Solo Tabletop RPG Review – Glide

Glide (Sleepy Sasquatch Games)
Written and designed by Cody Barr

You can purchase Glide here.

For the first time, we had an instance of a solo game that did not click for me at all. I had wanted to play something in the style of Dune. I’d seen the second half of the feature film adaptation and was reading Frank Herbert’s novel. Glide is based on the same source material, so it seemed a perfect fit. However, this is an excellent lesson in theme vs. gameplay. A game can be based on or inspired by something you enjoy, but the gameplay design might differ from what you were looking for. In my case, this was more about exploration & resource management and very little about developing a narrative.

Glide is about exploring a blank map of a portion of the desert on planet Eridoor. After centuries of extractive operations, a once lush world was left in a desolate desert. The Great Houses of the Council of Empires rule over Eirdoor and offer various quests for those willing to pursue them. The player is a Seeker, a nomad hoping to rebuild the planet, starting by scrapping what the Houses have left behind. As you explore, you discover new locations and can search them and/or confront threats. The game’s goal is to explore and see what you find. 

Glide uses a system composed of three stats: Hardy, Knowledgeable, and Resourceful. Each Location the player visits has a Level from 1 to 3. You roll against your selected stat and succeed if your results are equal to or lower than it. Beyond these skill tests, there is no conflict in Glide. There are several other resources the player will be managing.

Credits are the currency, while Scrap, which can be found by searching locations, can be sold in settlements for more Credits. Relics are items from Eridoor’s past that can be sold to off-world traders but may also be required to complete Guild Quests. Stamina limits how many actions a player can take, Water can recover Stamina, and Fuel powers the glider that gets you from one hex to the next on the map. Much of the game, from my playthrough, was about managing all these things.

Locations are randomly generated through a standard deck of cards. First, you take the Reveal action to pull a card, and based on the value, it will reveal anything from a settlement to a merchant outpost to non-traversable space to a unique explorable location. If it is a unique location in a hex, you draw cards and consult the corresponding table to learn what is there and what you can gain there. All the while, you must be aware of your Stamina and Fuel. While in settlements, you may have encounters, trade, and pick up & complete quests from the Guild Houses. 

Once I saw how everything worked I realized this was not a roleplaying game in the way I particularly enjoy them. This was essentially a tabletop board game. That doesn’t mean it’s terrible; it’s just that it wasn’t what I was looking to play. I see how someone would have a lot of fun tracking their resources and uncovering parts of the map. Because there are no deadly combat encounters, players can feel more relaxed, and the game becomes like a fun puzzle – trying to figure out how to cover the most space using the least amount of credits to keep refueling your glider.

Everything about Glide is themed very well, and several expansions add more exploratory elements to the base game. This feels like a more complex version of Alone Among the Stars, where the player is engaged purely in exploring places, and if you do write stories from what you do here, they will be more observational & introspective rather than plot-driven. As for me, I wanted to continue a story from another game set in a Dune-like world, and I wanted something else. 

This is a fantastic game that allows you to build out a map with interesting locations to explore with another system. Glide also feels like a chill long-term experience that would help your brain disconnect from other stress & distractions. It isn’t ambient, but it brushes against those vibes. Trying out games and examining why they didn’t click with you is good. Few games I’ve encountered are bad; it’s more that the creator’s intent didn’t mesh with my expectations.

There’s definitely a lot here that reminds me of enjoyable tabletop board games I’ve played. I always appreciate when one of those is committed to the theme. If you are searching for something that doesn’t have you getting caught up in combat and simply allows you to explore & map out a space, then Glide will certainly scratch that itch.