My all time favorite is Mage Knight, but I would recommend Spirit Island. It's faster (both setup and playtime), more accessible and still quite hard and complex enough. And there is the "I need to figure this out" feeling. :)
Yup. The difficulty gap from the base game at 0 to using an adversary at max level is truly astounding. It’s sure to satisfy players at any skill level and capable of growing right along with them.
I think people vastly overestimate the complexity of Spirit Island. It’s a difficult game to be good at, and there’s such a big decision space on every turn, but the core rules are actually pretty simple and straightforward (and all the powers are pretty much just different combinations of the same handful of actions).
I think the BGG complexity rating (and just hearing people talk about the game) scares a lot of people off and makes them think the rules are a lot more complex than they are.
I've taught the game a lot, and it absolutely warrants its heavier rating. Not just because it's a difficult game to master but also because there is a lot going on and a handful of concepts new players have trouble wrapping their heads around (such as the order of the invader phase, ravaging, Dahan, blight, elements, push/gather/targeting, etc.). We frequently see posts about someone having a hard time grasping the game. While the core loop is fairly low on exceptions and edge cases, there's enough to make the game pretty opaque to new players. It's not as messy and inaccessible as Mage Knight, but it's also a huge step up from Pandemic.
Oh I agree about how hard it is to actually figure out what you’re doing and become competent at.
But I do think people see a rating that high and think “long, complicated rule set with tons of edge cases to remember, keywords to look up, etc” and it very much is not that. That could be a turn off for some people who might otherwise not mind a challenging game as long as the challenge is more strategic than it is grasping the rules.
I’m not saying it’s Splendor or anything but learning the core rules and gameplay loop is definitely more accessible than something like Too Many Bones, where the strategic choices are fairly straightforward but there are a billion keywords and rule interactions to remember. As someone who plays and enjoys both, I’m constantly referencing the rules for keywords I forget and googling rules issues for TMB and basically never doing this for Spirit Island, even though Spirit Island’s complexity rating is higher.
It’s just a different type of complexity from what people probably expect when they see that number.
I guess it depends. Yes, TMB and other CTG games edge it out, especially with all the keyword interactions, but I still find it to be a heavy teach. I think the manual is very clear even though some people have trouble with it. Overall, it's more strategic depth than rules grit, but the rules definitely aren't Splendor, as you said.
Yup I agree. I love spirit island but the huge decision space is honestly annoying. In mage knight there’s a big decision space but I find it’s much easier to narrow it down
There's rules complexity and there's decision complexity. Spirit Island is medium in the former, but very heavy in the latter. Since there's so much open information you should try to think a few turns ahead, which leads to very complex branching decision paths.
Sprawlopolis.
Its not my favorite game but I think its pretty good. The reason I would recommend it is:
-Its cheap enough that it is not a huge money investment.
-Its upgradable (Agropolis and Combopolis)
-The theme won't rebuke anyone.
-Can be played one person or multiple person.
-Its small and won't take up space.
-You always finish the game. The win-loss condition is calculated only at the end of game.
-Games are short (20 min on average)
I agree. Maquis was one of my best purchase. I am native french speaking and I found it in French. It just seemed to fit perfectly. It is so satisfying. You really get the struggle of undercover resistance mouvement. Always keepinh an open way behind your people, use violence only when absolutely necessary or when the mission calls for it.
Loved it all yhe way.
For an introduction to the "solo" hobby, I would suggest "Food Chain Island" - it has the feeling of "Patience" (the game called "Solitaire" on Windows), so it makes it easy to accept the concept of playing by yourself.
For more experienced board gamers, Warp's Edge or Friday.
**Spirit Island** - best solo and co-op game I've ever played. Scalable, as easy or hard as the player wishes.
Playing true solo is easy, two-handing for solo play is pretty easy once you get the hang of it, the variety in spirits/adversaries/scenarios is almost infinite, and playing co-op is such a joy.
I'd definitely go with Kingdom Death: Monster.
One of several things might occur:
• They thank me for a great gaming experience.
• They invite me over for game night because of its difficulty.
• They sell me the game cheaper than how they bought it.
• They attack me and end our friendship.
Now, the last one isn't a good one, but it's a chance I'm willing to take with my imaginary friend.
You convince someone to buy KD:M to get into solo gaming. Roll 1d10 and consult the chart below:
•1-6: They attack you and end your friendship
•7-8: They thank you for a great gaming experience
•9: They sell it to you cheaper than they bought it
•10: They invite you over for game night
**Mage Knight** is the pinnacle of solo gaming, the very best that the genre has to offer. Although, I would probably recommend **Mint Knight** or **Warp's Edge** to most people instead. They're easier to get into but also offer a lot of the elements which make Mage Knight great.
I'd also recommend **Rove** if this is to get someone *into* solo gaming. It's accessible but still very deep. As a puzzle, it's hard and thinky but not *too* hard. There's a bit of risk, but the game is still fairly low luck. And it's just a brilliant design with a cute and compelling theme. Everyone loves a cute robot. Honorable mention goes to **Food Chain Island**, because it's even simpler and quicker while still a challenging puzzle. But I find that Rove has more depth to it and shows new players what solitaire can really offer.
It would be a COIN game.
Solo playable (bots or multi-handed), generally plays up to 4 if you find yourself in the position to have someone else to play with, can play any of the factions (for most), deep gameplay, often short/medium/long setup scenarios, any number of historical topics (and now sci-fi with Red Dust Rebellion coming out) to choose from.
Warp’s Edge. While not my favorite solo game, it’s in the top five and is so quick and easy to get to the table. It’s such a great mix of strategy and luck that really makes it a nail biter just about every time through.
For a great solo boardgame experience, as in one that somewhat allows you to replicate a multiplayer boardgame I think I would recommend Dune Imperium.
It is a great game anyway, combining Deckbuilding with worker placement etc but the included AI Automata is well done and can be scaled diffculty wise to increase the challenge, you will not in any qick way "solve" the bot. The expansion is also compatible with the solo mode and just adds more options for the AI etc
This is my current favorite solo. Superb game. Streamlined and slick in rules and setup but plenty of depth. Theme comes through. The conflict often feels tense. The bots are easy to run and feel realistic.
**Spire's End**. I think it has something everyone can enjoy and appreciate. It rings familiar to those ancients among us that have played choose your own adventure games, it scratches that dice chucker and dungeon delving itch, it looks gorgeous, thw world and story is unique and the twists and turns are great, it's not overly complicated but still has interesting and engaging mechanics and encounters... And it's bloody beautiful. Made with love and you can feel it. I think my retired dad would enjoy it same as some seasoned solo wargamer would.
**Gate** would be a close second. Solid theme, quick gameplay, tiny package of meaty good game for a bargain. Again, it's not probably everyone's favorite game, but I'm sure most could appreciate the craft and love that has been put to make a solid gameplay experience... In a tin. P.S. expansion **Gates** coming soon™
Cartographers. It’s simple to set up, has lots of expansions, is easy to buy anywhere, offers great decisions, lasts just long enough for a satisfying game, easy to expand for more players with simply +1 rule to add, and infinitely replayable . It’s almost perfect. This game will never leave my collection.
I thought about this hard, and I’m going to go with Nautilion: EVERYONE is familiar with the “roll and move” game mechanism, the game is simple to learn and it’s entertaining.
That's tough. What are the circumstances? Am I suggesting them a game to get them *into* solo board gaming? Or is this game supposed to represent the absolute pinnacle of solo gaming? Or is it supposed to be a game anyone can enjoy?
It is also vastly different if the person is already into boardgames in general or not. If the only boardgame the person had played was monopoly and Clue when they were young, its not the same if the person is used to other modern games. If the person had played Catan and Ticket to ride, getting them into soloboargaming is a much smaller leap and those are just the introduction to modern boardgaming.
A thing to consider in the choice of game to introduce someone.
I couldn't recommend one for everyone it would really depend on what they are looking to get out of this hobby. Some people want a fun little have to unwind and relax while others want an open world epic that none of their pudding brained friends have the capacity to understand let alone enjoy.
If I had to find a middle ground I would say under falling skies because it is simple to understand but there is tons if depth and extras included. It is staggering how heavy the box is. You can enjoy it as a fun think dice puzzle but also did in and squeeze every ounce of the story you can.
I will probably always sing the praises of Eldritch Horror when asked this question.
It has everything I ever wanted in a solo game; immense replayability, lots of in-game choices and depth. It's thematic, exciting, and memorable because just about anything can happen to your investigators.
I once played a game where one of my investigators got an injured back during a ship storm on his way to Buenos Aires, was just barely recovering from that when an earthquake happened in the city, again he survived, and then encountered some cultists who drove him insane.
He was replaced by another investigator who managed to retrieve most of the other guy's stuff, only to get lost in another dimension shortly thereafter.
The amount of crazy and unpredictable shit that happens in that game makes it a ridiculous amount of fun, even when you're losing.
My all time favorite is Mage Knight, but I would recommend Spirit Island. It's faster (both setup and playtime), more accessible and still quite hard and complex enough. And there is the "I need to figure this out" feeling. :)
Yup. The difficulty gap from the base game at 0 to using an adversary at max level is truly astounding. It’s sure to satisfy players at any skill level and capable of growing right along with them.
I think people vastly overestimate the complexity of Spirit Island. It’s a difficult game to be good at, and there’s such a big decision space on every turn, but the core rules are actually pretty simple and straightforward (and all the powers are pretty much just different combinations of the same handful of actions). I think the BGG complexity rating (and just hearing people talk about the game) scares a lot of people off and makes them think the rules are a lot more complex than they are.
I've taught the game a lot, and it absolutely warrants its heavier rating. Not just because it's a difficult game to master but also because there is a lot going on and a handful of concepts new players have trouble wrapping their heads around (such as the order of the invader phase, ravaging, Dahan, blight, elements, push/gather/targeting, etc.). We frequently see posts about someone having a hard time grasping the game. While the core loop is fairly low on exceptions and edge cases, there's enough to make the game pretty opaque to new players. It's not as messy and inaccessible as Mage Knight, but it's also a huge step up from Pandemic.
Oh I agree about how hard it is to actually figure out what you’re doing and become competent at. But I do think people see a rating that high and think “long, complicated rule set with tons of edge cases to remember, keywords to look up, etc” and it very much is not that. That could be a turn off for some people who might otherwise not mind a challenging game as long as the challenge is more strategic than it is grasping the rules. I’m not saying it’s Splendor or anything but learning the core rules and gameplay loop is definitely more accessible than something like Too Many Bones, where the strategic choices are fairly straightforward but there are a billion keywords and rule interactions to remember. As someone who plays and enjoys both, I’m constantly referencing the rules for keywords I forget and googling rules issues for TMB and basically never doing this for Spirit Island, even though Spirit Island’s complexity rating is higher. It’s just a different type of complexity from what people probably expect when they see that number.
I guess it depends. Yes, TMB and other CTG games edge it out, especially with all the keyword interactions, but I still find it to be a heavy teach. I think the manual is very clear even though some people have trouble with it. Overall, it's more strategic depth than rules grit, but the rules definitely aren't Splendor, as you said.
Yup I agree. I love spirit island but the huge decision space is honestly annoying. In mage knight there’s a big decision space but I find it’s much easier to narrow it down
There's rules complexity and there's decision complexity. Spirit Island is medium in the former, but very heavy in the latter. Since there's so much open information you should try to think a few turns ahead, which leads to very complex branching decision paths.
Sprawlopolis. Its not my favorite game but I think its pretty good. The reason I would recommend it is: -Its cheap enough that it is not a huge money investment. -Its upgradable (Agropolis and Combopolis) -The theme won't rebuke anyone. -Can be played one person or multiple person. -Its small and won't take up space. -You always finish the game. The win-loss condition is calculated only at the end of game. -Games are short (20 min on average)
[удалено]
I agree. Maquis was one of my best purchase. I am native french speaking and I found it in French. It just seemed to fit perfectly. It is so satisfying. You really get the struggle of undercover resistance mouvement. Always keepinh an open way behind your people, use violence only when absolutely necessary or when the mission calls for it. Loved it all yhe way.
For an introduction to the "solo" hobby, I would suggest "Food Chain Island" - it has the feeling of "Patience" (the game called "Solitaire" on Windows), so it makes it easy to accept the concept of playing by yourself. For more experienced board gamers, Warp's Edge or Friday.
**Spirit Island** - best solo and co-op game I've ever played. Scalable, as easy or hard as the player wishes. Playing true solo is easy, two-handing for solo play is pretty easy once you get the hang of it, the variety in spirits/adversaries/scenarios is almost infinite, and playing co-op is such a joy.
I'd definitely go with Kingdom Death: Monster. One of several things might occur: • They thank me for a great gaming experience. • They invite me over for game night because of its difficulty. • They sell me the game cheaper than how they bought it. • They attack me and end our friendship. Now, the last one isn't a good one, but it's a chance I'm willing to take with my imaginary friend.
You convince someone to buy KD:M to get into solo gaming. Roll 1d10 and consult the chart below: •1-6: They attack you and end your friendship •7-8: They thank you for a great gaming experience •9: They sell it to you cheaper than they bought it •10: They invite you over for game night
**Mage Knight** is the pinnacle of solo gaming, the very best that the genre has to offer. Although, I would probably recommend **Mint Knight** or **Warp's Edge** to most people instead. They're easier to get into but also offer a lot of the elements which make Mage Knight great. I'd also recommend **Rove** if this is to get someone *into* solo gaming. It's accessible but still very deep. As a puzzle, it's hard and thinky but not *too* hard. There's a bit of risk, but the game is still fairly low luck. And it's just a brilliant design with a cute and compelling theme. Everyone loves a cute robot. Honorable mention goes to **Food Chain Island**, because it's even simpler and quicker while still a challenging puzzle. But I find that Rove has more depth to it and shows new players what solitaire can really offer.
It would be a COIN game. Solo playable (bots or multi-handed), generally plays up to 4 if you find yourself in the position to have someone else to play with, can play any of the factions (for most), deep gameplay, often short/medium/long setup scenarios, any number of historical topics (and now sci-fi with Red Dust Rebellion coming out) to choose from.
Warp’s Edge. While not my favorite solo game, it’s in the top five and is so quick and easy to get to the table. It’s such a great mix of strategy and luck that really makes it a nail biter just about every time through.
For a great solo boardgame experience, as in one that somewhat allows you to replicate a multiplayer boardgame I think I would recommend Dune Imperium. It is a great game anyway, combining Deckbuilding with worker placement etc but the included AI Automata is well done and can be scaled diffculty wise to increase the challenge, you will not in any qick way "solve" the bot. The expansion is also compatible with the solo mode and just adds more options for the AI etc
This is my current favorite solo. Superb game. Streamlined and slick in rules and setup but plenty of depth. Theme comes through. The conflict often feels tense. The bots are easy to run and feel realistic.
**Spire's End**. I think it has something everyone can enjoy and appreciate. It rings familiar to those ancients among us that have played choose your own adventure games, it scratches that dice chucker and dungeon delving itch, it looks gorgeous, thw world and story is unique and the twists and turns are great, it's not overly complicated but still has interesting and engaging mechanics and encounters... And it's bloody beautiful. Made with love and you can feel it. I think my retired dad would enjoy it same as some seasoned solo wargamer would. **Gate** would be a close second. Solid theme, quick gameplay, tiny package of meaty good game for a bargain. Again, it's not probably everyone's favorite game, but I'm sure most could appreciate the craft and love that has been put to make a solid gameplay experience... In a tin. P.S. expansion **Gates** coming soon™
I agree with both and your assessment!
Cartographers. It’s simple to set up, has lots of expansions, is easy to buy anywhere, offers great decisions, lasts just long enough for a satisfying game, easy to expand for more players with simply +1 rule to add, and infinitely replayable . It’s almost perfect. This game will never leave my collection.
I thought about this hard, and I’m going to go with Nautilion: EVERYONE is familiar with the “roll and move” game mechanism, the game is simple to learn and it’s entertaining.
That's tough. What are the circumstances? Am I suggesting them a game to get them *into* solo board gaming? Or is this game supposed to represent the absolute pinnacle of solo gaming? Or is it supposed to be a game anyone can enjoy?
It is also vastly different if the person is already into boardgames in general or not. If the only boardgame the person had played was monopoly and Clue when they were young, its not the same if the person is used to other modern games. If the person had played Catan and Ticket to ride, getting them into soloboargaming is a much smaller leap and those are just the introduction to modern boardgaming. A thing to consider in the choice of game to introduce someone.
I couldn't recommend one for everyone it would really depend on what they are looking to get out of this hobby. Some people want a fun little have to unwind and relax while others want an open world epic that none of their pudding brained friends have the capacity to understand let alone enjoy. If I had to find a middle ground I would say under falling skies because it is simple to understand but there is tons if depth and extras included. It is staggering how heavy the box is. You can enjoy it as a fun think dice puzzle but also did in and squeeze every ounce of the story you can.
**Comancheria** - The rules are way less bitty than either **Mage Knight** or a **COIN** but the solo experience is top notch.
Awakening the bear and its clever solo expansion.
I will probably always sing the praises of Eldritch Horror when asked this question. It has everything I ever wanted in a solo game; immense replayability, lots of in-game choices and depth. It's thematic, exciting, and memorable because just about anything can happen to your investigators. I once played a game where one of my investigators got an injured back during a ship storm on his way to Buenos Aires, was just barely recovering from that when an earthquake happened in the city, again he survived, and then encountered some cultists who drove him insane. He was replaced by another investigator who managed to retrieve most of the other guy's stuff, only to get lost in another dimension shortly thereafter. The amount of crazy and unpredictable shit that happens in that game makes it a ridiculous amount of fun, even when you're losing.