Solo Bound Female - Second Edition Out Now

So after months of building, editing, deliberation, and play testing I'm finally ready to release the second edition of Solo Bound Female.  It is bigger (and in some ways better) than first edition turned out.  The cards lend themselves to much more varied game play and countless deck building options.  For starters, there are four different playable characters and four complimentary scenarios for you to mix and match between them.  Additionally, there are numerous combinations of action, bondage, trouble, and person cards for you to experiment with.  The whole thing includes over 200 cards!  Check out some pics below:

These girls sure know how to have fun.  Care to join them?

A wide variety of action and bondage cards to choose from.

Supernatural trouble cards join trouble and person cards as a standard card type in second edition.

And that's not even close to half of all the different cards you're getting in second edition (79 unique cards, most of which come in triples)!

Please note that you will need some form of counters for keeping track of vitality, progress, etc. as this set only comes with the cards.  Additionally, no hard copy of the instructions is included but you can download a copy of Version 1 above.  It is highly recommended that you use the Instructions tab first and consult the complete version (download) only if you get confused.

Deck Building Advice

Now that you have a huge stack of SBF cards, you're going to need to build a deck.  No problem.  I'll spend a number of future posts throwing around deck building strategies and card-combos.  Here are a few to get you started:

(1) When building your 40 card character deck, you might want to start with 11 stationary bondage cards, 11 bondage move cards, and about 18 action cards.  This gives you a nice baseline to start with.  From there, you can mix and match according to what suits your strategy (and chosen character) best.

(2) The scenario deck should have at least 13 person cards to get started (out of 25 total cards).  Once again, shifting that number up and down comes after you get the hang of what you're doing.

(3) The single player game (and, to some, degree the multi-player version) is only as hard as you make it.  If the game seems too easy, try going for more scenario cards that you know will cause your deck problems or taking cards out of the player deck that seem to destroy the opposing deck.  Too hard?  Make sure that any cards that get you stuck are taken out of the scenario deck and replaced by something less devious.  You might need to consider revising the character deck as well.  And remember, losing isn't all bad.  It's about the journey, not the destination.

(4) Card combos aren't just limited to in game cards.  Consider synergies with your character or against a particular scenario.  Same goes for the opposing deck.

New Card Effects

A few new card abilities are present in second edition.  They include:

Competence #: Pay # in addition to the base cost and when this card would go to the discard pile, put it into play as aptitude instead.

Incompetence #: Pay # in addition to the base cost and when this card would go to the discard pile, put it into play as inaptitude instead.

Double Trouble: When this card is played, draw another card from the scenario deck and play it (either for its cost or as inaptitude if there is not enough inaptitude in play to afford it).

Story and Game Updates

The sixth part of my short story Going Home can be found in the Pending Stories Tab.

Second Edition for SBF comes out tomorrow.

Um, I guess that's it.

This just in...

So, I haven't found nearly as much time to keep up with this site as I had hoped.  Sorry about that.  I'll probably find myself updating in bursts.  Kinda like now!  Here's the latest.

(1) New Pending Stories page now online.  This is where I'll post stuff that I'm writing and submitted but has not yet appeared on other sites (Namely Gromet's Plaza).  Currently, Part 5 of Going Home is there and Part 6 is really close to joining it.

(2) Second edition (featuring Andy's Dames) of Solo Bound Female will be on sale within a week!  I've finally reached the point of tweaking and play testing that I'm satisfied with.  More details to follow soon.

(3) I will be adding two more sections to the site in the next week as well: Artists and F.A.Q.  The Artist page will information and links to all of the awesome artists that appear (or will appear) in the SBF card game.  The FAQ will be available for questions about the game or stories that I can then update into the page itself.

Thanks as always for stopping by.

Basic Instructions Now Online

I've been busy again lately but I have taken the time to right a shorter version of the game instructions.  I've posted them as a new page titled (surprise!) Instructions.  I'm sure there are a few things I was too brief on or perhaps even left out entirely so if you try playing the game and find the new instructions either too confusing or simply incomplete please let me know.

I hope to have more exciting updates (stories/cards/etc.) soon.

Second Edition Teaser

As promised, I have a Solo Bound Female surprise update.

While I haven't been posting too frequently to my blog lately, that doesn't mean I haven't been doing things that are blog related.  In fact, I've been working on getting a play test set ready for second edition.  It'll need more time for testing but here's a little taste of what you can expect.

Sample cards to appear in second edition.  Final card effects subject to change.

The current set of cards contain artwork courtesy of Andys Dames (Check out his blog and Deviant Art).  There will be at least one other second edition artist when the set goes on sale.

About Second Edition

While first edition provided a strong introduction to SBF, second edition will be all about choices.  Second edition is planned to be more than twice the size of first edition (I already have 80 cards featuring Andys Dames' artwork!).  This will give you tons of deck option and variability of play whether you play alone or with friends.

Unfortunately, so many cards requires a lot of play testing so I don't expect the set to be fully available until this summer.  In the meantime, I'll continue to provide details on gameplay and I'll see if I can post a video tutorial for those of you who might find the instructions to be a bit intimidating.

About the Game: Scenarios

Solo Bound Female would be too easy without something to complicate things.  This is where the scenario deck comes into play.  It consists of people and obstacles that will impede your characters progress.  And just like the character card for the character deck, scenario decks each need... you guessed it.  A scenario card.

Scenario cards tell you how much progress you need in order to win the game.  They also include some starting and/or in game conditions that are sure to challenge your character in her struggles to get free.  For some examples of scenario cards, check out the image below.

The front and back of the scenario card Tentacle Difficulties (art by Zarathul).

This card is a fairly typical type of scenario card.  It has a starting condition and an in-game condition.  This one causes your character to run into supernatural things a bit more often.  Of course, it only works well if you build the scenario deck to compliment.  Namely by including a considerable number of supernatural cards and cash in on the reduced cost.  Or you can pick one or two so that the starting condition is guaranteed to get you what you're looking for.  That's all part of the strategy.

Regardless of how you decide to use a particular scenario card, your going to need to build a deck for it.  We'll start with that next time by looking at some complications for your character in the form of trouble cards.

Thanks for stopping by.

About the Game: Action Cards

The final card type that appears in the character deck is the action card.  As the name suggests, action cards are things your character does aside from getting themselves tied up.  The can be either one time effects (immediate actions) or they can stick around for a long time (persistent actions).

Immediate actions have the same three icons as a stationary bondage card.  When you play one, go through the three icons bottom to top exactly the same as triggering a stationary bondage card.  Once the icons have been addressed, proceed by doing whatever it is the card text says to do.

Persistent action cards have no additional effects (i.e. no icons) and remain in play until an effect causes them to leave play.  Some persistent cards have a duration (a clock in the bottom left corner) while others can last indefinitely.  It all depends on what the card says.

A couple of cards from the Pyrosthenes starter and deluxe set.

Here are a couple of action cards.  Get Some Action remains in play permanently and benefits you greatly so long as you keep playing immediate action cards.  Like Unexpected Freedom, for example.  This card is good for some progress and a quick card draw.  It does make your character feel a little foolish, however, as it increases her inaptitude slightly.

That's it for the character deck.  Next time, we switch gears to the far more intriguing scenario deck, starting naturally with the Scenario card.

Thanks for stopping by.

About the Game: Bondage Stationary Cards

Now that you know how to make progress, you're going to want to know how to avoid the visibility gain that comes with it.  The easiest way to do this is to gain privacy points.  Privacy is the opposite of visibility.  If you gain three points of privacy, the you are losing three points of visibility.  But how do you gain privacy?

Stationary bondage cards cannot gain progress (typically) but can be used to gain privacy (the door icon on the right side of the card).  This is the standard counter-measure to the vast amount of visibility your character will be gaining from bondage move cards.  By juggling between these two card types, you can gain progress without worrying about gaining too much visibility... for a price.

You see, unlike bondage move cards that occasionally give your character stimulation, stationary bondage cards always give your character stimulation.  More stimulation means more orgasms, more orgasms means more vitality loss, and more vitality loss could mean wearing down your character, resulting in defeat.

A stationary bondage card, available in the expansion pack here.

Here is a prime example of a stationary bondage card.  Couch Potato gives your character two privacy (lose two visibility) and two points of stimulation when used.  Couch Potato has the additional ability to abandon aptitude for vitality (i.e. brains for rest/laziness), making it easier for your character to endure more stimulation.  Even though this will allow your character to last longer, the On Orgasm effect will make the opposing deck much stronger against your character as the game goes on.

So those are the two types of bondage cards.  However, bondage isn't the only thing your character is capable of.  Next time, I'll explain a little bit about the other standard character card type, action cards.

Thanks for stopping by.

About the Game: Bondage Move cards

After you've selected your character, it's time to start building a character deck.  This deck consists of all types of bondage and actions your character will be able to perform.  The first card of this type is the bondage move card.

Bondage move cards are bondage situations that leave your character with some level of mobility.  The level of mobility your character has is designated by a foot icon on the right of the card.  A lower number suggests a lesser amount of movement.  By using these cards, you can help your character move closer toward completing the scenario.

Movement doesn't come without consequence, however.  Each bondage move card has an eye icon.  This represents how easily your character can be seen when moving in that particular bound state.  As your visibility increases, the odds of being discovered increase as well.  This can cause all sorts of problems for your character if you're not careful.

Some bondage move cards also cause stimulation to your character when used.  This is represented by a vibrator icon.  A transparent icon with no number means your character gains no noticeable stimulation.  As your character gains stimulation, she will approach an orgasm which will cause some level of fatigue in the form of vitality loss (see the instructions for full details).

Bondage move cards also have text that occurs either when played or when used (sometimes both).  This is unique to each card and is described in detail in the card text.  Some might even have effects that trigger every time your character has an orgasm (called On Orgasm effects).

Two examples of bondage move cards.
The first appears in the Zarathul expansion pack, available  here.
The second appears in both the Pyrosthenes Starter here and Deluxe Set here.

Looking at a couple of examples, we see two different bondage move cards: Piece of Sheet and *Dear in Headlights.  

Piece of Sheet has low visibility and low movement.  It has the effect that it is removed from play as a result of an orgasm.  Apparently it doesn't fair too well when your character gets wet.  On it's own, Piece of Sheet doesn't not give your character any stimulation when you use it.

Dear in Headlights has a little bit more visibility and progress.  It also has a small amount of stimulation (from pulling on her nipple rings) and returns to you hand every time a person pops up (as she freezes in a place).  This is especially important since Dear in Headlights has an additional cost condition.  Every time you play it, your visibility goes up by one (given by the green eye in the top right corner).  As usual, if you're looking for more gameplay information, check out the complete instructions here.

That's just about all there is to it.  Of course, now that your character has gained all sorts of visibility, you're probably going to want to know how to make it go away.  That'll come up next time when I cover stationary bondage cards.

Thanks for stopping by.

*In case you were wondering, no, I didn't misspell deer.  I simply went for something I found more appropriate with dear - someone loved or especially valued (i.e. a dear friend)

About the Game: Characters

I'll be doing regular posts about cards, card types, and game updates.  Feel free to comment below if you have a question or if you'd simply like to make a comment.  I'd love to know what you think.

For complete game mechanics and details, download the instructions at SBF_Instructions_Version01.pdf.

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When you start a game of Solo Bound Female, you'll need to pick a character.  This is the lovely young lady you will be helping during her bondage adventure.  But choose wisely.  Not all girls are cut out for the same kind of action.

Each character has a vitality score, a stimulation score, and some basic effects.  Vitality functions as the character's fatigue. Run out of fatigue and your character becomes too tired to function.  It is the most common way to lose a single player game.

Stimulation represents how much pleasure your character can endure before experiencing an orgasm.  Over the course of the game, she will go over her stimulation score several times.  It might not always seem realistic but she's not complaining.  Vitality and stimulation score are two of the most important factors when it comes to designing a deck for your character.

Take Karen here.  She is the default character for the Pyrosthenes starter deck as well as the deluxe set.  Her vitality of 12 is good.  It means she can last for quite a while before getting tired.  Her stimulation of four, however, suggests she is very sensitive.  As a result, her good vitality might not be good enough if she can't keep stimulation effects down.  A character deck built for her should limit the amount of stimulation gain and/or provide several ways to recover vitality.

The front and back of the character card Curious Karen.
  Available in the Pyrosthenes Starter here or in the Deluxe Set here

Character abilities are often quite unique and can greatly shape the deck options you might consider.  They consist primarily of Start events (occur before play begins) and regular Effects (always active).  Some are very useful and might even provide a theme for building your deck.

In Karen's case, she starts with a random bondage card in play.  You might want to keep that in mind when choosing which bondage cards to put in her deck.  Some might be worse than others to start with.  Others might be very useful if you start the game with them in play.

Her second ability suggests that you might want cards with abilities costs to help keep aptitude cards triggered.  The free privacy this offers can go a long way.  Especially early when, say, you have a bondage move card giving you visibility from turn one.

Conversely, the scenario deck can be built to exploit any weaknesses the character card might have.  For example, Karen's low stimulation score might prompt the scenario deck to favor high stimulation gain.  It might also be effective for the scenario deck to cause discard of some kind so that you are less likely to have all of your aptitude cards triggered at end of turn (since there are less cards to play).

Ultimately, you have a ton of options for how you build around your character.  Maybe you're a power gamer who wants to maximize a certain character's potential.  Or maybe you'll just pick a character you like and worry about the details later.  Either way, the goal is to have fun.

Thanks for stopping by.

Next time, About the Game: Bondage Move Cards.