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🥾🎰 First Impressions Rosethorn Keep
Feb. 21st, 2026 10:37 amFirst Impressions: Rosethorn Keep
( Game Description )
There are three reasons this has become a boot for me.
The first is the layout and the amount of work I have to put into understanding the game, with going back and forth and squinting at the text, and seeing whether the other document is any easier to read and finding that it isn’t. For me, this carries a high mental load, and while I understood the instructions eventually, it took *work* to do so.
Two, I cannot crunch the numbers in my head. I honestly have not got the faintest clue which combination of choices will give me the best path forward and the greatest chance at success. Should I develop this feature or that, get more companions or this type of stat boost or try to gather resources quickly so I can upgrade something else? Only playing multiple times will give me those answers; simply reading the ruleset does not. Based on board- and video games I’ve played, it will take me at least 10-20 hours to feel comfortable that I’m making the choices that are right for my playstyle, and given that I have HUNDREDS of unplayed solo games on my hard drive, I must decline. Also, by that time I will be bored with Mathias the Squire. (You roll dice to see which companion you get; they come with names and fixed stat blocks and no customisation options. Let me at least choose a name even if everything else is fixed? Please? There is not much roleplaying in this game, and I am here for the characters and their in-character choices. This is mechanics all the way down.
The last point that helped forge the decision to rate this as ‘boot’ rather than ‘honourably retired’ or ‘put on ice until as time I have more brain’ is that I grabbed a community copy because I was curious about the game. If I play something and enjoy it, I will pay for it, and I looked at the yellow mess and thought ‘is this worth $10 to me’ and the answer was unequivocally ‘no’.
There’s a speed playthrough/review starting at around 14:00 (to 20:00) in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w83D_lAXzkg
which is extremely enthusiastic.
I failed to recognise some of the rules from my readthrough, though I am not surprised; a lot of information is tucked away in odd corners.
I guess I am a bit miffed when other people have so! much! fun! while I struggle to parse information due to lousy formatting and presentation, and feel like I'm tackling a chore. (The printed materials look more accessible than the PDF, but am I going to spend even MORE money when I literally have all these other games waiting for me? Am I fuck.)
( Game Description )
There are three reasons this has become a boot for me.
The first is the layout and the amount of work I have to put into understanding the game, with going back and forth and squinting at the text, and seeing whether the other document is any easier to read and finding that it isn’t. For me, this carries a high mental load, and while I understood the instructions eventually, it took *work* to do so.
Two, I cannot crunch the numbers in my head. I honestly have not got the faintest clue which combination of choices will give me the best path forward and the greatest chance at success. Should I develop this feature or that, get more companions or this type of stat boost or try to gather resources quickly so I can upgrade something else? Only playing multiple times will give me those answers; simply reading the ruleset does not. Based on board- and video games I’ve played, it will take me at least 10-20 hours to feel comfortable that I’m making the choices that are right for my playstyle, and given that I have HUNDREDS of unplayed solo games on my hard drive, I must decline. Also, by that time I will be bored with Mathias the Squire. (You roll dice to see which companion you get; they come with names and fixed stat blocks and no customisation options. Let me at least choose a name even if everything else is fixed? Please? There is not much roleplaying in this game, and I am here for the characters and their in-character choices. This is mechanics all the way down.
The last point that helped forge the decision to rate this as ‘boot’ rather than ‘honourably retired’ or ‘put on ice until as time I have more brain’ is that I grabbed a community copy because I was curious about the game. If I play something and enjoy it, I will pay for it, and I looked at the yellow mess and thought ‘is this worth $10 to me’ and the answer was unequivocally ‘no’.
There’s a speed playthrough/review starting at around 14:00 (to 20:00) in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w83D_lAXzkg
which is extremely enthusiastic.
I failed to recognise some of the rules from my readthrough, though I am not surprised; a lot of information is tucked away in odd corners.
I guess I am a bit miffed when other people have so! much! fun! while I struggle to parse information due to lousy formatting and presentation, and feel like I'm tackling a chore. (The printed materials look more accessible than the PDF, but am I going to spend even MORE money when I literally have all these other games waiting for me? Am I fuck.)
