In case you missed it, Antinomy is currently resolving Paradoxes on Kickstarter. Last time we gave an overview of the game and its mechanics. Then last time we covered some of the basic strategies in the game. Today I’d like to take a look at the 6-card mini-expansion that is included with every pledge for the game. That’s right, we’re taking a deeper look at the Solar Flare expansion.
What the expansion contains
In this mini-expansion you’ll receive 6 new cards: four white Depleted Relics (numbered 1-4) and two Solar Flare cards. The most unique thing, upon first glance, is that the Solar Flares each have two number on them, which is something completely new. But in order to understand the impact that these six cards will have on the game, perhaps we need to break down a little on how the solo game differs from the main gameplay.
Wait, Depleted Relics?
Yep, you read that right earlier. Four of these cards are Depleted Relics, and that Depleted is the key word to take away here. They look like normal Relic cards, and mostly act just like a regular Relic card during the gameplay. You can use them for movement from your hand, and you can move to them on the Continuum. However, these cards do not contain an Element, meaning they are unable to be used to create a Paradox. So these are great for moving around, but they also clutter up the 9-card Continuum. Pulling one into your hand means you won’t be completing a Paradox this turn.
Solar Flares create a Subtle Shift in Strategy
While the Depleted Relics are noteworthy for their inclusion into the game, the Solar Flare cards are really going to create a wrinkle in your plans. Thankfully, there are only two of them...but it is going to feel like more than that because they will constantly try to foil your plans. Why? Because they can never, ever enter your hand. This means you cannot travel to their space on the Continuum. It also means you cannot form a Paradox that would require you to pick up a Solar Flare - even if that Paradox would allow you to win the game. They clutter up your board, although they are not necessarily a permanent obstacle you must overcome.
How the solo game is different
In the solo game, you are still collecting Paradox Crystals in a manner similar to the base game. Depending on the difficulty you choose, you will be aiming for 5-6 of them. However, like all good games, there is a timer that creeps toward a loss condition in the form of a deck of cards. After all, without an opponent there are three cards (which would normally be the opponent’s hand) and the six new cards from the expansion that you mix together to form a draw pile. If this pile is depleted, you immediately lose the game. The unused staff card is set next to this deck with three crystals placed on it to serve as counters.
On your turn, you remove a counter from that staff card if you do not complete a Paradox. When the third counter is removed, you draw the top card of the deck and replace any card in the Continuum with this card - but it must match at least one feature on the card. However, the card it replaces is removed from the game. Which means you are reducing the number of possible Paradoxes you can form any time you remove a base game card.
To further complicate matters, you also draw a card off the top of this deck when you form a Paradox! Yes, you read that right. When forming a Paradox you remove a card in your hand from the game, draw the top card of the deck and place that into your hand, shuffle those three cards, and then place them into the Continuum as the formation of your Paradox. The other way this deck can play cards is by skipping your entire turn. This allows you to draw the top card of the deck and use it to replace a card in the Continuum, but it also does not remove a counter from the staff because you skipped your entire turn.
Reliquary Mode
For those keen on an even greater challenge, you can add in the optional Reliquary Mode into the solo game. The object is simple: collect one of each Element, Type, and Number in your Reliquary. As a (non-Depleted Relic and non-Solar Flare) card is removed from the game, it goes into your face-down Reliquary pile. There is a limit of 5 cards in this Reliquary, so if a 6th card were to be placed here you must choose one of the cards to remove from the game. At the end of the game, you must have one of each Element, Type, and Number in your Reliquary in order to preserve the magic contained in the Relics. Should you fail this task, you lose the game - even if you would have won otherwise.
WIBBLY-WOBBLY, TIMEY-WIMEY
Antinomy is on Kickstarter through February 22nd, 2019 and is priced as low as $10 plus shipping and will come packaged in our standard vinyl wallet for maximum portability. Prepare your ancient tomes of magic for a Paradoxical adventure coming to a wallet near you.
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BUTTON SHY PROJECT STATUS
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