OO Solo Board Gamers Guild

[hepcat]

I just assume that if I'm playing a GMT game (or any dense game), it's going to have longer periods of downtime. It comes with the territory. There are extremes though where a game can last 8 or more hours that I think are too much. But 3 to 5 hours is the "right range" for a game like this, imho. The only reason we played for 5 hours and only finished a third of the game was about an hour for teaching/going over stuff, numerous technical difficulties with audio on steam for some of the players (myself included) and the resulting teasing and ribbing that came out of both of those situations.

[Ertic]

I just assume that if I'm playing a GMT game (or any dense game), it's going to have longer periods of downtime. It comes with the territory. There are extremes though where a game can last 8 or more hours that I think are too much. But 3 to 5 hours is the "right range" for a game like this

To be clear, I do not have issues with longer games. However I was under the impression that this game was a 'lighter / easier' version of zeds. I really enjoy zeds, however I do not believe that game ran as long as this one appears to be. I suppose that I associated the 'easier' with similar run times if not less.

[Isgrimnur]

I'm just not wanting to play Twilight Imperium on Plum Island. Also there is nothing worse than waiting 10 mins per player turn, meaning you get one turn every 30 minutes.

Just set up Talisman and Arkham Horror and you just rotate turns.

[hepcat]

It’s a bit easier to learn, but I wouldn’t call it Zeds light. It’s still got quite a few moving parts. Plus, the board is larger with quite a few more spaces to consider when staterigizing. So you have quite a few options as to what to do each turn.

[Smoove_B]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I was kinda under the impression it was like a mix of Zeds and In Magnificent Style. Though in reading his design notes he apparently also was inspired by Aeon's End, Eldritch and Arkham Horror, Clank, Descent, Tiny Epic Galaxies, plus a little Fallen Land.

[hepcat]

I…can see that. There’s little pieces of each of those games in Plum Island.

[Ertic]

I just need to motivate myself into opening the damned thing

[hepcat]

Since you got it for free as GMT shipped you MY copy, you damn well should!

[Ertic]

Oh man I sold that copy to buy Wyrmspan!

[hepcat]

[Smoove_B]

My plastic trays from Cube4Me just arrived from Poland, so I can start the next phase of Plum Island - the sorting and organizing.

Meanwhile, I've been messing around with some solo card games recently. I really recommend Kinfire Chronicles Delve - they have to be selling this at a loss ($20) because the components are quite good. Linen-coated cards with some of the character cards having a foil-embossed backing. Heat transfer dice. Thick cardboard tokens. It's really well done.

Above and beyond that, it's fun. It comes with two characters and you are simulating a dungeon crawl to fight a boss at the end. You play cards from your hands to deal with the challenges in the dungeon - not just fights. There's traps and puzzles and events that you need to negotiate your way through and it's not just a matter of playing cards from your hand to move things along. There's lots of strategy in terms of what to play and when to play it because when you run out of cards, that's the first time you get to redraw - and when that happens, you get a random exhaustion card which interacts with either your ability to play cards or changes in-game conditions. There's just enough randomness to keep it interesting and even with setup there are variables in how you pick the boss variant and where it appears. Allegedly two more sets are coming and the heroes are going to be all interchangeable. I don't have any connections to the board game it's based on and I found it quite enjoyable.

And speaking of card games I know the Ashes Reborn card game has great reviews but I think it's only recently (the last year?) that they released the first solo/coop pack for the game. Purchasing the base game ($50) plus the solo stuff ($30) seemed like a big gamble but I learned last week that Team Covenant sells a dedicated kit (which is just some dice from the core box you need + the solo/coop box) for $40, shipped free; it arrived today. Looking forward to cracking that open and giving it a whirl too.

[hepcat]

For those that own The City of Kings and are looking for more, the designer just released over a dozen scenarios, a new campaign and two extended scenarios that are designed to be more open ended. All free, only the base game is required. Get them here.

There's a new edition of this available now. City of Kings Refreshed. There is also an upgrade pack available for 15 bucks that includes the rule changes (apparently he's streamlined it quite a bit) and the new monster cards (gone are the banners...which seemed to be annoying to many). I just ordered the upgrade...and paid the 12 bucks for shipping.

[YellowKing]

There's a new edition of this available now. City of Kings Refreshed. There is also an upgrade pack available for 15 bucks that includes the rule changes (apparently he's streamlined it quite a bit) and the new monster cards (gone are the banners...which seemed to be annoying to many). I just ordered the upgrade...and paid the 12 bucks for shipping.

Whoa! I had no idea. Ordering now, thanks!

[hepcat]

And speaking of card games I know the Ashes Reborn card game has great reviews but I think it's only recently (the last year?) that they released the first solo/coop pack for the game. Purchasing the base game ($50) plus the solo stuff ($30) seemed like a big gamble but I learned last week that Team Covenant sells a dedicated kit (which is just some dice from the core box you need + the solo/coop box) for $40, shipped free; it arrived today. Looking forward to cracking that open and giving it a whirl too.

I missed this yesterday. The solo packs (I have two so far, which I think is all of them) are great for when you have no one to play with. They do a good job of simulating another player...at least, the strategy involved when playing another player. For me, that means using the full rules for play, which this allows you to do. There are no "special rules for solo play" on your behalf when playing. I'm always amazed when they can do that with a solo AI.

Now you just have to get obsessive like me and buy EVERY damn phoenixborn deck.

update: actually, looks like the third solo pack released today, feb. 2nd.

[Smoove_B]

Figured I should probably add something I'd enjoyed last month to this thread. I've been on a bit of a Western kick (no idea why) and finally forced myself last month to play Fistful of Lead Reloaded from Wiley Games. It's a skirmish game that uses characters with stats and abilities, dice and a card deck to resolve each round. For solo play there's an official free solo rule PDF but I think it's still in testing. It worked pretty good, though eventually I started using it more like behavior guidelines and not a strict chart to follow at all costs.



I didn't think it was going to work out at first, but it was actually rather close and I never knew exactly what the AI would do each round (which made it much more fun) or when they'd activate. I'd imagine it's also quite fun as a beer and pretzels style skirmish game - not too complicated but enough meat to make it interesting.

If you have western themed minis and terrain sitting around, it's quick to set up and play. They recommend a 3'x3' area but I only had a 2'x2' area to work with, so I just modified things a bit (no rifles, aka long range weapons) and tons of cover.

[hentzau]

Figured I should probably add something I'd enjoyed last month to this thread. I've been on a bit of a Western kick (no idea why) and finally forced myself last month to play Fistful of Lead Reloaded from Wiley Games. It's a skirmish game that uses characters with stats and abilities, dice and a card deck to resolve each round. For solo play there's an official free solo rule PDF but I think it's still in testing. It worked pretty good, though eventually I started using it more like behavior guidelines and not a strict chart to follow at all costs.



I didn't think it was going to work out at first, but it was actually rather close and I never knew exactly what the AI would do each round (which made it much more fun) or when they'd activate. I'd imagine it's also quite fun as a beer and pretzels style skirmish game - not too complicated but enough meat to make it interesting.

If you have western themed minis and terrain sitting around, it's quick to set up and play. They recommend a 3'x3' area but I only had a 2'x2' area to work with, so I just modified things a bit (no rifles, aka long range weapons) and tons of cover.

Smoove, have you tried Gunfighter's Ball? That's been my go-to for western games for years. Matter of fact, I just spent the weekend at Adepticon running demos of GB for the creator (I've been doing demos for him for years now. Fell in love with the game and been running demos for him at midwest conventions for about the past 7 years). If you want to give it a try, they have a free sent of rules to download from their site.

Gunfighter's Ball Downloads

Plus he has the best western minis out there.

Edit: Oops. Just noticed this was in the solo group. There aren't solo rules out there for GB. Ignore me.

[Smoove_B]

I knew about the minis but I guess I didn't realize they were connected to an actual game...which in retrospect seems foolish.

Even if there aren't solo rules, is it something that can be played solo? I'll take a look regardless - thanks.

[hentzau]

I knew about the minis but I guess I didn't realize they were connected to an actual game...which in retrospect seems foolish.

Even if there aren't solo rules, is it something that can be played solo? I'll take a look regardless - thanks.

Sure. There's no AI, so you would just be taking turns trying to blow yourself up. I don't think Forrest is working on solo rules, at least he didn't mention anything about them.

Also, this is not a great game for campaign play. It's fast and deadly. It's wonderful for convention games. Easily can play 6-8 players to a side.

[Smoove_B]

That sounds perfect (no campaign) - that's why I liked Fistful of Lead. There's scenarios to help with setup, but you can just play one-off game night style maps and see what happens. As long as there's no hidden information, I'm pretty comfortable playing both sides, but it's also possible there are other systems that exist that would help me add variety - I'll definitely look into it.

[hentzau]

That sounds perfect (no campaign) - that's why I liked Fistful of Lead. There's scenarios to help with setup, but you can just play one-off game night style maps and see what happens. As long as there's no hidden information, I'm pretty comfortable playing both sides, but it's also possible there are other systems that exist that would help me add variety - I'll definitely look into it.

Yep, no hidden information. Grab the Greenhorn and see what happens.

[hepcat]

Fallout Wasteland Warfare has a great AI that just works. It doesn't force a rigid workflow on its NPCs, it just gives you enough info to make an informed decision on what the mini would actually do if a human opponent were playing them. I wonder if that could be adapted to other games?

[Smoove_B]

I'm not familiar with the AI for Wasteland Warefare, though I do think I have a copy I can look at. I think anything that provides (1) basic instructions but also has an (2) element of randomness works for solo skirmish games. I can just play to the best of my ability for both sides, but I don't enjoy that as much as trying to respond to what the AI is doing - even if it's just slightly random. That's one thing I did like about the Fistful of Lead system there was just enough "wiggle" that I couldn't entirely predict what would happen each turn but a strong overall structure that didn't require me to spend much time figuring out what to do.

I did look at the Gunfighter's Ball stuff last night and there's some overlap with the Fistful of Lead system, which I suppose is to be expected. However, it does look different enough - the poker chit element in particular - that I think I can try it. I can also see just from reading the basic rules that this would be a blast as a casual game night experience. At least for the basic game, it looks like it could be a bit quicker than Fistful of Lead. There seems to be more mechanics/rules for overall game play, but the character elements are much more streamlined.

Officially added to the list!

[Smoove_B]

Here's another one I was enjoying last month - The Doomed from Osprey.

Hunger, Hatred, Domination, Oblivion, and Ruin. The world is dying, poised on the brink of falling to one of these great dooms. Factions pursue their own interests, as likely to be the heralds of the world's destruction as they are its saviours. Horrors – monstrous abominations that defy logic, science, and nature – roam the land. Bands of hunters follow bold leaders, seeking out and destroying Horrors, gaining fame as word of their deeds spreads amongst the desperate survivors. Rival bands compete for prestige, clash over ideology, and pose as much of a threat to each other as the Horrors they hunt.

Another minis agnostic game - here I grabbed a bunch of stuff from Cthulhu Death May Die and Core Space - plus a bunch of the terrain I then used to set up Fistful of Lead. The art in the book is much more thematic. I'm not really sure how to describe it - like a mix between Warhammer and Mork Borg (if you're familiar with that aesthetic). There's people wearing plate armor and fighting with blasters or guys in leather armor wearing backpacks with tubes and cables, wielding cattle prods. I'm not into kit-bashing, but I really think that's what they're trying to evoke.

What was interesting (and what I was a bit nervous about at first) is that even though it's a miniatures skirmish game, there are no measurements - you're not using a ruler to plot out how far you or the enemy can move. The game is fully capable of being played solo, but you can also play it in semi or fully cooperative mode. It uses a simple action system where you get 3 each round and the first one automatically succeeds. Subsequent actions (moving, firing, etc...) require a die roll and you need to exceed your unit rating in order to have that action happen. So going back to the not measuring for movement, if your first action is to move closer to the enemy for an attack, that automatically succeeds. But then your second action is an attack and you now need to roll a die. And then you want to retreat to cover? That's another check you need to make. It changes the "flow" of the game in a way I wasn't anticipating. There's other elements - like character skills or class benefits that increase or decrease your chances of success, but the point is that other than your first action, nothing is guaranteed.

There is a campaign, but you can also just set up a scenario and play one shots. Another one I'd definitely recommend; very low overhead and quick to setup.

[hentzau]

I'm not familiar with the AI for Wasteland Warefare, though I do think I have a copy I can look at. I think anything that provides (1) basic instructions but also has an (2) element of randomness works for solo skirmish games. I can just play to the best of my ability for both sides, but I don't enjoy that as much as trying to respond to what the AI is doing - even if it's just slightly random. That's one thing I did like about the Fistful of Lead system there was just enough "wiggle" that I couldn't entirely predict what would happen each turn but a strong overall structure that didn't require me to spend much time figuring out what to do.

I did look at the Gunfighter's Ball stuff last night and there's some overlap with the Fistful of Lead system, which I suppose is to be expected. However, it does look different enough - the poker chit element in particular - that I think I can try it. I can also see just from reading the basic rules that this would be a blast as a casual game night experience. At least for the basic game, it looks like it could be a bit quicker than Fistful of Lead. There seems to be more mechanics/rules for overall game play, but the character elements are much more streamlined.

Officially added to the list!

On the Gunfighter's Ball FB page, some folks have taken a bash at coming up with some AI rules for GFB (they call it "Playing Mr. Babbage.) I've taken a look through them, and they seem a little too random for me to use.

[YellowKing]

I got some time in with Gloomhaven: Buttons & Bugs so here are my thoughts:

Overall, the game does a remarkably good job of emulating the GH experience in a form factor so small you could literally play it on an airplane tray. All the basics of GH are here, if somewhat modified and tweaked for the smaller scale.

The double-sided four card deck mechanic I'm really enjoying. It makes for some interesting decision points that you don't necessarily get in regular GH. And since you auto-level fairly quickly, you're upgrading cards often enough that the small number of actions doesn't get stale.
 
The biggest change is the replacing of the attack modifier deck with an attack modifier table, whose outcome is determined by a die roll. I have mixed feelings on it. It works fine in practice, but you have to constantly remember to move your counter after every attack which I haven't yet mastered. I'm also torn on always knowing the three possible outcomes of any attack. On one hand it adds a new layer of puzzle to the combat, but on the other hand it also rips away a lot of the surprise.

I do like that certain scenarios are only available to certain classes, which gives you some incentive to play through the campaign with each class. And as with normal GH, the classes tend to play so differently that even running through the same scenarios offers a unique experience.

The components are a mixed bag. On the plus side you got miniature minis which are kind of cool, and the double-layered inset monster and player boards are fantastic. On the negative side, the cards feel really cheap and mine are already warping. And while the HP dials are sturdily constructed, they're also really hard to spin and a constant pain. They also printed the blue and green dials so dark they're nearly indistinguishable from each other.

Several scenarios in, I'm giving this one a 7 out of 10. It's good fun if you're a GH fan, and as a soloable travel dungeon crawler I think it's a neat little package. Overall I was a bit disappointed in the component quality, however, and I'm not yet convinced of the replayability even with the somewhat branching campaign.  

[YellowKing]

On a whim (and to get me out of my board game slump) I picked up Legacy of Yu, a solo-only campaign game about the Chinese hero Yu who built canals to protect his village from flood waters. I was intrigued because it won a GoldenGeek for best solo game last year, and it featured artwork by Sam Phillips who did the art for Hadrian's Wall which I really enjoyed. Also had great designer pedigree with Shem Phillips who did a bunch of the North Sea games.

It shares some mechanics with Hadrian's Wall that I loved - worker placement, chaining actions, etc. At its heart though, it's a much simpler game.

Each round you get a harvest of resources (some basic, some from buildings you construct), 4 townsfolk cards from your deck (which can be played to acquire more resources), and as many actions as you can (or want) to take. There are three ways to lose: if the flood (which progresses every time you have to reshuffle your townsfolk deck) ever hits a canal section you haven't built; if you have to destroy a townsfolk card but have none left in your deck; or if you get overrun by Barbarians (which slowly take over your Townsfolk card market).

Dead simple rules, but the choices in this game are agonizing. Townsfolk cards can be played directly to a discard pile to gain more resources, but that means they're unavailable for you to add to your deck. Because your personal deck acts as both a timer that advances the flood and your "health, keeping it as large as possible is key. But that also means potentially missing out on scarce resources needed to build buildings and the canals.

Like many games of this type, things start out very slowly with you maybe doing only a couple of useful things in a round. But by the end of the game you could be chaining together a dozen actions in a frantic attempt to outpace the flood and survive before you're overrun.

So where does the campaign come in? To win the campaign, you have to win 7 games before you lose 7 games. The campaign features a self-balancing mechanic so that winning a game puts you at a disadvantage for the next game, while losing will give you an advantage. In addition, random canal cards and Barbarian cards have "story numbers" associated with them. If you build a canal or defeat a barbarian with a number, you flip to that section in the storybook and read the flavor text. This will usually result in some negative or positive effect, and may also add additional cards or mechanics for future games in the campaign.

I haven't delved into that side of it much yet as I wanted to just play one practice game to figure things out (I got destroyed). But I think the designer fully expects you to lose a game or three before you figure things out. This is a game that rewards repeat plays and exploring new strategies.

Great fun; I think overall I still enjoy Hadrian's Wall's complexity a bit more over this, but I'm eager to see what the campaign unlocks. Super simple to set up, and small footprint as well which I really like.

[LordMortis]

I enjoyed learning Hadrian's Wall but once I felt like I really got the concept down I wasn't so interested in playing any more. I'm not sure why.

[hepcat]

I absolutely love Hadrian's Wall and I'm hoping for a write game like it in the near future. But I don't play it as much as I would like. Probably because I have 237,328 games.

[YellowKing]

I highly recommend downloading the campaign rules for Hadrian's Wall. It completely refreshes the game by forcing you to use new strategies instead of those you may have started depending on too heavily.

[hepcat]

Yeah, I saw those a while back. I do need to try that. This week I've got Hoplomachus Victorum on the table in an attempt to finally complete an entire game.

[YellowKing]

Geez, that's another one I need to get back to as well. I LOVED Victorum but I don't think I ever made it through an entire run.

[Skinypupy]

I picked up Wyrmspan last week and finally got around to opening it last night. Will try to give the solo Automa a shot today, I think I get the general gist of it all.

[hepcat]

The only think that pisses me off about Chip Theory Games in general is that they design games where you can get one shot killed on the very first turn if the dice aren't going your way. In Victorum they give you Blessings that you can use to offset these...at the expense of a harder final boss fight though if you use them.

In Too Many Bones its even more egregious to the point where the optimal strategy is often to just pour xp into hit points and/or attack/defense dice at the expense of skills (the real meat of the game). But I've found some home brew modifications from some users that help offset that and make the game better, in my opinion.

[Skinypupy]

I picked up Wyrmspan last week and finally got around to opening it last night. Will try to give the solo Automa a shot today, I think I get the general gist of it all.

Played my first couple rounds tonight and came away really impressed with Wyrmspan's solo play. It forces some interesting strategic decisions because you have a general sense of what might be coming. I.E. drawing the "remove a coin" cards as the first two Automa cards means that the AI will stack up several additional points for the round objective, which causes you to look for other ways to score.

I'm a little surprised at the one thing I don't really like about Wyrmspan, which is the actual dragons themselves. When I first played Wingspan, my thought was "this would be so cool with a fantasy theme." So, naturally, I was quite excited for Wyrmspan. While I have zero interest in birds, I am realizing that having the little facts about them on the cards gave each card it's own very distinct personality. While the dragon art all looks nice, they're just all quite generic and kinda blend together after a while. The only thing I pay any attention to on the cards are the resources and effects, and not the actual creature. I wasn't really expecting that.

I did also realize this is not a good game to play when you're tired. Way too much thinking involved.

[wonderpug]

I am realizing that having the little facts about them on the cards gave each card it's own very distinct personality.

When Wyrmspan was first announced, I assumed (and was looking forward to) each card having fictional fun facts about each dragon.

[YellowKing]

I'll definitely pick up Wyrmspan at some point. I'm a huge Wingspan fan and have everything that's been released for it. And from what I've seen, this one adds just enough difference to make it worth grabbing. I'm sure I'd enjoy it.

Got a couple more games of Legacy of Yu in and my first win. I think I finally hit upon the overarching key to victory, which is about recruiting as many townsfolk as possible to keep your deck as large as possible. Bigger deck = more turns between the flood advancing = more time to build your engine.

I've also noticed that in general, shoring up weaknesses as you uncover them is key. In the first game I lost, I had built a great engine for getting wood, but by the end of the game I couldn't use it all because of shortages elsewhere. In the game I won, every time I found myself saying, "Damn, if I just had one more <insert resource> I could have done X" then I'd focus next time on building something to generate that resource. By the end of the game I had a pretty balanced harvest coming in.

Of course, that's the *idea*. Actually pulling those strategies off can be easier or harder depending on the luck of the card draws and what other priorities you have to consider. And you really don't have time to build every building, so you do have to figure out what you can afford to sacrifice.

Also, without giving any spoilers, the campaign story events really throw wrenches (or occasional boons) into the mix. I know for a fact that my winning strategy last game is going to be much more difficult next game because of the game's self-balancing mechanic to penalize wins and reward losses.

All that to say, the game has grown on me quite a bit now that I know it's winnable. I do question the replayability once I complete a full campaign. Even though you will only see a fraction of the story events in a single playthrough, I feel like in general you'll know enough that it may be a bit repetitive. Still, it's fun and with a campaign being potentially 13 games, I think I'll get my money's worth.

[Blackhawk]

And yet I still find myself yearning for it.

[Skinypupy]

If you know you’re going to lose a game to the AI, do you finish it or quit and start over?

[YellowKing]

In Legacy of Yu you'll still want to finish it, because building certain canal cards or defeating certain barbarians will unlock a story event. There is also another campaign mechanic in which you could unlock additional story events even if you lose. Because these events can add new cards into the game, you don't want to miss out on them.

If you're on the fence, I highly recommend this review which is the most fair assessment of the game I've seen so far, and highlights my concerns about the replayability. He has a bit more issue with the game than I did, but I don't disagree with his negatives.

[YellowKing]

Ok one last post about Legacy of Yu then I'll shut up about it. Had some new thoughts after being on the verge of completing the campaign.

There is definitely a "trick" to winning, or at least having a chance to win. Once you figure it out, you'll have a blueprint for setting yourself up for success. There is still variability, as you may not always get exactly what you need and may have to adjust on the fly. Some may find the strategic options limited due to the simplicity of the game, but I didn't mind it as a lighter brain-burner.

To address one of the major concerns of the reviewer I linked above, he felt that the game was "on rails" because winning makes it harder, losing makes it easier, and so you're constantly being funneled towards an equilibrium. I found that in practice that's largely true (because that's kind of the point of it being self-balancing), but over the course of the campaign I found the boons given to you for losing tend to be overall more powerful than the penalties they give you for winnng. I feel like this means that the game is skewed slightly towards you winning the campaign, but of course bad luck in the draws could skew that balance. Overall, even after I figured out the top level strategy, I still found the game challenging.

I thought my views of the game would sour a bit the further I went along, but in fact the exact opposite was true. I found myself enjoying it more and more as I figured out strategies and synergies. I also liked the little curveballs the campaign throws at you after each win or loss. The setup is so quick, and the game flows so smoothly once you become comfortable with the rules, that I'd find myself sitting down to play one session and end up blowing through 2 or 3.

Final verdict, I paid $50 for this, and after close to one campaign down I have no regrets. I'm actually considering doing a second run-through of the campaign now that I'm over the beginning learning curve. It's not the deepest game of this kind I've played, and that may make it not for everyone. But I'm really enjoying it.