Product– DEVOUR

System– DEVOUR

Producer– Duck and Crow Press

Price– $6.13 here https://www.drivethrurpg.com//product/567794/devour?affiliate_id=658618 

TL; DR– Push your luck to save everyone. 98%

Basics: Can you learn enough to stop the end? This is an RPG, but is a solo one.  You play a researcher attempting to build a group to learn enough about the coming god to end his reign before he ends us all.  Each round you roll a number of d6s equal to your group size and consult a chart to determine if you gain or lose followers, research, or if the god gains enough power. You can push your luck far enough to gain enough before the god gains power and save the world!

Mechanics or Crunch: The mechanics are pretty simple.  It’s d6s all the way, but there are additional advanced rules to add more.  It works, and it works well.  But if you expect multiple levels of interaction, then you will be sad.  But, if you want a more meditative experience, you will have a good time.  5/5

Theme or Fluff–  Solo RPGs are like meditation and the gym-you will get exactly out of them what you put in.  If you can’t build off a story prompt to build your own world and experience, then pass this one.  If, as a kid, you were given a random pile of dolls or action figures and could build a mythos greater than Game of Thrones, this will be a blast for you.  5/5

Execution:  I like what’s here, but some of the information is a bit harder for me to understand quickly.  This is a d6 game where rolls mean consult a chart and determine what happens.  Those tables are piles of letters.  The letters are explained, but it’s not my favorite way of explaining information.  I get it after a pass, but it took a roll or two to become easy.  The more advanced options also have the same issue.  Again, it’s a two-turn problem as you will understand what’s going on after that, but it started a bit rough for me.  I don’t have a better option than the one the authors did, however.  The example turns help with this problem.  But it’s all here and reads easily.  4.75/5

Summary: I do love me some solo RPGs on a free day.  It’s even more choose-your-own-adventure than the choose-your-own-adventure books.  This one has you build your own world and gods to fight, learn about, and hopefully defeat.  Small layout annoyances are the only problem I had.  But I must warn you, like all other solo RPGs, this one is a you problem-if you want spam-in-a-can adventures like Gloomhaven, then turn away.  You are building your story from dice rolls.  I love spam and Gloomhaven, but you have to be in the right mood to have a taste for either, just like this one.  If you can build the story from your dice, you will really enjoy this.  98%