Darwin's Journey Board Game | Tutorial and Full Solo Playthrough

[@4815matt]

Thank you for the playthrough! As someone who has only played this solo once, it really helped. There is a minor mistake in 43:14 : The AI will only use the Special Action Diary if no worker has been placed there yet, similar to the Small Diary Action. So, they would have taken a Rest action instead.

[@TotallyTabled]

Ah, yes, you are correct. Good catch. Thanks for checking out the video!

[@MyKonaRC]

Another mistake is during set up, You're supposed to place the cubes on the Theory of Evolution Book, NOT on the fist space of that track. 9:01 You move Darwin two spaces, that would put him on the second space of the Evolution track not on the third.

[@rogerniner]

You're killing it with these vids! Every company should be knocking down your door because you make these fairly complex and heavy games seem so simple.

[@bossfan20000]

Agreed!

[@TotallyTabled]

Thanks. I'm glad you feel that way. I do my best to explain things and cover at least 90% of the rules. To be honest, I don't think board game companies care too much about playthroughs or quality content. But that is a story for another time. Thanks again!

[@rogerniner]

@@TotallyTabled That may be true, but for potential customers like me, who would look at a game like this and think 'eh, maybe too much complexity' then seeing your play through and thinking 'I need to get this game' That's a huge service!

[@TotallyTabled]

@@rogerniner You need to start a board game company! I like the way you think. 😀It is a tricky balance, because a lot of these games are going to be too complex for many people. They might lack the experience necessary to tackle them, or just not desire to play games with so many rules. And that is great. Everyone needs to find their comfort zone and find their fun. I fear that a lot of people get scared off from heavier games when they might actually love them. That is what happened to me. It is important for people to understand that there is a learning curve associated with these games. I'm not filming my first game or my second game or even my third game. Heavy board games are like pomegranates -- you have to work a bit to get to the good stuff. People expecting an apple will be disappointed. Hopefully my videos make that work a little easier so more people can discover if these games are enjoyable for them or not. Thank you so much for all your kind words and conversation.

[@hminassian]

Easily the most underrated channel on KZbin. Another wonderful video. Thank you for all the work you put in.

[@TotallyTabled]

That is very nice of you to say. I put in the hard work because of viewers like you who really seem to appreciate the videos. So thank you for keeping me motivated to do the best I can and hopefully improve over time.

[@elqord.1118]

Impeccable video. This is now my go to channel for medium-heavy board game coverage.

[@TotallyTabled]

Sorry for the late reply. I was on vacation. Thank you so much for this wonderful compliment. I'm so glad you enjoy the video and the channel. I appreciate your support!

[@bung1975]

Fantastic video! I just got this, and this video has helped immensely! I feel like I'm ready for a go at the solo!

[@stevenamamoto585]

Thanks I played solo once, but that was a few weeks ago. Your video was just the refresher that I needed.

[@pascalcharland1403]

Thanks for easing the learning of this complex AI! Really easy to grasp after watching you play! Amazing video!!! 👏👏👏

[@StewartEnnew]

Great video, I was having trouble with Alfred gaining seals and some of the priority selection, your play through has helped immensely

[@MikeSigsworth]

At 37:25 should he have gotten that specimen just because he passed by it? I thought he just got the space he landed on and the one before it. But on ship movement he gets to take everything he passes.

[@ReynaldoJAbreuR74]

This is an excellent playthrough video with calm and thorough explanations. My only comment so far is that around the 15:20 mark where Alfred discards an Objective,my understanding is that he gains +7 coin as well which makes him advance further in exploration given that it exceeds the 12 coin max limit

[@akosjanosik719]

Nice playthrough. You did a few mistake: 50:12 If more letters are tie, Alfred chooses the top-most one. 55:55 he didn't get 6 points for final tent. 57:25 Alfred needs to get on the second row and get a green wax and +2 bonus track movement. 59:12 he didn't get the 3 points. So the real score is (for my opinion) 110-126 for Alfred.

[@maththeteacher]

I'm really impressed by the quality of your playthrough. It makes it so easy to learn the game!

[@TotallyTabled]

I'm so glad you feel that way! Thanks for your kind words and thanks for watching the playthrough!

[@darren.mcauliffe]

Thanks so much for this. I was really struggling with the rulebook.

[@TotallyTabled]

I'm glad my video could help in some small way. I hope you enjoy the game. Thanks for watching!

[@morgaknightgames]

Great playthrough! This is one of the few games with solo modes that I actually think I prefer playing with another person because I find Alfred so infuriating. The chains he can come up with are just ridiculous and feel unfair even on easy mode! And some of his actions are overly complicated and I struggled with the explanations in the rules. I really do love this game, but solo feels downright mean sometimes. 😅 Again, thanks for playing! Love your content!

[@TotallyTabled]

I totally understand that, Morga. He does feel relentless. In a game like this where you get those action chains which feel fantastic when YOU pull them off, it can feel annoying to do that for a dummy player and it would be nice to make that simpler somehow. It is a great game and the solo felt rewarding to me. Thanks so much for watching!

[@rushhowell2626]

This was very helpful to watch. Thank you!

[@TotallyTabled]

You are very welcome. Thank you for checking out the playthrough!

[@stacyp2186]

Thank you for doing this. Solo seemed difficult to understand but you made it simple By the way, I think the books start on the big book spot and not on the first space of the evolution track Thanks again

[@TotallyTabled]

Thanks, I'm glad the video helped. And nice spot on the rules goof. Thanks for watching!

[@hhsoll]

great job! very helpful to play solo nd to avoid mistakes

[@TotallyTabled]

I'm glad you found the video helpful. Thanks for checking it out!

[@philipschoene2872]

Thank you very much for this. It helps a lot especially while the solo rule are rather complex. Perfect! As usual. A Question if you don´t mind. When you receive a goal are you allowed to place it unfulllilled on your board to make space for new ones? thx again....

[@AdahyCseti]

Hi. I believe you have to place your Theory of Evolution markers on the big book symbol above the track at the beginning of the game. Nice playthrough though 😊

[@svenbudde7530]

Thank you... I hoped you would make this playthrough. Don't reallly think I will play this solo cos it's a lot of management and the set up time is killing me. But maybe I change my mind one day. ;)

[@TotallyTabled]

Alfred is a bit much to manage, that is true. He has a lot of combo-filled turns and you spend as much time on his turn as your own. It is right on the edge of my tolerance level, but it ultimately worked for me. Alfred provides a good challenge and he feels like a human player. Definitely won't be for everyone, but it is a keeper for me. Thanks for watching!

[@Viljanne]

As always, thank you Shaggy. My favorite part of the BG Internet.

[@TotallyTabled]

Thank you so much. I really appreciate you watching my videos. Have a wonderful day!

[@gertdelen5993]

07:25 In solo and 2 player I believe you have to pay 3 coins here to place that worker in navigation as this is considered one diary section. Red banner that divides the space is only there in 3 and 4 player. Am i correct?

[@TotallyTabled]

There's no meeple there. Why would I pay? I'm confused by your question.

[@gertdelen5993]

@yTabled , yes you are correct. I thought there was one at the green location, but he moved because of his lens. Sorry, forget my comment 🙂

[@idjester]

what do you think of this one... is it worth getting just for the solo playing? Also would you get the expansion as well? Just wondering your thoughts about this one now that you have time to digest it from 6 months ago... thanks in advance...

[@klaus3856]

Excellent solo teach. I bought the game this week and gave your solo another view and caught a goof on how I placed Alfred’s lenses. The all to the top first rule is not clear in the rules.

[@TotallyTabled]

I'm glad the video was helpful. Thanks so much for checking it out! Hope you enjoy the game.

[@MhorGonzales]

You are my go-to video for watching solo playthroughs and helping me learn solo without reading the rulebook. You really are a good teacher Shaggy (hope I got your name correct). Any chance you would do another solo playthrough with the Firelands expansion?

[@TotallyTabled]

I really appreciate that! Thanks. I'm glad you find my videos helpful. I will definitely take a look at the expansion in a future video, but it won't be right away. I have a stack of games I want to feature on the channel and each video takes a long time to produce, so returning to a game is hard and I have to be pretty selective. Thanks so much for watching and supporting the channel!

[@pldevlin]

An excellent video, thank you.

[@TotallyTabled]

Thanks for watching, Paul!

[@ericjensen6762]

I wanted to confirm something since I'm going through my first solo playthrough... If Albert doesn't have a specimen yet and the card with the "deliver specimens action" was flipped...he would skip that top-most action and move onto the next action that can be legally performed. Right? I'm at least assuming that wouldn't be a legal move because you can't deliver something that you don't have. Likewise, if Albert has a specimen, but that specimen has already been delivered, again he would not take that top-most action because he has nothing new to deliver. Let me know if I'm off.

[@TotallyTabled]

I don't have the rules in front of me right now, but I'm pretty sure that is correct. He won't take an action that he can't perform, so just move to the next one on the card. Thanks for watching!

[@b.c.eckhoff3495]

I love this game. I find it very thematic and depending on the random bonuses the AI can act quite differently.

[@TotallyTabled]

I completely agree. I have really enjoyed my four plays so far and hope to get it back on the table soon. I want to try the expansions. Thanks for checking out the video!

[@heinermachalett2047]

Thanks for the great video. But I think that Alfred starts from the 3rd island (the island on the far right). That's what it says in the instructions, or have I misunderstood something?

[@TotallyTabled]

I believe you've misunderstood something. Thank you for watching!

[@chriscormier8287]

Thanks for the play through! Would you say that the game is greatly improved with the Fireland Expansion for solo play? A lot of people seem to think the expansion is borderline a must-have, but I’m wondering if that holds true for solo. It’s not a cheap expansion, so if I don’t need it to have a stellar experience, I’d happily skip it…

[@TotallyTabled]

Hey, sorry for the delay in responding. I have only played the Fireland Expansion once, so I don't really feel comfortable making any grand statements about it. I don't feel like it is necessary -- or at the very least I would play the base game 5 times before I move on to the expansion. It does add a lot, and I am excited to play with it more. But unless you are really going to play a lot of Darwin's Journey, I would wait and see about the expansion after trying out the base game. You can always get the expansion later. Definitely not one I would add for your first few games. Hope that helps. Thanks for watching!

[@chriscormier8287]

No worries at all, and thanks so much for your reply! Definitely helpful. Cheers!

[@thegroove7]

Hi Shaggy, great videos! I am a solo gamer and you share the same passion for solo gaming as I do! One quick question : the very first action that Alfred does (unlock a lens), shouldn't he have taken the most bottom spot? He started with 2 green wax seals and *could have* purchased a temporary token for an extra wax seal. Meaning he should have taken the most bottom action (also the strongest). Is this a standard rule to the solo game? (Alfred will always max purchase temporary tokens to get the strongest possible action). Let me know, and thanks!

[@TotallyTabled]

I'm glad you enjoyed the video! When unlocking lens spots, Alfred will unlock all four upper spots first. Only once they all have lens will he unlock the lower spots. It is definitely confusing in the rules. Hope that helps. Thanks for checking out the playthrough!

[@XZottel]

I think you won! At the end of round 3 and the beginning of round 4 you gave him the 6 bonus points for reaching the end of his bonus track two times. That´s 6 points more then he should have got so you won by 3 points 🙂

[@TotallyTabled]

I believe I gave him 6 points for reaching the bonus card at the end of the track (which happened to have a 6 point reward) and then another 6 points for looping the bonus track. I could be wrong, but I think it is sadly still a loss. But it was so close I'll count it as "within the margin of error" because I'm sure I made a few goofs that could have swung the game either way. A moral victory! :) Thanks for watching and supporting the channel for such a long time!

[@XZottel]

@@TotallyTabled Oh Yeah. You are right. But it really was very close. Love your channel and your awesome content!

[@filmsbomber]

During the rewards phase i think you only remove stamps from the player that got the majority reward, otherwise great tutorial. 😊

[@TotallyTabled]

You are incorrect. I played it right. Thanks for watching.

[@lillipuziana74]

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