Speaking as someone who played and enjoyed the original card game, I can say with confidence that Set a Watch on iOS is a faithful, polished adaptation of Rock Manor Games original title, and it’s one of the rare digital board games that feels just about as tactile and tense on screen as it does on the table.
Tested on both iPhone and iPad Pro, Set a Watch delivers a clean, intuitive interface that perfectly captures the spirit of the original — right down to the flickering campfire and the creeping dread of monsters in the darkness.
The premise remains unchanged: players choose a band of four adventurers from classes like The Warrior, Wizard, Rogue, and Beastmaster to guard a waning campfire against waves of encroaching enemies. Each round, or “watch,” pits three of these heroes against a line of monsters drawn from a deck, while the fourth rests at camp.
The resting adventurer can heal exhausted skills, scout the enemy deck, or “Chop Wood” to stoke the fire, but obviously cannot add their skills and strength to the fight. The more fuel you have, the more enemy cards will be visible in the next watch.
Combat is driven by dice and skills. Each adventurer rolls a set of dice — D6 or D8 depending on class—and those dice can be spent either to deal direct damage (a roll of 5 does 5 damage, for example) or to activate one of up to three unique skills. These skills are where Set a Watch’s tactical depth shines.
Some are straightforward, like a ranged attack or a stun. Others are situational, like Cleanse Undead, which instantly defeats all visible undead enemies. Skills can also be exhausted without spending a die, but doing so limits their use until the character rests that skill (or heals it some other way.) This creates a rhythm of rotation — who fights, who rests, and when to push versus when to recover.
The challenge posed by Set a Watch is pretty heavy. Group composition matters — a balanced party with melee, ranged, healing, and utility is essential. Luck plays its part, as it always does in solo board games, but the decisions are meaningful. Do you spend a high die to trigger a skill, or save it for raw damage? Do you chop wood to see more enemies, or let the fire burn low and risk being blindsided so that you can do other things? Every round feels like a puzzle, and every watch is a test of endurance as skills are exhausted faster than they can be healed.
Visually, the Set a Watch app is excellent. The art from the original game is preserved in full and the interface is responsive and well-organised. On iPhone, everything is accessible, but the game truly shines on iPad, where the larger screen allows for more comfortable planning and interaction. Animations are subtle but effective, and the sound design — fairly minimal as it is—adds atmosphere without distraction. I’ll be honest and say that I listened to audiobooks during most of my play time, but that’s quite normal for me when playing digital board games.
In my original review of the physical game, I remember calling out the benefits of how portable the game was, presented, as it was, in a fold out box that forms part of the board. That sentiment is doubly true of the digital version — where Set a Watch shines on mobile devices. Additionally, Set a Watch is a game that was always best solo (even though you could play cooperatively), and the app makes it easier than ever to dive into a session, test your party, and see how long you can hold out.
Set a Watch for iOS is a smart, satisfying digital port that respects its source material and enhances it with clean design and portability. It’s tough, tactical, and beautifully presented — especially on tablet — and it’s a must-play for fans of solo board games or anyone looking for a strategic challenge on the go.
