The Unfair Nature of Unfair: A Solo Roller Coaster Ride
Construct a bustling theme park with all sorts of exciting attractions to entertain and delight visitors in the world of Unfair.
Back to a previous solo game I haven’t played in a long time: Unfair! This was my first crowdfunding project way back in the day, which has sort of given it an automatic spot on my shelf. Yet with rare plays over the last few years, I wanted to see if the rather mean take-that elements and involved solo mode flow chart were still fun for me. Onward to a theme park!
Game Overview
Game Name: Unfair
Publication Year: 2017
Designer: Joel Finch
Artists: N. Castles, L. Cossette, D. Forest, and P. Poirier
Publisher: Good Games Publishing
Solo Mode: Included in Unfair Expansion: CHKO
Attractions grow as upgrades are added and a theme park takes shape, but watch out for the city cards and events! Not everything that is built will remain and protecting the most valuable spots is crucial. With delightful and bright artwork, the whole atmosphere of theme parks feels like it’s close by!
First Play
May 1, 2022
Complexity
3
Latest Play
June 18, 2025
Expansions
3
Setup Time
5 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
3
Play Time
50 Minutes
High Score
191
Game Area
36" x 24"
Low Score
176
Solo Mode Flow Chart
I enjoyed how short the solo mode rulebook appeared to be, but I had to keep it close to reference the icons and priority order on the back. That was off to the side to save space.
In a nutshell, the solo opponent required a lot of work for my preferences. It wasn’t too difficult, but there was a large space and lots of thinking involved, even without choices.
Frustration set in early on with ambiguities about what constituted a choice on event cards and how to use them.
This was not fun. I’ve had some issues with the mechanics in the past, but the solo mode just felt like extra work.
The Superior Monorail
At its core are beautifully illustrated cards that show scenes from theme parks. The art is amazing and so immersive!
I almost felt the breeze of the monorail flying by overhead. Burgers and fries could almost be smelled wafting by on the breeze. And the screams from the coasters? Almost there!
Alas, the gameplay fell short for me. Take-that elements and horrible randomness took away from the fun scenery.
It makes sense to stack upgrades behind attractions, but that meant all of the additional art was hidden away. My mind simply focused on collecting icons or words, sadly.
Frustration Overload
Some variants allow the game to be tailored to be a little nicer, yet it was the randomness that got to me. City cards went from being helpful to potentially devastating.
And the event cards? It was the luck of the draw. I had times when I drew nothing that could protect against attacks.
I honestly stopped keeping track of what the events were like from a thematic standpoint and just read the effects.
This is a game I always wanted to love, but even in my handful of multiplayer experiences over the years, the sheer randomness and destruction of my park have not been fun.
Blueprint Goals
Part of me was hoping for a simple sort of solo mode so I could enjoy all of the theme packs. After all, there are 14 to mix and match for lots of variety! Sadly, it’s not for me.
I had a thought about using the blueprints for required goals, almost in a way that Fields of Green works.
But that didn’t solve my issues with the randomness and mean events. Could I use a game changer? Maybe, yet I didn’t find myself drawn in enough to want to experiment.
My play resulted in a loss, although I was still pretty happy with my completed blueprints. Nice way to bid farewell!
Do Gaming Preferences Change Over Time?
This is probably a loaded question, but I thought about it as I took this game off my shelf. I distinctly remember when I backed it… A pair of copies, for some reason, in order to get my name printed on a shipping box. Oh, crowdfunding! Yet I also recall falling in love with the artwork and even watching a livestream of the artists working on a staff card.
Had I simply fallen out of love with the game? In short, I don’t think so. In nearly 10 years of owning it, I may have played it multiplayer a grand total of 3 or 4 times. It never stuck with me… Aside from the art. That’s what has always drawn me in!
So although I think my preferences ebb and flow as they shift over time, this is more a case of taking a step back to be realistic about games. This one doesn’t work for me, and I don’t need to force it. I’ll always admire it for the fantastic art, and will cheer on those who enjoy the mechanics! Time to free up some shelf space and appreciate my time with the game.
Session Overview
Play Number: 3
Expansion: Unfair Expansion: CHKO
Solo Mode: Included in Unfair Expansion: CHKO
Play Details: Pirate & Robot Theme Packs
Outcome: 177-195 (Loss)
I lamented over the number of cards as I packed everything up. However, a lot of the other packs increase interaction and have even worse events to deal with. This is a lovely game to look at, and the artwork is so great at capturing the feeling of a theme park! But I believe my time with this one is over, and I’ll find a new home for my copy soon enough.
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
7
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
7
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
6
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
4
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
7
+ Pros (Positives)
- All of the artwork is amazing, bringing theme parks to life and creating an immersive experience at the table.
- Blueprints provide interesting goals to work towards so there is a little more structure to making decisions.
- Action choices are very clear and offer different kinds of decisions for how to build or protect existing attractions.
- There is a lot of excitement around adding more and more upgrades to see a tall and valuable stack of icons.
- Different theme packs provide all sorts of variety with the way they can be combined for neat combinations.
- Keeping track of the current step makes the round sequence easy to follow, especially with a helpful reference card.
– Cons (Negatives)
- The card quality is quite disappointing, with sizing issues and noticeable warping across many of the theme packs.
- City cards and events are entirely random and can be exceptionally punishing in very mean or frustrating ways.
- A lot of work goes into managing the solo opponent with the different flow charts, and the added play space is large.
- Keeping upgrades neatly stacked under attractions is very difficult and it’s far too easy to accidentally cover up a card.
Victory Conditions
Meet the Threshold
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Win at least 1 game with the Pirate theme pack.
Win at least 1 game with the Robot theme pack.
Continue the Conversation
What do you enjoy the most about Unfair? Do you have a combination of theme packs that works best for you? There is definitely an audience to enjoy the game, although I think I was mostly drawn to the artwork over the years. It’s one of the most immersive experiences from a visual standpoint! But like a roller coaster, this has also reached the end of the track.
My partner’s favourite game is Funfair. It’s this game but with none of the take that or destruction. We don’t play it solo and it doesn’t have the modularity of Unfair but it’s a very cute little game.
If you don’t enjoy the destruction and negativity but want to have fun building a little theme park, uninterrupted, it’s a great game!
I also recently recently the artist of both games is the same as for Arydia, which is one of my favourite games of the year.
I’ve heard great things about it! The lack of a solo mode and modularity is why I haven’t picked it up, but I may need to take a closer look if it might work as a multiplayer experience. Such a great team of artists!
It feels like solitaire multiplayer. There’s not a lot of interaction but that’s what my partner enjoys. I think there might be an unofficial solo mode on bgg.
Great to know. Thanks for the information, and I hope you continue to enjoy playing the game together!
This is the game I most wanted to be awesome. The art and theme are super compelling. I think the Funfair version did not nail awesome gameplay either.
Yeah, I felt kind of bad about not liking the game because I had such high hopes for it. I can see how it would work for the right sorts of players, but I’m unfortunately not in that audience. Here’s to hoping we both find some awesome games in the near future!