If you want to explore terrains of all types, collect precious gold, and defeat the most dreadful monsters, you’re in luck! You can take them with you wherever you go with Pocket Book Adventures. Now, your next adventure is just a pencil line away. Let’s take a closer look together.
What Is It?
A minimalist dungeon crawler that fits in your pocket! The player will work through various areas, collecting gold and items, exploring, and taking down monsters! The player will navigate the maps and track all of their stats from the notebook, so they are always ready to play no matter where they go.
Who Is It For?
- 1 Player – Solo-only game
- Ages 13+ – There are a fair amount of rules, but the game is pretty light, so teens and older should have a good time
- Players who like dungeon crawler/adventure type games
- Players who like to game on the go, perhaps who travel a lot, or are limited on space
PROS
- Small / Portable
- Utilizes the small space without sacrificing usability – everything is easily readable and clear
- Accessible – Only a pencil is needed beyond the book itself
- Saving – Easy to save your game state and return later
- Variety – There’s a bunch of different monsters, items, movement rules, and more to keep things fresh with every page turn
- Rules – Well-written, easy to learn from, and all included in the game book
- The ‘point-and-write’ combat system works well and adds a touch of dexterity to the game, which is neat
- Each map plays in only a few minutes
CONS
- Rules – While it’s great that the rules are right in the game book, it can also be inconvenient at times, particularly early on when you’re still learning, because you have to flip back and forth, rather than having the rules accessible alongside the game “board”
- Upkeep – I know some players don’t enjoy keeping up with health, gold count, and so on, so if you aren’t a fan, you probably won’t like this.
Final Thoughts
This game is definitely designed for players who like that rogue-like, adventuring type of game, and are looking for something that is easy to bring and play absolutely anywhere. I can’t help but appreciate just how well it works in that regard.
What I learned in my plays is that it isn’t the type of solo game I prefer, as I gravitate toward one-off, win or lose games, but I think that solo gamers who are looking for something like this are really going to enjoy it. It does exactly what it sets out to do, and it does it well. If you like exploring, want a unique combat style, and need a travel-friendly game, check this one out!
Additional Information:
Designer – David David
Publisher – Grumpy Spider Games
Kickstarter – October 4 – 27, 2022
BGG
*Please Note: I was provided a prototype copy of this game to do this preview*
Kos
if you’re not into campaign/story based games why then did you review it ?!
Giannis
Who are you to ask her this? She does whatever she likes. Also said that it was provided to her for this reason.
Steph
Thank you for your kind words! I can understand why some people get frustrated if I don’t give things a positive review. I like to try new things/types of games, and experiences that are new to me because you never know what you might like! Not everything is gonna be a hit for everyone, even if you think you might like it.
Steph
I do sometimes enjoy campaign/story-based games, I just felt that as a solo experience, this wasn’t for me. It sounded like an interesting concept, which is why I chose to preview it.
Wil TryHarder
This isn’t a negative review.
‘ It does exactly what it sets out to do, and it does it well’.
I don’t think any game designer/producer could ask for more.
I’ve just received the game in the mail all the way to Australia. So we’ll done to Grumpy Spider for going the full 10 yards.
Tremendous value for the money.
Can’t wait to play 🙂
Steph
You’re right! I think that doing what you set out to do is certainly part of the end goal. I think the review could be seen as on the negative side just because I said it wasn’t really for me. But I’m glad you saw otherwise!