From the very start of the Consim Game Jam we (Chris, Dan, and I) wanted to make sure that our design offered both an excellent two player and solo gaming experience. In the Shadows is a card-driven game about the desperate struggle of the French Resistance against the occupying Nazi and collaborating French forces between January 1943 and June 1944. The game offers both an intense two player game and a story driven solo experience. In this article I want to talk a bit about how In the Shadows embraces the narrative nature of solo play to create two distinct gaming experiences in the same box.

…comparing the capacity of computers to the capacity of the human brain, I’ve often wondered where does our success come from? The answer is synthesis, the ability to combine creativity and calculation, art and science, into a whole that is much greater than the sum of its parts.

Garry Kasparov in How Life Imitates Chess

I find the above quote from chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov fascinating. This is someone who has played at the highest level against literal bots with varying degrees of success. So, I believe when Kasparov speaks we as solo gamers should listen. Automatas offer players the opportunity to enjoy their favorite games in solitaire play sessions. This is fantastic! We all know how difficult it can be to schedule a game night (in-person or virtual). So, when the stars don’t align, we know we can rely on a bot to replace our missing gaming buddies. But, what exactly should the bot be replacing?

According to Kasparov, bots lack the synthesis of a human opponent. They can create a challenging play experience, but they are missing the creativity and variability of playing another person. With this in mind, we endeavoured to create a bot for In the Shadows that enhanced the experience for the player.  One that focused less on the automata being a human replacement, and more on the way it drove the story for the person playing the game.

A solitaire game of In the Shadows is mechanically very similar to the two player game. Players will take the side of the Resistance in the struggle against the Occupation. They will still use the same set of Resistance Actions and Event cards, and will still have the same primary goal of reducing Occupation authority and growing the Resistance. And, of course, the Occupation will still ruthlessly hunt down your Resistants and Maquisards. The major difference is driven by the addition of personas to solo play.

At the beginning of a solitaire game of In the Shadows, the player will choose between one of three different personas to play as during their session. These personas represent leaders of the Armée Secrète (AS), Franc-Tireurs et Partisans (FTP), and the Forces Français de l’Intérieur (FFI). Each of these three factions offers a unique special ability and secondary victory condition that will create the need for different strategies and techniques in order to win. Players will still play to win the game as normal. But, in order to win the game they must achieve both the primary and secondary victory conditions. This will help make each solo session of In the Shadows a unique and exciting experience.

The Personas

Armée Secrète

The Armée Secrète (AS) persona is focused on Ambushing Occupation forces. Their special ability is that they can flip two Resolution cards and pick the result when taking Ambush actions against Occupation units with Maquis units. Their secondary victory condition is to have all of Southern France (the Blue Zones) cleared of German and Milice units at the end of the game.

Franc-Tireurs et Partisans

The Franc-Tireurs et Partisans (FTP) persona is focused on Recruiting new Resistants. Their special ability is that they can take a Recruit action in any Zone as if they had a unit in that Zone. Their secondary victory condition is to have one red Resistance unit in all three Regions at the end of the game.

Forces Français de l’Intérieur

The Forces Français de l’Intérieur (F.F.I.) persona begins with a more unified Resistance movement. Their special ability is that they start with the Authority track on the “CNR is Formed” space. Their secondary victory condition is that they must push the Authority track all the way to the “Resistance Victory” space by the end of the game.

These different personas will add an interesting twist to solo play. By taking on a character with different abilities and objectives, the player will be able to craft a new narrative experience with every playthrough. Do you want to really hit back at the Occupation forces? Play as a grizzled AS leader. Do you want to build a massive Resistance network? Play as an FTP Partisan. Looking for a more casual game? Play as an FFI Officer. The variety of personas will allow players to focus less on the bot and more on the synthesis of their own experience.

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