Against the Wind of Annihilation: Big Lessons in Voidfall
Learn how to defeat the Voidborn in a sweeping tale across the galaxy full of neat technologies and ongoing crises in Voidfall.
My main thought about an early scenario for Voidfall was that I would either coast to victory, or realize I would need to invest a lot of time to earn a victory. Such a great game! I couldn’t stop playing, especially once I streamlined setup and cut down my play time considerably. With a few familiar elements, it seemed like the House of Dunlork would win, at last!
Game Overview
Game Name: Voidfall
Publication Year: 2023
Designers: Nigel Buckle & Dávid Turczi
Artist: Ian O’Toole
Publisher: Mindclash Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
A trio of cycles offer unique situations and scoring goals to work towards. All the while, the Voidborn create all sorts of havoc and the puzzle constantly evolves. Learning how to strategize is a major part of gameplay in a way that unlocks interesting combinations and amazingly fun moments!
First Play
July 17, 2026
Complexity
4
Latest Play
July 21, 2026
Expansions
1
Setup Time
30 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
5
Play Time
1 Hour & 30 Minutes
High Score
150
Game Area
62" x 34"
Low Score
122
Blown Away This Time
During another attempt at the First Stand scenario, I kept a lot of setup features the same. This is a highly variable sort of solo game, yet I was still learning some of the concepts.
Let’s just say that when the final cycle brought about the Wind of Annihilation, it didn’t blow in the direction of the Voidborn. Ha ha! This was another loss of the same level.
However, I tried out a lot of new things and figured out some really interesting actions. Like agenda card actions…
And the timing of everything. Not everything worked, but I started to understand what technologies I wanted to add.
Corrupted Tracks
On one hand, I was pretty happy to see my progress on all of the civilization tracks. Still not anything too amazing, but this was a reliable source of various bonuses to unlock.
Unfortunately, plenty of corruption showed up! This wasn’t terrible when I had no plans to advance further along, but the Voidborn was stronger with these tokens present.
I think I managed to fall apart by spreading my plans to every possible corner. Not exactly a way to focus on a win.
Still, I made progress in deciding how I wanted to get better! It looked like I wasn’t ready to pack this one up just yet.
No Rising, No Shining
Yikes! This next play seemed like I might start to piece a lot of ideas together, and indeed, I did more in general. The Fallen House was no more! Dreadnoughts flew everywhere!
But my score was low and I did nothing to stop the Voidborn. Indeed, let’s all take a moment to admire those safe havens on the right side at game end. Not a single cube!
I felt like I was on the right track in a few places. Just needed to adjust a few things and create a coherent strategy.
That was an excellent part of gameplay, though. Ever so slowly, I learned what worked and how I could accomplish it.
Dreadnought Power
What’s the real source of the power on those dreadnoughts? Why, the Calico Critters, of course! This group was chosen based on the star pattern on the dress. Very fancy!
It was only lucky they didn’t suffer a mishap, what with the way these miniatures sometimes balanced precariously.
Take a look at the one in the background, listing off to one side! This added a bit of character, though, and I didn’t mind the issue since I rarely lost a ship entirely. Sturdy enough.
With my newfound knowledge and adorable fleet power sidekicks, it seemed like victory couldn’t be far away.
The Learning Curve Beyond the Rulebook
I can see why the initial learning process is split up the way it is. There was a lot of alternating between reading and playing, but in the end, I knew the core concepts. After that, the lessons were all up to me. It’s not difficult to ask around or look for strategy advice, yet I usually enjoy the process of struggling to win and then making it happen. Eventually… Ha!
This was an experience where the game gave me the chance to learn from my choices. It was far from easy, yet in a way that still provided feedback. I started to figure out why the focus cards I chose didn’t work at the times I used them, or when an unusually great opportunity was staring back at me. These little lessons started to add up, building towards a win.
Such excellent momentum! I don’t think this is a game I’ll bring out to play just once, nor would I change the main pieces of setup during a session. There are all sorts of combinations to try out, though, some of which work better in certain situations. This is a solo game that isn’t an easy walk through the park, but provides the tools to figure everything out.
Technology Memory
Since I kept the Fallen Houses and technology cards the same, I suppose that made things a little easier. I needed all the help I could get during these early plays, though!
The nice part was that I had a chance to figure out which combinations worked the best. This was the answer, with an emphasis on the advanced version of Targeting.
Other elements shifted my priorities, yet at least I had a solid idea of this one concept. Just these technologies!
It’s interesting to see how various combinations can exist, though. And this wasn’t guaranteed to lead to victory.
Driving the Harbingers
You know what else is out there in space? Harbingers. I found out just how terrifying they could be when the cutest manifestation of corruption came wheeling over. Ha ha!
No worries: These Calico Critter giraffes were just there for some fun, and I don’t think they approved of such a grim expression on the Harbinger’s face. This is a game table!
Luckily, I started to piece together my strategy and saw things come together. Extra actions all paid off early on.
I was on track to lock in the technologies I needed, although it was still a nightmare to manage the ongoing crisis cards!
A Look at the Map
Cycle one sent me ahead in a pretty remarkable position. But cycle two? I was certain I lost it. I literally lost no less than 40 victory points from not being able to pay the costs.
So as cycle three took shape, I was ready to accept a very crushing loss. Yet little things started to happen. My fleet became invincible at a certain power, as I knew it could.
Sectors were wrested from the Voidborn, and I was well on my way to turning a disaster into a possibly decent outing.
The Fallen House and rift sectors were still left alone, but as the final turn wound down, I pondered what I had done.
Civilization Tracks
A-ha! This is how you properly keep up with the civilization track markers… Calico Critters! I had my most orange fellow impersonate corruption, which made me laugh a lot.
This looked like a pretty bad outcome, mostly because I didn’t make much progress here at all. Yet I chose not to focus here, only taking the bonuses I needed here or there.
I will say that I kept my player mat relatively free of the corruption tokens, all until this one showed up at the end.
And you know what? It looked like it was the reason I was about to lose. Somehow, the margin was that thin!
Triple Checking
By my initial count, I won 120 to 118. But I missed a couple of corruption markers, and suddenly, it was a loss of 120 to 122.
That close?! I lamented this and did every calculation a few more times. Same result. I was prepared to accept it, but hold on a second… I had a trade token and lots of resources.
Extra upkeep didn’t pose a problem. What if I had used the trade token to take a third action on my last focus card?
Oh, my goodness! That allowed me to place a guild, which was on an agenda card. 122-122… Still a loss. But wait! That number is the bare minimum to win, not tie. I won! I won!
Celebrating Victory
Fly across that play area, little Calico Critter witch! In a situation that looked like defeat, I somehow figured out the puzzle and achieved victory by the narrowest of margins.
It felt great! There was no luck involved there, and I learned something else: I wasn’t just maximizing my score, but removing sources of scoring for the Voidborn. Important!
Despite the low total number, I eliminated a lot of threats. Could I have done better? Absolutely! Yet this was awesome.
Content with this victory, I decided to pack up the game and save the next round of fun for the future. Amazing session!
Session Overview
Play Number: 3-5
Accessory 1: Voidfall: Enamel Painted Metal Structures
Accessory 2: Voidfall: Miniature Pack
Accessory 3: Voidfall: Triple-Layered House Boards
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: First Stand Scenario (Easy)
Outcome: 143-179, 118-180, 122-122 (1 Win & 2 Losses)
Look at those full safe havens! I managed to time these nicely and had the best time working through the puzzle. I struggled at times and had laughably bad outings, yet in the end, I felt like I achieved something great in clever ways.
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
7
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
7
Originality
Design & Theme
6
Quality
Components & Rules
8
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
8
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
10
+ Pros (Positives)
- Every play offers some sort of learning experience as combinations and strategies come together in awesome ways.
- Plenty of variety exists even when keeping some parts of setup identical between plays, as every turn feels unique.
- Learning how to play is an intense process early on, but provides a foundation to successfully navigate the steps.
- There is a lot of tension without stress, meaning that it can be hard to decide, but nearly everything does something.
- Figuring out those rare, wonderful moments when things click and turns feel big is satisfying and very enjoyable.
- Despite the map often getting crowded with tokens, the information is easy to identify without too much noise.
– Cons (Negatives)
- A lot of time is needed to learn how to play and set up so many components, which can be mentally exhausting.
- The iconography mostly becomes intuitive over time, but there are some rules that are easy to forget or gloss over.
- Everything takes up an enormous amount of table space in a way that mostly makes sense, but is still extra large.
- Most of the component quality is amazing, except for the miniature stands, which have a tendency to not fit snugly.
Victory Conditions
Reach the Victory Threshold
- Overall Goal Progress 19%
Goals and Milestones
Win the Tutorial scenario.
Win the First Stand scenario at the easy difficulty level.
Win at least 1 game as each house. (1/14)
Continue the Conversation
What has your experience with Voidfall been like? Have you had a fun time puzzling through the options or achieving victory by the narrowest of margins? I loved being able to learn by playing! The game took a fair amount of time, yet helped set me up for some excellent turns. Although I’m taking a break from it for now, I look forward to returning to it!
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