Best Solitaire Games

[PanzersEast]

I played Darkest Night and I am playing with a couple of personal modifications.... these are a work in progress, but the key per location rule made it very difficult and I lost.

1 Key Per Location:
You can only find 1 Key per location and once you find a key, I make the location with a key.  This way there is no key spamming at a location while the Necromancer is occupied.

Necromancer's Apprentice:
If you play with the Acolyte there are several additional rules I place in.  If the Acolyte is every occupying the same location as the Necromancer and his secrecy is 1 or less, there is a influence check to see if the Necromancer has influenced the Acolyte to evil.  If so, then you must defeat both.  Also, if the Acolyte is the one battling the Necromancer in the end and he defeats him, there is a check to see if the Acolyte assumes the Necromancers place and you now have to face the Acolyte with roughly the same rule set.



PE

[Nefaro]

I played Darkest Night and I am playing with a couple of personal modifications.... these are a work in progress, but the key per location rule made it very difficult and I lost.

1 Key Per Location:
You can only find 1 Key per location and once you find a key, I make the location with a key.  This way there is no key spamming at a location while the Necromancer is occupied.

Necromancer's Apprentice:
If you play with the Acolyte there are several additional rules I place in.  If the Acolyte is every occupying the same location as the Necromancer and his secrecy is 1 or less, there is a influence check to see if the Necromancer has influenced the Acolyte to evil.  If so, then you must defeat both.  Also, if the Acolyte is the one battling the Necromancer in the end and he defeats him, there is a check to see if the Acolyte assumes the Necromancers place and you now have to face the Acolyte with roughly the same rule set.



PE

Do you reset the key-location thing once the Necromancer arrives there, or do you reset it once all heroes have moved out?

Perhaps I wasn't doing it as efficiently as I should have been, but it seemed like if I dallied around in the same spot for very long, the Necromancer would usually show up and start draining my Secrecy & Grace much more quickly.  For those other than the stealthier character classes, anyway.  So I usually didn't end up searching more than once or twice in a location before having to scoot with a character, otherwise risking having to lay them up at the Monastery for numerous turns doing nothing.

[PanzersEast]

I played Darkest Night and I am playing with a couple of personal modifications.... these are a work in progress, but the key per location rule made it very difficult and I lost.

1 Key Per Location:
You can only find 1 Key per location and once you find a key, I make the location with a key.  This way there is no key spamming at a location while the Necromancer is occupied.

Necromancer's Apprentice:
If you play with the Acolyte there are several additional rules I place in.  If the Acolyte is every occupying the same location as the Necromancer and his secrecy is 1 or less, there is a influence check to see if the Necromancer has influenced the Acolyte to evil.  If so, then you must defeat both.  Also, if the Acolyte is the one battling the Necromancer in the end and he defeats him, there is a check to see if the Acolyte assumes the Necromancers place and you now have to face the Acolyte with roughly the same rule set.



PE

Do you reset the key-location thing once the Necromancer arrives there, or do you reset it once all heroes have moved out?

Perhaps I wasn't doing it as efficiently as I should have been, but it seemed like if I dallied around in the same spot for very long, the Necromancer would usually show up and start draining my Secrecy & Grace much more quickly.  For those other than the stealthier character classes, anyway.  So I usually didn't end up searching more than once or twice in a location before having to scoot with a character, otherwise risking having to lay them up at the Monastery for numerous turns doing nothing.

Once a key is found at a location, no other keys can be obtained from that location.  If I search a location that has already produced a key, I draw a new map card until a key is not listed in the search results.  I have found that if you have someone with search skill they can spam a spot while the others are out attacking blights and doing the occasional search.  The mountains I believe is a easier spot to hit for search spamming because it is located the furthest from the Necromancers starting spot....



PE

[ArizonaTank]

At the moment I really like GMT's Space Empires 4X as a solo game, I've got the expansion too which apparently adds some more solo scenarios so going to try that soon. Really does a great job of 4X style gameplay on the table, though the paperwork and tracking units can be a little fiddly, though this is made easier in the solo game by not having hidden units you have to keep checking when you forget what they are.

I recently picked this and the expansion up as well.  Looking forward to it.  I find the rules to be an fairly easy read... compared to what I am used to anyway.

[Nefaro]

At the moment I really like GMT's Space Empires 4X as a solo game, I've got the expansion too which apparently adds some more solo scenarios so going to try that soon. Really does a great job of 4X style gameplay on the table, though the paperwork and tracking units can be a little fiddly, though this is made easier in the solo game by not having hidden units you have to keep checking when you forget what they are.

I recently picked this and the expansion up as well.  Looking forward to it.  I find the rules to be an fairly easy read... compared to what I am used to anyway.

Aww damn.  I forgot about that one.  I have yet to do anything with the Space Empires 4x base game yet.  Along with some other GMT stuff.  For some reason I tend to put those off more than others.  I must be a component whore because the ones with fancy artwork and minis get fast-tracked to the table ahead of these.   :))

[Arctic Blast]

I ordered the Eldritch Horror: Forsaken Lore expansion. 

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/154842/eldritch-horror-forsaken-lore

It looks to address my complaint with Eldritch Horror - needing more cards all-around.  The original was a bit thin on that content, and this expansion adds another ~75%.   O0

I've debated picking up some Arkham Horror expansions in the past, but put it off while waiting to see if Eldritch Horror had been streamlined better.  It certainly was.  Takes up less space, less "fidgety" stuff like the stat sliders that was just an annoyance.  I was happy with Eldritch but the card variety wasn't as good as even the base Arkham set.  Hopefully this fills it out, as it should've been.

It's a great little expansion. The variety of cards added to every clue encounter deck alone is worth the purchase.

[Nefaro]

I ordered the Eldritch Horror: Forsaken Lore expansion. 

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/154842/eldritch-horror-forsaken-lore

It looks to address my complaint with Eldritch Horror - needing more cards all-around.  The original was a bit thin on that content, and this expansion adds another ~75%.   O0

I've debated picking up some Arkham Horror expansions in the past, but put it off while waiting to see if Eldritch Horror had been streamlined better.  It certainly was.  Takes up less space, less "fidgety" stuff like the stat sliders that was just an annoyance.  I was happy with Eldritch but the card variety wasn't as good as even the base Arkham set.  Hopefully this fills it out, as it should've been.

It's a great little expansion. The variety of cards added to every clue encounter deck alone is worth the purchase.

Good to hear.  I meant to watch for it to arrive, after playing a couple games of the original and thinking it was thin on card variety. 

It managed to slip past my radar when it came out almost two months ago.  ;D

[Nefaro]

I posted this in the RPG & Adventure Gaming section, but it's capable of solitaire so..

Shadowrun: Crossfire!

Why didn't I hear about this?  So much coming out lately, it's hard to keep up.


http://www.phdgames.com/shadowrun-crossfire-runners-wanted-2/

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/135382/shadowrun-crossfire



I think it's supposed to be out in the next couple months late this month.

Sounds like a mix of the Pathfinder card game and Thunderstone in a Shadowrun setting.  The last point being enough to make me do a Gus squeal.

[Arctic Blast]

I'm curious about that one as well. But the comparisons being made to the Pathfinder game have me wary and certainly willing to wait for reviews and impressions to begin rolling in.

[Nefaro]

I'm curious about that one as well. But the comparisons being made to the Pathfinder game have me wary and certainly willing to wait for reviews and impressions to begin rolling in.

I linked the Dice Tower YouTube review in the RPG/Adventure Game section's topic for it.  Check it out!  http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=10804.0    They're not even familiar with Shadowrun and liked it quite a bit.


I pre-ordered the Shadowrun: Crossfire game while at the local game shop today. 


I also went on a buying spree while I was there and picked up:

Cards Of Cthulhu, Galactic Strike Force, Ancient & Terrible Things, and Thunderstone Advance: Towers Of Ruin. 

Whew.  Lotsa card playing to be had.

[PanzersEast]

I'm curious about that one as well. But the comparisons being made to the Pathfinder game have me wary and certainly willing to wait for reviews and impressions to begin rolling in.

I linked the Dice Tower YouTube review in the RPG/Adventure Game section's topic for it.  Check it out!  http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=10804.0    They're not even familiar with Shadowrun and liked it quite a bit.


I pre-ordered the Shadowrun: Crossfire game while at the local game shop today. 


I also went on a buying spree while I was there and picked up:

Cards Of Cthulhu, Galactic Strike Force, Ancient & Terrible Things, and Thunderstone Advance: Towers Of Ruin. 

Whew.  Lotsa card playing to be had.

Interested to hear your thoughts on Cards of Cthulhu and Galactic Strike Force...

I am playing Mage Knight: Lost Legion expansion right now and loving it!


PE

[Nefaro]

I linked the Dice Tower YouTube review in the RPG/Adventure Game section's topic for it.  Check it out!  http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=10804.0    They're not even familiar with Shadowrun and liked it quite a bit.


I pre-ordered the Shadowrun: Crossfire game while at the local game shop today. 


I also went on a buying spree while I was there and picked up:

Cards Of Cthulhu, Galactic Strike Force, Ancient & Terrible Things, and Thunderstone Advance: Towers Of Ruin. 

Whew.  Lotsa card playing to be had.

Interested to hear your thoughts on Cards of Cthulhu and Galactic Strike Force...

Will do.  Oddly enough, my impulse purchase (Ancient Terrible Things) will probably hit the table first as a group game over the weekend.  I wasn't sure when I first saw some vids on it awhile back, but the more I check it out the more interested I become in the whole Yahtzee-ish dice roll mechanics mixed with token collection, spending, and card play.  Plus the theme, of course.

Galactic Strike Force caught my attention because it's from the same people who do Sentinels of the Multiverse.  Although not necessarily playing similarly, you can tell it has some similar cool things (like each ship having it's own play style in the form of unique starter decks).  I also grabbed the expansion while I was there since it was pretty small & inexpensive (and I got a discount on something else).  Some say they like the look of the cards but I don't think they look all that good, including the artwork.  But hopefully the gameplay is pretty bitchin.

I am playing Mage Knight: Lost Legion expansion right now and loving it!

It's awesome for solitaire, and I've barely scratched the surface on MK & Lost Legion.  It takes a lot space & a bit of time to set up and get going.  I stuck most of the monster tokens and other such stuff into a hobby "bead" kit so they can be both drawn and stored from it without having to do more than shuffle the monsters.  Definitely saves some time!  Now if only every game box had enough space to fit one of those...

[Arctic Blast]

I'm curious about that one as well. But the comparisons being made to the Pathfinder game have me wary and certainly willing to wait for reviews and impressions to begin rolling in.

I linked the Dice Tower YouTube review in the RPG/Adventure Game section's topic for it.  Check it out!  http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=10804.0    They're not even familiar with Shadowrun and liked it quite a bit.


I pre-ordered the Shadowrun: Crossfire game while at the local game shop today. 


I also went on a buying spree while I was there and picked up:

Cards Of Cthulhu, Galactic Strike Force, Ancient & Terrible Things, and Thunderstone Advance: Towers Of Ruin. 

Whew.  Lotsa card playing to be had.

The instant I saw stickers used to permanently alter units and give new abilities, my interest went through the roof. I am totally on board for permanence in design... and I enjoy the ridiculous pain it causes the whining collector types on BGG.  >:D

[Nefaro]

The instant I saw stickers used to permanently alter units and give new abilities, my interest went through the roof. I am totally on board for permanence in design... and I enjoy the ridiculous pain it causes the whining collector types on BGG.  >:D

LOL!

I'm not all that crazed about it but it doesn't bother me.  I'll either use them as intended or just mount them on some card stock.  My biggest concern would be cases where, intending to play years later, I needed to pick up extra character kits and stocks are running low while being Out-Of-Print.  That crap happens pretty regularly as it is.

[Nefaro]

Note:  These are some impressions of two games:

Got a short playthrough in with Cards of Cthulhu (CoC) yesterday.

It's pretty light fare with the core consisting of rolling dice to defeat Minions and Horrors, along with spending 'experience' tokens gained while doing that on some helpful options.  The card play is mostly just turning 4+ over every turn and placing them where they go (or buying if it's one of the few helpful cards).

The artwork for the monsters is nice.  That of the characters is passable.  I was a bit surprised at how little was in the box at first,  a couple stacks of cards, some dice, and a set of metal experience tokens.  Unlike most of my games, CoC only has one big draw deck instead of numerous smaller ones.  However, it's still pretty sizable for a single draw deck and getting through it is a requisite for winning.  After one game I can tell that it can be a difficult endeavor.

Unfortunately I had played Ancient Terrible Things (ATT) the day before.  The two games' mechanics and premise are quite similar. While ATT doesn't have a solitaire variant, I still enjoyed it more.  This was mainly due to the depth of the dice rolling strategy and ATT having a bit more variability in each turn's play.  While both have some Yahtzee rolling involved, Cards of Cthulhu's often consisted of just totalling up one or more dice to equal or exceed the number on a Minion card.  On more rare occasions you'll have to make a straight or set of two to four dice (you roll three by default) and are often hard-pressed in how to spend your Experience tokens to boost such rolls, buying insta-use "spells", etc.  In Ancient Terrible Things each monster card has it's own type of combo you need to achieve to beat it but you can, and should, also make other combos to produce the four types of tokens you can spend on various things.  Not only is it more intricate on the base level, but having so many possible dice combos, with varied but limited manipulation options, makes for a much wider and more difficult range of allotment decisions to be made. 

Ancient Terrible Things also has an Item Offer (aka "Swag") so there is always some perks available in ATT if you have the scratch.  Whereas the small amount of beneficial items & allies in CoC are all mixed into the single deck.  Having everything mixed into a single deck can cause large swings in difficulty from moment to moment.  This doesn't necessarily turn me away, but I felt less at the mercy of the deck draw with ATT.  Combine that with a much wider range of options in ATT's dice-rolling mechanics and the latter wins my preference.  I'm not sure if there are solo variants for ATT available right now, but I'd expect some before long if it isn't the case.  That's where CoC has an edge, although I still enjoyed solo'ing a 2-player game of ATT. 

I'm not saying Cards of Cthulhu is bad.  It's just a single-deck delver with a light dice mechanic.  Doesn't take long to pick up, learn, and play.  However, it doesn't have a set difficulty progression so that can vary wildly as you're playing.  The luck of the draw can be brutal at times along with dice rolling to a lesser extent.  I had the feeling that the game could've been filled out some more, like having separate item and spell decks perhaps.  Such extra additions would probably help the fun factor and help regulate the luck factor. You can get into it pretty quickly, however, and it moves along at a fast pace. 

Up next: Galactic Strike Force.