Thanks to the mediocre technology of 2020, I was able to host a game of Far Away over Zoom for one of my board game besties, Karl. Spoiler Alert: It went pretty well!
Materials used
Cellphone
Zoom
Tripod with light source
One copy of Far Away
Dining room table
Beverages
Setup
Both of us had only played a few times and needed a refresher so we watched the tutorial video separately, earlier in the day. In the interest of socialization, I turned on my camera and chatted with Karl while setting up the play area. We reminisced and lamented over missing weekly game nights and spending time with our friends. Once I got the play area set up, I did my best to incorporate as much of the play area as I could into the shot.
Gameplay
Having a vivid imagination and the ability to describe the environment is key here. The angle of my phone wasn't ideal at getting the entire play area in the shot so as we explored our growing alien landscape, we talked about the possible things that might be happening around us given the current circumstances. Which is great, considering building alien worlds together builds close friendships. Together, we considered what may be lurking in nearby swamps, canyons, and forests, and role played what might happen as we snuck past a flying Pteroictus Cassus hovering above a tundra and a Cibus Devorandom licking the side of our crashed ship..
We planned our moves together while sharing the same HEX and were able to build 2 of the 5 outposts required to complete Mission 1. I was attacked by an Erinaceinae Spicati but consumed a plant to cure the poison. Karl was fortunate to not have any violent encounters with creatures and was able to focus on gathering resources and exploring new territories.
When we would encounter a new creature, I would hold the card up to the camera so Karl could continue building out our landscape in his head and when we would complete an objective, I would read the flavor text on the cards as the mission progressed.
What I would do differently
Mount the camera to provide a top-down view. It’s hard to describe the whole world to someone. The map can be hard to verbally describe as it grows.
Allot more time. Karl and I learned the hard way that the technical challenges slow the game down. We called it early since I was attacked a second time and filled with poison by the mouse-scorpion hybrid and we still had three more buildings to erect. So, we called the game early and I vowed to host again on a weekend afternoon.
— Emily
Next week: How to make cats play games over Zoom.