When You Don't Have a Friend Around... Play Solitaire!
What is a person to do when they are really jonesing for a game but nobody is around? Why, play solitaire of course! But I'm not speaking of the card game, oh no, I'm talking board games. And while board games are primarily made with two or more players in mind, there are a number of games made with that special someone in mind. The person that is all alone on Friday night. Who might that be you ask? Well, I'm speaking of you.
Solitaire gaming (the type I will be writing about) has been around for a long time, ever since the 70's wargaming boom. However, it wasn't until the 80's that games meant for a single player started to hit the shelves. In the 70's you just had to play both sides to your best abilities, but in the 80's you were playing against the game. Companies such as Avalon Hill, TSR (Tactical Studies Rules), SPI (Simulations Publications Inc.), Victory Games and others were all putting out solitaire games or games playable solitaire in high volume. The most well known and highly regarded games that these companies put out are still in heavy rotation today. Games such as Ambush! (Victory Games), B-17: Queen of the Skies (Avalon Hill), Mosby's Raiders (Victory Games), and Solitaire Advanced Squad Leader (Avalon Hill/MMP). There were many more but these are a few of the most notable games to be released. All of the above dealt with WWII, with the exception of Mosby's Raiders which was about the American Civil War.
These games accomplished a satisfying experience by offering a unique way of progressing through the game. There are two ways that companies accomplished this. Either through a paragraph format such as the format found in Ambush! or through charts and die rolls in games such as B-17. The most satisfying way to play is definitely the former. I am currently on the lookout for a pristine copy of Ambush! and B-17, so for the sake of full disclosure I should point out that I have not played these games as of this writing. However, I can say that a paragraph format is much more fulfilling due to some other more recent games that I have played. We will get to these shortly.
Even some newer companies are putting out some rather interesting solitaire affairs that are definitely worth your time and money. One such company is Fat Messiah Games. Their game, Last Frontier: The Vesuvius Incident is a wonderful sci-fi wargame in the vein of Alien. This game makes use of a chit-draw activation (the player draws counters at random out of an opaque container to give uncertainty and suspense to the game) system and some interesting exploration mechanics to immerse the player in a very claustrophobic space rescue mission. The game takes place on a damaged space station overrun by aliens and it is the player's job to man a rescue mission. His team either survives and rescues the scientists, or dies in the cold vacuum of space. This is a really great game and I would highly recommend that anyone interested in solitaire war games or sci-fi games pick it up. At only $15 bucks it is a steal!
Finally, we get to Euro and American games. Now, there are significantly less Euro and American games that can be played solitaire, and this could in part be due to the fact that most hex-and-counter wargames can be played solo. However, there are some really good co-op and competitive games that can be played solo in the Euro and American categories.
Solitaire gaming (the type I will be writing about) has been around for a long time, ever since the 70's wargaming boom. However, it wasn't until the 80's that games meant for a single player started to hit the shelves. In the 70's you just had to play both sides to your best abilities, but in the 80's you were playing against the game. Companies such as Avalon Hill, TSR (Tactical Studies Rules), SPI (Simulations Publications Inc.), Victory Games and others were all putting out solitaire games or games playable solitaire in high volume. The most well known and highly regarded games that these companies put out are still in heavy rotation today. Games such as Ambush! (Victory Games), B-17: Queen of the Skies (Avalon Hill), Mosby's Raiders (Victory Games), and Solitaire Advanced Squad Leader (Avalon Hill/MMP). There were many more but these are a few of the most notable games to be released. All of the above dealt with WWII, with the exception of Mosby's Raiders which was about the American Civil War.
These games accomplished a satisfying experience by offering a unique way of progressing through the game. There are two ways that companies accomplished this. Either through a paragraph format such as the format found in Ambush! or through charts and die rolls in games such as B-17. The most satisfying way to play is definitely the former. I am currently on the lookout for a pristine copy of Ambush! and B-17, so for the sake of full disclosure I should point out that I have not played these games as of this writing. However, I can say that a paragraph format is much more fulfilling due to some other more recent games that I have played. We will get to these shortly.
Even some newer companies are putting out some rather interesting solitaire affairs that are definitely worth your time and money. One such company is Fat Messiah Games. Their game, Last Frontier: The Vesuvius Incident is a wonderful sci-fi wargame in the vein of Alien. This game makes use of a chit-draw activation (the player draws counters at random out of an opaque container to give uncertainty and suspense to the game) system and some interesting exploration mechanics to immerse the player in a very claustrophobic space rescue mission. The game takes place on a damaged space station overrun by aliens and it is the player's job to man a rescue mission. His team either survives and rescues the scientists, or dies in the cold vacuum of space. This is a really great game and I would highly recommend that anyone interested in solitaire war games or sci-fi games pick it up. At only $15 bucks it is a steal!
Finally, we get to Euro and American games. Now, there are significantly less Euro and American games that can be played solitaire, and this could in part be due to the fact that most hex-and-counter wargames can be played solo. However, there are some really good co-op and competitive games that can be played solo in the Euro and American categories.
I will start with the co-op games. First, let me define a co-op game. A co-op game is a game where the players work together to defeat the game. There, background info given. Let us continue onward! I own two co-op games that play very well solo. These are Pandemic (Z-Man Games) and Arkham Horror (Fantasy Flight Games).
Arkham Horror is a game for 1-8 players and is based in the Cthulhu mythos by H.P. Lovecraft. It is a rather weighty game in which a small Massachusetts town has been overrun with strange creatures and happenings. The players each choose a different character and adjust his or her skills to best combat the monsters and the evil creature at the end of the game. The game is won by either destroying all of the portals on the map or defeating the mythos creature at the end of the game. When played solo, the player chooses two characters and carries out their actions just like he would in a normal game. That said, if you have the time and patience to learn, the game is much simpler than the rules and pieces would make it seem and it is a great experience. Highly recommended.
The second American style game I have to recommend is Pandemic. Pandemic is a game that was just released at the end of February and is a co-op game for 2-4 players. But, since it uses open information, it is a great game to play solo! The goal of Pandemic is to eradicate all four of the diseases that have broken out across the globe. This is one tough game! I have not won yet. I just can't seem to beat this game, and that makes it great. This is a game that I see a lot of replay value from, simply because it is so difficult. I can't wait to play this with my group, but for right now solo will have to do. Again, highly recommended.
Last but not least is the only Euro game to make the list, Agricola. In Agricola, you're a farmer in a wooden shack with your spouse and little else. It is a game for 1-5 players. Now, I played this game at the Atlanta Game Fest 13 and I was won over immediately. This game is great! I have already given it a 9 after one play, so once I get my reserved copy in April or May and have the chance to get another play in, it could be the first game to get a 10 from me. Yes, it is that good. In this game, solo play consists of playing through the game and trying to obtain as many points as you can, a high score if you will. This may sound ho-hum but let me assure you that this game is a ton of fun, and with 4 different ways to play, you are sure to play it for a long time to come. I would compare this game to Puerto Rico in that you select a different role every turn. That role may consist of renovating your shack, building fences in your fields, getting livestock, planting vegetables, or even having children! This game is a lot like the farming simulation Harvest Moon (a great video game, though my tastes are odd...). Agricola is yet another game that I would highly recommend the solo player go out and purchase right now! Although, this one won't be out until late April or early May.
So there you have it, a small list of solitaire games to keep you occupied on those lonely nights. And sure, you could be out trying to make some friends or hanging out with the friends that you already have, but why would you want to do that when you could be playing a board game? I can't think of any reasons and I know everything! It is a requirement, I'm 20. So, go forth and play by yourselves my friends. I implore you!
Note: I added links to BGG (boardgamegeek) to the game names so that you could find pictures and a deeper description of the game. As always, let me know what you think of the blog, your comments are valuable! I have changed the settings so anyone can comment now. So go ahead and leave a comment!
Arkham Horror is a game for 1-8 players and is based in the Cthulhu mythos by H.P. Lovecraft. It is a rather weighty game in which a small Massachusetts town has been overrun with strange creatures and happenings. The players each choose a different character and adjust his or her skills to best combat the monsters and the evil creature at the end of the game. The game is won by either destroying all of the portals on the map or defeating the mythos creature at the end of the game. When played solo, the player chooses two characters and carries out their actions just like he would in a normal game. That said, if you have the time and patience to learn, the game is much simpler than the rules and pieces would make it seem and it is a great experience. Highly recommended.
The second American style game I have to recommend is Pandemic. Pandemic is a game that was just released at the end of February and is a co-op game for 2-4 players. But, since it uses open information, it is a great game to play solo! The goal of Pandemic is to eradicate all four of the diseases that have broken out across the globe. This is one tough game! I have not won yet. I just can't seem to beat this game, and that makes it great. This is a game that I see a lot of replay value from, simply because it is so difficult. I can't wait to play this with my group, but for right now solo will have to do. Again, highly recommended.
Last but not least is the only Euro game to make the list, Agricola. In Agricola, you're a farmer in a wooden shack with your spouse and little else. It is a game for 1-5 players. Now, I played this game at the Atlanta Game Fest 13 and I was won over immediately. This game is great! I have already given it a 9 after one play, so once I get my reserved copy in April or May and have the chance to get another play in, it could be the first game to get a 10 from me. Yes, it is that good. In this game, solo play consists of playing through the game and trying to obtain as many points as you can, a high score if you will. This may sound ho-hum but let me assure you that this game is a ton of fun, and with 4 different ways to play, you are sure to play it for a long time to come. I would compare this game to Puerto Rico in that you select a different role every turn. That role may consist of renovating your shack, building fences in your fields, getting livestock, planting vegetables, or even having children! This game is a lot like the farming simulation Harvest Moon (a great video game, though my tastes are odd...). Agricola is yet another game that I would highly recommend the solo player go out and purchase right now! Although, this one won't be out until late April or early May.
So there you have it, a small list of solitaire games to keep you occupied on those lonely nights. And sure, you could be out trying to make some friends or hanging out with the friends that you already have, but why would you want to do that when you could be playing a board game? I can't think of any reasons and I know everything! It is a requirement, I'm 20. So, go forth and play by yourselves my friends. I implore you!
Note: I added links to BGG (boardgamegeek) to the game names so that you could find pictures and a deeper description of the game. As always, let me know what you think of the blog, your comments are valuable! I have changed the settings so anyone can comment now. So go ahead and leave a comment!
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