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Keystone North America solo play has turned my aversion to solo playing board games to an obsession! I am an avid board gamer, but haven’t dabbled into the solo side of board gaming before. Playing the multiplayer version of Keystone North America is intriguing, fun and challenging for those that enjoy some strategy…but solo play is where it really shines!
My first encounter with solo board gaming was with Keystone North America. I’ve been streaming video games for over and year, but I really wanted to start live streaming board games on my channel. I didn’t have the equipment to live stream with other people, so I thought to myself…what if I tried to solo play a board game? It just so happened that Keystone North America was sitting on my table, so I flipped through the solo play instructions...and wow! I’m so glad I did! I set everything up to live stream, played the game and fell in absolutely in love with the solo play!
DELUXE EDITION
If you are lucky enough to get your hands on the deluxe edition – do it! The deluxe edition of Keystone North America includes a neoprene mat with spaces for all the components of the game, while featuring a beautifully printed nature scene. The deluxe edition also includes reversible personal player boards. While one side is the standard plain green, the other side is another beautifully artistic nature scene. Each of the four players boards has a different printed scene.
ARTWORK
I need to give a special shoutout to the artwork of this game. The art style stunning and beautifully detailed. The style feels like something out of a field guide, which makes the theme of the game feel even more genuine and authentic. The game developer also gave credit to their artists on each of the card designs. What a wonderful gesture!
OVERVIEW OF SOLO PLAY
As a Junior Biologist you will take on 20 assignments - each with its own challenges and winning criteria. You begin with the Orientation Day Assignment and spend the next 19 assignments traversing through wildlife areas of North America. From the Mojave Desert to the Everglades and from Glacier National Park to Yellowstone, you will explore North American wildlife in such a delightful and intriguing way.
To solo play Keystone North America, you’ll need to pull out the Field Journal included in the game and read the welcome letter from Professor Howell. From there, each assignment is numbered and includes a personal written entry with various drawings and sketches to help set the scene for your assignment. Next, you’ll check for the unique set up conditions for your player board, including what skills are available and what secret objective you can use. Then, you’ll need to check for special rules and challenges for the gameplay that are specific to the assignment. Finally, you’ll need check the winning conditions and what you’ll need to accomplish in the game in order to complete your assignment.
The Orientation Day Assignment is a nice introduction to the solo side of Keystone North America. Once you the tutorial assignment is finished…then the solo play takes off! When I got to assignment 2, called Keystone Education, I got schooled very quickly on how challenging this game can be. The special rules for assignment 2 are: for every keystone card you play, you have to discard a keystone card from the field. My first try at assignment 2 was a total failure – falling short from the winning conditions with only 63 points. On my second try at assignment 2, I didn’t focus on getting all the secret objectives for points. Instead, I focused on utilizing the double points keystone cards provide and loading them up with bonus task points. I also discovered another strategy - use the available skills at the right time. There are a lot of benefits to using the skills in solo play, especially when you can use the 3 yellow exhausted sides. I demolished my second try at assignment 2 with 131 points!!!
Scoring is an exciting part of the game. You finally get to see if all your hard work and strategy has panned out. You score one column and row at a time, and discover some amazing high scoring spots along the way. It’s so satisfying to count up a row worth 48 points all on its own!
FINAL THOUGHTS
I have enjoyed playing this game with others, but have absolutely fallen in love with this game because of the solo play. There is no more worrying about getting a specific card you need. No more hoping someone doesn’t use the skill you want. You can immerse yourself more fully into the game without the distraction of another player. You have time to admire the artistry and educated yourself on the flora and fauna of North America. It’s a more relaxed way to play, but also challenges your strategy from assignment to assignment. If you are new to solo games or a seasoned solo gamer – Keystone North America is top of the solo play board game list for me! Give this one a try! You will not be disappointed!
