--- product_id: 4358431 title: "Friday" brand: "rio grande games" price: "€ 44.14" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 8 category: "Rio Grande Games" url: https://www.desertcart.be/products/4358431-friday store_origin: BE region: Belgium --- # 30-minute quick playtime Solo strategic card gameplay Progressive skill & difficulty levels Friday **Brand:** rio grande games **Price:** € 44.14 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Summary > 🃏 Outsmart the island, own your solo adventure! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Friday by rio grande games - **How much does it cost?** € 44.14 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.be](https://www.desertcart.be/products/4358431-friday) ## Best For - rio grande games enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted rio grande games brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - • **Compact Yet Deep:** Engage in a rich, 30-minute solo adventure that fits perfectly into your busy schedule without sacrificing depth. - • **Dynamic Deck Building:** Evolve Robinson’s skills and mindset by managing your card deck—win encounters to gain power, lose to shed bad habits. - • **Ultimate Pirate Showdown:** Prepare and strategize to defeat tough pirate ships in the thrilling final confrontation—only the sharpest survive. - • **Master Robinson's Survival:** Take full control of Robinson's fate on a remote island with every strategic decision shaping his journey. - • **Challenge Yourself Across Levels:** Tackle escalating difficulty phases and customize challenges to keep your solo experience fresh and rewarding. ## Overview Friday by Rio Grande Games is a highly acclaimed solo strategic card game where players guide Robinson Crusoe through survival challenges on a remote island. Designed for quick 30-minute sessions, it offers deep deck-building mechanics, progressive difficulty levels, and a unique blend of risk and reward. Perfect for strategic thinkers seeking a compact, replayable solo experience that sharpens problem-solving and decision-making skills. ## Description Product Description Friday: A Solo Adventure by Rio Grande GamesFriday is a distinctive solo board game that puts you in complete control of Robinson's survival on a remote island. Unlike traditional multiplayer games, this strategic card game delivers a deeply personal challenge where every decision matters and only you can achieve victory.Gameplay Experience:Navigate Robinson's journey from clumsy newcomer to skilled survivor through strategic card managementMake meaningful choices that influence his abilities, habits, and resilience against mounting challengesExperience dynamic progression where wins improve skills and defeats eliminate bad habitsFace the ultimate test: preparation for a final confrontation with tough piratesPerfect for Strategic Thinkers:Designed by acclaimed publisher Rio Grande Games, Friday combines elegant mechanics with deep strategy. The compact 30-minute playtime makes it ideal for solo gamers seeking intellectual challenge without lengthy commitments. Build and refine your winning strategy across multiple sessions, discovering new approaches and optimizing your card selection each time you play. The innovative solo format proves that engaging board games don't require opponents—only thoughtful strategy and your determination to succeed. From the Manufacturer Friday is a solo adventure - only you can win the game. You are helping Robinson, who came ashore on your island, fight against many hazards. At the beginning, Robinson is not very skillful. With each fight he wins you will improve his abilities, but defeats are also helping to get rid off of his worse habits. However, life on the island is energy-sapping, so that Robinson not only gains experiences during his time there, but also starts aging and tends to get clumsy. In this game, Robinson is represented as a card stack of different behaviors. You are forced to improve this card stack, so you can collect the cards at the end of the game to give Robinson the best chance to win against the tough pirates. Review: Excellent 1 player game with diverse levels of challenge - This game is highly recommended. I spend most of my game-time playing solo, so I was pleased to see that this little box contained a "solo adventure" and also that many reviews indicated that it was quite challenging. I will confirm that this game is not for the faint of heart. It took me several plays to beat the first of the four difficulties indicated in the instructions. With a little experience, however, I was able to figure out a strategy that seems to work well in most cases and I have been very successful with achieving victory even on the fourth difficulty level. If you want to know that strategy, you can find it easily on-line, and my experience has been that the general principals of the most common strategy found on-line will help you prevail. Bad news if you want a perpetual challenge, but good news if you want a winnable game that doesn't beat you up 9 out of 10 tries and make you feel despondent. More good news - you can always start with fewer life points of modify the card sets to create ever increasing levels of difficulty. There is certainly a point where luck of the draw will start to be more important than strategy as you design brutal challenges to combat your own success, but I am finding that playing the game just a wee bit harder than the fourth scenario in the instructions provides a good level of difficulty. If you like to play solo, this is an essential purchase. It is sleek in its design, engaging to play, has high replayability due to the potential to fine tune the difficulty) and it is a reasonably inexpensive game. PS. The components are not elaborate, but they are well made. I have played my set 20 times without any fatigue at all. I am careful with my game components, but all but the most careless people should find this set lasting for years and years. Review: Fun, Quick Solo Strategy Game - This is a great alternative to Solitaire, my usual go-to card game for one. The idea is that you are Friday, and you are trying to train Robinson Crusoe to get off the island. You start with a hand of cards that represent Robinson's skills/state of mind, and over time you'll want to evolve his skills and mindset by building a stronger deck. You take two cards off of the encounter deck, and choose which encounter you want to send Robinson on (basing your decision on the required skill/mindset level to successfully beat the encounter). Then you flip over the number of cards allowed from that encounter card, and see how Robinson's skill/state of mind value compares to the requirements of the encounter. If you fall short, you can pay a life point to bring out another card and try to succeed (you can keep doing this if you want), or you can pay the difference in life points, and for each life point you are forced to discard, you can trash a card from your deck. If you pass the encounter, you get to keep the card, which on the lower half is a new Robinson skill/state of mind level (representing what he learned from surviving that encounter's adventure, and another crucial factor in determining which encounter you choose to have him attempt). There are a lot of factors in play. You need to run through the encounter deck at three different levels. Green (easy), yellow (medium), red (hard). The numeric value required to complete the encounters increases with every increase in difficulty level. So the first time through, you might think it's great to try to fail as many as possible to thin your deck of those bad -1 and 0 value cards, but then you'll have more encounters to face at those increased difficulty levels. Conversely, if you try to win as many encounters in the early round as possible, you may not get to trash as many cards as you like, leaving you with a lot of duds coming out in those harder levels. You also need to consider your life points, as when they run out, you instantly lose the game. So sometimes you fail a lot of encounters and cut cards, then realize you are dangerously low on life. Thankfully, many cards you gain from passing encounters along the way give you special actions, like +1 or +2 life points, +1 or +2 cards, destroy/trash a card, -1 to the encounter's pass level, etc. So those are also a consideration when you decide which encounter to go up against, as you can see at the bottom what skill/state of mind you'll gain from passing. On top of all of this, every time your deck runs out and you need to shuffle your discard pile and cycle through again, you add an aging card, which represents the passage of time on the island and how it wears on Robinson. These are tougher to remove from your deck, as you need to discard two life points to rid of them or use a trashing card. If you survive making it through all three difficulty phases of the encounters, you go up against two different pirate ships you must defeat. So essentially, you are not only building a deck to go up against encounters, you are building a deck that will defeat the pirate ships at the end. If you reach the needed level, Robinson makes it off the island. If not, well, he doesn't. I love the challenge of this game. It took me several tries to win, and I'm still on beginner's mode after 16 plays. There are additional difficulty levels to keep the game interesting as you get more experienced. There is obviously luck involved, but it certainly requires a good balance of all those aforementioned factors. If you're looking for a quick strategy game to play on your own, this is an excellent choice. ## Features - 1-player game - Takes about 30 minutes to play - Unique and fun - The mission of Rio Grande Games is to promote the playing of games, which offer the players choices ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | ASIN | B006NCVC6A | | Age Range Description | Teen | | Best Sellers Rank | #86,304 in Toys & Games ( See Top 100 in Toys & Games ) #2,045 in Board Games (Toys & Games) | | Brand Name | Rio Grande Games | | Color | Multicolor | | Container Type | Box | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,310 Reviews | | Educational Objective | Enhance cognitive skills such as problem-solving, strategic thinking, and patience | | Global Trade Identification Number | 00655132004572 | | Included Components | Cards | | Is Assembly Required | No | | Item Dimensions | 8 x 8 x 2 inches | | Item Part Number | 655132004572 | | Item Weight | 0.62 Pounds | | Language | English | | Manufacturer | Flat River Group | | Manufacturer Maximum Age (MONTHS) | 1200.0 | | Manufacturer Minimum Age (MONTHS) | 168.0 | | Manufacturer Part Number | 457RGG | | Manufacturer Warranty Description | No Warranty | | Material Type | Cardboard | | Model Name | Friday | | Model Number | RGG 457 | | Number of Items | 1 | | Number of Players | 1 | | Operation Mode | Manual | | Other Special Features of the Product | Solo Adventure | | Package Quantity | 1 | | Product Style | Classic | | Size | 8 inches x 2 inches | | Theme | Video Game | | UPC | 885589447411 655132004572 885346663597 066743719388 | | Unit Count | 1.0 Count | ## Images ![Friday - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/813dzrgPIOL.jpg) ## Questions & Answers **Q: What other solo games like Friday would you recommend?** A: I have Pandemic but never played solo worth a try though because it is a good game. I don't know of anything else like Friday though. **Q: Has anybody ever beat this game?** A: I have beaten it on every level (including the extra level the digital app gives you). It's definitely challenging and you are not going to win frequently. If I wanted to win about half the time or a little less than half I would play level 2. Any higher than that and you have to adjust your premise for playing the game. Basic strategy is to remove the -1 cards as early as possible, go for the "1" cards whenever possible on the first time through the deck, and prioritize the bonuses ("destroy" is always preferable to "exchange 1" for example :>). Definitely try to get the "-1 Step" card. It's not often useful, but when it is, it REALLY is. You can get more aggressive in the middle game and try to get the higher value cards. Later in the game life is key. How you handle the pirates is very much luck driven. Either the deck cooperates with you or it does not. **Q: is there any replayability?** A: I say yes there is - it's not at all an easy game, so the replayability is all about trying to figure out a winning strategy. **Q: Is this game hard to understand and play.** A: Hi Nancy! I bought Friday a few months back and it isn't very hard to figure out. There are a few videos on YouTube, which are great for understanding some of the finer aspects to the game. I wouldn't recommend it for a first time gamer, but it is far difficult. The trickiest part is keeping track of your total points when you have a dozen cards on the table, but I majored in English so Math isn't my strong suit. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent 1 player game with diverse levels of challenge *by M***S on June 4, 2018* This game is highly recommended. I spend most of my game-time playing solo, so I was pleased to see that this little box contained a "solo adventure" and also that many reviews indicated that it was quite challenging. I will confirm that this game is not for the faint of heart. It took me several plays to beat the first of the four difficulties indicated in the instructions. With a little experience, however, I was able to figure out a strategy that seems to work well in most cases and I have been very successful with achieving victory even on the fourth difficulty level. If you want to know that strategy, you can find it easily on-line, and my experience has been that the general principals of the most common strategy found on-line will help you prevail. Bad news if you want a perpetual challenge, but good news if you want a winnable game that doesn't beat you up 9 out of 10 tries and make you feel despondent. More good news - you can always start with fewer life points of modify the card sets to create ever increasing levels of difficulty. There is certainly a point where luck of the draw will start to be more important than strategy as you design brutal challenges to combat your own success, but I am finding that playing the game just a wee bit harder than the fourth scenario in the instructions provides a good level of difficulty. If you like to play solo, this is an essential purchase. It is sleek in its design, engaging to play, has high replayability due to the potential to fine tune the difficulty) and it is a reasonably inexpensive game. PS. The components are not elaborate, but they are well made. I have played my set 20 times without any fatigue at all. I am careful with my game components, but all but the most careless people should find this set lasting for years and years. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fun, Quick Solo Strategy Game *by A***. on December 18, 2014* This is a great alternative to Solitaire, my usual go-to card game for one. The idea is that you are Friday, and you are trying to train Robinson Crusoe to get off the island. You start with a hand of cards that represent Robinson's skills/state of mind, and over time you'll want to evolve his skills and mindset by building a stronger deck. You take two cards off of the encounter deck, and choose which encounter you want to send Robinson on (basing your decision on the required skill/mindset level to successfully beat the encounter). Then you flip over the number of cards allowed from that encounter card, and see how Robinson's skill/state of mind value compares to the requirements of the encounter. If you fall short, you can pay a life point to bring out another card and try to succeed (you can keep doing this if you want), or you can pay the difference in life points, and for each life point you are forced to discard, you can trash a card from your deck. If you pass the encounter, you get to keep the card, which on the lower half is a new Robinson skill/state of mind level (representing what he learned from surviving that encounter's adventure, and another crucial factor in determining which encounter you choose to have him attempt). There are a lot of factors in play. You need to run through the encounter deck at three different levels. Green (easy), yellow (medium), red (hard). The numeric value required to complete the encounters increases with every increase in difficulty level. So the first time through, you might think it's great to try to fail as many as possible to thin your deck of those bad -1 and 0 value cards, but then you'll have more encounters to face at those increased difficulty levels. Conversely, if you try to win as many encounters in the early round as possible, you may not get to trash as many cards as you like, leaving you with a lot of duds coming out in those harder levels. You also need to consider your life points, as when they run out, you instantly lose the game. So sometimes you fail a lot of encounters and cut cards, then realize you are dangerously low on life. Thankfully, many cards you gain from passing encounters along the way give you special actions, like +1 or +2 life points, +1 or +2 cards, destroy/trash a card, -1 to the encounter's pass level, etc. So those are also a consideration when you decide which encounter to go up against, as you can see at the bottom what skill/state of mind you'll gain from passing. On top of all of this, every time your deck runs out and you need to shuffle your discard pile and cycle through again, you add an aging card, which represents the passage of time on the island and how it wears on Robinson. These are tougher to remove from your deck, as you need to discard two life points to rid of them or use a trashing card. If you survive making it through all three difficulty phases of the encounters, you go up against two different pirate ships you must defeat. So essentially, you are not only building a deck to go up against encounters, you are building a deck that will defeat the pirate ships at the end. If you reach the needed level, Robinson makes it off the island. If not, well, he doesn't. I love the challenge of this game. It took me several tries to win, and I'm still on beginner's mode after 16 plays. There are additional difficulty levels to keep the game interesting as you get more experienced. There is obviously luck involved, but it certainly requires a good balance of all those aforementioned factors. If you're looking for a quick strategy game to play on your own, this is an excellent choice. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Solitaire with a new coat of paint *by M***E on February 1, 2025* This is an excellent rules-light solo game. However, if you take a step back, you'll notice that this is just a version of a modern solitaire 52 card deck game with a new coat of paint. It's a great little game. but if you want to save some money, a search for "Isaludo" might get you a similar experience with the cards you already own. Still, as a published game, you kinda can't go wrong at this price. It's easy to learn, replayable, and super difficult to beat. ## Frequently Bought Together - Rio Grande Games Friday - Asmadi Games One Deck Dungeon, For 168 months to 9600 months - The Lost Expedition: A Game of Survival in the Amazon --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.be/products/4358431-friday](https://www.desertcart.be/products/4358431-friday) --- *Product available on Desertcart Belgium* *Store origin: BE* *Last updated: 2026-04-27*