For Northwood! A Solo Trick-Taking Game

2021

Experience a unique blend of strategy and diplomacy in 'For Northwood!', a solo card game where peaceful unification is the ultimate goal. Win over animal rulers and form alliances in this award-winning game.

30
minutes

1 - 1
player(s)

12+

Medium Light

About the game

‘For Northwood! A Solo Trick-Taking Game’ is a captivating and unique board game that invites you to embark on a thrilling adventure. Set in the mystical realm of Northwood, you, as a player, will find yourself in the shoes of a courageous hero, tasked with protecting the realm from a looming threat.

Immersed in an enchanting setting, the game combines the traditional elements of card games with an innovative twist. Unlike other games, ‘For Northwood!’ is a trick-taking game designed for a single player experience, providing a deep and intricate gameplay that can be enjoyed at your own pace.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

For Northwood! A Solo Trick-Taking Game comes with a variety of components, each of which serves a unique purpose. Below is a detailed overview of each one:

1. Rulebook:

Every board game comes with a rulebook, and ‘For Northwood!’ is no exception. This rulebook provides a comprehensive explanation of the gameplay, including the purpose of each component, how to set up the game, and how to play each round.

2. Deck of 52 Cards:

The game revolves around a standard deck of 52 playing cards. Each card has a suit (clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades) and a rank (from 2 to 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace). Players use these cards to perform tricks and earn points.

3. Suit Tokens:

There are four suit tokens in ‘For Northwood!’, one for each suit of cards in the deck. These tokens are used to keep track of the leading suit in each trick.

4. Point Track:

The point track is a scoring mechanism. Players use it to keep track of how many points they’ve accumulated throughout the game. The player with the highest score at the end of the game is the winner.

5. Score Markers:

These are small tokens used in conjunction with the point track. The players move their respective score markers along the track as they earn points.

6. Trick Pile:

This is where players place their cards after each trick. At the end of each round, the player who won the trick (i.e., played the highest card of the leading suit) adds the trick pile to their score pile.

7. Score Pile:

A player’s score pile contains all the tricks they’ve won during the game. At the end of the game, the cards in the player’s score pile are counted to determine their final score.

8. Draw Pile:

The draw pile contains the rest of the cards that are not in play. Players draw cards from this pile at the start of each round.

9. Discard Pile:

The discard pile is where players place the cards they choose not to play during a round. These cards are out of play for the remainder of the game.

10. Hand:

The hand is the set of cards a player holds at any given time during the game. Players choose cards from their hand to play during each trick.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

For Northwood! is a fascinating solo trick-taking game that combines strategic choices with a fun fantasy theme. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to set up the game:

Step 1: Prepare the Game Area

Start by laying out the game board in your playing area. The game board represents the village of Northwood and it should be placed within easy access of the player.

Step 2: Set Up the Card Deck

For Northwood! uses a deck of cards to create the challenges and opportunities you’ll face. Shuffle the deck thoroughly to ensure a random distribution of cards.

Step 3: Draw Initial Cards

Draw five cards from the deck. This forms your initial hand. Keep these cards hidden from view – although as a solo game, this is more for thematic immersion.

Step 4: Prepare the Village

Place a marker on the ‘0’ space of the village’s morale track. This track shows how hopeful the villagers are that you can protect them from the threats they face.

Step 5: Set Up Resources

Next to the game board, place the resource tokens. You’ll gain and spend these throughout the game to recruit allies and acquire items. At the start of the game, you begin with three each of food, wood, and gold tokens.

Step 6: Prepare the Threat Deck

Shuffle the threat cards and place them in a face-down deck next to the game board. These cards represent the dangers that Northwood faces. You’ll draw from this deck each round to see what challenges you must overcome.

Step 7: Initial Threat

Finally, draw the top card from the threat deck and place it face up next to the deck. This is the initial threat that you must deal with in the first round.

Remember, your goal in For Northwood! is to protect the village by winning tricks and managing your resources wisely. Good luck!

Game flow Round and round we go

‘For Northwood! A Solo Trick-Taking Game’ is a solo game that takes the mechanics of traditional trick-taking games and adapts them into a challenging and engaging solo experience. The game revolves around the concept of a brave hero defending the village of Northwood from a variety of threats. Throughout the game, the player must strategically play cards to defeat enemies, protect the village, and earn the most victory points by the end.

The game is broken down into distinct stages which are as follows:

Setup: At the start of the game, the player shuffles the deck of cards and draws a hand of 9 cards. The remaining deck is placed aside as a draw pile. Three cards are then drawn from the pile and placed face-up on the game board in the Threats area. These represent the immediate threats to Northwood that the player must address.
The Trick-Taking Phase: The main part of the game involves taking tricks. The player chooses a card from their hand and places it face-up on the table. This card is the leading card. The player then draws a card from the deck and places it next to the leading card. This card represents the ‘opponent’. If the player’s card is higher, they win the trick and the card is placed in the Victory Pile. If the opponent’s card is higher, the player must move one of the three Threat cards one step closer to Northwood. If a Threat card reaches Northwood, the player loses the game.
The Refresh Phase: Once the player has gone through their entire hand of 9 cards, they then move to the Refresh Phase. During this phase, they draw a new hand of 9 cards from the deck. The Threat cards are also refreshed. If there are fewer than 3 Threat cards on the board, new ones are drawn from the deck until there are 3. This marks the end of the round and the game moves back to the Trick-Taking Phase.
End of the Game: The game continues in this fashion until the draw deck is exhausted and the player can’t draw up to 9 cards. At this point, the game ends. The player adds up the points on all the cards in their Victory Pile. If the total is higher than 50, they win. If it’s lower, they lose. The game also ends immediately if a Threat card reaches Northwood, resulting in a loss for the player.

Each phase of ‘For Northwood! A Solo Trick-Taking Game’ presents unique challenges and decisions for the player. With careful strategy and a bit of luck, the player can successfully defend Northwood and claim victory.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

To adequately describe a player’s turn in ‘For Northwood! A Solo Trick-Taking Game’, it is crucial to understand that the game operates on a trick-taking mechanism with unique twists that make it a fascinating solo experience. Each turn in the game can be broken down into the following steps:

Step 1: Draw Cards

At the start of your turn, you draw five cards from the deck. The number of cards in hand can affect your strategies and choices during the game. The more cards you have, the more options and flexibility you have in responding to the game’s challenges.

Step 2: Play a Card

After drawing cards, you must play one card from your hand. The card you choose to play should ideally be one that matches the color or number of the previous card on the table. If you cannot match the color or number, you may choose to play any other card. However, playing a card that does not match the color or number of the previously played card could result in penalties.

Step 3: Resolve the Card’s Effect

Once the card is played, you must resolve its effect. Each card in ‘For Northwood!’ has a unique effect that can influence the game’s progression, such as changing the active color, reversing the order of play, or skipping the next player’s turn. The strategic choice of when and how to use these effects can drastically affect the outcome of the game.

Step 4: Play the Enemy Card

Following the resolution of your card’s effect, you must draw and play a card for the enemy. This card is played face up on the table, and its effect is immediately resolved. This adds a layer of unpredictability to the game as the enemy’s actions can disrupt your plans and force you to adapt your strategy.

Step 5: End of Turn

Your turn ends after the enemy card is played and its effect is resolved. The game then proceeds to the next turn, starting with you drawing five new cards.

Each turn in ‘For Northwood!’ presents a mix of strategic choices and unpredictable challenges. Your success in the game greatly depends on how well you can adapt your strategy to the changing circumstances and make the most of the resources at your disposal.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

The game of ‘For Northwood! A Solo Trick-Taking Game’ ends when the player has passed through the deck three times. This is a solo game, so there are no other players to take into account. The player’s ultimate goal is to collect as many points as possible by the end of these three rounds.

Once the player has cycled through the deck three times, the ‘Endgame’ phase begins. In this phase, the player must follow specific steps to calculate their final score:

Count the number of tricks won: Each trick won during the game is worth one point.
Assess the Wilderness cards: After the three rounds, the player should review the Wilderness cards they’ve collected. Each Wilderness card has a unique point value. The player adds up the points from all of their Wilderness cards.
Consider the Monster cards: The player also needs to factor in any Monster cards they’ve collected. Each Monster card deducts a specific number of points from the player’s score. The player subtracts the points from all of their Monster cards from their total.
Calculate the total score: The player adds the points from the tricks and Wilderness cards, then subtracts any points lost due to Monster cards. This gives the player their final score.

Note: There are no specific victory conditions in ‘For Northwood! A Solo Trick-Taking Game’. The player’s goal is simply to maximize their score. They can then compare this score to their previous ones to track their improvement over time.

Once the player has calculated their final score, they should reset the game by shuffling all of the cards back into the deck. They can then start a new game and try to beat their high score.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

In ‘For Northwood! A Solo Trick-Taking Game’, scoring is a vital part of the gameplay and understanding how it works can greatly enhance your gaming experience. Here we will detail the scoring system of the game and how tie-breaking rules work.

Scoring:

The main way players score in ‘For Northwood!’ is through winning tricks. The game is played over several rounds, and at the end of each round, points are tallied up as follows:

Trick Points: Each trick won earns the player one point. At the end of each round, the number of tricks won equals the number of points scored.
Majority Bonus: If a player manages to win the majority of the tricks in a round, they receive a bonus of 3 points.
Perfect Round Bonus: If a player wins all the tricks in a round, they receive an additional bonus of 5 points.

Tie-breaking:

In the event of a tie at the end of the game, the following tie-breakers are used in order:

Most Rounds Won: The player who has won the most rounds is the winner.
Most Perfect Rounds: If there is still a tie, the player who has the most perfect rounds (winning all tricks in a round) wins.
Most Majority Bonuses: If there is still a tie, the player who earned the most majority bonuses across all rounds wins.

Understanding this scoring system can greatly improve your strategy and overall enjoyment of ‘For Northwood! A Solo Trick-Taking Game’.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

In ‘For Northwood! A Solo Trick-Taking Game’, there are some rare or special rules, exceptions, and clarifications that are essential for an optimal gaming experience. They are as follows:

1. The Lone Wolf Rule:

In certain circumstances, the player can declare themselves a “Lone Wolf”. This means they are playing alone without a partner. The Lone Wolf rule can only be invoked if the player has the Northwood card in their hand at the start of a round.

2. The Northwood Rule:

The Northwood card is a special card in the game. When played, it automatically wins the trick unless another player uses their Northwood card. In the event of multiple Northwood cards, the first one played wins the trick.

3. The Draw Rule:

If there are no more cards in the deck and no one has reached the required points to win, the game is a draw. In this case, reshuffle the discard pile and start a new game. The player who last won a trick goes first.

4. The Trump Suit Exception:

Normally, players must follow suit if they can. However, if a player has no cards in the suit led, they may play a card from the trump suit. The highest trump card wins the trick.

5. Rule Clarification: Scoring:

Scoring can sometimes cause confusion. To clarify, only the player who wins a trick scores points. If a trick is won with a Northwood card, the player scores double points. Scoring occurs immediately after each trick.

6. Rule Clarification: Leading a Trick:

The player who wins a trick leads the next one. If the trick is won by a Northwood card, the player who played the first Northwood card leads the next trick.

7. Rule Clarification: Playing a Card:

Each player, beginning with the one leading the trick, plays one card face up on the table. The other players, in clockwise order, must play a card of the same suit if they have one. If they do not have a card in the suit led, they may play any card.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

Advanced Strategies for ‘For Northwood! A Solo Trick-Taking Game’

The following are some advanced strategies for ‘For Northwood! A Solo Trick-Taking Game’:

Plan Ahead: Always try to anticipate your opponent’s moves. This will help you make better decisions and increase your chances of winning.
Master the Trick-Taking Mechanism: Understand the trick-taking mechanism thoroughly. This is the core of the game and mastering it can give you an upper hand.
Utilize Special Cards Wisely: The game includes special cards with unique abilities. Use these cards to turn the tide of the game in your favor.

Beginner Tips for ‘For Northwood! A Solo Trick-Taking Game’

If you are new to the game, the following tips might be helpful:

Make sure you understand the rules and objectives of the game.
Start by playing against easier opponents to get the hang of the game.
Practice often. The more you play, the better you will get at the game.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in ‘For Northwood! A Solo Trick-Taking Game’

Here are some common mistakes that players often make:

Underestimating the Opponent: Never underestimate your opponent. Always be prepared for their best game.
Misusing Special Cards: Be careful while using special cards. Misusing them can cost you the game.
Not Planning Ahead: Always have a strategy in mind. Playing without a plan can lead to a loss.

Ways to Optimize Gameplay in ‘For Northwood! A Solo Trick-Taking Game’

To optimize your gameplay, you can follow these tips:

Practice Regularly: The more you practice, the better you will get at the game.
Learn from Your Mistakes: After each game, analyze your mistakes and try to improve in the next game.
Stay Focused: Always stay focused on the game. Distractions can lead to mistakes.