Wonderland’s War: Tumbling Through Tea, Tears, and Tussles
Tumble down the rabbit hole into a whimsical world of tea parties, madness, and quirky battles with Wonderland’s War.
Some games have a presence all their own, and Wonderland’s War certainly fits into that realm! I’ve played it multiple times with groups, but when I stumbled across an unofficial solo variant, it seemed like a good time to bring this behemoth to my solo table. Off I went into a world where nothing was as it seemed, and I could use a shrinking potion!
Game Overview
Game Name: Wonderland’s War
Publication Year: 2022
Designers: Tim Eisner, Ben Eisner, & Ian Moss
Artist: Manny Trembley
Publishers: Druid City Games & Skybound Tabletop
Solo Mode: Unofficial Solo Variant
The tea party phase offers fun ways to pick up bonuses and gather supporters, including other Wonderlandians. While madness might stack up, the excitement grows during the war phase when each area features a battle with a series of unit chips drawn from a bag. Absolute chaos and fun!
First Play
June 9, 2024
Complexity
3
Latest Play
June 9, 2024
Expansions
2
Setup Time
20 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
2
Play Time
1 Hour & 45 Minutes
High Score
113
Game Area
60" x 34"
Low Score
97
Space to Fill Witzend
Perhaps the first thing that stands out is the required table space, for this is not a tiny game! I struggled to fit all of the elements within reach for just my own character.
Don’t get me wrong: This is lovely! Yet the experience is one that takes a long time, both for setup and play, so I wanted to figure out if I would continue to play solo.
I liked the idea and remembered all of the fun choices that the tea party introduced… And then the random chips!
There were lots of surprises and I was delighted to use some of the newest accessories to keep track of things.
The Lovely, Deluxe Chips
How pretty! My edition is the fancy deluxe version that has a box of mini-chips. These form the main basis for building a bag of interesting units, and they’re awesome!
However, I found it much easier to keep everything in the box than to pull them out and make a new display of cards.
I’ve found that I have to push on the chip stickers every now and then, as they pop up in the middle, but that just gives them a satisfying sound. It’s all… Wonderful!
The sheer amount of table space and shelf space is pretty extreme, though. In no way is this a compact game.
Fun with Tea Parties
Probably my favorite part of the game came down to the tea party phase, which is all about moving around the table to choose which bonuses to pick up.
The solo opponent was very easy to run in this sense, moving ahead and following a fairly simple flow chart of priorities for placing supporters. Not too difficult!
Yet I forgot how lengthy the war phase can be… Whereas I loved the speed of the tea party, it then ground to a halt.
And that’s normally fine with multiple players! Part of the charm is in enjoying the silly moments together.
Battle for The Red Keep
My first play still featured plenty of exciting moments, like the extreme push-and-pull for the Red Keep. This was the place to be, especially for Wonderlandians and leaders!
It was neat to guarantee some strength and other abilities, while the chips in my bag helped me out in other ways.
But it felt very luck-dependent. I had to draw for the solo opponent, which wasn’t that time-intensive, yet took me away from my own character long enough to be confusing.
Rules were everywhere. Exceptions were everywhere. And I was lucky if I could see everything in the same region.
Why Not Every Game Needs to be Solo-Friendly
As I work through this reverse alphabetical challenge of my underplayed games, I’m running across a lot of multiplayer games with unofficial solo variants. I don’t set my expectations high here, and really use this time to remind myself of the experiences and feelings that come from these games. Yet one thing is clear: Solo modes are not mandatory.
I definitely love and appreciate games that are designed to be solo-friendly right out of the box! Still, there are some mechanics that aren’t exactly conducive to solo play. Additionally, some games lean into the social elements and feel better when enjoyed with others. That’s nothing against any game or type of player, but again, solo is not mandatory.
It might seem silly for me to try out so many multiplayer-only games, but I hope my posts are helpful in some ways. Some unofficial solo variants are amazing, and it’s so much fun to discover them! Even the ones that don’t work out for me have something fun to offer. Ultimately, it comes down to my preferences and the fact that I can’t love them all.
Forging My Own Luck
Battles were interesting with the push-your-luck aspect, although quests often encouraged me to stop early.
It seemed to come down to being able to forge, though. With bad luck and a lot of madness chips, I had to stop way too soon in some instances, lest I lose all supporters.
Luckily, careful planning ensured I never busted! Yet for all of the effort, I didn’t find a lot of excitement.
To be clear, I harbor no ill will towards the game or unofficial solo variant! Just a clear case of something I don’t expect to play solo again, and that’s not a bad thing.
Coordinated Wonders
In terms of absolute delight, Alice had an incentive to focus on Wonderlandians a little bit… And I had plenty of fun finding some of the most thematic pairings!
Bt the end, the Carpenter and Walrus had their matching accessories. I almost grabbed the biscuit of the March Hare, but needed some better unit chips for the last round.
Everything swung about quite a lot, which was certainly thematic, yet didn’t feel like a rewarding solo experience.
This is still a beautiful game that brings about plenty of laughter and silliness every now and then, though!
Session Overview
Play Number: 1 & 2
Expansion: Wonderland’s War: Promo Card Pack
Accessory 1:Wonderland’s War: Base Rings
Accessory 2:Wonderland’s War: Leader Strength Dice
Accessory 3: Wonderland’s War: Premium Chips
Solo Mode: Unofficial Solo Variant
Play Details: Alice vs. Cheshire Cat
Outcome: 113-101, 97-108 (1 Win & 1 Loss)
It was pleasant enough at times, yet the lengthy setup process, sheer size, randomness, and bad luck convinced me that this would be my lone solo trip into Wonderland!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
6
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
7
Originality
Design & Theme
6
Quality
Components & Rules
6
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
7
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
7
+ Pros (Positives)
- Nearly all of the components are absolutely fantastic, especially when paired with some of the new accessories.
- Moving through the tea party phase is a lot of fun with plenty of interesting choices and variety.
- Planning out which regions to focus on is very strategic, particularly when Wonderlandians get added in.
- The mechanics of bag building and drawing chips are very exciting, with lots of surprises to experience.
- A lot of variety exists in the different characters, Wonderlandians, and specific rules for the main unit chips.
- Multiple avenues to score victory points exist, which allow for numerous strategies to be tested out.
– Cons (Negatives)
- The rules are somewhat vague and lengthy with lots of information spread out across a lot of components.
- Setup takes a noticeable amount of time, and the full game takes up an almost ridiculous amount of table space.
- Randomness can be punishing, especially with the shard die and madness chips, with no way to mitigate bad luck.
- Play time feels like it overstays its welcome with fun tea parties, followed by lengthy wars with lots of rules.
Victory Conditions
Score the Most Points
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Maximize the leader strength in at least 1 game.
Score at least 100 points.
Win at least 1 game as Alice.
Continue the Conversation
What do you like about Wonderland’s War? Are there other games you’ve determined aren’t for you solo, but work with other players? I had myself a fairly fun time, despite the ultimate conclusion that this one isn’t quite for me. Maybe if I had only properly paired up the March Hare with the biscuit… Ha ha! Still a very fun and thematic sort of game!
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