Punisher wrote: ↑Tue Jun 25, 2024 4:19 am
So...what's everyone's opinion on the easiest solo game to play?
I'm looking for:
1. Easy setup. Leaning towards also being a smaller game setup. Preferably something that could fit on a TV tray table.
2. Easy to learn rules. Like really easy. I want to start small.
3. While I'm not fond of deck builders due to their complexity I'm still slightly open to trying them. For example I have 7th continent.
I may even have what is recommended. I have way more games then I need and have only played about 3% of them. Hopefully that changes once we receive our gaming table in November I think. But I know I have a few solo games for sure just don't know what they are off hand.
Nobody mentioned Final Girl? It fits on a TV tray and is easy and quick. Yes, it is also brutal, but you just start again. It has both dice and cards, which makes it interesting. You can also choose what theme you want by picking the individual "movies" (or be crazy like me an own them all).
Other than that, the Hall or Nothing games are pretty fun for solo adventure. I think Shadows of Kilforth is my favorite theme-wise, but there are several choices. They take up a little more space, however.
Set a Watch is still my go-to solo game for travel. It takes up a bit more space than a TV tray, but I've played it on small hotel desks and tables when on trips. I'd also highly recommend Under Falling Skies.
I have all the Final Girls to date and I think I'm waiting on 1 ir 2 of the latest expansion. Haven't opened it yet but this makes me want to check it sooner than later.
I also have Set a Watch. Again Haven't opened it but also not sure where it's buried on my game shelves.
It took me longer to play than I thought, but I can at least confirm Ashes works quite well as a solo game I can leave sitting around for 7+ days and just take turns as I see fit. Sure, learning the game and how some of the cards work against the Chimera took up some of that time, but I feel like I probably could have actually played through this in an hour or so if I knew what I was doing.
Regardless, I really enjoyed it. Lots of little decisions that make a huge difference - when you play something or how you organize your turn.I like that it's established and I'm not jumping into an entirely new game that still needs to be tested/modified/updated - it feels "right" when I'm playing.
Yeah, the dice are also a huge draw for me too. My first two rounds were terrible. Between my die rolls and the cards the Chimera had, I really thought maybe I'd made a mistake. But after taking my lumps and getting to round 3, it all started to come together and I did manage a win.
I picked up the Ashes Reborn Corpse of Viros expansion, so I could try out the solo game several days ago, and I agree. The game is solid, with just the right amount of decisions to keep me engaged and feel like my decisions have consequences. I've played about 6 different pre-con decks over the past couple days, and I really enjoy how different each deck feels during gameplay.
My one concern is the Chimera begins to feel a bit "samey" after a few plays, but perhaps picking up another chimera expansion (or two) will be enough variety to keep me happy for quite some time.
I always found the original Ashes game was a fun take on the MtG-style of card play, and I totally agree that the dice as mana mechanic add to the experience. There's enough dice mitigation built in, that getting screwed on a piss-poor roll of the dice isn't the end of the world, but an opportunity to figure out how to work with what you got.
YellowKing wrote: ↑Fri Jun 28, 2024 9:59 amSet a Watch is still my go-to solo game for travel. It takes up a bit more space than a TV tray, but I've played it on small hotel desks and tables when on trips. I'd also highly recommend Under Falling Skies.
I had Under Falling Skies for the longest time and only broke it out for a real play the first time this past Sunday. Reason being that I'm trying to find a solo game I can take on a cruise with me. OMG this game is fun, and I think it will satisfy my itch to want to play a 'video game' without actually having to bring an ipad or laptop. Between that and Ronin I think I'm all set for on-board activities.
Has anyone here played Freelancers: A Crossroads Game solo? I picked up a copy of the game after my wife expressed interest, but it looks just involved enough that I'd like to play it a bit solo first--so I can more easily teach her the game.
If anyone did play solo, did you play 3-handed or use the solo variant? I still want play the game myself if she does not want to try it out.
I started to play but got distracted. I would recommend using the official solo mode which has you controlling one character and two sidekicks. The reason is really just to streamline/simplify the turns and still give you the benefits of the character interactions. It's a really cool game.
If you're going to be playing with your wife, then each of you would get a character and one sidekick each - so using the official solo mode will have you able to then understand the sidekick mechanics.
Here's another game you can play solo with super easy to learn rules and setup, a miniscule footprint, and wallet-friendly pricing: Sprawlopolis:
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." — P. J. O'Rourke
I'm seriously considering pre-ordering Tales From the Red Dragon Inn. Only 10 days left for a $100 newcomers base game. I will probably give in this week and order it.
Snagged a copy of I, Napoleon at Gencon. It's a heavier solitaire game that allows you to simulate the life and career of Napoleon with a large amount of nice looking cards. It's more about risk management, from what I've read so far. But I love these kinds of games (Cruel Necessity, Navajo Wars, etc.). Looking forward to playing it soon.
Side note: I always feel a little disappointed when I buy a pricier game and a full implementation of it is available on TSS or BGA or whatever for free. I know I'm supporting the developer and everything. But I can't help but feel a little like I spent money I didn't really need to since I could just play it for free anytime in a digital format. Especially when we're talking about a solo game.
hepcat wrote: ↑Mon Aug 05, 2024 3:03 pm
Side note: I always feel a little disappointed when I buy a pricier game and a full implementation of it is available on TSS or BGA or whatever for free. I know I'm supporting the developer and everything. But I can't help but feel a little like I spent money I didn't really need to since I could just play it for free anytime in a digital format. Especially when we're talking about a solo game.
I understand the feeling, but sometimes I just want to get away from the computer. It's nice to have the physical board game at those times.
I'm typically pleasantly surprised if I find out there's a TTS implementation, just in case I want to play and not deal with the setup hassle, or if I already have another game set up that I don't want to disturb.
I tend to keep board gaming and PC gaming pretty separate though, so it's rare that I regret owning the physical copy. If anything, I mostly use TTS as a try before I buy platform.
As I intimated, this is more of a petty reaction on my part, I realize. I just get this kneejerk reaction of "why am I paying for something I can get for free in a different format", which is especially strong when it's a solo game that I won't be playing with others.
I also have to wonder if that impacts sales of the hard copy of games. I would assume that Wargames and other more complex games of that ilk aren't as large a sale item as the more accessible games, so you would think they'd just release free digital versions of their games via TSS and BGA that are only the first few turns or something. Give you a taste for the game, so to speak.
But again, I realize I'm being petty and selfish over this.
"A lie can run round the world before the truth has got its boots on." -Terry Pratchett, The Truth "The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to those who think they've found it." -Terry Pratchett, Monstrous Regiment
My first few turns of I, Napoleon have come and gone. And I have thoughts.
First off, it looks like an imposing game, what with all the charts and tables, 222 cards that are then sorted by era (Napoleon as a commander, first consul and emperor) and the large mounted board with spaces for campaigns, political endeavors, diplomatic relations with multiple countries, etc.. But once you start playing, it's actually not that hard to grasp.
I would say it plays more like a hybrid of an RPG and a risk management game. The former because you play through events taken from Napoleon's life, making decisions on what YOU would do in his shoes and choosing your own path forward; and the latter because you have to spend resources to avoid the penalties/reap the rewards for those choices.
The full game is played out over 25 turns/years (the last turn is actually 4 years though). Each turn, you'll start by moving the turn marker and checking to make sure no cards should be removed from your draw deck, discard pile or board due to being put out of play by other cards or the new year (not on the first turn, obviously). Then you'll get to the meat of the game: card play.
Card play consists of pulling a card from the draw deck and resolving it. There is no hand of cards in this game. After each draw and resolve, you'll move the draw deck marker up one on its 12 space track. After the 5th card is drawn, you'll start rolling a 10 sided die each time to see if you continue drawing. The range to stop drawing increases each turn after the 5th. So you'll draw 5 to 12 cards during the card action phase.
Cards are spread out across such things as campaigns/expeditions (the former are full on battles handled in their own phase after the card action phase, the latter are just quick die rolls to see if you succeed and lose or gain resources), commanders you can use in campaigns, strategy and tactics you can use in campaigns, political/diplomatic cards (treaties and what not) you can use to influence Spain/Russia/Prussia/Austria (Britain is also there, but they'll remain hostile to you throughout the game no matter what...the best you can hope for is temporary cease fires with them, from what I've seen so far), and "family cards" (for want of a better name) and domestic policy cards that can help with your resources and other things.
The resources in this game are glory, admin, political and diplomacy. They are used to cover the expenses of campaigns, buy your way out of trouble, influence other countries, etc.. All of these things are primarily found on the cards during the card action play.
After the card action phase, you go to the campaign phase and resolve any battles that arose during the card draws. You can hire commanders, use strategy and tactics, etc., but it all comes down to rolling a 10 sided die and checking a chart to see if you won, lost or had a stalemate. If you get that last one, you can go for another round of battle at a cost of 2 glory. It's simple, but there are a LOT of decisions that you can make to influence the battle based on what cards you have in play.
Then you'll go to the diplomacy phase where you have to deal with the other countries. This only happens after you've become first consul or emporer though. You'll deal with treaties and other foreign issues that arose during the card action phase and placed on the board in the appropriate areas (other country spots, basically).
Finally, you have the domestic politics phase. Again, this one also only occurs after you're first consul or emporer. You'll deal with any issues at home that are on the board and resolved during this phase.
Then you reset the card draw marker and start over with phase 1 of the next year.
As you progress through the game, other decks based on years or whether or not Napoleon has declared himself first consul or emperor will be added to your draw deck. So it's always changing. I doubt you'll ever see more than a third of the possible cards during any one game. So there is some replay value for sure. Plus, no two games will play alike due to all the things you're balancing and which way they can go based on your decisions.
Pros: It's not that complicated but has a lot of meat on its bones. You can really find a story each time you play as Napoleon fights battles, marries and takes lovers, faces personal issues (I got scabies in my last turn), and tries to sway other countries in his favor.
Cons: The cards are a lot to deal with. Each turn you'll be going through dozens of them to make sure they haven't been taken out of the game due to a new year (the history of the cards is VERY precise, which I both appreciate because it adds a LOT of depth, and hate because it makes me go through this cleanup phase each turn...I can see it being a little lengthy later in the game, especially after becoming emperor.). Plus you have to sort them out by these periods before each game behind about 10 divider cards that tell you what goes with what.
Oh, and you can die....VERY quickly. There are a few campaigns/expeditions/events that have a result of "Napoleon dies/game ends" in their die roll results. Fortunately, you have a counter called "Napoleon's Luck" you can use once per year to reroll any one die. But on BGG there are a few folks who died in year one by falling off their horse (I kid you not). To me, that's just a fun possibility in a game that isn't really a wargame. But I can see it being frustrating for more hardcore historical gamers used to wargames.
Final thoughts: I like this one a lot. It's heavy without being cumbersome. It tells a fantastic historical tale while also giving me the agency to change that course of history. And it's unpredictable. You may know what happens when each year due to history books, but you don't know what context you'll face them in, and the subsequent decisions YOU'LL make based on that context.
Two major thumbs up!
Last edited by hepcat on Wed Aug 07, 2024 2:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Thanks for that writeup, hep. That sounds intriguing.
If there's one major gap in my gaming collection, it's games themed around historical events/war games. I do own Halls of Hegra which is fantastic but brutally difficult, but other than that I really don't have much of anything based on real events. And it's not like I don't love historical themes - I'm definitely a history buff.
You know, the more I think about it, the more I come to believe the closest video game version of I, Napoleon is the Crusader Kings series from Paradox. I get the same feel from it.
Also, if you're looking for fun historical solo/coop games, might I suggest Days of Ire: Budapest 1956 from David Turczi and two other developers I don't know. It's an older game (2016) but it's a fantastic risk management/worker placement style game with a lot of theme.
Year 1801 and I’ve got a legitimate son, I’ve allied with Spain, pissed of Russia, and declared myself First Consul for life. Next up: emperor and a light lunch.
I think I screwed up a few rules as I played as I finished with a pretty high score. That or I just got really, really lucky with the card draws.
I made emperor around 1811 and after that it was just keeping Prussia and Austria conquered after tearing up their treaties in front of them to provoke them into a war I knew I could win based on the enormous number of great commanders I had amassed.
I did have a few years where my no good family members were hanging around my neck like albatrosses, draining me of glory each year. But I got the "Maker of Kings" card finally and promptly made them kings of Naples, Westphalia and Holland just to get them the hell out of France. But even after that, I would catch myself muttering "Louis Bonaparte, you are a total dick" when I realized even after making him a king he wasn't giving me anything in return. I really wanted to sack that punk, but the commander I could have used to do so was just too important to keeping Austria and Prussia under my heel.
Finally, around 1815, I pulled the Peace of Europe card. I made it to the treaty segment of the Campaign phase and, because I had Russia and Spain as allies due to treaties I DIDN'T break, and had conquered Prussia and Austria, I was able to end the game a little early AND get over a hundred glory points. I ended up with one of the best outcomes of the game.
Which leads me to believe I screwed up more than a few rules. That or I had an incredible run of luck.
Final thoughts:
I think the game plays itself a bit more than I'd like at times. But I fully admit that I have been fooled by games like this in the past, and only came to understand what was REALLY under the hood after a few plays.
It's not as simple as I initially thought too. Once you hit Emperor phase, the game just rockets up in choices. I lucked out by hanging onto a treaty that kept Spain in line, and making friends with Tsar Paul without ever drawing Alexander, which would have ended THAT friendship promptly. But without those, I can see where quite a few decisions could have swung the needle away from the good for me.
Two thumbs up. Try it out on Tabletop Simulator if you're curious.
Grab tabletop simulator if you don’t already have it and just play that for now. It has the entire game. If you want, I’ll help you learn it/get used to tabletop simulator sometime over discord or steam chat.
Up until last week, I would have said the winner for biggest table hog game I own was Chronicles of Drunagor with the optional player dashboards (which I spent 40 bucks on...then stopped using when I realized it took me 3 to 4 hours to walk down to the character on the far end). But all that changed once I got past the tutorial for The Isofarian Guards and started the full game with both guards. Combined with the giant map board you're supposed to keep open at all times, I've had to rent out the apartment next to me so I can extend the table into that area.
Sheesh.
Anyway, it's fun. It's not QUITE what I normally play/think of when I play a dungeon crawler/overland crawler, but in a way that's a good thing as I already have way too many of THOSE.
The bag building, the puzzle-like combat and the immense variety of crafting and side questing the game offers makes for a rather unique take. It's more adventure game than anything else. I just left chapter 1 of campaign 1 and I think I spent about 4 hours (a good 90 minutes of that was probably grappling with rules, etc....not that they're bad, just that it took some time to wrap my head around). If I get 3 hours per chapter, then I should see a good 15 hours per campaign (there are 5 in the box). I'm adding in questing and crafting though.
So far, so good. Some of the voice acting in the foreteller narration is spotty, but overall it's fun and adds an air of immersion.
The Isofarian Guard is the exception to my rule about avoiding insane table-space games. I had it set up in my office last year for 2+ months, taking up a giant table and a I think two folding tray tables. I wanted to hate it and justify selling it, but I loved it so much. I'm anxiously awaiting my update kit. It's such a great game.
I have been playing Andromeda's Edge last week and this weekend and it's been a blast. It doesn't move the needle a lot from Dwellings of Eldervale but what it does change makes it a lot more interesting. The solo AI kicks my butt, although it really takes some time to get into the groove of how to optimize your moves. I have the same complaints as DoE, for such a simple gameplay loop of "put out thing, do thing" there are a lot of edge cases and stuff to remember (made easier by their player aids). The Unity AI feels a little more dynamic than the "Ghosts" in DoE, which is nice. I also like just how many interesting combos you can get - the new modules (which are sort of like the "doors" of DoE) are pretty neat. The other thing is that no faction is forced to go a certain way - yes you get starter buffs to certain paths, but you need to be flexible.
Overall a ton of fun. That said... I don't know if I need to keep DoE because they do the same thing in many ways. The only time I might pull out DoE over Edge is when playing with the kiddo - the rules are maybe a shade more complex in Edge.
