Five Parsecs From Home

While I am waiting for a box of models to arrive to make my enemies for the next campaign turn, I’ve been reflecting on the game so far. I’ll play some more turns before writing a formal review but as I was lucky enough to get featured on Community Spotlight this week I thought it might help anyone who was interested and deciding whether to jump in to the game.

Five Parecs is the brainchild of Ivan Sorensen of Nordic Weasel Games and he’s also done a fantasy version and a post apocalyptic version, but Parsecs is the first to receive a proper print copy published by Modiphius.

[I am actually really interested in the post apocalyptic version (Five Clicks from the Zone) because I am a huge Fallout fan and when I picked up Five Parsecs I immediately thought a Fallout reskin would be amazing. Much as I love Fallout Wasteland Warfare, what it is really missing is a procedurally generated solo campaign system. It already has a detailed AI system and all the factions and models you would need, and I really enjoy the mechanics. I am trying not to be distracted by it just yet though!]

This first published version is actually the game’s third edition, so it has been played and polished for some time and that is evident in the quality of the book and the rules. It has also been quickly followed by a PDF expansion which adds some optional variety to the games. For example, seasoned players tend to find the encounters can get a bit easier as their crew levels up, so the expansion adds ways to mix up the enemy behaviours and add more challenge to the battles. As I understand it when a couple more such expansions have been added, they may be treated to another glossy volume by Modiphius.

For me the real fun in the game are the RPG elements and the storytelling. As a solo game you can really immerse yourself in these aspects. The tabletop gameplay is really simple – nothing overly complex to learn – and the games play out pretty quickly. I have also really enjoyed putting thought into the miniatures for my crew, and sourcing models for the enemies. The book gives a brief description of the enemies which is just enough inspiration to go model shopping, without being so prescriptive as to make that job impossible without a dedicated model range. Travelling to new planets affords the opportunity to build thematic tables and create distinctive battlescapes. In this way it is a solo gamers dream. You could play it cooperatively of course but you would probably have to enjoy storytelling with your accomplices and be of a similar mind in that regard.

The missions are probably not going to offer a deep intellectual puzzle for gamers who are that way inclined, the objectives are relatively simple as is the AI, but the enemies are dangerous. One shot kills are a real threat. There are no multiple wound profiles. When you’re out you’re out. There are a couple of ways to avoid casualties – luck points and stimm packs – but if the dice go against you, you can get routed, and that will set you back as you pay medical costs or have to do without crew members for a number of missions. I’ve found that with a story-first approach the table top battles are fun, engaging and can be really tense right up to the end. Equally, in the pre- and post-battle sequences there are myriad dangers awaiting your crew. Also myriad rewards. These processes are, for me, as fun as the tabletop battles themselves.

The other thing I have really enjoyed is writing up the campaign story-style. Like most of us who dream of writing a novel one day, the moment we try to put pen to paper we get stuck after a clever opening paragraph, never to complete even one chapter. However, with the procedural generation of the campaign giving you the “what”, you can to decide the “why” and the stories then write themselves.

I’m guessing people who don’t like reading won’t have reached this paragraph so I won’t apologise for the wordy nature of the project!! I’m keen to keep on writing even if it’s only me that reads it!

All in all I am loving Five Parsecs so far, and I am still heavily motivated to continue. And for me that’s the highest praise I can give the game – anything that can hold my attention past the 4 game mark is doing something very right!