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Let's Talk - Solo Gaming
- ChristopherMD
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- Road Warrior
I do very little solo board gaming but have been feeling the urge to do it more regularly. Hoping this thread helps motivate me. When I have pulled stuff out for solitaire I've liked it. Not sure why its never caught on as at least a weekly thing with me. Beats watching most TV.
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- hotseatgames
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That said, the following games have provided me solo enjoyment:
1. Death Angel - a ton of game in such a small box, and easy to set up.
2. Mage Knight - a pain to set up, but such a great experience
3. SEAL Team Flix - I have often played this out of necessity, but I find myself playing more just because I want to. I try crazy setups, gear combinations, etc. Setup is pretty quick.
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I like the Vassal option for wargames since I can leave it setup indefinitely and when I'm playing, I can be in the living room and not sequestered away in the game room/dining area.
I will play Combat Commander and the full spectrum of C&C games. B-17 is always great fun....if you enjoy dice and charts. Eldritch Horror is a good time solo.
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Some favorites that are designed for solitaire:
1. Arkham Horror. Long set up and take down is worth it if I have the time for a full game. The game doesn't properly scale down to one player, so I usually play 3 or 4 characters at once.
2. Death Angel. This is a great solitaire game, especially with all of the expansions. Easy setup and take down, and both challenging and suspenseful.
3. Escape from One Million B.C. This game is pretty close to Arkham Horror, because they are both Kevin Wilson designs. The random map makes each game different.
4. Camp Grizzly. I should be getting burned out by now, but this game holds up well to repeat play.
5. Room 25. I would rate this higher, except that I lose most of the time.
6. The Vesuvius Incident. Would be a great solitaire game if not for the detailed rule set. Still fun.
Some favorites that aren't designed for solitaire:
1. Firefly. I don't have the bounty hunter/pirate expansion, so the lack of player interaction makes this a very workable solitaire game.
2. The Gothic Game. Though more fun as a big multi-player game, it works well enough solo. The cards in hand that are supposed to be hidden knowledge are left face down, and the interruptions of ironing make it easier for me to focus on the perspective of that character's turn without pondering knowledge of cards held by other characters.
3. Jyhad. There is way too much bluffing involved in this CCG to really work solo, but I use die rolls for some limited AI for each Methuselah. I have one each of every starter deck ever made for the game, and randomly pick five for each solo game.
4. Awful Green Things. The green thing player decisions are so obvious that they practically play themselves while I run the crew.
5. Space Hulk. Same as Awful Green Things really, with the genestealer strategy being pretty obvious. I just don't look at the blip token values until the marines can see them.
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- Black Barney
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1. Initially I would bring the 5-10 shirts each week to a dry cleaner. They clean and press them for like 5-10 bucks back in the day. I imagine it's much more now.
2. I discovered the custom fit no-wrinkle shirt a few years back. had a couple of shirts made. You just wash them on delicate and then hang them IMMEDIATELY. They dry all nice and smooth. No need to iron the fockers.
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-Mage Knight/Star Trek Frontiers - These two games really do not benefit from other players. One of my most cherished gaming memories is playing Mage Knight solo, house to myself, listening to Rush records (sorry, Michael), and having that play where the game just clicks. It’s such a rich, satisfying game and I love that that moment belongs only to me.
-Almost by extension, Dungeon Alliance is another such game. Not as rich, but another game that doesn’t really gain anything by adding another player.
-Gaia Project. Yeah, this one surprised me. Not only because I like it at all (I found Terra Mystica to be terribly dry), but it has a really solid AI player system. It has this two card action resolution thing that’s really smart and, once you run through the different actions it can take a few times, is pretty fast. Great game and one of the best implementations of a dummy player that I’ve seen.
-Eldritch Horror - I can get absolutely lost in this game. I don’t play with that bullshit card that Gary Sax loves harping on.
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- Sagrilarus
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- Pull the Goalie
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In the past year I've been advancing the career of a submarine commander in Silent Victory which has been entertaining as hell. Everything you need can be shunted into the box mid-game or even mid-turn, because you record your moves on a log book as you go. The last time I played I managed to sink the Shokaku, one of the aircraft carriers that attacked Pearl Harbor. That took some of the fire out of the game for me because it's more or less the pinnacle of accomplishments. Silent Victory is a legit solo game, I think the only one I own short of Delve and other print-your-own freebies.
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- Michael Barnes
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- Mountebank
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Spirit Island could actually be second. I run two spirits and it is tremendously compelling to coordinate their powers. Very challenging. I think I'm going to do this tonight as a matter of fact.
Nemo's War is another top pick. It's really a submarine game like Silent Victory with some adventure game stuff bolted onto it.
I really like Four Against Darkness or D100 Dungeon to have on hand when there's like 15 minutes to kill, I'm on a boring conference call or whatever. Easy to just open it up, play a couple of rooms, and put it away.
I find that the simpler solo games don't have much longevity, generally speaking. They are usually fun for a little while and then wind up sold or traded.
I solo every new game I play at least once.
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Gloomhaven is the big one for me right now, although I haven't played it in quite a while. I could see it working with two, but it seems perfect solo.
Nemo's War is another great one. I don't play it that often, but every time I do I have a great time and say to myself, "Why don't I play this more often?"
I really enjoyed working through Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective. That one is probably more fun with a partner, but it plays wonderfully alone.
I tried Scythe's Automata rules, and they work pretty well. I had a good time, but it didn't really compel me. It was a great way to reinforce my understanding of the rules.
Of the smaller card games, I like:
- Death Angel - Already discussed.
- Friday - A quick, simple deck builder that I like more than most.
- The Lost Expedition - A newer title that's brutally difficult, but still engaging.
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- Black Barney
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- ChristopherMD
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Black Barney wrote: everyone got a like except me!!
One of these posts is not like the others.
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- Legomancer
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- Dave Lartigue
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Mage Knight is probably my favorite. For a while I played at least five games with each character to get a true understanding of their differences and recorded my score to see if I was getting any better.
Lord of the Rings LCG is great as I've said over the years.
Wargames:
Fields of Fire is far and away the best solo game I've ever played. Recently reprinted with an improved rule book.
D-Day at Omaha Beach is fun and runs smooth as glass. I haven't played the other D-day At games but I assume they are al pretty good
Any "chit pull activation" game where what units can move is determined by drawing a chit out of a cup. Devil's Cauldron, Victory Lost, those kinds of games. I find it makes stepping away during play easy and also makes it easier to make the best move for the units without having to be too schizophrenic.
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