this post was submitted on 14 Jul 2023
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Recommendations for single player games (self.boardgames)
submitted 1 year ago by RoyalEngineering to c/[email protected]
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Have you played any single player board games that you would recommend?

I’m looking to get a few games to play when everyone is out of the house and I don’t want to turn on the game box.

I’ve played Bargain Basement Bathysphere and March of the Ants. Looking for more!

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[–] chudified 9 points 1 year ago

It really depends on what kind of game you're looking for. There are a lot of very good single player games out there, and what's right for one person might not be right for another.

Here are some questions you should keep in mind for selecting a game (besides budget): Are you looking for something lightweight that doesn't take up a ton of room and can be played quickly? (Friday, Onirim)

Are you looking for something heavy where you have to spend time thinking about each action? (Mage Knight, Spirit Island)

Is this a game that will be sitting out on your table for weeks? (any campaign game)

Are you looking for something with a story/adventure? (Tainted Grail, 7th Continent, a lot of other Kickstarter games)

Do you want something that has a ton of expansions coming out all the time? (Arkham Horror LCG)

What genres are you into (sci-fi, grimdark fantasy, historical, etc...)?

As mentioned in another comment, the People's Choice top 200 by the BGG 1 Player Guild is a very good resource, but I wouldn't necessarily focus on just the top 10 (for example, I'm not a fan of Spirit Island or Marvel Champions, but I know other people are).

[–] moon_crush 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Here’s 200 to consider!

2022 People's Choice Top 200 Solo Games (1-200)

[–] RoyalEngineering 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Thanks! Which ones would you recommend?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I was looking through that list the other day myself. Here are some that I play and like: Onirim, Imperium Classics, Wingspan, Cascadia, Spaceshipped, Tin Helm, Gate, and, if you have a bit of disposable income, LCGs like Arkham Horror and Marvel Champions.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

+1 for Onirim! There's a great app for it as well!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I’ve haven’t tried the app yet, but it might be nice to pick up for lightweight traveling!

[–] moon_crush 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Spirit Island is the king for a reason! Good amount of variety in the base box, and every expansion is great (Branch and Claw first recommended to add some unpredictability alongside new spirits). Cheaper “starter” version is available Horizons of Spirit Island.

One of my favorite genres of solo games is the engine/tableau builder. Typically a “beat your own score” doing the best you can with cards drawn, with some automa to challenge. My favorites (pick the theme you like most):

  • Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition Crisis expansion adds cooperative mode and elevates solo play.
  • 51st State: Master Edition Also available with all expansions as Ultimate Edition
  • Wingspan

Puzzle Dungeon is a nice little travel game with massive amount of heroes available for near unlimited replayability.

Some other favorites:

Dawn of the Zeds

Darkest Night

Renegade

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

I really love Spirit Island. It has a ton of expansions and there are a lot of additional rules to add difficulty and complexity to your liking. It’s also great to play with others too. A 10/10 game for me. It’s basically the opposite of Risk. People are trying to colonize you island. You play as a spirit of the island (river, volcano, storms, ocean, etc) and instill enough fear/kill them to get them to leave.

[–] LoftySnowman 6 points 1 year ago

Here are the games from my collection that see the most repeat solo play.

ROVE

Navigating the chain of spatial puzzles is just thinky enough to not outlast the games short length.

I play all mission expansions mixed together, sometimes crawler, sometimes reconfigured. A normal game of completing seven missions takes around 10-15 minutes once you know how to play. The longer game of play until you lose can last a fair bit longer.

SpaceShipped

You are trying to outmaneuver an automa opponent to be the first to obtain two rare resources in a fluctuation market.

I like the Infinite variant you can find on bgg. Games tend to run half an hour for me.

A Feast for Odin

You alternate taking turns in worker placement in an elegant solo mode. Trying to maximize the polyonimo space you can cover with minimal actions is always fresh and fun. Runs near two hours for when I want a longer session, or a game over the course of a week.

The base game is good. The recent reprint comes with two great expansions. Norwegians completely reshapes the game into something even better if you liked the base game and want to give it more life.

Great Western Trail(s)

Build up a new each game loop of action spaces to try and maximize VP by selling cows, moving trains, and building more actions. I tend take 2 hours for a solo play.

I own both the first game and Argentina. For solo I slightly prefer Argentina, but they are tied for my favorite game on the shelf. The series is great enough that I have New Zealand preordered.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

My favourite is final girl, the horror/slasher theme really fits the luck of a dice game, i think it is one of the most immersive board games ever. Another good, albeit completely different game, is resist, which is a game about the spanish resistance trying to intervene with military operations

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Friday is a great little card game that plays fairly quick and can get tossed in a backpack easily.

[–] RoyalEngineering 2 points 1 year ago

That looks fun! I'm going to check it out.

[–] detour 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

SpaceShipped, Marvel Champions, Arkham Horror, Hero Realms, Onirim. I also really enjoy this geeklist (not mine) Modern Solitaire/Solo Games Using ONLY a 52-card standard deck. Regicide, Scoundrel, and Card Capture were my favorites but lots of great games on there.

[–] Sir_Premiumhengst 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Eldritch / Arkham horror.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

The solo games I always come back to:

  • Arkham Horror LCG
  • Marvel Champions
  • Hero Realms (digital version, if that counts 😅)
[–] irkregw 2 points 1 year ago

I think Cartographers have a single mode, never tried tho.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)
  • terraforming mars
  • mage knight
  • nemesis
[–] RoyalEngineering 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ah! Terraforming Mars—I’ve never played the single player rules. I will check that out.

[–] letter_d 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If you have the digital version it offers a few different ways to play solo. Gives you different things to work towards/try out etc.

[–] RoyalEngineering 1 points 1 year ago

This might be a good option for me on iPad. Thanks!

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago

Nemesis works fairly well as a solo game. Played it a few times solo. What's also really good is This War of Mine: the board game.

[–] OnkelCannabia 2 points 1 year ago

Spirit Island, best single player game ever created.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I only ever tried Everdell SP and it works surprisingly well. Yeah its a bit different to the normal gamemode but I even prefer the different strategies you have to follow

[–] RoyalEngineering 1 points 1 year ago

Ah I didn’t know you could play this in single player. Really cute game.