Black Sonata - Solo Playthrough & Review

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This is "Black Sonata," a board game designed by John Kean & published by Side Room Games in 2017. This video includes a rules overview.
JUMP:
00:00 - Start
37:36 - Review
BGG Listing: boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2...
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[@pokertroll320]

At 34:30 or so, she could have gotten to southwark by moving to bishop’s gate first. That would have led to two possible locations when she had the coin and two possible locations for the cup. So you got lucky in the 50/50 at the end.

[@Ogrecrusher]

Or via Blackfriars. Funny how that one jumped out to me but not the Bishopsgate route.

[@swise63]

Yes! Would love to see more solo game reviews!

[@tomwchick1]

13:52 "Coffee cup"? : )

[@birchlover3377]

A pint of ale, methinks.

[@DevilboyScooby]

Ye Olde Starbucks

[@lightningmonkey706]

This was fun - thanks for another great solo playthrough Monique!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@slimyweasel]

I fucking love Black Sonata.

[@hanslamal5632]

One of the most unique games in the world period! I backed from the first second... Wonderful they have so much new ways to play it with the second expansion 🙏

[@darbyl3872]

THANKS! You hit on a flaw in my own prototype, hidden movement game. At 2 players, one player can hide by going to the other player's last location. (Players cannot move 0 spaces. Maybe they should.)

[@ForChitsGiggles]

Great video! You managed to get a lot of info out of the clue cards, more than I thought you could :D As others pointed out you got lucky in the last search because she could have made it to Southwark but I think you deserved the win, and this looks like a clever game. Thanks for making these videos!

[@dannyverbraeken3829]

Thanks for the playthrough Monique ! Backed the game now, looks a lot of fun to play !

[@Watdee]

I don't normally go for solo games, but I know I could get into this one for the deduction and ingenious way they configure the stealth deck. Thank you so much for sharing! I hope I can find a copy ...

[@patricksteele]

Fantastic playthrough Monique! I'm going to buy it, thanks!

[@stevenamamoto585]

One of my favorite solo and travel games. There is currently (today is 5/6/24) a Kickstarter campaign where the original game and 2 expansions are available to pledge.

[@ShuffleUpandDeal32]

Looking forward to getting this one and the expansions but who knows when.

[@Crimsonboardgames]

This looks very fun! I always love a great new solo game!

[@Kumagoro42]

Another one of the all-time greatest solo-only games under your belt! Playing solo-only designs is really another beast entirely than playing solo modes of multiplayer games, where the solo mode is almost always a compromise. If a game is designed to play solo only, you can be 100% certain it'll play at its best, because it can't play at any other count. :) My favorite solo-only that I really wish to see you play is Final Girl, which happens to be what single-handedly brought about the current surge of solo-only games (I mean, it's close to be in the top 100 overall of BGG, which is incredible for a solo game). I so hope you'll make a playthrough happen with Van Ryder Games! You already played another favorite, Warp's Edge, and talked about Maquis and Friday. Next in line should definitely be Legacy of Yu. It's a Shem Phillips game, and I know you're already pretty fond of his games. Legacy of Yu might even be his masterpiece as far as I'm concerned. Last but not least, Under Falling Skies is another solo gem, basically worker placement Space Invaders. :)

[@Sangha119]

At @34:44 she could have escaped to Southwark by moving ccw through Black friar from Cornhill in 4 moves.

[@bookaddict777]

This looks like a great solo game. Thanks for the play through, Monique!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

It really is!

[@joelsummerell1012]

Very much enjoyed this Playthrough. Thanks. My deductive skills are poor at best. I went in the complete opposite direction. Looks like a great game.

[@j0ana1978]

Just backed the kickstarter. Thank you!

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Glad you enjoyed the video! ☺️

[@condar15]

I've been looking to get this at some point, and was really glad to see it getting a crowd funding reprint so backed immediately. Thank you for the playthrough, it gives a great demo of how it plays, and I now look even more forward to getting mine once it fulfills. My only concern is that I worry with enough plays I'd maybe unintentionally memorize some of the suit + trait combinations. For example I might memorize that one of the rose cards has heart, band, crown at which point if I reveal the other I now know the dark ladies traits via external means. I don't imagine it to be a big issue, and I imagine the expansions will help if ot does become an issue.

[@lizcohn7622]

I really enjoy this game. When I first heard about it a few years ago I watched several play throughs to see if I would like it. Yours is by far one of the most enjoyable and thorough plays. Each time you said “ha ha!” I laughed. I’m still wondering if it’s worth it to back the kickstarter to get the expansions but it has certainly rekindled my interest in pulling it out and playing it again. Thanks!

[@shinjial]

Eeeey! Congrats! I really want this game! I hope they ship where I live.

[@TheMperor5]

Are you supposed to memorize the movements after going through the deck once? So you can easily predict where she will go in the next cycle? Or does the reset after a successful search prohibit that?

[@SpartacusSpielt]

Nice playthrough, thanks for it. I've already backed the new expansion and I'm looking forward to playing it. By the way: It's not a coffee mug, but a beer mug (symboling a tavern); and it's not a "band", but a wedding ring (symboling being married). :)

[@Kumagoro42]

Well, a wedding ring is also called wedding band.

[@SpartacusSpielt]

@@Kumagoro42, ah, didn't know that. I'm not a native speaker. Thanks.

[@Kumagoro42]

@@SpartacusSpielt Neither am I, but I watch a lot of American rom-coms. :)

[@VinegarAndSaltedFries]

Hope you are enjoying your trip. Appreciate the continued content.

[@chakra2938]

Really cool game

[@Theplaysthet]

Thanks Monique! What’s the best expansion everyone? I just backed the base game on Kickstarter but def want an expansion add on! Def will play this on my channel when it arrives hopefullly at Xmas!

[@kosterix123]

are the cards linen finish?

[@shinjial]

I'll come back to watch the playthough in a few, but I just wanted to comment on the Naveen shaped vacant space in the thumbnail that makes Monique look soooo alone hahaha

[@jchangaus]

At 32:43, I don't think she was supposed to be at London Bridge as Eastcheap is between them?

[@Sangha119]

she had 2 movements that round, moving from Bishopsgate through Eastcheap to London Bridge

[@jamesmorgan1967]

What do all the location symbols on the board stand for? The comedy/tragedy masks are clearly the playhouse, but is the "coffee cup" really a beer stein and thus the pub? (Thinking thematically here.) Will you be backing the Strange Shadows expansion on KS? It looks like it adds a lot to the base game. Hope you're enjoying your time off!

[@Yxvandoolu]

Yes, and the canoe is the rowing boat that the ferrymen would use to transport people across the Thames as there weren’t that many bridges. All symbols are from the time of Shakespeare.

[@jamesmorgan1967]

@@Yxvandoolu Oh, that's interesting! I'm guessing the others are tree (forest/garden), money (market?), cross (cemetery)... Do you have any thoughts on what the "house" symbol refers to?

[@Keldroc]

Definitely the pub. Coffee shops didn't exist in England until several decades after Shakespeare's death.

[@six12]

Their meanings are written on the board

[@jamesmorgan1967]

@@six12 Ah, thanks! Didn't know that.

[@EmmaNovaheim]

I'm from England, so this theme is really interesting 😁 FYI Southwark is pronounced SUTH-IRK where the first part rhymes with the beginning of "MOTHer"

[@monkeyunit4533]

So if the clue on Jane Davenant says she shares 0/2 clues with the Red Rose ladies, does that mean the shares 0 with one of them and 2 with the other? Or could she share 0 or 2 with both? Because if the first is the case, revealing the other red rose character gives a lot more information.

[@dannyverbraeken3829]

Do you know Scotland Yard ? You play it with 3-6 players, but there's an app available for playing solo.

[@corynardin]

This is also available as a free print and play game.

[@BeforeYouPlay]

Great to hear that!

[@jeredc.3219]

hey guys.. a couple years ago you guys did a showcase on games you saw at a convention or some such and there was one in particular that im trying to put a name to. Its was a very black and bleak game. I think a sort of prison escape random dungeon crawler kind of game. I dont remember a ton of details just that it wasnt released yet and it was very very black. hope these clues jog your memory because id love to find it without deep diving every Vlog you guys have ever produced.

[@ForChitsGiggles]

Is it Escape The Dark Castle? That sounds like it, plus it was originally out around that sort of time, hope that's it!

[@jeredc.3219]

@@ForChitsGiggles It isnt.. thanks for the reply. I did the deep dive and found that it was "The Night Cage"

[@pokertroll320]

If you cause her to flee through the countdown card, does that mean you don’t change the counter? If so, that seems like a bad mechanism. You can just map out her entire route, try to meet her on the second pass in locations you are sure about, and also make sure you’ll land at one of the ones at/near the end of her route so that you bypass the counter.

[@dettonator11]

No, you do change the counter even if she flees through the card. You can make a very slight fan as you count off cards from the top, so you can see if you’ve hit the countdown card without seeing the other locations. It sounds difficult, but it’s actually pretty easy to do.

[@Brend0ver]

I was one of the people that recommended this game. I really like the more difficult deduction ladies in the expansion. Easy to include and ups the deduction which is a great part. The rulebook also has a ton of other configurations for setting up the movement deck.