MAXIMUM APO
TODO:
I found that there are 3 or 4 ways to play solo
1) playing 2 characters without mixing cards
2) playing 2 characters, mixing cards
3) playing true solo, modifying long range weapons
and the possibility to add an ally... mixing the cards in the monsters deck
FAST:
A) MA on turbo mode, assuming we have only 30 minutes from setup to clean-up. Can be single or
multi-player.
Some observations:
×Decreasing the number of tiles makes the game faster but easier
×The game is meant as an endurance game, hence after a while fatigue (deck running out), hunger
and damage threatens the players. A quick game doesn't accumulate the same level of threats.
Suggestions for the fast apocalypse:
×create a scenario with half the search decks (2 fuel instead of 4, 3 food instead if 6, etc), half the
tiles (12 to 15), half objectives (for example, bring to the van 2 fuel plus some food and ammo for
the survivors. Imagine this scenario as a side quest to the "main" quests, or a minigame.
×this scenario will modify some base rules: half the maximum health for all players, hunger goes up
by 2 every turn (starvation is a threat sooner), draw 2 cards from your and discard 1 every turn
(deck will burn faster)
B) So how about this: most videogames have a convoluted campaing (i.e. the current Maximum
Apocalypse), and quick "skirmishes"
We could suggest a MA Skirmish:
Take 4 fuel, 6 food, 3 ammo, 2 spare pieces, 4 equipment pieces, 2 empty, 2 ambush, 2 "random"
(books and stuff) (or whatever numbers you like). Mix this deck thoroughly as a single deck, then
split equally in 3 (you won't know if blue, red, or green has any food - or perhaps all of it).
Take the van and 15 random tiles. Place the boss and one objective on one of the times (farthest
from the van).
Objective: Kill the boss and bring 2 fuel, 2 food cards, 2 ammo to the van. If it is too easy (small
scavenge deck, few tiles), start with the game with half the maximum health for all players, hunger
goes up by 2 every turn (starvation is a threat sooner), draw 2 cards from your and discard 1 every
turn (deck will burn faster).
MAX ENCOUNERS SOLO VARIANT
The basic idea is to have one survivor as the main character of the game, and then to bury one
random survivor card (of those remaining) in each of the three scavenge decks.
This will create a narrative where your main character encounters other survivors, when scavenging
at certain locations.
The main survivor is the "Leader" and the additional survivors will be his/her "Followers" (for lack
of better terms).
The Followers will not have their own decks (so you can use the Mechanic, the Veteran or the Dog
as well) but will join the mission side by side to the Leader lending him their special ability as well
as increasing the capacity for carrying stuff.
The variant rules are:
SETUP
1) choose one survivor as your team Leader and his/her deck as per standard rules.
2) assemble the scavenge decks as per mission rules, then randomly select three of the remaining
survivor cards and shuffle one in each of the three scavenge decks.
GAMEPLAY
1) when drawing a Follower from a scavenge deck, this is immediately put in play (does not count
as an action).
2) the number of standard actions available each turn does not change, independently of how many
Followers are in the team.
3) the player can decide to activate the Follower's special ability as one of the available actions.
4) each Follower adds two slots for carrying scavenged gears.
5) the Followers can not be assigned or use any Gear or Instant from the Leader's deck, but can
carry and use Gears or Instants from the Scavenge decks.
6) Followers move with their Leader at no extra action cost. Followers can be sent to scout locations
away from the one occupied by their Leaders, using one or more of the actions available, and will
follow the standard rules when revealing, entering, exiting map tiles (monsters already present on a
location or drawn when revealing/entering/exiting a map tile where only the Follower is present,
will attack the Follower only).
7) the player can decide to assign damage done by each single monster to either the Leader or his
Follower, if they share the same location, but cannot split the damage between the two (for
example, damage by two monsters can be assigned all to the Leader OR all to the Follower OR the
damage by one monster can be assigned to the Leader and the damage by the other monster to the
Follower).
8) Damages that go to "all survivors in range" will affect both the Leader and the Followers if in
range.
9) Poison markers will be placed on both Leader and Followers if these share the same location.
10) Only Leaders can scavenge. Draw one monster card for each consecutive turn (after the first)
passed scavenging on the same location.
11) Standard Hunger rules apply to Followers as well.
12) the game is lost when the Leader dies, even if one or more Followers are still alive. All other
standard rules on End-Game conditions still apply.