Solo Board game recommendations
August 13, 2023 11:24 AM Subscribe
I'm looking for your recommendations for board games that are either designed for just one player or have an optional set of solo rules. So what are your favorite solo board games?
Final Girl is designed for 1 player. Based on horror movies, so may not be for everyone.
Stonemaier Games all come with a single player, Automa enabled mode. Automa is their thing, so all their games have it. I like Scythe but Wingspan is their most well known.
Tiny Epics from Gamelyn Games. They have a bunch of them, so pick whichever appeals the most. I think Galaxies is probably the most popular.
Asmodee has some app-enabled games that can be played solo. Mansions of Madness is the most famous. They have a LOTR one and Their Arkham Horror card game is pretty solid with 1 player but very hard to win.
Chronicles of Crime is another app enabled game that does single players. Solve mysteries!
There's actually a bunch of mystery themed games for single players. Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective, Suspects, Unlock!, the whole line of Exit games. Multiple players helps with these but only because another person can help if you get stuck. I prefer Suspects because I like the card and map mechanic.
posted by fiercekitten at 12:23 PM on August 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
Stonemaier Games all come with a single player, Automa enabled mode. Automa is their thing, so all their games have it. I like Scythe but Wingspan is their most well known.
Tiny Epics from Gamelyn Games. They have a bunch of them, so pick whichever appeals the most. I think Galaxies is probably the most popular.
Asmodee has some app-enabled games that can be played solo. Mansions of Madness is the most famous. They have a LOTR one and Their Arkham Horror card game is pretty solid with 1 player but very hard to win.
Chronicles of Crime is another app enabled game that does single players. Solve mysteries!
There's actually a bunch of mystery themed games for single players. Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective, Suspects, Unlock!, the whole line of Exit games. Multiple players helps with these but only because another person can help if you get stuck. I prefer Suspects because I like the card and map mechanic.
posted by fiercekitten at 12:23 PM on August 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
Sagrada is fun for multiple players, but it's also fun in single-player mode. As a solo player, it's a lot like doing a Sudoku puzzle with an element of randomness.
posted by blnkfrnk at 1:17 PM on August 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by blnkfrnk at 1:17 PM on August 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
Roll Player also has a challenge every month on BGG. It;s pretty fun. Lots of "how many points can you get with this Orc Bard." One of the few I have soloed.
posted by Windopaene at 1:35 PM on August 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Windopaene at 1:35 PM on August 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
Playing Terraforming Mars solo got me through the first few months of quarantine.
posted by The corpse in the library at 1:37 PM on August 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by The corpse in the library at 1:37 PM on August 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
Any co-op game can easily be played solo if you play 2 or more hands. Pandemic is fun this way. My spouse plays 3 hands when she plays solo, it's a sweet spot for the number of characters/powers you have and how often each character gets a turn. Also, the In the Lab expansion to Pandemic added a specific solo mode.
One Deck Dungeon is designed for 1 or 2 players; gameplay is pretty much the same. I found it easier with 2 players, but just as fun each way. Friday is strictly a solo game. We didn't find it as compelling as the other games I've mentioned.
posted by expialidocious at 1:46 PM on August 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
One Deck Dungeon is designed for 1 or 2 players; gameplay is pretty much the same. I found it easier with 2 players, but just as fun each way. Friday is strictly a solo game. We didn't find it as compelling as the other games I've mentioned.
posted by expialidocious at 1:46 PM on August 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
Isle of Cats! :D
Wingspan solo-mode works well.
Carcassonne and its many (many!) variants is very chill and satisfying as a solo play.
posted by xedrik at 1:58 PM on August 13, 2023
Wingspan solo-mode works well.
Carcassonne and its many (many!) variants is very chill and satisfying as a solo play.
posted by xedrik at 1:58 PM on August 13, 2023
Walking over to the Wall of Board Games™, these are the ones I keep on the solo shelf:
Mage Knight has been mentioned, and it's great fun solo. It's a bit of a pain to set up and tear down though, so an insert like the one I have is definitely in order. You also better have a big enough table.
Speaking of which, I haven't played it, but I watched Edward at Heavy Cardboard play Aeon's End Past and Future and it struck me as a game that plays like Mage Knight, but doesn't weight 11 pounds and require a full 4×8 table to really play.
I have an index card box full of Button Shy Wallet Games. They're cheap and most of them are good fun solo.
The pirate theme can be a little problematic, but Maracaibo is pretty fun to play solo. The expansion changes up the solo mode for the better if YouTube is to be believed, but I haven't tried it.
A game that it's a little like it is Outer Rim, and I had a real good time playing that solo. Although definitely think about an insert for this one too.
Hadrian's Wall is pretty fun solo. Not least because even multiplayer it's mostly you looking down at your sheet for 10 minutes a turn anyway.
I really liked my solo plays of Raiders of Scythia.
Thinking about it a little bit, I realized there were games I knew I had, that I didn't see on the Wall of Board Games. So I had to root around in the Piles of Boxes and Bags Never Unpacked From The Last Time that have sat right where I dropped them when I returned to the barn in January. I got a lot of stuff going on.
Carnegie is a really great game and it's fun solo too.
Ark Nova is another top-tier game that is also pretty fun solo.
My most desired solo game that is outside of my budget is Nemo's War.
Finally, there are tons of great solo games including ones mentioned in this thread on Board Game Arena.
posted by ob1quixote at 4:58 PM on August 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
Mage Knight has been mentioned, and it's great fun solo. It's a bit of a pain to set up and tear down though, so an insert like the one I have is definitely in order. You also better have a big enough table.
Speaking of which, I haven't played it, but I watched Edward at Heavy Cardboard play Aeon's End Past and Future and it struck me as a game that plays like Mage Knight, but doesn't weight 11 pounds and require a full 4×8 table to really play.
I have an index card box full of Button Shy Wallet Games. They're cheap and most of them are good fun solo.
The pirate theme can be a little problematic, but Maracaibo is pretty fun to play solo. The expansion changes up the solo mode for the better if YouTube is to be believed, but I haven't tried it.
A game that it's a little like it is Outer Rim, and I had a real good time playing that solo. Although definitely think about an insert for this one too.
Hadrian's Wall is pretty fun solo. Not least because even multiplayer it's mostly you looking down at your sheet for 10 minutes a turn anyway.
I really liked my solo plays of Raiders of Scythia.
Thinking about it a little bit, I realized there were games I knew I had, that I didn't see on the Wall of Board Games. So I had to root around in the Piles of Boxes and Bags Never Unpacked From The Last Time that have sat right where I dropped them when I returned to the barn in January. I got a lot of stuff going on.
Carnegie is a really great game and it's fun solo too.
Ark Nova is another top-tier game that is also pretty fun solo.
My most desired solo game that is outside of my budget is Nemo's War.
Finally, there are tons of great solo games including ones mentioned in this thread on Board Game Arena.
posted by ob1quixote at 4:58 PM on August 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
I'd check out Super-Skill Pinball: 4-Cade. It's very good, and does a wonderful job of bringing the feel of pinball to a board game! It's solo designed as well, so you're not getting an experience that was meant for more people condensed down.
Also great, check out Amabel Holland's solo series. I have and enjoy Charlemagne, Master of Europe, but check our Aurelian, Restorer of the World and Agricola, Master of Britain. It's a bunch of fun and is decently heavy, without requiring me to devote days of kitchen table space to it.
Otherwise, if your tastes runs to the grognardy space, GMT has a whole bunch of games that are solitaire experiences. Go to all games, search, then one of the categories is solitaire. I have Flying Colors works well at 1, though also great at 2.
posted by Carillon at 5:32 PM on August 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
Also great, check out Amabel Holland's solo series. I have and enjoy Charlemagne, Master of Europe, but check our Aurelian, Restorer of the World and Agricola, Master of Britain. It's a bunch of fun and is decently heavy, without requiring me to devote days of kitchen table space to it.
Otherwise, if your tastes runs to the grognardy space, GMT has a whole bunch of games that are solitaire experiences. Go to all games, search, then one of the categories is solitaire. I have Flying Colors works well at 1, though also great at 2.
posted by Carillon at 5:32 PM on August 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
Cartographers works wonderfully as a solo game!
And it reminds me of A Mending, which is not quite a board game but is a really fascinating one-person storytelling game.
posted by earth by april at 6:17 PM on August 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
And it reminds me of A Mending, which is not quite a board game but is a really fascinating one-person storytelling game.
posted by earth by april at 6:17 PM on August 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
So - I haven't had the chance to play them yet, but I picked up Final Girl (after reading so many glowing reviews) and am excited to play the first games. (
I also picked up Maquis - a sort of mini "Scotland Yard"/hid and evade type game the game "AI" plays against you as nazis and you are french resistance gathering resources and building town morale.
I have to cheer on my local designer's publishing company (Keith Matejka and Thunderworks Games) and Cartographers. It's great for some fun multiplayer too. But nice and puzzley. (and see the Roll Player mentioned above, set in the same world)
I have a nice little game called Grove (based on a previous game called Orchard) that's a little puzzle type game as well, stacking similar trees and scoring them for groups. Grove has little squirrel and wheelbarrow meeples too. It's cute. I actually got it thinking I would give it to my mom as a gift but am pondering getting one for myself as well.
One that got me interested solitaire games is Red Cathedral where you compete for glory in building the famed building.
If you like the "move about a map in pursuit of x" (like the Maquis) there's a Shakespeare themed solitaire game called "Black Sonata".
Onirim is a fun but challenging solitaire game.
Friday, I would avoid, unless you like shuffling a deck alot, awkward gameplay, and an impossible challenge of fighting pirates (after scraping by the skin of your teeth) The concepts there are cool, but like a lot of Friese games I think they are over complex, and not always the most fun. (Dude's a genius, but his games aren't for me).
posted by symbioid at 6:19 PM on August 13, 2023
I also picked up Maquis - a sort of mini "Scotland Yard"/hid and evade type game the game "AI" plays against you as nazis and you are french resistance gathering resources and building town morale.
I have to cheer on my local designer's publishing company (Keith Matejka and Thunderworks Games) and Cartographers. It's great for some fun multiplayer too. But nice and puzzley. (and see the Roll Player mentioned above, set in the same world)
I have a nice little game called Grove (based on a previous game called Orchard) that's a little puzzle type game as well, stacking similar trees and scoring them for groups. Grove has little squirrel and wheelbarrow meeples too. It's cute. I actually got it thinking I would give it to my mom as a gift but am pondering getting one for myself as well.
One that got me interested solitaire games is Red Cathedral where you compete for glory in building the famed building.
If you like the "move about a map in pursuit of x" (like the Maquis) there's a Shakespeare themed solitaire game called "Black Sonata".
Onirim is a fun but challenging solitaire game.
Friday, I would avoid, unless you like shuffling a deck alot, awkward gameplay, and an impossible challenge of fighting pirates (after scraping by the skin of your teeth) The concepts there are cool, but like a lot of Friese games I think they are over complex, and not always the most fun. (Dude's a genius, but his games aren't for me).
posted by symbioid at 6:19 PM on August 13, 2023
Oh and because I saw this out there kinda trending, just so you are aware it exists: Mr President: The American Presidency 2001-2020
The thing is a beast. Never played it, but if you want something that's massive and immense, check it out.
It is 100% a giant big ol simulation of the past 2 decades of American politics.
posted by symbioid at 6:28 PM on August 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
The thing is a beast. Never played it, but if you want something that's massive and immense, check it out.
It is 100% a giant big ol simulation of the past 2 decades of American politics.
posted by symbioid at 6:28 PM on August 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
Shifting Stones is a quick, doable puzzle
Set can be played with any number of players with the same rules--I suppose you could try to set a fastest time or something?
posted by one for the books at 12:59 AM on August 14, 2023
Set can be played with any number of players with the same rules--I suppose you could try to set a fastest time or something?
posted by one for the books at 12:59 AM on August 14, 2023
By coincidence, Tabletop For One posted “Top 10 Ways to Enjoy Solo Board Gaming” yesterday. He also posted “Top 10 Solo Board Games to Start Your Collection” 2 weeks ago. He covers a lot of games I never see any of my other dozen board game channels cover.
Carillon mentioned Super Skill Pinball 4-Cade, which was not where it was supposed to be on the Wall of Board Games, so I missed it. Also misplaced because TWoBG is not so much a system as just a bunch of piles on shelves was Under Falling Skies, which the thumbnail for the above video reminded me of.
posted by ob1quixote at 3:22 AM on August 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
Carillon mentioned Super Skill Pinball 4-Cade, which was not where it was supposed to be on the Wall of Board Games, so I missed it. Also misplaced because TWoBG is not so much a system as just a bunch of piles on shelves was Under Falling Skies, which the thumbnail for the above video reminded me of.
posted by ob1quixote at 3:22 AM on August 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
“Top Deals - Board Games on a Budget”—Tabletop For One, 30 September 2023
posted by ob1quixote at 1:47 PM on October 1, 2023
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So much is either being published with, or has third party follow-up for "bot" opponents, it makes it a pretty broad space. A ton of GMT wargames have these, I don't find them very user-friendly, but...
Magic Realm is pretty old school, but works from 1-16 players. And is awesome and long OOP but I digress. Mage Knight Board Game gets a lot of solo love on the geek, but it's pretty grindy.
Most of my "solo" gaming is either on steam or iPad apps, where I just play against their AIs.
But others high on BGG for solo play
Gloomhaven - more cardplay d&d action
Terraforming Mars, very Euro-grindy but great on their broken app. Haven't done solo on that.
A bunch of the Fantasy Flight LCGs are pretty much solo. From Arkham Horror: The Card Game, also Elder Sign, and even The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, which I think is getting a reboot? Some cases you really need to play two hands to have a chance at success, but.
And Spirit Island use elemental spirits to fight off the colonizers! gets a lot of solo love as well.
Arrgh, lost the link. Victory Point Games does a ton of solo game stuff.
posted by Windopaene at 11:55 AM on August 13, 2023 [2 favorites]