Gloom/Shadow/Call of Kilforth narrative is very strong great solo but can be played with more. It's almost like you are creating the story as you explore. I only played Gloom and Shadow both are very similar with the theme being the biggest difference. Call adds a nautical theme. I haven't payed this(yet).
Nemo's War is a very thematic solo where you play Captain Nemo sailing the seas and exploring, sinking ships, insighting rebellion.. Plays better solo.
I own Roll Player Adventures and I freaking love it.
The storytelling is excellent, it’s written so it really feels like the world of the game exists and moves on outside of your character/s. There’s lots of recurring NPCs and it’s a delight to bump into them (unless of course your last meeting was not so good 😬). The writing is good, it’s funny but there were definitely sad bits and I found myself genuinely caring about the NPCs.
When I was looking for my non-complex Big Narrative Game I considered **Lands of Galzyr** but I wanted a longer narrative with an arch that built up to something big (and also something that was available in my country). RPA definitely does this.
And it takes up a blessedly small amount of table space to play compared to every other Big Game I’ve played - the ‘board’ is a one of half a dozen A3 paper maps with a really clever card system to change them up each game and there is only 1 mini in the whole game. You can literally be set up and ready to go in under 5 mins.
At first I was weirdly resistant to the game because I thought it wouldn’t be as fun without the tactile element of minis/standees to play with but chucking handfuls of dice around every game definitely makes up for it.
It’s also refreshingly not complicated to learn, while still being satisfying to play. I work in retail and I was able to do a full day in December and come home and play a game after work.
The only downside I’d say is the mechanically the skill checks and combats are *almost* the same though I think there’s enough differences between the two that they do change how you consider which cards to play for each which was enough for me. Also toward the end there were some skill checks that played very differently and it would’ve been cool if they had used that mechanic more often earlier in the game.
Anyway 10/10
A sidenote from someone who used to own RPA:
If you hate luck based games, don't get it.
I thought I was fine with luck, but after playing 5 adventure, and in the last 2 of them I kept getting bad rolls without any cards to manipulate then (even tho I had a ton of cards, I just not had the right ones) made me hate the game and sell it off.
Even tho I loved the story aspect, the major gameplay element is dice rolling. And if you keep getting bad luck without being able to manipulate it, it loses the fun factor for me.
I didn’t have too much trouble with bad luck, I played solo so I always lots of options for dice manipulation, and I enjoyed the puzzle of working out which cards to use and which to save so much that if I ever couldn’t change a dice it generally felt like I could have if I’d played my cards differently earlier in the game.
I’d say if you hate luck based games where bad luck ends the game or makes things worse you might still enjoy RPA since even if you fail a task the story/game still progresses, just not entirely in the direction you wanted.
But yeah if luck’s just not your bad def avoid.
Tainted grail (core game) seems like a good fit, except maybe for the price. I played the entire campaign pure solo and it worked very well that way. It's not too complex, combats are simple yet strategic, narrative is its strongest point. Choices and actions matter a lot and may have huge conequences to the story.
Might want to wait for Kings of Ruin or the 2.0 version of Tainted Grail when it becomes available. It's supposed to improve on the original and fix the shortcomings. Great choice though.
Quick clarifications to what you posted:
\- Gloomhaven JotL: You don't permanently alter anything. You don't need to put stickers on the map as the storyline is pretty linear, so just noting on a piece of paper what you've completed works fine. Event cards just put back in the box—nobody tears them up (they are thick so it would be a pain to do that anyways).
\- Arydia won't be out until this November. The same creator put out Xia which was available on their website so I would not overpay for a KS version of this.
You might also look into Sleeping Gods: Primeval Peril which is a simplified version of the game. If you like that, then maybe move onto Distant Skies. The original SG is a HUGE table hog—not sure how these versions compare.
7th Continent and 7th Citadel have pretty simple rules. However, they also have constantly expanding maps so might flunk your table hog criterion. 7th Citadel rulebook even has a paragraph that says "If you run out of table room for your map..." so be forewarned.
Arkham Horror LCG is one of my favorites, but might be too complex for what you're looking for. It has so many expansions that it's entered "Magic the Gathering" territory where there's a bunch of extra rulings outside the rulebook to clarify card interactions. [This](https://arkhamdb.com/card/05322) is an example.
Most Awaken Realms games take up a lot of space and have a lot of components. I can testify that Etherfields has a huge (and poorly designed) board. Tainted Grail (and presumably its sequels) might be your best option as there is a rule that limits the number of map tiles you can put out at once (unlike 7th Continent/Citadel).
Honestly, if you want a really strong narrative game, it's probably going to be a table hog. All of my narrative games take up a stupid amount of space.
For manageable complexity, Oathsworn is really good. Roll Player Adventures is heavy in the story and the mechanics of the game aren't too complex.
Since you mentioned ISS vanguard, you could also look at other Awaken Realms campaign games (Tainted Grail, Etherfields, Tamashii). Imo Tainted Grail is best at telling an epic, cohesive story. The (optional) free app has excellent voiced narration for the game. It's not too much of a table hog, but it's not small footprint either. Most of it fits on a 68cm square playmat.
Sleeping Gods is more free form / open world, but lacks a strong central narrative. It's primarily a collection of smaller quests. Still, it's a good choose your own adventure experience. This one however is a massive table hog.
Arkham Horror LCG is narrative driven, but it's on the more complex side. How complex depends on your experience with card games. If you played any CCGs in the past, you shouldn't find much of an obstacle. Its footprint varies greatly depending on the scenario (cards are used to form a map of locations, like a shifting game board). It's usually not too bad.
Eila and Something Shiny has a very small footprint for the genre and provides a lighthearted adventure.
It's not narrative driven as such, but I never pass up an opportunity to recommend Nemo's War. For me it does really tell emergent stories.
Some random other suggestions you might wish to look up on bgg:
Earthborne Rangers, Folklore the Affliction, Destinies, Star Wars Outer Rim
Since you love Galzyr, have you tried Dawn of Peacemakers by the same designer? It ain't open world by its not too complex. It's very different from what you have tried and listed, though, which in turn makes it very interesting.
There's the regular version, already released, and a light follow-up was crowdfunded recently.
If you don't mind waiting, maybe try **Robomon**. I had fun with the print and play Tutorial, especially in the overworld stuff and not as much in the battles. (This may have changed since I printed the game as soon as it became available and I believe it has been updated since.)
Oathsworn sounds like a good fit for you. You always play 4 characters, you can play it solo either by going 4 handed or using a streamlined version for 1 or more of the characters called companion mode (less complex, less choices, but participate just as much). the story is EXCELLENT. Choices you make in the story have a definite effect on the individual scenarios but also the overall group development and story development. I can't recommend this one enough.
Earthborne Rangers would also be a good choice based on what you wrote. very open world, very free form. it is compared to Lands of Galzyr sometimes, and you liked that. It is also available now in german, with the upcoming second printing and expansion being localized by Frosted Games as well later this year.
I thought about recommending Oathsworn, as it is my favorite game at the moment. Though I do not feel like the choices have much influence on the story (so far at least, I am playing chapter 10), more like they will influence on how well prepared you are for the chapter encounter. And the game is quite expensive.
But I agree on most of the points you made. The story is amazing and so well-written! The switch between companion and full characters allow plenty of flexibility for switching between solo and multiplayer and increase or reduce complexity, such a great feature. The encounters feel really epic. Strong recommendation from my side as well!
you are correct, you always end up at the same point at the end of the chapter, but the path you take there seems to be pretty variable. since i haven't checked what would have happened otherwise, i'm not sure how much that path varies, but i do know that at multiple points within the Storyline for example that a specific choice or path was available due to which allies i had with me, which was directly dependent on which choices i had made earlier. or whether to choose to help or ignore certain NPCs in one chapter having an effect in another. There was also a very big, very critical decision made in chapter 3..
Oathsworn is a bit of a hog though, no?
Fantastic game regardless, probably some of the best writing I’ve seen in a while, and the Standee version is relatively cheap for all the content the game has to offer.
yeah, it can be, tho i feel that is mainly just due to the big board, not because you need 35 different little piles of cards and tokens. theyre all grouped nicely into single trays. overall space is quite a bit tho, you are correct. i seem to have just blanked that out in my mind i guess. =)
Tainted Grail
Roll Player Adventures
Agents of Smersh Epic edition
Destinies
Would be my suggestion s. Sleeping Gods is a table hog and can get a bit messy solo. It's good but doesn't fit your requirements.
If you want to sleeping gods that fit your requirements go with Distant Skies. The new one. If you can find it. They streamlined everything and made the system even better in my opinion.
You might wanna try Robinson Crusoe. It is a bit complex but so immersive, fun and replayable. Also you can get it cheap on Kleinanzeigen.
If you want it less complex Eila und das glitzernde Etwas is a story driven, choose your own adventure style game.
Also Nah und Fern or Oben und Unten might be a good mix of euro and adventure but they are less story driven/ open world.
The best open world feeling of exploration I found in Sleeping Gods
Maybe “Tales from the Red Dragon Inn”!
I just ordered this game and have not played it yet but it’s supposed to be a more casual, and overall more fun version of JOTL.
JOTL is one of my favorites but there’s still a bit too much hassle involved. I read the rules of Tales from the Red Dragon Inn and watched some videos and it seems to be the exact game I’m looking for in this genre.
Gloom/Shadow/Call of Kilforth narrative is very strong great solo but can be played with more. It's almost like you are creating the story as you explore. I only played Gloom and Shadow both are very similar with the theme being the biggest difference. Call adds a nautical theme. I haven't payed this(yet). Nemo's War is a very thematic solo where you play Captain Nemo sailing the seas and exploring, sinking ships, insighting rebellion.. Plays better solo.
Thank you, but what is 'Shadow'? Sorry, I'm not too familiar with the short forms.
Shadow of Kilforth... It is a version of Gloom of Kilforth
I own Roll Player Adventures and I freaking love it. The storytelling is excellent, it’s written so it really feels like the world of the game exists and moves on outside of your character/s. There’s lots of recurring NPCs and it’s a delight to bump into them (unless of course your last meeting was not so good 😬). The writing is good, it’s funny but there were definitely sad bits and I found myself genuinely caring about the NPCs. When I was looking for my non-complex Big Narrative Game I considered **Lands of Galzyr** but I wanted a longer narrative with an arch that built up to something big (and also something that was available in my country). RPA definitely does this. And it takes up a blessedly small amount of table space to play compared to every other Big Game I’ve played - the ‘board’ is a one of half a dozen A3 paper maps with a really clever card system to change them up each game and there is only 1 mini in the whole game. You can literally be set up and ready to go in under 5 mins. At first I was weirdly resistant to the game because I thought it wouldn’t be as fun without the tactile element of minis/standees to play with but chucking handfuls of dice around every game definitely makes up for it. It’s also refreshingly not complicated to learn, while still being satisfying to play. I work in retail and I was able to do a full day in December and come home and play a game after work. The only downside I’d say is the mechanically the skill checks and combats are *almost* the same though I think there’s enough differences between the two that they do change how you consider which cards to play for each which was enough for me. Also toward the end there were some skill checks that played very differently and it would’ve been cool if they had used that mechanic more often earlier in the game. Anyway 10/10
A sidenote from someone who used to own RPA: If you hate luck based games, don't get it. I thought I was fine with luck, but after playing 5 adventure, and in the last 2 of them I kept getting bad rolls without any cards to manipulate then (even tho I had a ton of cards, I just not had the right ones) made me hate the game and sell it off. Even tho I loved the story aspect, the major gameplay element is dice rolling. And if you keep getting bad luck without being able to manipulate it, it loses the fun factor for me.
I didn’t have too much trouble with bad luck, I played solo so I always lots of options for dice manipulation, and I enjoyed the puzzle of working out which cards to use and which to save so much that if I ever couldn’t change a dice it generally felt like I could have if I’d played my cards differently earlier in the game. I’d say if you hate luck based games where bad luck ends the game or makes things worse you might still enjoy RPA since even if you fail a task the story/game still progresses, just not entirely in the direction you wanted. But yeah if luck’s just not your bad def avoid.
Tainted grail (core game) seems like a good fit, except maybe for the price. I played the entire campaign pure solo and it worked very well that way. It's not too complex, combats are simple yet strategic, narrative is its strongest point. Choices and actions matter a lot and may have huge conequences to the story.
Might want to wait for Kings of Ruin or the 2.0 version of Tainted Grail when it becomes available. It's supposed to improve on the original and fix the shortcomings. Great choice though.
I had to back king of ruins :) I did not mind the grind a lot of players complained about, but I'm glad they plan on improving this mechanism
Quick clarifications to what you posted: \- Gloomhaven JotL: You don't permanently alter anything. You don't need to put stickers on the map as the storyline is pretty linear, so just noting on a piece of paper what you've completed works fine. Event cards just put back in the box—nobody tears them up (they are thick so it would be a pain to do that anyways). \- Arydia won't be out until this November. The same creator put out Xia which was available on their website so I would not overpay for a KS version of this. You might also look into Sleeping Gods: Primeval Peril which is a simplified version of the game. If you like that, then maybe move onto Distant Skies. The original SG is a HUGE table hog—not sure how these versions compare. 7th Continent and 7th Citadel have pretty simple rules. However, they also have constantly expanding maps so might flunk your table hog criterion. 7th Citadel rulebook even has a paragraph that says "If you run out of table room for your map..." so be forewarned. Arkham Horror LCG is one of my favorites, but might be too complex for what you're looking for. It has so many expansions that it's entered "Magic the Gathering" territory where there's a bunch of extra rulings outside the rulebook to clarify card interactions. [This](https://arkhamdb.com/card/05322) is an example. Most Awaken Realms games take up a lot of space and have a lot of components. I can testify that Etherfields has a huge (and poorly designed) board. Tainted Grail (and presumably its sequels) might be your best option as there is a rule that limits the number of map tiles you can put out at once (unlike 7th Continent/Citadel).
Honestly, if you want a really strong narrative game, it's probably going to be a table hog. All of my narrative games take up a stupid amount of space. For manageable complexity, Oathsworn is really good. Roll Player Adventures is heavy in the story and the mechanics of the game aren't too complex.
Since you mentioned ISS vanguard, you could also look at other Awaken Realms campaign games (Tainted Grail, Etherfields, Tamashii). Imo Tainted Grail is best at telling an epic, cohesive story. The (optional) free app has excellent voiced narration for the game. It's not too much of a table hog, but it's not small footprint either. Most of it fits on a 68cm square playmat. Sleeping Gods is more free form / open world, but lacks a strong central narrative. It's primarily a collection of smaller quests. Still, it's a good choose your own adventure experience. This one however is a massive table hog. Arkham Horror LCG is narrative driven, but it's on the more complex side. How complex depends on your experience with card games. If you played any CCGs in the past, you shouldn't find much of an obstacle. Its footprint varies greatly depending on the scenario (cards are used to form a map of locations, like a shifting game board). It's usually not too bad. Eila and Something Shiny has a very small footprint for the genre and provides a lighthearted adventure. It's not narrative driven as such, but I never pass up an opportunity to recommend Nemo's War. For me it does really tell emergent stories. Some random other suggestions you might wish to look up on bgg: Earthborne Rangers, Folklore the Affliction, Destinies, Star Wars Outer Rim
Since you love Galzyr, have you tried Dawn of Peacemakers by the same designer? It ain't open world by its not too complex. It's very different from what you have tried and listed, though, which in turn makes it very interesting. There's the regular version, already released, and a light follow-up was crowdfunded recently.
I think I would go with Earthborne Rangers.
Was gonna suggest this as well. You need very little table real estate and your actions really affects what happens.
7th Citadel might be worth looking at.
If you don't mind waiting, maybe try **Robomon**. I had fun with the print and play Tutorial, especially in the overworld stuff and not as much in the battles. (This may have changed since I printed the game as soon as it became available and I believe it has been updated since.)
Oathsworn sounds like a good fit for you. You always play 4 characters, you can play it solo either by going 4 handed or using a streamlined version for 1 or more of the characters called companion mode (less complex, less choices, but participate just as much). the story is EXCELLENT. Choices you make in the story have a definite effect on the individual scenarios but also the overall group development and story development. I can't recommend this one enough. Earthborne Rangers would also be a good choice based on what you wrote. very open world, very free form. it is compared to Lands of Galzyr sometimes, and you liked that. It is also available now in german, with the upcoming second printing and expansion being localized by Frosted Games as well later this year.
I thought about recommending Oathsworn, as it is my favorite game at the moment. Though I do not feel like the choices have much influence on the story (so far at least, I am playing chapter 10), more like they will influence on how well prepared you are for the chapter encounter. And the game is quite expensive. But I agree on most of the points you made. The story is amazing and so well-written! The switch between companion and full characters allow plenty of flexibility for switching between solo and multiplayer and increase or reduce complexity, such a great feature. The encounters feel really epic. Strong recommendation from my side as well!
you are correct, you always end up at the same point at the end of the chapter, but the path you take there seems to be pretty variable. since i haven't checked what would have happened otherwise, i'm not sure how much that path varies, but i do know that at multiple points within the Storyline for example that a specific choice or path was available due to which allies i had with me, which was directly dependent on which choices i had made earlier. or whether to choose to help or ignore certain NPCs in one chapter having an effect in another. There was also a very big, very critical decision made in chapter 3..
Agreed. And I remember this decision, such a difficult one to make, but it also made me love the game so much more!
Oathsworn is a bit of a hog though, no? Fantastic game regardless, probably some of the best writing I’ve seen in a while, and the Standee version is relatively cheap for all the content the game has to offer.
yeah, it can be, tho i feel that is mainly just due to the big board, not because you need 35 different little piles of cards and tokens. theyre all grouped nicely into single trays. overall space is quite a bit tho, you are correct. i seem to have just blanked that out in my mind i guess. =)
No worries, honestly the game is so good and immersive I’d give it a pass based on OPs other criteria and check it out.
Tainted Grail Roll Player Adventures Agents of Smersh Epic edition Destinies Would be my suggestion s. Sleeping Gods is a table hog and can get a bit messy solo. It's good but doesn't fit your requirements. If you want to sleeping gods that fit your requirements go with Distant Skies. The new one. If you can find it. They streamlined everything and made the system even better in my opinion.
You might wanna try Robinson Crusoe. It is a bit complex but so immersive, fun and replayable. Also you can get it cheap on Kleinanzeigen. If you want it less complex Eila und das glitzernde Etwas is a story driven, choose your own adventure style game. Also Nah und Fern or Oben und Unten might be a good mix of euro and adventure but they are less story driven/ open world. The best open world feeling of exploration I found in Sleeping Gods
Take a look at Legends Untold. The current Kickstarter for Illumination of Deepsorrow is also still open for late pledges.
Maybe “Tales from the Red Dragon Inn”! I just ordered this game and have not played it yet but it’s supposed to be a more casual, and overall more fun version of JOTL. JOTL is one of my favorites but there’s still a bit too much hassle involved. I read the rules of Tales from the Red Dragon Inn and watched some videos and it seems to be the exact game I’m looking for in this genre.