Gaming the last three months

 Going to college has taken my painting time to zero. However I have played a lot of games. 

    For board games I've played 28 including Star Trek: Ascendancy pictured below. Other standouts played were Fate of the Fellowship, Quacks, Marvel Champions, and Warchest. There was also, for the month of March in my province of British Columbia, a Royal proclamation by King Charles that March would be "Community Game Month". It was to build community networks and foster bonding over group activities. Cool. 

    For miniature games there were many fun ones played. Four Malifaux 4th edition games...

    ...four Marvel Crisis Protocol games...

    

...six Battletech: Alpha Strike including two using the Aces deck from Scouring Sands campaign box...

    ...two Gaslands games.

    

...one game of One-Hour Skirmish...

    ...and four games of Heroscape including one with the new G.I.Joe and COBRA models.

    Now that my semester is over I can start painting again! First up are some Patchwork Guild models for two Battletech: Alpha Strike Scouring Sands cooperative campaigns with different friends, then finishing off the Police for the Batman Miniature Game, and my current Malifaux crew of Von Schtook. 

Looking Back at 2025 and Ahead to 2026

It was a great year for boardgames, but poor for role-playing and miniature gaming. I'd like to alleviate that for 2026. I also want to bring out games I can play solo so I can get used to the rules and play them with others. My miniatures are definitely longing for the paint brush so more painting in in my future this year including scenery painting.

Only seven role-playing sessions were played this year, three of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and two each of Dragon's Bane and Twilight 2000. Sickness and life have affected folks coming to my Monday night sessions. We will see what the new year brings.

A total of 83 boardgames were played. Some took 15-30 minutes to play and some took hours (all day for Eastern Empires). I have enjoyed the amount that have been played and both myself and my wife would like to play more with each other and with friends. We will see if that can occur. Boardgames played, in order from most to least played, are: Santorini (13); Marvel Champions LCG (10); Elder Sign/Skyteam (6ea); Arcs/Dominion/Lord of the Rings Dual for Middle Earth/Splendor Duel (4ea); Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship/Quacks of Quedlinberg/Wingspan (3ea); 878 Vikings: Invasion of England/Daybreak/Splendor/Terraforming Mars (2ea); and the following with one game played of each 7 Wonders Duel, 1754, Arkham Horror LCG, Carcassonne 20th Anniversary, Carcassonne Hunters and Gatherers, Cascadia, Crib, Eastern Empires, Grimcoven, Lost Cities, Memoir '44, Paths of Glory, Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride Europe, Zane's Homemade Industrial Game (Title to come later)

Twenty-four solo games were played, 20 of Marvel Champions LCG and 4 of Terraforming Mars on a computer) Terraforming Mars. There is no reason why I couldn't play more, and I will, but I also have to balance it with my writing, editing, and schoolwork.

Only 28 miniature games were played this year, about one every two weeks. Need to try for more, if possible, with my friends schedules. Miniature games played, in order from most to least played, are: Heroscape (9)

Batman Miniature Game (7)

Malifaux (6)

    -3e; Parker Burrows (Bandit) 1

    -4e; Viktorias (Mercenary) 1; Jack Daw (Tormented) 5

Battletech: Alpha Strike (3 campaign games)

Gaslands (1)

Marvel Crisis Protocol (1)

For painting models and scenery not much was done. Flintstones Village and people was the only scenery painted with a few others (Cardboard Infinity Terrain and Resin Badlands GF9 terrain for multiple game scales, and a construction set) purchased already or mostly assembled, which is abysmal. For models painted...none really. Still have little bits left to do of the 44 Batman Miniature Game cop keyword models. Paint on scenery and models is the keyword for miniature games as well as playing more of them.

Things That Have Happened since Early September

I have not been idle since early September, but I have been busy with other things. School, homework, and studying has been a part of it plus short local travel, writing, and reading. I need to be better with putting up little missives and happenings.

There was some painting of "cop" keyword models for the Law Forces faction of the Batman Miniature Game. I did a lot of work and now its just the details left on most of them. Below is a sample.

There were a few games of the Batman Miniature Game and in the last one of the year I managed my first win! I think I might be getting used to this faction.

A couple of Malifaux games were played using my Tormented faction. We are starting to get used to the 4th edition.

Battletech: Alpha Strike was played with another game in the Lyran Commonwealth's planetary assault on my Draconis Combine colony world. Good times.

Another Malifaux game.

Played a large nine player game of Eastern Empires (a redo of Mega Civilization which was a redo of Advanced Civilization). I placed last, as the Saba civilization (Red), but it was close. I always love this game.

Another Batman game.

Final miniature game of the year...Marvel Crisis Protocol! Defenders led by Daredevil and I took Spider Foes led by Doctor Octopus.

Have a happy and game filled 2026 everyone!

A Look Back at 2023 and Ahead to 2024

 Well I have been busy this year but not with painting models and terrain. Recently retired, I hoped that I would have more time and opportunity for playing games of all sorts. Unfortunately there were many things that needed to be done and things that popped up that needed doing. Fun was still had as the following will show.

A total of 51 boardgames were played, just under one boardgame a week. Something I always want to play more of. In order from most to least played are: Heat (9), Death May Die (6), Marvel Champions 3player (5), Crib (3), Dominion (3), Axis and Allies (2), Beyond the Black Tower (2), Carcassonne (2), Cascadia (2), Command and Colors: Ancients (2), Masters of the Universe (2), Kingdomino (2), Wingspan (2), Carcassonne 20th Anniversary edition, Carcassonne: Hunters and Gatherers, Eastern Empires, Red Storm Rising, Settlers of Catan, Splendor, Terraforming Mars, Thunder Road Vengeance, and Twilight Struggle.

Not many solo boardgames were played, only five, another thing I wish to change based on the amount of them I have that can be played solo. Cascadia (2), Heat, Marvel Champions (2).

Of the computer games I have, nine were played and all of them were Terraforming Mars (2 multiplayer and 7 solo). I really like this game and it handles the math so you don't forget anything.

For miniature games, thirty-two were played including a new one; Marvel Crisis Protocol (MCP). I will be posting more about that game in 2024, including painted miniatures. In order of most to least played are: Marvel Crisis Protocol; Avengers (7) and Cabal (3), Malifaux; Outcasts (9; Arik, Hannah Lovelace, Jack Daw (2), Parker Burroughs, Scion of the Void (2), Tara, Von Schill); Heroscape (7), Battletech: Alpha Strike (4); Dystopian Wars (4); Guildball: Morticians (3); Gaslands (2); Star Wats Legion (2); and Car Wars: Convoy Adventure.

For painting miniatures I did abysmally with 25-40mm scale (Guildball Gaffer and new and old Iron Man for MCP), but did well for other scales with 48 10mm scale (Planetfall Relthoza), 6mm scale (Battletech; 41 Federated Suns and 24 Patchwork Guild Mercenary company). Zero terrain painted was also unfortunate. Definitely want to paint more next year (Terrain, MCP, Battletech, Relthoza, Malifaux, Star Wars Legion). 

For physical games, three were played and they were all boules while my wife and I were camping.

Sadly, life happens and roleplaying games suffered. Sickness and requirements meant that many sessions had to be cancelled because of lack of players. Therefore only twelve sessions occurred. ten of them were for the Savage Worlds: Thrilling Tales setting and was great fun. Two sessions were with the Pendragon starter box and were run by myself. I also played through the solo adventure in the box to get more acquainted with the rules.

For gaming books read, there was the following read: The End: Dogs of War RPG supplement, Conspire RPG, Microscope RPG, Marvel Multiverse RPG, Pendragon RPG starter box, and Shab-al-Hiri roach RPG.

In summation I would like to play more games, and paint models, but with myself starting school for two semesters this year time will tell.

Cascadia

Cascadia is a 1-4 player game where players attempt to make a their own ecologically balanced environment more robust than their opponents. The game is modestly priced, takes less than an hour to play, and has simple rules but great depth of strategy. No two games will be alike.

I saw that this game had great reviews and highly rated on the Board Game Geek list for family and abstract games.

Players start with a random starting area made up of a three hexes piece. Each hex has different solitary or mixed terrain as well as solitary or mixed animals (bear, elk, fox, bird of prey, fish). Enough face down wilderness tiles are chosen so that there are 20 per player and four of them are revealed. Then four wildlife animal token are drawn from the bag and placed below the wilderness tiles as pairs. This forms the active selection area. A nature leaf token is given to each player. Then a random scoring card for each animal (out of four possible ones) are drawn and placed on the board for all to see.

Each turn, the first player choses a wilderness tile and the wildlife token below it. They place the tile connected to their existing ecology and then the wildlife token is placed on their ecology on a hex matching the animal depicted, no more than one animal per hex. Wildlife tokens placed on a hex with a nature leaf symbol means that player receives a nature token. If the player plays a nature token before drawing wilderness hexes and wildlife tokens they may choose any hex and token, not just those that are paired, or may put aside any number of wildlife tokens and replace them from the bag. Play then proceeds to the next player.

Once all players have gone, the right most hex is discarded and the right most token is put aside with replacement hexes and tokens placed on the board. The set aside tokens are then placed in the token bag. Play continues like this until there are no more tiles to fill the active selection area.

Points are gained for completing scoring objectives for the animal cards, for numbers of hexes in size for each wilderness type (and bonus points for the most of any particular type amongst players), and nature tokens.

There is a very interesting flow to the game as you are building your own ecological area and the choices must be made from the hexes and tokens in the active selection area as well as your own ecological area. I played two solo games and I would like to try this with two, three, and four players. There is also family and intermediate scoring cards for getting introduced to the game as well as with younger players. I think this will be a standard one to bring out once I teach more of my friends to play it.

A Gaming look back on 2022 and looking forward to 2023

2022 was another year of not being able to get together for games as much as I would have liked. Hopefully retiring will be able to increase the number of games played of all genres: RPG, Board, Miniature.

For miniature and RPG games read, I got through 11: Battletech: Alpha Strike, Call of Cthulhu (Starter Box, Investigator's Book, Keepers Book, Keepers Screen & Adventures, Keepers advice; Pulp Cthulhu Book), One Ring (Starter Box, Main Rulebook, Screen/Rivendell), and Rangers of Shadowdeep.

Role Playing games played were only four: D&D 5E Eberron (3) and One Ring Starter (1).

Solo boardgames played were a whole lot. Epic Tiny Dungeons, This War of Mine, and over one hundred of Marvel Champions. Going to continue to play more Marvel Champions and some of my GMT games. 

Boardgames played in a group were 52. In order of most to least games played of them are: Crokinole (19), Marvel Champions: (2p: 3; 3p: 2), King Domino (4), Wingspan (3), Carcassonne (2), No Thanks! (2), Seven Wonders (2), Terraforming Mars (2), Unstable Unicorns (2), 1989, Dice Throne, Great Western Legends, One Small Step, Puzzle Competitive Game, Robinson Crusoe, Settlers of Catan, Space Hulk Death Angel, Splendor, This War of Mine, and Villainous.

For computer games, twelve were played solo of Terraforming Mars and eighteen in groups: Terraforming Mars (15), Carcassonne, Dominion, and Splendor.

Only twenty miniature games were played. They are listed in order of the number played: Star Trek Alliance (7), Malifaux: Hamelin (6), Battletech: Alpha Strike (3), Bot War (3), and Baines Nebula (independent playtesting space fleet combat). 

For miniatures painted there were 264 painted: eight for Batman Miniature Game, 53 for Battletech, 10 for Bot War, 105 for Enlightened Dystopian Wars, five for Malifaux, and 58 for Relthoza Planetfall. I want to paint more Battletech, Malifaux Outcast and Arcanists, and finish off the Relthoza Planetfall models.

Tiny Epic Dungeons

Tiny Epic Dungeons, by Gamelyn Games, is a cooperative dungeon crawler game with two parts. The first part is the exploring, dispatching of goblins/minions, and enhancing your character. The second part can only be achieved by dispatching a number of minions equal to the number of characters and finding the lair of the final boss. Then the boss, randomly one of six, must be dispatched.

You start on a card representing the stairs. There are four facedown cards on the cardinal points of the doorways. A player gets a heroic action, a move action, and as many free actions as they would like. They can do any of these actions in any order. The rooms have various effects and rewards.

After a player's turn is done, the torch is lowered by one on the torch tracker card. This may trigger enemy actions, add a goblin at the entrance, or end the game on the last space. You may notice that there are four goblin spaces and that is because once all four goblins are on the board and another goblin needs to be added you lose the game. There are also different types of goblins that can be randomly drawn from the goblin deck: stabby, poky, shooty, bomby.

Here is a table at the end of my first solo game, which was unsuccessful. You definitely need to explore to reveal the minions while taking advantage of abilities and dungeon spaces that increase the torch marker on the board. In solo games you play as two heroes.

The eight heroes cover all of the typical tropes and are all different. After dispatching monsters and exploring both characters had very good items that stacked their potency but it came late in the game.

There are eight minions have more than one hit point and are stronger in combat. When dispatched they offer greater rewards and increase the torch marker.

I am looking forward to trying this game again, knowing what I know now. It was confusing deciphering all the symbols and what they mean and requires at least one playthrough before getting the system.

Marvel Champions - Cycle 2

In this cycle of Marvel Champions there was added to the game the first campaign expansion, Rise of the Red Skull, four additional Hero packs, and the scenario pack The Once and Future Kang!

The Rise of the Red Skull expansion first has two hero packs included: Spider-Woman and Hawkeye. Spider-Woman has been a little tricky to get the hang of as she gets more powerful for each aspect you play during your turn but has middling abilities otherwise. Hawkeye is much more variable and has more abilities to thwart schemes and attack both the villain and their minions. The expansion also has five villains to fight against standalone or in a progressive campaign. The villains are Crossbones, Absorbing Man, Taskmaster, Zola, and Red Skull himself. I played some villains individually but the first full playthrough of the campaign was with none other than Captain America and that was the perfect hero to go through it. A very fun expansion.

The four hero packs I tried out were:

Ant-Man: This hero needs to change between giant and tiny sizes every turn for increased effect but needs some help from teammates from time to time..

Wasp: Not great against tough independent villains but very good thwarting and against minions. A good teamup with Ant-Man..

Quicksilver: Could not beat Rhino with Bomb Scare after four tries but does well when teamed up with other heroes. Needs time to develop upgrades.

Scarlet Witch: Very good solo but because of her powerful abilities flipping encounter cards, needs to finish the game before the encounter decks is refreshed too many times or they are swamped with scheme markers to reduce.

Team Ups: In my last Marvel Champions post I spoke briefly about the ability to do solo play team-ups. Since the heroes in this cycle are very suitable for it I tried Scarlet Witch/Quicksilver and Ant-Man/Wasp team-ups against Rhino, Klaw, Ultron, and the Rise of the Red Skull initial villains.

The Once and Future Kang: For this interesting scenario pack, after Kang is defeated the first time, he splits the heroes he is against into independent play areas. After the level two villain is defeated by a hero, they can choose which hero join until all level two Kangs are defeated. The final Kang will be increased in side schemes depending on how well the heroes did. This plus his ability to give heroes debilitating or annoying obligations means he can be tough to face but not impossible. I decided to use Doctor Strange and it was a good choice as the game was challenging but always had a way to keep going forward.

Next it is onto phase three with the Guardians of the Galaxy!

Twice the Dice Board game cafe

Twice the Dice is a really nice board game cafe in the heart of downtown Kelowna. 

Not only do they have lots of board games to play, classic family ones and new, but they also sell new and slightly used board and role playing games. They sell coffee and drinks as well as alcoholic drink for those of age. The furniture inside is comfortable and décor is relaxing. A cool establishment.

Marvel Champions - Cycle 1

As detailed in my previous Marvel Champions post of the core set, this game is extremely variable. Part of the fun it trying new combinations of heroes, aspects and basic cards, villains, modular encounters, and basic/expert modes. I had a lot of fun trying out these new heroes and villain packs. 

First I will go over the villain packs then the hero packs, in this cycle.

Green Goblin Scenario Pack: This is a must get set because of the variability of this set. Comes with two villains (Risky Business/Green Goblin and Mutagen Formula/Greener Goblin) and four modular encounters (Goblin Gimmicks, Mess of Things/Scorpion, Power Drain/Electro, Running Interference). The Risky Business, or basic Green Goblin, has a scheming Norman Osbourne trying to take over Stark Enterprise while expanding his criminal empire. Eventually the Green Goblin personality will take over Norman and start attacking the heroes but in short order he will fade away and Norman will be back. This is a very interesting villain to overcome and requires adapting quickly to the changes because all damage to Norman is taken off of his Criminal Enterprise card. Once the card is empty, it is flipped over to the madness side and the Norman card is flipped to the Green Goblin side. Those with the  Leadership aspect and/or high ally use will suffer from the bombs that Green Goblin uses when he changes or with specific encounter cards. Its not overly hard just clever. Mutagen Formula has LOTS of minions that Green Goblin uses as he unleashes his goblin gas on the city. Because of the several cards that increase threat on the main scheme based on the number of goblin cards in play, you cannot ignore the minions. The problem is that many of them are quite tough which makes this villain tough to beat.

The modular encounters are interesting. Goblin Gimmicks are your glider and bombs that the Green Goblin uses but are quite amusing when attached to Rhino or other villains. Mess of Things/Scorpion has lots of stun affects which can delay heroes from going after the main villain or minions. Power Drain/Electro is all about running the deck out and causing multiple hero damage. Running Interference forces the hero to either not be able to change forms or keep them in their alter-ego form.

Both Spider-Man and She Hulk were tried out against Risky Business and Goblin Gimmicks. Black Panther tried Mutagen Formula with Goblin Gimmicks and couldn't quite get it but Spider-Man could after two attempts.

Wrecking Crew: This is an odd set. All four of the Wrecking Crew are on the table at the start and because they are breaking out of prison the cards are appropriately themed. You have to really keep an eye on the main scheme and try to ignore each villain's side schemes, as annoying as they are because they have various debilitating effects. The problem with this set is that the villains are predictable and with some foresight are easy to beat. They are good to test a hero's ability to solo beat multiple elite enemies but this set does not have to be a must buy.

Captain America: A great all around hero deck that did it well. Would make a great deck for players starting out. Also good to switch to alter-ego at times to make allies cheaper and use Steve's Apartment card. 

Ms. Marvel: Not a good solo deck as it failed three times vs Rhino/Bomb Scare. However in a game of two hero/one handed (see end of post) with Captain Marvel was perfectly fine. 

Thor: Also not a good solo deck and failed three times vs Rhino/Bomb Scare. In two games of two hero/one handed with She Hulk vs Rhino did just fine.

Black Widow: Like Captain America, a perfect deck out of the box. It is a must to switch between alter-ego and hero often to take advantage of special abilities. 

Doctor Strange: The special spell deck can make or break the bonus mustard it brings to the table but the entire deck rarely disappoints for flair. Will need to change to alter-ego often to recover hit points. A good toolbox for multiplayer play too.

Hulk: This deck is a little one note and although I won most solo games, a couple of bad rounds is brutal for Hulk. Lack of dependable thwart means this deck is best in multiplayer games.

There are two fan made items of note: Spider-Man Origins and Two-Hero/One Deck.

-Spider-Man Origins Campaign: This nine game journey, using the core box and Green Goblin set, takes Peter Parker from just starting out to defeating Green Goblin in the Mutagen Formula deck. There are options to change up the deck with choices as each game makes Spider-Man better or with advantages, if you win a game. https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/227361/spiderman-origins-campaign-green-goblin-and-core-b 

-Solo Team Up: A cool way to play 2-4 hero games in solo mode and see where solo hindered decks can shine. Also will be fun to try traditional and unusual team-ups.   https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/190714/marvel-champions-team-two-hero-one-handed-variant 

This War of Mine

This War of Mine is a board game unlike any other. Although it has war in the title, this game is about civilians caught in the middle of a conflict just trying to survive in a damaged home and city. Because of the subject matter and decisions that are asked to be made, it is not recommended from young children. There are emotional parts and tragic parts. So why am I taking the time to write this favorable review? It is because it is an important anti-war game.

The creators of this game grew up in Sarajevo siege and spend time to gather stories of civilians during that and other modern conflicts. They then created the video game of the same name. The elements of that game were ported over to this game, which I participated in as a Kickstarter. I did that because of the stories told of others who also lived through those type of situations having cathartic moments they lived through and are able to work out those hidden scars. 

The game is a storytelling puzzle game where there are three characters all the players control. Ultimate control of the characters pass from player to player during the phases representing a day in the lives of the characters. The decisions made by the players will hopefully be the right ones to provide enough food, water, rest, and protection characters and the house. Things can be made, with the right components. The house can be cleared to put those things being made. At night, you have to have characters be on guard to protect what you have and determine if you need to send your people out for needed supplies because during the day soldiers are shooting at whatever moves in the streets.

When decisions are made, there is either a mechanism to determine the results or you have to look up a passage in the book of scripts. This is where the narrative comes from and the stories from those who have lived it. 

You "win" the game by making it to the end of the siege with at least one of the original characters and with a low level of misery. You lose by having anything else happen. It is not a game to be played too often but something that should be played often enough, as a reminder of what people go through when civilians are caught in the middle of a conflict.

I went all in for the Kickstarter and was glad I did. The components are nicely done.

You can download a companion app from the board game makers here. The computer game is available here. 

Marvel Champions - Core Box

Marvel Champions is a cooperative game for one to four players. I have tried this out a couple of times at a friends place and quite liked it. After I picked it up, I realized how much fun and challenging it is solo.

I will discuss the good guys the players can use. First the game comes with five heroes: Captain Marvel, Spider-Man, Iron Man, She-Hulk, and Black Panther. They all play differently with unique strengths and styles. There are also four to go with the hero decks: Aggression, Justice, Leadership, and Protection. Finally there are the basic cards that are not associated with a hero or an aspect. When making a player deck you can combine cards with a hero (all their cards), cards from one aspect, and basic cards as long as the deck is 40 to 50 cards in size. Can have no more than one unique and three non-unique cards in the deck.

The game also comes with three villains/encounters to face against your hero or heroes: Rhino, Klaw, and Ultron. There are five different modular encounter decks to use with them: Bomb Scare, Masters of Evil, Under Assault, Legions of Hydra, and Doomsday Chair.  There are also a basic mode or expert mode deck of cards. A villain deck must have all of a villain's cards, one encounter deck, and the basic or expert cards. You can add multiple modular encounters to an encounter deck but it will dilute the original encounter. It also recommends randomizing the modular encounter and shuffling it in so nobody knows what it will be.

What also attached me to the game was the math of options. Using the core box playing solo you have five heroes, each of which has a choice of four aspects, against three encounters/villains playable in basic or expert mode, and five modular encounters. That means there are 600 configurations with the starter box alone. That is 600 unique games and when it is a random shuffle to start players and encounters/villains if multiplies the options even more. When playing two, three, or four players games it means that a starter box will keep a group active for a while. When you add the expansion products made so far, the number of possibilities is nearly endless: 22 hero packs (two of which have modular encounters), four scenario packs (with five encounters/villains, 15 modular encounters, and different basic and expert mode decks), and four campaign expansions (with eight heroes, 20 encounters/villains, and 27 modular encounters). Each hero pack also comes with extra aspect cards, beyond those they come with, for customizing other heroes. That makes 35 heroes, four aspects with lots of options and specific hero flavoured ones, 28 encounters/villains, 44 modular encounters, and two basic and expert mode decks. In solo mode alone that is at least 689920 different combinations. But let's get back to the core box.

Even with sleeved up cards, everything can fit. That included the encounter/villain damage dial, threat markers, utility markers, damage markers, stun/tough/confused cards, first player token, player aid cards, and four hero damage dials

Here I am setting up for the first solo game, Spider-Man with Justice aspect vs Rhino with basic mode and Bomb Scare modular encounter. Each hero also comes with a specific obligation card (that goes into the villain deck, and specific nemesis deck that comes in once the basic mode card "Shadow of the Past" is revealed. 

Hero card come with two sides, the Hero side with THW (Thrart), ATK (Attack), and DEF (Defence) with other abilities on the card, and the...

...Alter-Ego side with REC (Recovery) and abilities. Each player turn you can flip your hero card once during the turn. Each side also has a hand limit that you draw up or discard down to at the end of the player turn.

Hero decks are made up of Ally, Event, Upgrade, and Support cards. Cost of the cards to play from your hand are in the upper left corner. To do that you have to discard cards to make that cost using the symbols on the lower left corner. Type of resource can be important depending on the card you are playing. Resources are Energy (yellow lightning bolt), Strength (red fist), Mind (purple atom like), and Wild which can be any of the previously mentioned three (green impact).

Allies are like minor heroes. They have hit points, thwart, attack, and special abilities. For thwart and attack, the number of stars beneath them indicate damage they take when using it. In Black Cat's case, she takes one damage when thwarting but none when attacking. That means this ally can help take out minions and villains all day long. If they do take points to be removed from play, the number in the middle right, they retreat to the discard pile and can come back again after a rest and reshuffle.

Aspect cards have the same four types of cards with one additional type, the Resource card. They provide more than one resource to use when buying cards or a special allocation of a resource.

This is similar to the Basic cards.

Here is a closeup of Spider-Man's Nemesis cards: The Vulture's cards and Eviction Notice. When the basic mode card ""Shadows of the Past" comes out, the hero's nemesis is put into play engaged with them, the special nemesis side scheme is put into play, and the other nemesis cards are shuffled into the Encounter/Villain deck. Eviction notice, as well as any hero's obligation card, is shuffled into the encounter/villain deck at the beginning of the game.

Here is the start of play and because I am playing basic mode Rhino his level one card is on top (in expert it would be level two), Rhino's main scheme is in play, and I have my hand of six cards after I have taken my mulligan, meaning after I deal my initial hand I can toss any number of those cards into my discard and draw back up to my hand size. 

Play then proceeds as follows. The first player (in solo games it is the only player) takes their turn under step one in the picture below. They mainly use guards to improve thier hero, reduce hit point or remove threats on schemes, help their fellow heroes, and bring out allies and resources. Once all players have finished all players perform step two. Then the villain places threat on the main scheme. For Rhino, the main scheme starts with no threat on it and it increases by one per player at this step. This number can be modified by side schemes. Then Rhino and each minion, in player order, either attacks if the player is in hero form or schemes if in alter-ego form. Normally when a villain attacks or schemes you flip a card from the top of the encounter/villain deck to add to the number listed on the card to determine how much damage the hero takes or how many threat is placed on the main scheme. Heroes can decide to have an ally take the damage before the card is flipped or exhaust the hero to defend and reduce damage taken according to the hero's defend stat. Otherwise the hero takes damage. Minions do not flip a card to increase scheme or attack, just use the printed number on the card.

Then encounter cards are dealt out to the heroes face down and are resolved order with first player going first. After everyone's encounter cards are resolved, the first player token is moved clockwise and it is now the player's turn. Once a level of encounter/villain has been reduced to zero hit points or less, the next level of villain is revealed. In all games there is only two levels of villain but be aware to read the card when going to a new encounter/villain.

Once Rhino's main scheme reaches seven times the number of players, at any time, then Rhino wins. Some villains have more than one schemes that have to be achieved in sequence. Ultron, for instance, has three.

In my first game against Rhino I won with Black Cat as an active ally, web shooters with two more uses left, Avengers Mansion, Helicarrier, and Aunt May on the table. 

Rhino at the end of the game had no side schemes or minions but did have four threat markers on his main scheme. Rhino isn't supposed to be a tough villain but a good learner villain. 

So far with the core box I have played 44 games, broken down as below:

-Spider Man Justice vs Rhino (Bomb Scare 2, Masters of Evil, Under Attack, Doomsday Chair, Legions of Hydra), Klaw with Masters of Evil 2, Ultron with Under Attack 2. All wins.

-Captain Marvel Aggression vs Rhino Bomb Scare 2, Klaw with Masters of Evil 3 failed. I then changed the aspect to Leadership and vs Klaw Masters of Evil success and Ultron Under Attack 2 successes. Solo play was not conducive to use Aggression. 

-Black Panther Protection vs Rhino with Bomb Scare 2, Klaw with Masters of Evil 2. I switched up with Leadership against Ultron with Under Attack and got two wins.

-She Hulk Aggression vs Rhino with Bomb Scare 2 but against Klaw it was three losses. I switched to Protection and got two wins and against Ultron with Under Attack it was two wins. Again solo Aggression is very tough.

-Iron Man Aggression vs Rhino with Bomb Scare 2 wins but won and lost once against Klaw with Masters of Evil and three times lost against Ultron with Under Attack. Switched to Leadership and won two and lost one against Klaw and won one against Ultron. Recommendation based on my previous games is not to take the Aggression aspect in solo games...ever.

In a nutshell I really love the solo option for this game. Looking forward to more games with others and solo. I will also be trying out the other heroes, scenario packs, and campaign boxes and reviewing them here.

There are some free encounter/villain options out there:

-Story mode for the Core box: https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/235820/marvel-champions-story-mode-s1-v10

-Team up with solo play: https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/190714/marvel-champions-team-two-hero-one-handed-variant

-Spider-Man's Nemesis, Vulture, as a villain: https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/226441/marvel-champions-vulture-villain-v1

There are also many other alternate fan made items: DC Comics Characters, DC and Marvel Characters, dividers, Hall of Heroes, and much more online at Board Game Geek or Reddit/MarvelChampionsLCG. Some really cool storage solutions, like these too. I especially like the reusing of cassette tapes for hero decks.