Let's Talk Solitaire.....

I play a fair bit of solitaire stuff. Some of it is designed to be solitaire and sometimes I just pretend to have multiple personality disorder to do it. I'm primarily a wargamer so puzzle games with no story to tell are a bit boring to me. Deckbuilders with no story to tell are the same. Hence, I like LoTR LCG but hate Dominion. I especially like to play thinky wargames with a good story to tell.

So, anyway, I really like Navajo Wars especially after I managed to scrape a minor victory of the 'easy' scenario. I luurrrv Andean Abyss and Cuba Libre. They are both very good in terms of telling a story and a right brain burner. I'm just about to try A Distant Plain and am looking forward to Fire in the Sky. I have no problems with the amount of accounting you have to do with these games (COIN series). I don't find it too taxing and it certainly doesn't detract from the actual gaming.

Also been trying Triumph of Chaos with the designers rules for soloing the political game. It has also been fun with a HUGE story telling component. It's so chaotic it really doesn't matter, when you switch sides, because there is so much shit going on. Combat Commander works pretty well with switching sides and there is a pretty good solo variant which means you don't know exactly what the other player has in their hand. You play both sides but there is a certain amount of hidden information with the variant meaning you never know if they really have a fire card in their hand or not.

Strangely, ASL is also good solo because there is a lot of dice rolling and hence best laid plans etc etc. I don't mean that horrendous solo module either. Straight ASL is perfectly playable with multiple personality disorder especially as there is no real hidden information. There are some variant rules for hidden guns if you really want to play that, so even that is covered.

I prefer a longer game so Death Angel doesn't get too much table time. I have one of the DVG flight games but, for some reason, it doesn't really thrill me, repeating the same thing over and over again (bombing missions in Vietnam or something).

Mage Knight is GREAT solo and does tell a good story.

Anybody else have experience with good, complex, solo games? Am I missing a key game?

I really love Robinson Crusoe as a solo game. I like Mage Knight best for solitaire purposes, but I don't always feel like setting it up and thinking that hard. RC is a good second choice.

I play a little bit of Death Angel as well, but not as often as I used to. If I don't feel like any of those three I just play a video game instead.

Good point San. Robinson Crusoe is now on my to get list.

I video game as well but there's nothing like overseeing a big board with a load of pieces on it to analyse grand strategy. Zoomed out pics on a video screen are just not the same thing.

Andy, I dabbled in LOTR LCG but didn't really feel like taking apart and rebuilding decks. What about that works so well for you?

I'm also not great at juggling a lot of process on my own. I do pretty well with Mage Knight, but part of that is because Mage Knight isn't really a super-heavy game in terms of "okay, what happens next?" At least, not compared to Arkham Horror. Robinson Crusoe and Death Angel are even lighter. Too many steps to a game turn, and I begin to get easily distracted and bored.

One that I've enjoyed solo is Merchant of Venus, since it's so light on actual interaction. I actually prefer the FFG version for this, since it's a little more detailed and more adventure-y. Just set up two pilots and run both at once.

VPG has some good ones-

Nemo's War is a lot of fun, and is about to get the "deluxe version" treatment from them.

Astra Titanus is very OGRE-like, but with an AI card system to drive the big bad, and in spaaaaaaaaaaaaace.

I'm enthusiastic about solo gaming but I've found my actual amount of solo gaming dwindling the past few months.

Some noteables:

Space Hulk: Death Angel - Fantastic game, that really captures the Space Hulk feel. It's chaotic and hard as hell. It works better solo than Coop because you have more decision points when playing it solo and the tactical puzzle is not quite engaging enough for 3 or 4 players to share the burden. It's perfect as a quick solo game though, and it's best when you throw in all of the POD expansions so the variability is at maximum. I just randomly pick out Space Marine teams, use the new Tyranid blip pile, and shuffle in the new locations.

Zulus on the Ramparts - This is a solid game but I wouldn't exactly call it a great one. It's relatively thematic and is pretty tense (although not Death Angel tense), but it can be kind of aggravating in how random it is. Sometimes the Zulus will storm the walls in rapid succession and other times they will slowly plod along and make a long game of it.

In theory, this isn't bad because it makes for different experiences depending on how things shake out. However, the game is too uneven with this randomness as the quick games can be lost no matter what you do. Likewise, the longer more drawn out games can be nearly guaranteed success. In either situation the game is boring as you can't do much but observe. A majority of the time, however, it is the appropriate length and you do feel like you have some control. I currently have this for sale in the BGG marketplace but if it doesn't sell I'll happily keep it and maybe break it out once in awhile.

Mage Knight - This game is just as good solo as it is with others. It can be a bear to setup so I tend to leave it up for a couple months on my solo table, knocking out some quick games here and there. I'm not quite as enamored with it as I used to be, and the extra difficulty added from the Lost Legion expansion was excessive for my ability, but I still don't plan on getting rid of it anytime soon.

Thunderbolt Apache Leader - This is one of my favorite solo games. It's the best DVG leader series game and is just exceptional. I actually parted with it a few months ago as I'm anxiously awaiting the new Huey Leader game (Vietnam is much more my thing). I didn't feel I needed two Leader games in my collection.

Robinson Crusoe - I've played this solo and enjoyed it that way, but I enjoy it moreso as a full Coop. This has kept me from pulling it off the shelves too much for solo play.

Flash Point: Fire Rescue - Haven't played this in some time, but I really enjoyed this solo. It has the right amount of intensity, randomness, and quick tactical play to not bog me down when I'm looking for a quick game but still grant me some excitement. I prefer playing with the campaign rules I drafted up so that Firefighters advance and die as it adds an additional layer of agony.

B-17 Queen of the Skies - I used to enjoy this one but it grew dull pretty quickly. Love the theme, but the constant rolling on charts wore on me. Similar feeling with The Hunters which I enjoyed for a short while before selling it off.

D-Day At Omaha Beach - Well designed game but ultimately not for me. A little too dry and repetitive. I fully understand why it gets its accollades though. Sold this one off a couple weeks ago.

Freedom The Underground Railroad - Not bad solo (although insanely hard) and it's a pretty good game. Sold it off though to buy something else.

Gears of War - Excellent solo although I've only played it a couple times in that fashion. My group loves this enough that I'm hesitant to pull it out on my own when I should be grabbing it from the shelf for game night.


I've never been into the whole play both sides thing and I wish I could convince myself to enjoy that style of play. I played a few games of Ogre DE this way (before I sold it off) and enjoyed it enough, but there's always a mental barrier there to playing both sides of a game as opposed to just pulling out an AI controlled game.

Hey, I was gonna recommend Nemo's War...I actually can't wait for the deluxe version...that is a REALLY neat game with a terrific sense of the story.

Anyway, I solo everything. It has always been a part of the hobby for me since I was little, soloing Ogre and various other microgames. I used to solo Risk, FFS. The only games that I don't bother with solo are things where you just HAVE to have other people playing, like Cosmic, Intrige, I'm the Boss, etc. For me, soloing games is a way of almost studying them. I often get more out of soloing complex games than I do playing them with others.

I almost wonder if Vlaada designed Mage Knight to be a solitaire game. Yeah, there are some cards/abilities that affect other players and there are competitive scenarios, but there is very little about the game that operates between players. It really is best played alone.

Robinson Crusoe is better multiplayer, but there again, I actually like it better solo.

Merchant of Venus solo is great. I need to get that out and do it with the FFG rules again.

ASL is awesome solitaire, actually. You can take your time and really dig into the system, try a couple of things,and focus on the tactics for both sides. No need for any solo rules at all.

Navajo Wars is just amazing, such a beautiful game. It is BALLS ASS HARD though.

Fields of Fire is one that you should definitely look at, Andy...I would think that would be right in your wheelhouse.

Ogre is really fun solo, actually...some of the scenarios in GEV work well solo as well.

A lot of those VPG States of Siege games are really good, even though they have pretty common mechanics. I like Zulus on the Ramparts and Soviet Dawn the best of them.

Phantom Leader is pretty bad ass, a fun combination of squadron management and action phases, taking out SAMS and MIGs.

Chainsaw Warrior?

I don't do much solo gaming aside from truncated learning-the-rules sessions. However, once or twice a year I'll pull out some random old skool AH title like Stellar Conquest or Blackbeard and solo it. I do it more for the sensory experience; spending a restless, rainy Saturday morning by yourself with a cup of tea and a clunky, dated board game is a pleasant if mildly dull exercise in artificial nostalgia.

I've been playing the two Star Realms solo challenges fairly compulsively lately.

Warriors of God. Great play on Vassal. In theory I could finish in a night but I generally take about six months to finish a game, half a turn at a time in fits and starts.

If you're looking to solo ASL and aren't invested yet consider Valor & Victory which is much simpler, in a similar vein and really really good solo. On Vassal as well. I've done a fair share of that solo as well, though not with the revised rule set that came out last year. I'm still stuck in the old set.

S.

So I have a bit of experience with the solitaire games:
-Gears of War and Robinson are the only non-war one that I'd recommend off hand. Great stories from both, but both are lighter and shorter than you may like.

-The Leader Series I like, but absolutely agree that it is repetitive.

-The Field Commander Series you may like. They are abstract operational level games. The Nappy one adds in a tactical level battle but is abstracted. I'd recommend you look at them but they may fall short on desired complexity and length. Nappy is the most complex at this point.

-Carrier and Tokyo Express are very high on the complexity and length. Carrier you're pretty much running an aircraft carrier. Controlling where your planes are on deck, below deck...etc. I believe you also have to manage your battle group, send out scout planes...etc. Tokyo Express is more about managing your battle group rather than a specific carrier. It has a pretty involved AI system. Both are the Guadacanal Campaign. I bought both, but they are way more involved than I'm willing to tackle.

-Mosby's Raiders is a neat little American Civil War game where you play as Mosby and his Raisers practicing guerrilla warfare on the Yanks. It is lighter and plays in a few hours and one I like. But again I think I skew towards liking the lighter solitaire games.

-Phantom Fury is about the battle for Fallujah and going block by block securing areas.


I'm sure I could list some more if i really thought...

But Carrier and Tokyo Express would be top of my list to recommend to ya.

Barnes, was it you who has declared Duel of Ages II as a good solo game? Because I have played that thing solo, and it super-duper didn't work for me. Too much to track, none of the banter that makes the game fun. I love that game, but solo for me was a big bust.

Is anyone still playing Pathfinder ACG solo? I played that HARD for about six weeks, like several times a week. Then one day I realized I never wanted to play it again.

I wished i enjoyed Solo games more than i do. I try to get into them but often get bored fast. Even so heres my run down;

Mage Knight is probably the best experience I've had. I actually didn't like it with other players.

States of Siege; Ottoman Sunset and Cruel Necessity. I quite liked both of these for three or four plays. They are essentially tower defence board games with an event card deck. Its a neat way to learn a historical story and there is some decision making with resource allocation but they are not that deep really. Both played out for after a few plays.

Astra Titanus; i didn't like this that much. Theres a space Ogre controlled by a card deck that randomly moves toward one end of the map and shoots at you. You have to stop it with your fleet. Its ok, but it boils down to working out which formation of chits is best.

DVG, both U Boat and Thunder-hawk Apache; didn't like either much. Both have far to much chit management for the depth of decision making or story they give. A bit repetitive and dull.

Where there is Discord; bought the latest print, read the rules, sold off. A huge board but its just another roll dice and make management decisions against a card deck/flow chart ai. I don't mind such games (states of Siege) if they are simply to set up and easy to run but i won't put effort in.

Andean Abyss; played one game solo. Didn't mind it actually, but didn't feel compelled to do it again.

I've done the personality disorder a bit too.

Blood and Roses (Men of Iron vol 3); a wars of the roses battle game fresh out from GMT. Due to the levels of chaos involved this works well solo and tells a good battle story. I've played SPQR face to face but that and any of the other Berg battle games would probably work well.

Imperium (GDW 1977) only played this once and it was solo. This is also quite good as it has open information but quite good logistical challenges and risky dice throws in a simple ruleset.

I'm tempted to say most middle weight hex and counters can work quite well as long as there is a degree of randomness in the results.

There is a solo scenario for High Frontier that works ok too.

I like soloing games. Gears of War has already been mentioned, but it really is an excellent game. Personally I would love for it to have a few shorter missions, but each to his own. Other games I like to solo:

Arkham Horror and Eldritch Horror are super for solo games because they are more of a lot of narrative than actual games. You don't have to think overly much, but can more or less be along for the ride.

Ghost Stories is the total opposite - it's a game where you feel under pressure the entire time. But it's great fun and also looks like a million dollars which for me is an extra plus when I don't have an opponent.

I've played Legends of Andor eight times or so, but never got to finish the campaign. I think the game is maybe a bit too much of a puzzle, but on the other hand it's one of those games I always feel like I'll take out tomorrow.

LotR: LCG was also one of my favourite solo games. The Massing at Osgilliath adventure is some of the best storytelling I've seen in a game, but other scenarios - including the first Hobbit deluxe expansion (the only big box I've tried) - are also incredibly good. But as others have mentioned I hate having to do deck building before playing. Not because I dislike deck building as such, but because it feels like too much of a chore when all I want is to play a quick game.

I think Mage Knight is a rare game that gets significantly worse with each additional player. Solo, it's awesome. With 2 players, pretty good. 3, ehhh. 4, never again.

I don't play as many solo games as I used to... Just seem to be watching more movies or playing games on the iPad when I have free time. But my favorites include:

LOTR LCG: I follow this more than I actually play it. Meaning, I get most of the new packs and I'm interested in what's coming out, and even enjoy listening to a podcast about it (Cardboard of the Rings), but I'm way behind on playing all of the quests that I have and don't expect to ever catch up. One thing I really like about this as a solo game is that the solo mode works well as it is. What I mean is, I love co-op games solo like Pandemic and Arkham Horror, but you have to play two or three characters at least. Which is fine... that gives you the interaction of the characters. And I don't like when people have made solo variants for games like that, where you just control one pawn in Pandemic, for example. That loses that interaction. Well, in LOTR LCG, you always have 3 heroes, and then a bunch of allies come in play, so even though you're playing as one player, you get the feel of a bigger team of characters, which I really like. And it's also fun and easy enough to play two hands, so you can use things like "ranged" and "sentinel." But one hand works good enough.

Robinson Crusoe: This works great solo, either with one character or more.

Pandemic: For me, still one of the great go-to games for solo play. It's easy to set up and play a few times in an hour or two, and makes for an interesting puzzly challenge. And it's easy enough to control multiple hands/roles.

Arkham Horror: I played this a lot in years past, and still try to play a couple solo games a year. Still great and immersive and challenging. Playing Eldritch Horror solo a few times made me appreciate AH much more again. A bear to set up and all that, though.

Shadowrift: You need to control two hands, but it's a great cooperative deck-building game with some decent theme integration. I played and liked Legendary for something similar in this vein, but got really tired of the Legendary graphic style and the cards that were so hard to read and such...

Lord of the Rings: The Knizia co-op. One of my earlier favorites, but I still come back to it every so often, I think because it's still so unique. Co-op games have kind of become a bit homogenized in some ways since Pandemic and Ghost Stories, but this just has a very different feel to it, and can be so tense and dramatic as you are fighting to get to Mount Doom (if you make it that far). My favorite way to play solo is with 2-3 characters and the Battlefields expansion included.