Stronghold GamesFlee Board Games

Great cooperative game or solitaire. I enjoyed leaving it set up on a table with a small marker to show whose turn it was. Can be enjoyed more than once.

Fast Forward: FLEE is suitable for 1-4 players. As the third title in the initial trilogy of games released in the Fast Forward series, it is billed as the hardest and most complex of these three. It also stands out from the others in the series in that it has a cooperative aspect, and players must work together to beat the game. I've seen this title described as Friese's homage to escape rooms, and I can see why. While not having an escape room type of setting, you are combining your thinking powers to solve the puzzle that the game presents. A "monster" card is found beside one of four characters that are on the table, and the idea is to make sure a character never begins its turn with the monster card, otherwise (as a group) you lose the game. Fortunately as you take turns and progress through the game, there are cards that let you control and manipulate the order of turns and exchange cards, to assist you accomplish your mission, which is to avoid being caught by the monster. You will eventually lose, of course, certainly in your first few games. But much like a classic video platform game, you will take on the challenge again, now armed with new knowledge of what you're going to face, in order to anticipate and counter the twists and turns that lie ahead. If you successfully make it through all three progressive chapters that the game offers, without getting caught by the monster, you win!Fast Forward: FLEE is another terrific example of his ability to produce a truly unique game design that makes you stand in awe of the creativity that is on display. FLEE isn't going to suit everyone, but very few people will experience this game and fail to be impressed by the ingenious game design. This title really feels like a very different game experience than you'll have ever tried before, and may be worth trying for that reason alone. The other Fast Forward titles do have some similar elements to one another, but FLEE really stands apart from the other games in the series. This is in part from the cooperative game-play, where you need to work together to beat the game, but also the unique puzzle-like challenge that the game offers.That doesn't mean that FLEE will win over everyone that plays it. In fact, of all the Fast Forward games, it currently has the lowest average rating, making it the least popular of the bunch. But that doesn't surprise me either, because its unique qualities will appeal to a smaller subset of people. To begin with, the cooperative type of game experience that this offers won't be everyone's cup of tea, particularly since you have to make decisions as a committee, and aren't really working independently as players in any way. The same is largely true of Escape Room type challenges as well, and while this is not inherently a fatal flaw, it just isn't to everyone's taste. With this game I believe that the combined brainpower and ability to recall the previous challenges the game has thrown at you will help you, especially if you keep trying to beat the game with the same group. Doing it with at least two people may actually make the job easier and more fun. That said, it works very well as a solo challenge as well, and if you're the type to enjoy solitaire puzzles, then this may just well be gaming nirvana for you.But probably the main reason why FLEE won't have universal appeal is that it very much has a puzzle feel, and if you do have the fortitude to keep playing the game over and over until you've beat it, this accomplishment at the same time ensures that you have little reason to return to it. It is this lack of replayability that will prove to be the nail on the coffin for some gamers, and accounts for the lower-than-usual ratings. And not everyone will even have the stamina to even do the repeat games necessary to get to the very end. Does all that mean it's a bad game? I don't think so at all. It's just a very different type of game, which is very puzzle-like in its experience. And while it's true that once you've mastered it and crossed the finish line of that final level, your incentive and interest in playing will drop significantly, the fact is that you'll have had a lot of plays and many hours of enjoyment. And for a small-box game that is relatively inexpensive, it's an experience that many will find well worthwhile, myself included.Fast Forward: FLEE shouldn't be dismissed too easily, even though it isn't likely to be the kind of filler that you'll play over and over, and it does in some ways have a limited shelf life. But isn't that also true of your favourite platform video game or adventure game too? Remember those tough levels that you kept playing over and over, and the sense of accomplishment that you had when you finally conquered those tricky final stages and beat the game? That's very much what playing FLEE is like. It won't be something that I'll be playing the rest of my life, but wow, was it ever a fun ride, and I sure don't regret playing it!

Unlike your typical boardgame or card game, this Friedemann Friese game is one you play out-of-the-box without having to read and digest rules first. This one is played by simply pulling out the cards and reading the rules written on them as you play. The only reason I gave it three stars is for repeat playability; you will likely lose before getting to the end, but I've only played it about 4 times and already I feel like I've played it enough. I like the Alice In Wonderland theme, and I like that I can't predict the outcome even based on knowing the cards, but I only needed to play it a few times. Still worth playing it, though - so recommended to give it a go!

Not really a game, more of a trial and error experiment trying to work through a puzzle.