every element I had issues with, and helped create a much more memorable theme.
Although my theme park days are done for now, this is one I can certainly say I’ll be returning to with the expansions!
Session Overview
Play Number: 7-10
Expansion 1: Innovation Expansion
Expansion 2: Winter Lights & Spooky Nights
Accessory: Tenpenny Parks: Deluxe Upgrade Pack
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Standard & Hard Difficulty Levels
Outcome: 63-50, 82-71, 85-80, 85-85 (3 Wins & 1 Loss)
Much better! I had a wonderful time with each play and liked the challenge of the hard difficulty level. With both expansions, this transformed from a solo game I was ready to part with to one I can’t wait to play again down the line!
%
10 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
8
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
9
Originality
Design & Theme
10
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
8
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
7
+ Pros (Positives)
- Lots of variety exists with the expansions, both in terms of components and the different strategies to pursue.
- All of the artwork is amazing, evoking the excitement of a theme park with awesome attractions on cards and tiles.
- Filling in a map is a challenge with the restrictions, yet there are often interesting choices with expanding or clearing.
- Cheer and ghosts create holiday-themed elements that are both thematic and mechanically unique and thoughtful.
- Once the solo opponent’s sequence is understood, turns are quick but require some clever planning to get ahead.
- Adjusting the difficulty level is a simple process of swapping priorities, which is easy but much more challenging.
– Cons (Negatives)
- With the new expansions, there isn’t a consolidated place to locate the solo opponent’s special actions and sequence.
- The play area is rather large with both expansion boards, and the carousel can block some of the build spaces.
- Some ghost or cheer bonuses mean the solo opponent earns nothing, but this can be adjusted to award victory points.
- It takes a little time to understand the polyomino rules, particularly in conjunction with new expansion board rules.
Victory Conditions
Score the Most Points
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Win at least 1 game at the standard difficulty level.
Win at least 1 game at the hard difficulty level.
Continue the Conversation
Have you played the solo mode for Tenpenny Parks? Is there any expansion you prefer the most? I enjoyed the arc of feeling a bit sad about this one, only to get excited about all the possibilities with the new expansions! The theme parks are alive and well, and full of holiday fun. I’m glad I stuck with it and gave the game another chance to be great. What a ride. Ha ha!
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