Best Solitaire Games

Started by PanzersEast, February 02, 2014, 09:26:18 PM

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PanzersEast

Just wondering about the list of best Solitaire games out there or you have played and/or on your list.


PE

Nefaro

#1
Here are some that I own:

B-29 Superfortress & Hell Over Korea expansion - This is a newer B-17 Queen of the Skies, albeit against Japan in '45 (or Korea in the expansion) in a B-29.  It's not bad but after playing some other newer solitaire games that have been showing up, it tends to be more die rolling narrative with only occasional decisions to be made.  I'm kinda meh about them but sometimes I'm in the mood for something more narrative than brain-wracking.  Perhaps.

Picket Duty - Like the B-17/B-29 series, it is very narrative with some occasional decisions to be made.  I felt there were more decisions to be made if for no other reason than there being more compartments, crew, and guns to be handled on a Destroyer fighting off kamikaze attacks. 

The Hunters - Similar to the two above, but in a German U-boat.  It's the lightest of the bunch, I think.  It's also fun for short periods but it tends to get repetitive faster than the others due to it being lighter and having less turn sequences and tables to work through every turn/phase.

Silent War/ Steel Wolves - These are big wargames where you control the submarine war in a theater.  I have Silent War and really like what I've seen thus far but it will take some practice runs to make sure I have the system down and then playing a campaign will take a LONG time.  So I'll either need to plan on leaving it splayed out on the table for a long period of time or play it mostly on vassal.  Still not sure exactly what mix of the two I will use but I want to get a campaign going before long with this one.  I can see it keeping me occupied for the long term if I still have space to bust out shorter games in between sessions.

Field Commander Alexander/Napoleon/Rommel/Etc - I have FC:Alexander but I've not played it yet.  The rules don't really look too heavy or anything and the game doesn't seem to take up a lot of space or time to set up.  I just haven't got around to it yet.  Someone else who has played the series may give you a better idea about it but there are also some YouTube videos of people playing some of them.

Thunderbolt Apache Leader - I think you're familiar with this one since it's been discussed already, along with the Leader series in general.  I enjoy this one quite a bit because there are many tough decisions to be made and there is enough randomization to make each mission a bit different.

Boots on the Ground - A rather simple die and card-driven game where you take a fire team of spec ops (SEALs?) through some undisclosed middle-eastern streets to accomplish a scenario objective.  The card draws will 'spawn' insurgents and bad stuff, playing your opponent (as so many solitaire games do), along with some basic rules on how to operate said insurgents once they're on the map and shooting at you.  It looks to be really light on rules and rather inexpensive.  I've not played this one yet, either.  I picked it up for some light wargame-ish fare for when such a mood hits me.

Labyrinth - one of the "COIN" series games from Volko Ruhnke.  Some of these games have solitaire rules and AI player flow charts that will dictate how the solo player's opponent plays his options.  This one is a strategic level game of the GWOT.  As suits counter-insurgency, the rules are rather odd so it has been slow for me to get through them and learn enough to do any test runs yet.  There is an extra manual that walks you through a narrated playthrough that is reportedly really good so if I can finish skimming the rules and get that set up I should be well on my way.  Sometime.  I hear it's an absolutely wonderful game that will have you making hard decisions so that's always good.


RAF - JD has played this more than I.  I've only read the rules to the Brit side of the game.  I do prefer the card-driven mechanic for solitaire games, and this is one that has some of that.  I'm not sure how long it would hold my interest once I've begun playing, however.  That's yet to be seen as I've not started a campaign with it yet.




I think that's it for those that could be considered actual Wargames as far as Grogs are concerned.  The bulk of solitaire board games seem to be in the Adventure Board Game realm.  Here are some such games that I've had fun with which require some strategy and decision-making:

Mage Knight Board Game - This is a mix of genres but it really ends up being pretty cool.  It can also take some time to learn, time to setup, and space to play.  You essentially play as one 'mage knight' character who moves around exploring hexagon-filled terrain tiles, killing stuff, levelling up, recruiting, and learning new skills.  Sounds very RPG'ish but you don't directly roll any dice to decide whether you succeed at stuff or not.  It's mechanics are based around somewhat LCG-like card play.  In order to move, attack, recruit, etc, you must utilizie your cards towards your goals as best you can.  Along the way you can add more cards to your deck as you become more powerful so you can attack and capture large heavily defended cities by the end of the game.  Hard to explain.. once again, check out some vids on the 'Tube of people playing to get an idea.  Pretty cool and unusual game.

Arkham Horror/Eldritch Horror - For the Cthulhu fix, these are some fun card-driven adventure games that can be played solo or with a group.  They tend to take up a LOT of space and some time to play so it's more feasible to do solo.  I dig these kinds of adventure games because there are usually a lot of decisions to be made, a good deal of stuff to find via card draws and map movement, and friggin' Lovecraft man! 

A Touch of Evil - Sometimes referred to as Arkham Horror Lite, this one is another Horror adventure game that's card-driven and can be played either solo or with a few players.  It's easier to get into, set up, and all that but still fun.  While there may not be Lovecraft themes, it still has an 18th century setting to it where you'll be hunting down a Vampire/Werewolf/Headless Horseman with the base set.  I had fun with it solo, but I also think it could be quite fun with a group.  I think Flying Frog Production's zombie game (Last Night On Earth) can also be played easily with some simple extra rules too (I used some I found on The Geek but it's easy enough to figure it out yourself if need be).  However, A Touch Of Evil has it's own Solo rules so it's got them in the box.  This same company probably has other solo-capable ones too.  The game mechanics are always fun but relatively small for what they do.  I already want to pick up an expansion or two for this.. and probably Last Night On Earth too (the latter is a pretty fun group game).

Dungeons & Dragons Boardgame - Castle Ravenloft  -  I have the first (Castle Ravenloft) but there are at least two others.  Another adventure game that's mostly card-driven.  If you like dungeon crawling, then one of these are worth a look.  I chose Ravenloft as my first one because I have fond memories of the original Ravenloft AD&D scenario from long ago.  I've played this both solo and with a family group.  While it was okay playing with family, having four people each taking a turn and having to look over enemies along with spells, weapons, and ability cards each time around took a long time to get through a scenario.  So I prefer it for solo play.  As with most Cooperative board games, you don't need to learn extra rules to play solo which is nice.  I would've liked to see a bit more monster variety in this but it's sufficient, especially with the variety of stuff you can find from card draws and specific scenario rules mix up the objective of each game.


This is gonna be a long one... to be continued...







Nefaro

#2
The Republic Of Rome - I got this one a few months ago but the rulebook looks downright daunting.  It's normally supposed to be a group cooperative game with a competitive side.  It looks rather difficult to get through so it's another I've not started yet.  It has special solitaire rules but I get the impression that it would probably be more fun to play in a group of people with a special enjoyment of Roman Senatorial power plays and scheming.  I'd be willing to bet that the solo game is only about amassing as much wealth and power as you can while keeping Rome free from external threats (as in the group game) but without other human players running opponent senatorial factions, it's probably missing some of the fun in solo play.   It's also mostly a card game with markers & counters.

(I think most of these last ones are primarily card games as opposed to card-driven games.)

Space Hulk: Death Angel - Got this after seeing others here mention playing it.  It's another strategy solitaire card game.  Light on rules and counters, it has little tabletop sprawl and is pretty easy to get into but will still see you making tough decisions.  It is challenging, especially if your die rolling is cursed that day.  I prefer having more than one die to roll in order to even out the odds and streaks in tabletop game systems but I can overlook the one die thing here since there is a fair bit of strategizing going on every turn.

Marvel Legendary - Another light strategy card game, this is an LCG style deck builder.  But unlike most deck builders where you put together a mix of cards before you play the game, in this one you purchase cards as you play.  This is makes it more enjoyable IMO; you spend less time creating decks and all the time playing.  You also have to make such purchasing decisions about the complimenting mix of card abilities on the fly so people can't just pick anything they want right off the bat.  This card game has group rules and a small extra bit of solitaire rules.  I had use some of the difficulty increase suggestions in the rulebook against the base game's Masterminds to get some challenge out of them but the Dark City expansion's Masterminds can be much more difficult.  Aside from playing this solo, I've also played this with a boardgame-loving family member of about seven years who did okay with it.  It's another mix of a cooperative game with competitive point scoring, to see who did best at the end, so this helped the learning process when reading card effects (pretty light stuff) and teaching the game.  It can do double duty, like some others in this list.




I have some other solitaire-capable games but they may be out of print or the solitaire side may not have impressed that much. 

There are quite a few that I don't own and have heard some good things about.   Hopefully others here can give more suggestions because I've found that playing some solitaire tabletop games a good getaway when nothing else seems all that appealing and video game burnout sets in.  I look forward to checking out some more.


EDIT:

I'd say some of my most played in that list is Thunderbolt Apache Leader, Arkham/Eldritch Horror, Mage Knight Board Game, the two Flying Frog Productions games (A Touch of Evil and Last Night On Earth), and Marvel Legendary.  I plan to do some more Picket Duty and Space Hulk Death Angel again soon along with some of the others I haven't explored much yet, such as Silent War.

ArizonaTank

In addition to the games mentioned, I would add D-Day at Omaha Beach, by Decision Games. 

Card-driven board game, no dice, medium level complexity.  Units are companies, and gameplay is all about getting off the beach and taking German strongpoints and the draws that lead off the beach.  The cards really keep the game fresh, so good replay value.  The game also plays coop with one player taking the US 1st Division, and the other taking the US 29th Division.

   
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bayonetbrant

Quote from: Nefaro on February 02, 2014, 11:34:43 PM
Boots on the Ground - A rather simple die and card-driven game where you take a fire team of spec ops (SEALs?) through some undisclosed middle-eastern streets to accomplish a scenario objective.  The card draws will 'spawn' insurgents and bad stuff, playing your opponent (as so many solitaire games do), along with some basic rules on how to operate said insurgents once they're on the map and shooting at you.  It looks to be really light on rules and rather inexpensive.  I've not played this one yet, either.  I picked it up for some light wargame-ish fare for when such a mood hits me.

Let me know how this plays.  I've been eyeing it for a while, but haven't been able to pull the trigger just yet.


Quote from: Nefaro on February 02, 2014, 11:34:43 PM
Labyrinth - one of the "COIN" series games from Volko Ruhnke.  Some of these games have solitaire rules and AI player flow charts that will dictate how the solo player's opponent plays his options.  This one is a strategic level game of the GWOT.  As suits counter-insurgency, the rules are rather odd so it has been slow for me to get through them and learn enough to do any test runs yet.  There is an extra manual that walks you through a narrated playthrough that is reportedly really good so if I can finish skimming the rules and get that set up I should be well on my way.  Sometime.  I hear it's an absolutely wonderful game that will have you making hard decisions so that's always good.

This is actually not one of the COIN series games.  It predates the COIN games by a few years.  Same designer, but a different system.
The COIN games are Andean Abyss, Cuba Libre, A Distant Plain, and the upcoming Fire in the Lake.

Side note on the "AI" cards from James Sterrett - an idea I didn't even think of
Quote from: James Sterrett on January 31, 2014, 01:00:45 PM
The really great thing about the solo-play flow charts, in my experience, is that they provide a great scaffold for new players to learn the game.  I hand them the flowchart and tell them that if they follow it at first they won't necessarily make great moves, but they won't make huge mistakes, so they can follow the flowchart's recommendation until they get comfortable with the game.
he's talking about the cards from ADP, but I imagine it would apply to Labyrinth, too.


Quote from: Nefaro on February 02, 2014, 11:34:43 PM
Mage Knight Board Game - This is a mix of genres but it really ends up being pretty cool.  It can also take some time to learn, time to setup, and space to play.  You essentially play as one 'mage knight' character who moves around exploring hexagon-filled terrain tiles, killing stuff, levelling up, recruiting, and learning new skills.  Sounds very RPG'ish but you don't directly roll any dice to decide whether you succeed at stuff or not.  It's mechanics are based around somewhat LCG-like card play.  In order to move, attack, recruit, etc, you must utilizie your cards towards your goals as best you can.  Along the way you can add more cards to your deck as you become more powerful so you can attack and capture large heavily defended cities by the end of the game.  Hard to explain.. once again, check out some vids on the 'Tube of people playing to get an idea.  Pretty cool and unusual game.

I've put this on the table about 4 different times, set it up, and started to push pieces around, but the rules always seemed to get in the way.  I may take your advice and pull up a YouTube video to try to follow it.
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Cougar_DK

#5
Mage Knight is a wounder full game (imho) but the rules can be a little hard to grasp. I would follow this guy's YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB7C824980F797C4A

He also have videos showing the expansions etc :)
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PanzersEast

Thanks for the feedback Nefaro and Cougar....

So far I have.

Hornet Leader
Thunderbolt Apache Leader
Field Commander Rommel
The Hunters Uboats at war
Space Hulk
LoTR CG
B-17 Queen of the Skies
B-29


I am trying to decide if want to get Phantom Leader Deluxe Board or Vassal Module....

Others now on my immediate Hit List:

Field Commander Napoleon
Boots on the Ground
Mage Knight
Labyrinth

Possibly Picket Duty, but wait and see on the rules.


PE

Nefaro

#7
Quote from: Cougar_DK on February 03, 2014, 08:44:15 AM
Mage Knight is a wounder full game (imho) but the rules can be a little hard to grasp. I would follow this guy's YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB7C824980F797C4A

He also have videos showing the expansions etc :)


That may be the Beginner Scenario one, which is good to start with.

He also has one using the full rules, including city attacks, that starts here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=268O9ye4P3c


I've played the Beginner Scenario all the way through, and was still yearning for a full-length game afterward, so that's a good sign.  I'm in the process of watching his second series of the full-featured scenario in that link.  It helps to watch him describe the gameplay before I go finish reading the rules on the stuff I've not done yet (city attacks) so the combination of the two is a huge help.  Same goes for most any of these games - there are usually some youtube walkthroughs you can watch.

For Mage Knight BG, I definitely suggest playing the Intro Scenario first, using the solitaire rules along with it.  Once you play a couple rounds, you'll have it down.  It looks daunting at first but it's not too bad once you get going.  What's more, I can actually remember how to play it fairly well even after a few weeks.  It has little 'cheat sheet' cards to describe what the special map tile spaces do so you don't have to thumb back & forth through the manual to get a refresher on those.  I think the different location types were the only things I had to regularly look up again so those cards come in handy.

My only gripe is that the scenarios look to be mostly based on a race against time.  I tend to prefer solo games that have some teeth and can kill or cripple you so much that you can no longer win before the end of the game.  While you can definitely be crippled with Wound Cards clogging up your deck, getting rid of them can still be done and you never really die.  Some people may like this 'no death' situation more than I so it's just preference.  Probably part of the reason I like Dungeonquest so much (another solo capable game, out of print though).  It's brutal, like the tabletop equivalent of a roguelike.  You're more likely to die than succeed in that one.  Rather than trying to achieve more points or beat a deadline, it's a success just to survive after accomplishing your objective.  That's one good thing about the Dungeons & Dragons Boardgames too, although all of these still have a deadline where you will automatically lose at the end.


I have also been curious about Thunderstone Advance, which is a solo strategy card game.  It gets good reviews but looks like the base set may be a bit thin on variety.  I have the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game which is fun but the mechanics involved in beating the boss isn't all that fun since you just "close" a few card stacks and ideally corner him in the last one for a final fight.  There are also only a couple scenario packs out there so the big draw of the game, being able to continue with the same character and items between games, can only last so long.  Thunderstone looks to be somewhat similar to this.  I think there are a couple other solo games like these too, but I don't remember their names.


Nefaro

Quote from: bayonetbrant on February 03, 2014, 06:41:23 AM
Quote from: Nefaro on February 02, 2014, 11:34:43 PM
Boots on the Ground - A rather simple die and card-driven game where you take a fire team of spec ops (SEALs?) through some undisclosed middle-eastern streets to accomplish a scenario objective.  The card draws will 'spawn' insurgents and bad stuff, playing your opponent (as so many solitaire games do), along with some basic rules on how to operate said insurgents once they're on the map and shooting at you.  It looks to be really light on rules and rather inexpensive.  I've not played this one yet, either.  I picked it up for some light wargame-ish fare for when such a mood hits me.

Let me know how this plays.  I've been eyeing it for a while, but haven't been able to pull the trigger just yet.


I've not played it yet because it looks quite simple (maybe too much so for me) and the contents are rather cheap quality.  I can see getting a little enjoyment out of it for a short session but dunno if it's something I'd come back to regularly.  I think the card-driven side of the game is what will be the deciding factor - whether it keeps things both challenging and interesting.  I get the impression that your team is just travelling through some streets, trying to reach/accomplish an objective, while insurgents are popping up and taking shots at you in random nearby spots.  There are some other things that could make it shine, such as some civilian counters that are flipped when within a certain range to expose whether they are really civvies or insurgents waiting to pull a weapon on you. 

I'll post about it when I get to it, but it's not high on the list at the moment.

Jack Nastyface

Re: Boots on the Ground...
I've played a couple of games with a borrowed set.  It should be emphasized that this game is more hollywood action / FPS shooter than a realistic MOUT sim, and the solo-play rules are a little weak.  My recommendation would be to play it a couple of times with the "default" rules, then look around on the geek for some house-rules.  Of particular note are the absence of an over-watch / opp fire actions.  So it is entirely possible for an insurgent to appear in front of a US unit, run around into a flank or even rear enfilade firing position, and then open up fire on said US units.

Again, think more along the lines of "BF2: Bad Company" instead of LnL or ASL or Firefight.
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Barthheart

Nobody has mentioned Ambush! Great solo individual soldier WWII wargame. Little bit of RPG for your soldiers as they travel from scenario to scenario.

BanzaiCat

Quote from: Barthheart on February 03, 2014, 08:35:30 PM
Nobody has mentioned Ambush! Great solo individual soldier WWII wargame. Little bit of RPG for your soldiers as they travel from scenario to scenario.

I used to have that as well as all the expansion modules, the Pacific version (Battle Hymn?) and even Open Fire, the tank version - but Open Fire disappointed me severely, I recall, as it wasn't Ambush! with tanks. Loved Ambush! though.

Also may consider Barbarian Prince. Great game I discovered in middle school and BGG has quite a big following; a guy even redid the graphics and manuals too and put them up there for free download/print.

Nefaro

#12
I plan on picking up Cruel Necessity from Victory Point Games ASAP.  It looks awesome.  I'd be surprised if nobody here has it since it's quite wargame-ish.  I know some of you have Dawn of the Zeds, which I may also get at some point, but this one looks to be the one of the series that I want to start with.

http://victorypointgames.com/details.php?prodId=253


In my further explorations for solo-able LCG style card games (not necessarily deck builders), I ran across recommendations for Sentinels of the Multiverse.  Not something I'd normally take a second look at if I saw the box, but it sounds like the gameplay is something I'd greatly enjoy due to the variety and replayability, along with the CCG/LCG style card play against a game-controlled opponent.  The artwork looks surprisingly good on those cards, too.  I never was much of a comic fan as a kid but I find the stuff interesting in a gaming setting.

This video review really sold me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyaO2DfAZA8

Hopefully the area game store will have some of the above stuff when I'm down there tomorrow (in the middle of  ten to twelve inches of Snowmageddon supposedly sweeping through).  I'll salivate over some gameplay on YouTube of them, in the meantime.

Actually, the Sentinels game and expansions were on sale with some of Amazon's shops for pretty damn cheap right now so I snatched them.  At around $26 for the base set and the same for the first two expansions as a set, that's amazingly cheap for tabletop gaming these days. Good 'ole post-Xmas sales. 

I think my local boardgame store carries some Victory Point Games stuff so hopefully they have Cruel Necessity in right now.  Pretty sure I've seen Darkest Night and Dawn of the Zeds there before, and quite probably CN too.  The place is so packed full of games, it's difficult to go through them all in one visit much less remember them all.  :D

My solitaire gaming collection continues to grow..

PanzersEast

I know I am late to the party on board gaming, but I am having a blast with Hornet Leader.  Google Doc I created for HL and my results thus far.....

Just purchased Phantom Leader Deluxe and have a couple more on my too buy list...... wwwweeeeeee like a kid running free in a toy store!





PE

Cougar_DK

-Men do not quit playing because they grow old. They grow old because they quit playing. -- Oliver Wendell Holmes