S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The Board Game | GameFound Preview | Mission 1 Part #1

[@RollingSolo]

*Discord:* bit.ly/3ylw5KE | *Facebook Group:* bit.ly/38aY3On Rollers! Join me for an in-depth look at S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The Board Game created by Paweł Samborski and published by Awaken Realms! My aim as always is to help you make an informed decision on the game. For this specific video, I'll give you an overview of major game concepts and take you through gameplay of Mission #1. Stay tuned for more and good hunting, Stalkers! 🔥 FYI: 38:09 When using my characters long action regardless of the number of movement it states only two yellow noise is placed. You'll see it works out anyway with no gameplay impact. ☢ S.T.A.L.K.E.R: The Board Game (GameFound June 13th): bit.ly/3N8yQFR ☢ 🍿 Intro 0:00 🎥 Overview 1:07 🎤 Round #1 Voice-over Narration 2:39 🎯 Mission Goals 3:20 🎬 Actions Overview 3:50 📏 Line of Sight & Range Overview & Examples 6:09 🎲 Round #1 Gameplay 14:47 🩸 Wound Overview 25:44 ☢ Radiation Overview 31:41 🎤 Round #2 Voice-over Narration 36:33 🎲 Round #2 Gameplay 37:00 🎤 Round #3 Voice-over Narration 51:11 👏 Conclusion 59:51 "S.T.A.L.K.E.R. features high-quality models and top-notch components that transport players to the harsh and cruel Zone. The mechanics have been carefully crafted to provide players with a sense of tension and danger as they tackle the game's challenges. The game will please hardcore players while being accessible to people who are just starting their journey in story-driven board games. The core narrative will be based on the S.T.A.L.K.E.R.’s campfire stories, and these stories will be our missions. The board game is described as a "zone-crawler" and is suitable for 1 to 4 players. The missions themselves are divided into separate boxes, allowing for a smooth transition into the game itself." *Media Inquiries: [e-mail]* *Want to support the channel? Here's how!* Rolling Solo Merch Store: bit.ly/3yftvWp *You can connect with us in all these amazing places!* Rolling Solo Community Discord: bit.ly/3ylw5KE Rolling Solo Facebook Page: bit.ly/3MVYAT7 Rolling Solo Board Game Facebook Group: bit.ly/38aY3On Twitter: bit.ly/3M4jNdi Instagram: bit.ly/3P1Fmxa BGG Guild: bit.ly/3P2n5zT BGG Microbadge: bit.ly/39JIAVZkzbin.infogaming/emoji/7ff574f2/emoji_u1f3a4.png

[@sebastiang.5032]

This is surely a 'game mechanics have to sometimes trump the theme' thing, but I find it interesting that the enemies react to noise and sight, but not to a smoke grenade that suddenly appears in their camp.

[@RandomPerson-nd2ey]

Good point, however the environment is a destroyed wasteland, right? Smoke/ash is probably a pretty common occurrence from things decaying, falling apart, etc. Perhaps the smoke grenades in it are designed to mimic that? Haha. Yeah, it's stretching the imagination some but it could still sorta match thematically.

[@RollingSolo]

I can see what you mean. The no visibility token represents mist, fog, smoke. There has to be a handful of ways to allow the Stalker to get around. Decoy is a great one for sure.

[@sharkey1337]

Agreed, I would have the smoke grenade be at least a red noise as well but it blocks LOS through the smoke.

[@RollingSolo]

I was thinking it should generate some noise too (maybe 1-2 yellow) but a lot of the other grenades like frags etc do generate red noise. Makes it even trickier to be silent if there’s no wiggle room on the Stalker side as technically everything makes noise. haha

[@sharkey1337]

@@RollingSolo yeah 1-2 orange noise would be good for a more silent grenade

[@valentinbeck8877]

So guards see a large smoke cloud in a corridor, but heh... there's no noise down there, probably normal. 2 round s in a row... Just kidding of course, but the lenghts of the ennemy turn + the mechanic not that itnersting, i'm not sold on this one. This kind of game work with tension. When you are managing the tension, there can't be any surprise,... so there can't be real tension. Has it been smoother and simplier... but the balance is not bending on the right side to me. Thanks for the video anyway. Top notch quality as usual.

[@RollingSolo]

You’re welcome! Happy to help. Be sure to check out Part #2. You’ll see more!

[@ortizlzitro]

Brother, you’re intros are some of the best hands down! My flight just landed. I can’t wait to take this in

[@RollingSolo]

Good to hear you had safe travels. Hope you enjoy it and thanks for the kind words sir!

[@markm.9731]

I got a feeling that management of the bandits will start to annoy after short period of time.

[@RollingSolo]

Hey Mark! I can say that I came to enjoy seeing how the landscape would change inbetween my turns. It sounds like a chore but I enjoy seeing where all the enemies end up and how m uh that changes my plans.

[@Michael.Virtus]

For Stalker fans who like this game's mechanics, style of gameplay and micro tactical approach - congratulations! Enjoy! I am happy for you. For Stalker fans who doesn't like it - try "Zona: The Secret of Chernobyl" (yes zonA with an A), it's a great Stalker game (without the license so the name is not Stalker), very true to Stalker but with a more macro-gameplay where the board is the whole Zone and you go around in a more broad sense, dealing with mutants and anomalies. An expansion is in the works and coming soon.

[@sebastiang.5032]

I owned Zona and my gaming group hated it for being a somewhat modernized Talisman variant. The Stalker theme was spot on, though.

[@RollingSolo]

Thanks for sharing your recommendation here!

[@moeheep]

I just checked out Zona….absolutely right up my alley….thanks for the heads up my friend! I’m ordering it today!

[@sharkey1337]

Yeah I love Zona for that STALKER adventure gameplay. Houseruled my own co-op rules so my wife and I could work together to get to the sarcophagus. This game looks to be far more tactical in the realm of Siege 6, which makes it super finicky with all of those tokens.

[@Michael.Virtus]

@@sharkey1337 Absolutely. The sound/alert token system feels like a burden. I was excited for that project, but the seeing the game-design, style, approach and scale it's just not my cup of tea. At least not in the Stalker world. I will just wait for the Zona expansion. Can you share your co-op house rules for Zona?

[@deanogorman6335]

Great explanation of the mechanics. The one thing you helped me with was the terrain - after seeing other videos using it, I decided it was a must have. Great, yet more cash for AR….

[@RollingSolo]

Just happy to help you either way. Want you to be sure on what you’re paying for. Cheers!

[@sebastiang.5032]

I was really pumped for this game, but that's a lot of sneaking and moving tokens, especially noise blips. Also, the constant checking for view & range reminds me of Burncycle (and this game can take overly long with higher player counts). Interested in what AR will do about that further down the road.

[@kaijuh]

yeah they took the nemesis tokens to the next level. I think ill pass on this

[@RollingSolo]

You don’t have to sneak! I’m choosing to based on my loadout approach. You can certainly go in noisy from the beginning. You have options!

[@sebastiang.5032]

@@RollingSolo that's good to hear! It's fighting as potent as sneaking though?

[@RollingSolo]

It’s an interesting balance/decision for sure. If you sneak you can give yourself a break from wounds etc long enough to get a chunk of your mission completed but it’s not guaranteed it’ll work out. A bandit could turn in your direction with oversight and be unloading on you right when you thought you had more time. haha If you go in guns blazing I feel like the game closes in on your faster. However, with the right combat strategy you can clear out the enemies effectively. It certainly feels like STALKER when all the enemies hear you and start closing in on you. So far so good for me but things could get wild quick. We shall see!

[@thorstenschleer8593]

Thanks for the video. Finally some gameplay to watch! And it looks very intriguing. Looking forward for the next part.

[@RollingSolo]

More to come for sure! 🔥

[@PermianTemplar]

Its out!! My friend said dont watch any playthroughs because it'll just make the wait all the more difficult. Fuck that. Great playthrough, amazing video quality, very good background music. Roll on part 2.

[@RollingSolo]

Thanks Alex! Glad you like it. See you in the next one too. 😜

[@Torkeep]

Great intro to the series. On to watch episode 2 and weigh up backing yet another board game. ;)

[@RollingSolo]

Thanks! Take you’re enjoying it Torkeep. 👍🏼

[@nifarious]

Here. We. Gooooo!!

[@RollingSolo]

Thanks for watching Nifarious!

[@nifarious]

@@RollingSolo And thank you! This play was a lot different from One Stop Co-Op Shop's "So anyway, I started blasting"! Seem to be a lot of interesting permutations to what can go on just in this opening scenario.

[@RollingSolo]

Absolutely! Looking through the loadout options certainly gives you different ways to tackle things and you never know what you’ll find in the zone that will help you out too!

[@faralathium101]

Awesome job and im keen for more. Its definitely reminding me of the metal gear solid boardgame that I recently pre-orderd. Ps looking forward to the town fass to hear all the npcs yell "Get our of here stalker!"

[@RollingSolo]

I agree! It has that vibe for sure if you push the stealth strategy. I’m not sure how much longer I can be quiet but it’s working so far! 😏

[@jeffersonwu952]

Awesome video! Can't wait to see part 2 :) One thing I am concerned about though. The enemies are getting much more play time than ours. Their upkeep phase seems to be very heavy?

[@angye1037]

I've noticed the same. It makes sense that the game is meant to have quite some enemies on the map and that you try to navigate through them with a stealthy approach. But the result is that you have to manage all of them during enemy phase, while you only have your 3 actions, and one action might be move 1 or 2 spaces and that's all. Let's see how the mission keeps on going, and what AR might change for the final product.

[@stephendavis7327]

Each mission could have very different amounts of enemies.

[@RollingSolo]

The strategies and your approach will change over time. In-between missions you’ll also get the chance to gear up with new items which can change how you might tackle your mission.

[@jawsvvvvv]

Man does this look fiddly. I was sort of iffy on this one before you video. Now I know I am out. Valued resource as usual. May KZbin make you a millionaire!!!

[@RollingSolo]

Hey Jared! Thanks for checking out the series. Happy to help either way. 😄

[@VaultBoy13]

@58:05 (ish) you calculate the distance to one of the guards. The path you calculate has the noise at 4 distance, but there's an alternate path that puts it at 3 distance. When calculating noise, do you follow the most direct path to the character or does it follow the shortest path?

[@RollingSolo]

You would go for shortest path. Thanks for watching! 🙂

[@markopolo12008]

Looking forward to this..☢️☣️👍

[@RollingSolo]

Hope you like it! 🔥

[@CountDewkeww]

Thanks for this playthrough. I’m sure that this game is not for me. I feel like it moves to slow for my taste. I don’t mind the stealth but it just seems like you’re rewarded for not doing much. I have the Assassins Creed game, and while stealth is rewarded there is also the ability for quiet combat and hiding dead enemies.Assassins Creed just seems to do everything better (for my taste)

[@RollingSolo]

Hey Roger! Sounds like you know what you like and that’s what matters. Thanks for watching! 🙂

[@biosilva1832]

Really nice gameplay and explanation… keep it up! 🤘🏼🤘🏼

[@RollingSolo]

Thank you! Will do 🤩

[@doc_adam]

Thanks for the playthrough, you do such high quality videos. Can’t wait for part 2, will you be posting that soon? Can I also just check one rule, at 58:10 you said the bandit was outside the range of the 3 noise but if you’d traced a different path on the second step through the space of the other bandit then wouldn’t it have been within range and also moved towards the noise? It wouldn’t have impacted the game, just curious if that was done correctly (noting it’s just prototype rules at this stage).

[@RollingSolo]

Much appreciated! 🎲 I’ll look at this again to see.

[@RollingSolo]

Yes indeed there was a path for that individual to hear the noise. I will tweak this and mention it in the next video. Good eye! 👀

[@AlanBrookland]

Nice playthrough, I like that you managed to stay stealthy unlike One Stop Co-Op Shop's playthrough - which had left me with the impression that stealth was really hard in this mission. At the start of the third round you did a short action to use your decoy, couldn't you then have used the free movement from the short action token to move one space west? That would've meant you had two actions left with only one space left to move so you could've used the decoy on the guard to stop him facing you? In fact can you take the action token's free move before you take the main action - if so the two short action tokens would be enough to use the decoy plus move and then move plus use the decoy? My interest level in the game has just risen some more :)

[@kaijuh]

Rolling Solo > One Stop Co-Op Shop

[@RollingSolo]

Stealth is very doable! Your loadout selection will also give you options towards your strategy as well as what you find during your mission. I haven’t hit a loot box yet but I planned what I needed with the loadout. Might still find something valuable in the next one. Going to try and see how stealthy I can be and then when things go south I’m still ready to open fire! Yes I could have done that but I wanted to wait as I need enough actions to make a big sprint after using the decoy to get to the other building without being spotted. I don’t want to risk being out in the open at the end of my turn. What you said is doable though! Those free bonus moves before or after can give you options to toy with!

[@RollingSolo]

Appreciate the support!

[@nifarious]

​@@kaijuhHey, man, let's all be friends.

[@AlanBrookland]

@@RollingSolo I think maybe you misunderstood me as I wasn't saying to move further than you did. You did an action to use decoy followed by two actions to move plus the adrenaline shot and two more actions to use the decoy. I think you could've used your first action to use the decoy and then move, second action to use the decoy but with the free move first, third action to use the decoy. That puts you in the same place with the same number of decoy actions done but without wasting the adrenaline shot - or am I missing something?

[@ortizlzitro]

Oh man, the direction die is definitely working in your favor! When are you going to drop part 2? :) Awesome video

[@RollingSolo]

I got one nice roll near the end that helped but my decoy did the real work. 👏🏼

[@Kondi17]

It just drown attention of one man. Others could really mess your plan but RNG-God has listen your prayers :p

[@RollingSolo]

@@Kondi17 So far so good. The Finale for MIssion #1 is landing later tonight if all goes to plan! ;D

[@moeheep]

Great video (as usual) I was really fired up on this game.....BUT....the noise mechanic has turned me off 100%. Im sure others will like it, but not for me. I'm glad I watched this before I pledged.....

[@RollingSolo]

Thanks for watching! Glad to help either way. 😄

[@pauls3585]

Nice gameplay, Adam. How are you finding the colours/contrast of the tiles?

[@RollingSolo]

I like them but advised AR that I think the environment areas (not the buildings) could use a bump in detail and grit in the final version. Based on their prior work and this being a prototype I don’t see that being an Issue.

[@pauls3585]

That will be nice if they address this 👍

[@RollingSolo]

@@pauls3585 I they’re about 60-70% of the way there. Just a bit more to make them alive and that should do it.

[@mussoliniheadkick]

Thanks for the video. The enemy management looks annoying and the los rules look like they'll be easy to mess up, might give this one a miss.

[@RollingSolo]

Hi Paul! Appreciate you stopping by to check out the game. See you around. 😄

[@Kondi17]

You can slide down wound card under hero board

[@RollingSolo]

Correct! You'll see that happen in the Finale of Mission 1! ;)

[@vancemag]

Line of sight question: at 24min, the enemy that just moved and is facing south now, would they be able to see the spot that the smoke grenade counter is in (ignore the smoke grenade itself, I’m just using that as a way to specify the location)? If LoS is only orthogonal then it seems like that is a blind spot from the location of the enemy.

[@RollingSolo]

Smoke grenade doesn’t make any noise when thrown. Think of it as rolling it out and the non visibility token represents, fog, mist or smoke and enemies can’t draw los through it.

[@vancemag]

@@RollingSolo this isn’t a question about the smoke grenade at all, I was just using that token as the easiest way to point out the specific space I’m referring to.

[@RollingSolo]

For that space in terms of LOS, yes that enemy would normally be able to see the spot the token is in but the token cuts their LOS to that space.

[@antonj.2408]

After watching other videos using the cardboard terrain, I would like to hear your opinion on that. To me it seems like it actually helps the player to figure out the enemies line of sight easier but this is just my observation. I wonder what you think about it.

[@RollingSolo]

I plan to add terrain into Mission #2 once everyone has a good foundation on the rules (Los and range) from Mission #1. So you’ll get to see the terrain in action here. 🔥 I think the terrain certainly helps with visualizing things and immerses you in the game more.

[@antonj.2408]

@@RollingSolo Thanks! That sounds great.

[@RollingSolo]

I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to add terrain in for the next video coming for Mission #1. Why not? 😉

[@antonj.2408]

@@RollingSolo 🙂I can't wait for your next video!

[@RollingSolo]

Sorry it’s been a bit. Some birthdays have been taking priority recently. My daughter is hitting 6 on Tuesday.

[@cartoon80s90s]

While mechanically the game seems to work, I feel thematically it falls apart. How is it possible for the enemy to not see the space below your finger at 7:35 when there's no obstacle between the 2 spaces? Just because it isn't orthogonally adjacent? Enemies don't react to smoke bombs landing on their feet because the characters need a way to avoid the enemies whose erratic movement also makes no sense. Facing Sount, then North, East, South again. Yes, it adds unpredictability to the enemies' view cones (or T-shape LOS in this case), but who moves like that? Finally, as others have mentioned, the constant placing and removal of tokens, and the significant length of the upkeep phase is a huge negative for me. It seems that a few interesting mechanics here work better in theory than in practice.

[@RollingSolo]

Thanks for watching and your thoughts. Remember that the game is in a prototype stage and all rules and gameplay is subject to change so the feedback is great for AR. The non visibility token counts for smoke, mist, fog etc. So it gives the player the ability to move around. Decoy is another great ability to use and there’s a bunch more in the item deck that can be leveraged for strategy. The LOS and noise favours the enemies which makes the idea of staying silent that much more interesting. The smoke grenade can simply be thought of as rolling out silently and some smoke to cover an area. If the enemy was asleep to every ability the characters would never move haha

[@karaso0]

Thematically I would guess the smokescreens could be mistaken for a fog rolling in or something by the enemies. Given the state of the STALKER world I don't think it'd be weird to see random gaseous clouds floating about. Seems like a nitpicky complaint. I do agree to sound tokens constantly being placed and removed is a bit tedious. It's cool and adds variability to each scenario but I can see it being a bit much.

[@RollingSolo]

That’s how I interrupt it too. I think if they could somehow find a way to reduce the token management in terms of noise it would make people happy. So far it’s not a pain from what I’ve played but thinking how it could be more easily managed is a fun exercise. 😉

[@ortizlzitro]

Does the game have a forteller for the voice-over?

[@RollingSolo]

Not that I’m aware of but this audio is from AR. So they have something up their sleeve. 😄

[@caio247]

R$200 here in brazil let me in

[@RollingSolo]

Hey Caio! What do you mean? For the STALKER pledge manager? That’s through GameFound. If you wish to become a member here use the ‘join’ button on the landing page. Not sure which you’re referring to haha

[@caio247]

@@RollingSolo oh, no sorry i commented on the wrong video i wa typing on a helldiver 2 video about the price and the video change

[@RollingSolo]

Ahhh haha. Helldivers is a great game too 😜

[@guillaumegody5065]

This game is not realistic. You send a smoke bomb in round 1 and the guards act as if nothing had happened. In which world is a smoke bomb not going to alert a guard who sees the smoke and hears the noise? I'm pretty disappointed, even though I love AR.

[@RollingSolo]

I see what you mean but think about how much area the bandits Los and range is covering. In order to give opportunities for the STALKER to move around things like the decoy or smoke bomb give opportunities that otherwise wouldn’t be possible. The Los and noise system greatly favours the enemies. So there has to be ways for the stalkers to move around quietly. The token used also represents fog or mist. Essentially reduced visibility which is a thing. I think that the smoke grenade should drop 1-2 yellow noise. A drag drops a feed noise currently.

[@denisgan5223]

ох и чушь!!!!игру будут брать только из за миниатюр!механика перегружена много лишнего.может только история вытащит но это не точно!Сережка опять лоханулся

[@RollingSolo]

I had a lot of fun with the prototype so I’d say the opposite. AR does a fantastic job taking feedback throughout development and from backers. I’m excited about this one.

[@OctoberSnowFox]

Dude, you need to play more and talk less (a little), thanks! The gameplay is shown very slowly, a very dense stream of words, I just fell asleep. No offense, no accusations.

[@RollingSolo]

No offence taken lol. I rarely ever hear that though. Maybe because I don’t make high level/shotgun content like the majority. I learn the game in-depth and ensure the viewer understands what’s happening at all times. This is a rarity in gameplay videos for board games where it’s simply a rush to cover a game incorrectly that doesn’t help the viewer. Thanks for watching and the feedback!

[@OctoberSnowFox]

@@RollingSolo ok, anyway, thank you for the good game)

[@RollingSolo]

I’ll see you around! 😄