Mutants Solo Review

boardgamequest.com:

We review the solo mode for the Mutants Board Game, published by Lucky Duck Games. You can play Mutants either multiplayer or solo, and we give you the rundown on the 1 player mode.

Some years ago, fellow BGQ reviewer Tahsin Shamma took a look at Mutants, and discovered an innovative and interesting (if distractingly abstract) card game. It seemed like a neat, Euro-driven twist on traditional CCG mechanisms, but I doubted I could find someone else to play with me, so I passed it by.

Fast-forward to now, when I learn that Mutants has a solo mode built into the base game, and I am immediately pulled back in. I’m a complete sucker for a game with a solo mode—but does this one manage to capture the mutant magic?

In many ways, Mutants’ solo game plays identically to the multiplayer game. (If you want to know how the multiplayer game works, you can check out Tahsin’s excellent review here). You get to craft a deck (or you can use one of the suggested starter decks) instead of drafting your cards during setup, but your turns play the same as normal, with little to no modification. Most of the solo rules have to do with running the Boss’ turn.

The Boss has its own sheet (with three slots and a discard pile, just like a human player), a deck of cards unique to that Boss, and a starting amount of health. On its turn, the Boss plays the top card of its deck to its Active slot, triggering the card’s effect (if applicable). Cards are pushed to the left or right according to the arrows on the back of the cards, and their effects tend to mimic standard player effects—knocking down your cards, pushing up the power track, and so on. The Boss always takes its turn after you, and will continue to take turns after you until your hand is empty.

In addition to normal effects, some Boss cards have a Weakness printed on them, displaying a specific action you have to take to “shatter” that Weakness. Shattering a Weakness can be costly, but the benefits are often worth it. The boss loses a