Retro Board Game Review: Friday

One of the marvels I realized when I discovered modern board gaming a few years ago was the invention of the solo player game. I suppose the concept of a solo game has existed for a long time, but was more along the lines of playing yourself a game of chess. In board gaming parlance, this is referred to sometimes as two-handed play: where you play like two separate players, just taking turns, but it's all you at the controls for both "players." I admit I played myself chess or risk some as a younger boy, as I was an only child who lived out in the sticks where there were no other children really around.

A true evolution of the board gaming industry that appears to have occurred at some point between my youth and my now middle aged self is the advent of solo games. I still find the concept somewhat novel because, again being an only child, the idea that someone (obviously an adult) intentionally creating games for the one player seems kind of far out. I love it, don't get me wrong. But being told growing up that I was 'weird' because I played myself a game (out of complete lack of another opponent), I find the whole concept thrilling and yet still somewhat hard to digest.

If you survive all three rounds, you can escape the island, only to have to beat two big bosses, using your assembled deck you've built.

One of the first true "solo" games that I bought upon the recommendation of a Facebook board game

community I was a part of, was a game called Friday. I remember ordering it online sight unseen, and was none to enthused when it arrived. It was a tiny little green box, just a trifle larger in size about maybe two decks of deluxe Hoyle playing cards. I remember opening the box and saying to myself, "Well, that's...underwhelming."

Being a cartoonist in a former life, I did like the artwork. Or at least the artwork grew on me. I appreciate good art, but board game art is not a make or break feature for me. The game came out in 2011, so it is almost 15 years old, but still a good solo adventure. Not quite a "pocket" game in size, but certainly small enough to fit in your bag and take on a road trip or vacation. It's also not a table space hog. You can almost play it in the space of a TV dinner tray if necessary. 

If you are interested in the quick rules, you can find a good overview in pdf form here from BoardGameGeek. Basically, the gist of the game is you are the good man, Friday, trying to help Robinson Crusoe escape the island.

You basically play three regular rounds, and if you survive those three rounds, each progressively more difficult, you can escape the island, only to have to beat two pirate bosses without running out of life tokens. If at any point you run out of life tokens, the game is over.

Essentially, Friday is a deck builder. Each round, you go through the hazard deck two by two, picking one you have to either defeat or lose life tokens in the attempt. If you win, the hazard card gets added to your own deck as a value strength card, while the other original card is put back into the hazard deck. If you don't defeat your hazard card, that one also goes back into the hazard deck.

Once you have made your way through all the hazard cards in the deck two by two, the round ends. Another hard hazard card is added to the hazard deck after each round from a separate aging deck. You play all three rounds, if you can survive, you go one to try and defeat the two big boss pirate ships in succession.

The game play of this game is actually not difficult to pick up in terms of learning curve, but it does take practice to learn the strategies and nuances without getting killed in the first round. Remember, practice is key. The game is deceptively more difficult than one would initially think in the overview. There is just enough luck and strategy on how you play your cards that it is extremely difficult to make it all the way through to beat the second big boss pirate at the end without running out of life tokens.  Some people think that it is just enough chance in how the cards are dealt that they get frustrated and lose interest, but if you stick with it, you will find the replay value of the this game, for the price (you can often find it on sale on most online board game websites like miniature market or cardhaus for under US $15).

This is one of those games that people either love or hate. Most of the reviews I read online really loved the game, but there was a vocal minority that described it "fiddly" or "dated" or "you have to play it a lot to learn how to play it" kind of complaints. While I can see how it would not be some people's cup of tea, as it is a game that's almost 15 years old and still available at most board game sellers websites and brick and mortar stores, I think it's probably in the realm of a modern classic.   

I think it is a good stocking stuffer type of game, and a good entry level game for those interested in getting into solo play and particularly the "deck builder" mechanism that so many board games use now a days. As a strictly solo play game, I recommend it.

Is it a game you are going to table and play for hours and hours straight? Probably not. I usually get it out periodically and play 3 or 4 games and then put it up for a while. But, I always come back to it again and again. It's quick to set up and quick to play. I can usually get a game in before dinner time after I get home from work.

It's not for everyone (no game is), but for the price, size, and replayability, I would give the game an A- overall.