Totally agree that Turing Machine is a really fun solo experience. For the parents out there, it's also fun to play solo mode as a coop with your kids and work out the solution together.
Some of my fav solo plays- Arnak, Ark Nova, Legacy Of Yu (even though I keep losing!), Fantastic Factories and Le Havre. I often play solo to learn a game and then I can teach it to my family.
Great video guys! Just starting solo games this year and this really helps me choose what I want to try next. Thanks for your descriptions and overviews. New subscriber!
Nemo's War is one game I keep returning to. I also like Hadrian's Wall and Imperium: Classics. And I totally agree on Arnak: I freaking love that game.
One of my proudest boardgaming achievements is winning friday on the hardest difficulty. I got lucky and it was some of the easiest pirates but a win is a win!!!
Better to be lucky than good. 😅 I once played a game of Final Girl, where I had lost by the time I finished setup, just hitting a very unlucky setup phase where all the victims were killed by the time I was done. I recently picked up Friday, but haven't cracked it open yet. Looking forward to it.
@@devonfarrington7431 It's hand and resource management. In most basic terms, you lay the cards out in a table face up and each has a cost. You kind of 'purchase' the cards depending on time (resource) you have. If the previous round has gone well, you can purchase better cards; if it's goen poorly, not so much. You other main resource are 'victims', and the horror your fighting is the other thing you kind of manage, as they generally get tougher over the course of the game. I am probably explaining it very poorly, but it's a very fun game. If horror isn't your thing Hostage Negotiator was the original version of this system, but I think the Final Girl revisions make it a more playable game.
This whole time I'm like man, I can't believe they haven't mentioned Legacy of Yu yet! lol!!!! There it is! #1. Couldn't agree more, it's SO refreshing to play a solo game that we don't have to play against an AI! Brilliant. That storybook is rich too! You have your heart strings pulled. It's great!
Love what you guys do. I just ordered Turing Machine after hearing you guys talk about it for the umpteenth time. Also finally ordered Brass Birmingham since it's been a 10/10 for me for years. Deep Space D6 is my go-to solo. It's a simple and quick dice chucker trying to get through waves of enemy space ships.
When Feast for Odin turned up second I was hooked to see what number one would be. I received my copy of The Witcher Old World and was thinging it would be number one. I have played this several times and love the solo mode. I have Legacy of Yu and cant argue with it being number one on your list. It is a very solid game. Take care
Final girl is a fit with me for the theme and the gameplay. I love sprawlopolis and Onirim as little quick solo games too. I wanna try Legacy of Yu and Falling sky next!
Great list, always enjoy watching your content. You guys are my wife and my favorite content creators. There's a few on here I've really been wanting to try such as Orleans invasion, Ex libris, and Burncycle. Ark Nova and Feast are so good, love those games. I think Ark Nova will be even better with the expansion, that will help cycle cards from the display. Hope it works well with solo.
I like Ex Libris but I agree, the print is tiny. So I photocopied all the location texts and made little cards for all the players so they can have them in front of them during play. Makes it so much easier and much more enjoyable! Now I will have to check out the solo mode! Love your videos!
Love me some Friday, good to see it getting some love. It's like gaming comfort food for me, it's got such a satisfying arc with a simple ruleset and some cards.
Commented before I finished the video, so also... yes, Legacy of Yu is brilliant! It immediately jumped up to near the top of my solo games list from the first time I played it.
Great list guys!!! I love CTG games for solo.. burncycle, cloudspire, hoplomachus, too many bones.. all of them are really great games.. excellent solo experience!! Planet x is an addiction! Waiting for tuning machine to arrive in Greece to try it out asap! As far as Garphill games is concerned, I haven't tried their ancient anthology yet, but they have some great solo modes! Paladins and Wayfarers are my fav so far! Last I would like to mention Anachrony for its solo mode!! Spirit island and tainted grail are two of my fav solo games as well!! I really like some solo only small games like maquis, resist, wreckland run, black sonata and under falling skies ! Lastly, I think that the valiant series by Thompson are some great solo war games..
Siege of Valeria is my current favorite solo game. Quick to setup/takedown, some meaty decisions, but still quick to play, and doesn't take up a ton of space.
Great video! I love Turing Machine solo, and I REALLY want to try Legacy of Yu. My favorite solo game, by far, is Final Girl, and I also really love Under Falling Skies, and the solo mode of Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest.
Totally agree Legacy of Yu coming in at 1. I love that game, I also love how smooth and quick setup and clean up is. Also the insert is awesome at organizing too. Great video guys! Edit: Also one I've been loving solo is Atiwa, I just don't like setting it up. Needs a setup as quick as Legacy of Yu has. Haha.
I'm totally with you Nick on deduction games. It can be very stressful playing with others because I am not as good at it, but when you solo, you can't take your time. Feast for Odin solo is good. You aren't playing your turn and then doing solo player maintenance. All the fun of the game without the time spent on taking the AI's turn as well. I'm still awaiting my copy of Legacy of Yu. Thanks for the list!
My favorite solo ones are: Lost Ruins of Arnak, Star Wars: Outer Rim, The Witcher: Old World, Unbroken, Everdell, Tapestry, Journeys in Middle Earth, Scythe and Terraforming Mars.
Two games I've been playing solo and I loved both are Cascadia and Fantastic Factories. I missed Final Girl in here. So frustrating game but really fun.
One of the best solo games is Chainsaw Warrior. Fast paced, brutal and merciless. I revised the rules from 1987 for some logical flaws. After that i worked out a two player coop rule. Fantastic game, forgotten pearl.
10:30 Any recommendations for large-print or iconography games with minimal setup, solo and/or multiplayer (esp. 2-3), for a senior who loves Yahtzee, catch phrase, and interior design/painting? I played Yahtzee and a round of Wingspan with a family friend this weekend, and Wingspan was a bit slow and crunchy for him. Thanks! Just discovered your channel today and I'm enjoying it.
Loved the video, I need to do more solo gaming... Eventually I'll get Turing Machine and that'll help. Unrelated, but when is the shelf roast video coming? It's been a long while, so I understand if it's been scrapped. 😊
I've only played one episode of Final Girl, and that's moving up the list for me. I also enjoy "It's a Wonderful World " solo, which is an interesting way to search the decks, and the theme actually shines. Legacy of Yu tops the list. But, I decided to try the sandbox approach and have been playing 7th continent recently. And for the first time, I feel I might be brave enough for Mage Knight. Am I going solo crazy or what? Thought I'd never like it.
l'll have to check out your next 10 on your Patreon, but here are a few of my favs that you didn't mention. Aeons End/Marvel Champions/Warp's Edges boss/minion battle games are great solo. Take your pick of David Thompson's Undaunted w/Reinforcements, Undaunted: Stalingrad and Pavlov's House have a complex solo mode, but once you get the hang of the cascading action selection system are brilliant. Under Falling Skies is Tetris the board game with an interesting dice action selection mechanism. I really need to pull Anachrony off the shelf for some solo play. And almost all of my favorite Euro games have a solo mode: GWT, Boon Lake, Viticulture, Teotihuacan...
Nice shout w/ burncycle. Very underrated gem. If it were shorter (and therefore actually playable with 4 lol) it'd be a top 10 game for me. As it is though super super good at 1-2.
I was wondering if you have tried The Great Wall? The 2nd Kickstarter delivered and I have seen it at several stores. It’s interesting because you can play it against a Solo AI or you can play in a cooperative mode.
Viscounts of the West Kingdom and Ashes Reborn: Red Rains are my current favourites. I really want to try out a number of games on this list - Legacy of Yu looks especially interesting.
If you can ever get your hands on some of the solo-only games by Alone Editions (Way of the Samurai, The Road, Colossus, The Spirit of Eden) do it. They are primarily Kickstarter only, but worth hunting down. Tiny footprint games that offer a ton of theme, great immersion, a good challenge, and solid replay value. As I wean myself away from Kickstarter altogether, Alone Editions will continue to be an insta-back for me. His games are fully designed and ready for print before even beginning a KS campaign. Once finished, they are off to the printer and shipping to backers within a couple of months. A welcome change of pace from so many other games that I've backed that go into development limbo for years.
Have you tried clank catacomb solo mode with the app ? The only reason i didnt havr clank was because itsm was not a solo game. The solo of catacomb is awesome !
Nemo's War technically is a solo only for me anyway and is great with all the different motives you can play for Nemo.🙂 Fields of Arle and Coffee Roaster are also a solos for me.
Flame craft, The Loop and New York Zoo Are in my main rotation now of those that are solo mode from the publisher. What fan solo versions are you loving?
Legacy of Yu is so fun! And hard...I think I'm 2-4 currently. Nemo's War is great but a much bigger game. Just tried Fields of Arle and loved it. Have you tried For Northwood? Unique solo trick taking game.
Nusfjord has a similar solo mode to feast for Odin where you use different colour workers each round. I'm not sure if Feast for Odin has this, but in Nusfjord there is a harder solo mode where you cycle between 3 colours of workers instead of just 2. It is so much fun to puzzle out when you want to do certain moves and then inevitably cursing the red player two rounds later for blocking your spot.. Then realising it was you 😔😝
I really dig Ark Nova solo and it certainly helps that the setup is pretty quick. I'd play Endless Winter more solo if the setup didn't take just as long as the actual game. I also think Dune: Imperium is quite good solo.
I feel like there aren't enough turns in the Ark Nova solo mode and that some of the cards and strategies I use in multi-player games are almost useless in the solo version. Maybe I'll try Arno, I think I'll probably like it better.
I am currently playing Sleeping Gods solo and while it can be played with others, I am not sure I would want to. On the other hand I recently got Trailblazers and it is really good solo and I think it will be also fun with multiple players. I also enjoy Friday, but I like Trailblazers more, I really like to build stuff. Some LCGs (LOTR, AH) are also great solo, but it always takes me some mental courage and commitment to get back into those games.
Mike has won Friday?? BIG FLEX (great gammmme) You guys need to get on the Button Shy solo train!! I also obviously love Final Girl, Town 66, Onirim, Next Station London, there are so many good ones!! :D
Favorites to solo: Marvel United, It's a Wonderful World, Heat, Cascadia, Akropolis, Black Sonata, Maquis. I am going to have to look into Legacy of Yu.
My Ark Nova Solo-variant: Play 5 turns - ☕️ - 5 turns - ☕️ - 5 - ☕️ - 5 - ☕️ - 5 - ☕️ - 2 turns. This has the same amount of turns, 27. In the normal solo, I hate you have to wait so long for the first break (which imo is way too long comparing to multiplayer), and you're not constantly on break in the last few rounds. This way it's more in balance.
I have never been able to find a copy of Ex Libris, im from UK and just cant get it 🤷 been trying for 8 months, Fan Boy 3 is my local shop in Manchester but no luck yet
Defenatly have to try Odin and Yu. I've got a really different solo profile here, more on the relaxing side as I'm often really tired I need smooth and easy rules to remember. Here are few of mine with no particular order : Astro knights LOTR LCG Cascadia Guild of merchant explorers After us Sprawpolis Street masters Warp's edge Bullet Parks (with my solo variant)
@@TheBrothersMurph it’s a lot of fun solo and easy to manage. It’s a beat your high score kind of thing, but doesn’t bother me like it might some people. Highly recommend.
Ohhhh no. Feast of Odin has a solo mode? It would have a stretch to get it to table with my group but if the solo mode is that good I will need to reconsider
So for the ARNO bot there is a digital version that does everything for you. Just have to execute the actions and it only takes a few moments. I prefer this as I get to actually play Ark Nova. Any sort of rush variant just sucks all the fun out of a solo mode for me.
I bought Turing Machine because Mike made it sound so much fun... Guess what?... He was right!... Daily challenge: yes please! Also bought The Search for Planet X... it's definitely more crunchy but absolutely love it... the bot always beats me though 😂
Legacy of Yu might benefit from the shine of the new games. I agree that after a couple of games, it's an amazing game, but as you delve deeper into it, I find there is not enough renewal / replay value to make it worth it past one campaign. Actually, once you've figured out how to win, you can do it pretty consistantly, despite the cards added by the game as you win games. What I think this game lacks is variability. If you compare it to another Garphill game that I find much better, Hadrian's Wall, you'll find that the path cards you get, as well as the resources you get each turn, will very enough that you can't use the same tactic every time to win. What's more, the game actually provides you with so many different approaches that every game feels different (especially so with the solo campaign the devs issued on BGG), where's Legacy of Yu felt "more of the same" after a half-dozen games. Luckily, the game is rather unexpensive, and can easily be resold on the second-hand market once you're done with it. I agree it's a good game, but one that won't stand the test of time, whereas Spirit Island, Gaia Project, Mage Knight or Marvel Champions, with their modularity, will. That, for me, is what a #1 solo game should be.
Well hey we appreciate your thoughts and especially your picks for fav solo games! We love making lists because it gives us a chance to show what WE love to play and love that folks tell us what they are into playing wherever or not it lines up with our tastes
It's so interesting about Ark Nova. I always use it as an example of my least favorite kind of solo mode, one that changes the nature of the game itself. I so dislike that its on a timer compared to multiplayer or ARNO Ark Nova letting you just play the game as you normally would. Especially for Ark Nova being a fairly big box game, I want to leave that bad boy on the table for a while, not only play a set number of turns. But you see it both ways!
That is totally fair :-) I’m really glad someone made that variant and I hope they print it in future copies of the game so that people have a choice of how they want to engage with it!
Woah! I mean... i usually don't try to comment why X and Y is missing... but i would never imagine, that ALL of my absolutely favourite solo games would be missing from such a list.... and those are NOT totally "unknown" games, at least, 3 of them. 1. WARP'S EDGE 2. UNDER FALLING SKIES 3. Nemo's War 4. Doom Machine 5. Pulp Invasion 6. The Dead Eye (even 3d glasses in here and 3d coat on everything) The top3 is very well know... how... why... whatever. And you even look like sci-fi guys... :D And these games i wrote, at least TRUE solo games... Ark Nova on a Solo list? There are so many good TRUE max. player 1 solo games, not just solo variants... why flood the lists with Ark novas... This list now a huge miss for me.
@@TheBrothersMurph I totally understand. But just becouse u like games to play solo variant, i dont think that should make a proper "top solo game list". I dont think this list adding proper value, or insight to the solo board gamint at all. In mechanics, there is a huge difference between this: a solo game is like... you against an AI in a box, it reflects on your turns, or make his own turns, behave like a proper AI. Solo variants on the other hand are this: "play the game as usual, ur goal is X or Y points. Hahh... now thats NOT a true solo game. I don't try to be disrespectful, i love your work guys, but i think when you create such a list, you should delve more into this area. There are many games, that can make a solo game toplist without the "get x score" solo variants.
Its a bit of a heavier game, but I absolutely love Imperium: Classics/Legends as a solo game. Campaign is great but also can play it without and the Bot is simple to run. Just have to get past the vagueness/not so great rulebook
I second this. I haven't even tried the campaign yet but don't feel the need to. The game has got a really big barrier to entry, but once the system is in your body the game just gives and gives. If you know your history too the attention to detail in the theming is absolutely on point. The game has tricked me into learning about these civilizations just from the cards in the game.
City of the Great Machine is criminally underrated for a solo game Spirit Island Mage Knight Cloudspire burncycle Edge of Darkness Anachrony Perseverance Gaia Project
If you guys like Friday you really should try Goblivion, it will be available again this fall through the US, it's really good with some mechanics from Friday.
Totally agree that Turing Machine is a really fun solo experience. For the parents out there, it's also fun to play solo mode as a coop with your kids and work out the solution together.
Agreed!
"*sigh* ... I already miss him".... lol 😂
Spirit Island will always rule my solo table. So customizable and varied with stories created that sound almost like a D&D campaign ending.
Legacy of Yu was my first kickstarter ive ever had delivered and it is amazing so far. Pretty challenging when you start out too
Solo mode in Scythe helped me up my game. Love soloing Paladins Of the West Kingdom (with expansion) and Wayfarers
Thanks, guys! I am buying a solo board game for a family member and needed some ideas. Debating one of these or Dorf Romantic.
Hadrian's Wall, Spirit Island, and Aeon's End for sure. Maybe Marvel United as a 4th. But most days it's those top 3
Some of my fav solo plays- Arnak, Ark Nova, Legacy Of Yu (even though I keep losing!), Fantastic Factories and Le Havre. I often play solo to learn a game and then I can teach it to my family.
Great video guys! Just starting solo games this year and this really helps me choose what I want to try next. Thanks for your descriptions and overviews. New subscriber!
Solo games I enjoy: Under Falling Skies, Warp's Edge, Final Girl. When I have less time, I play Welcome To and Next Station: London
Excellent!
Nemo's War is one game I keep returning to. I also like Hadrian's Wall and Imperium: Classics. And I totally agree on Arnak: I freaking love that game.
We still need to try Nemos War. We’ve had it for a long time, but it just hasn’t been played yet.
One of my proudest boardgaming achievements is winning friday on the hardest difficulty. I got lucky and it was some of the easiest pirates but a win is a win!!!
Oh wow that is no joke!
Better to be lucky than good. 😅
I once played a game of Final Girl, where I had lost by the time I finished setup, just hitting a very unlucky setup phase where all the victims were killed by the time I was done.
I recently picked up Friday, but haven't cracked it open yet. Looking forward to it.
@@Neilios1000I've been wanting to try final girl but I don't know much about it. Do you know what kind of mechanics it uses?
@@devonfarrington7431 It's hand and resource management. In most basic terms, you lay the cards out in a table face up and each has a cost. You kind of 'purchase' the cards depending on time (resource) you have. If the previous round has gone well, you can purchase better cards; if it's goen poorly, not so much. You other main resource are 'victims', and the horror your fighting is the other thing you kind of manage, as they generally get tougher over the course of the game. I am probably explaining it very poorly, but it's a very fun game. If horror isn't your thing Hostage Negotiator was the original version of this system, but I think the Final Girl revisions make it a more playable game.
@@Neilios1000 Thank you. That sounds cool I'll check it out.
I love Robinson Crusoe, and a very subtle but fun solo variant is for Boon Lake
This whole time I'm like man, I can't believe they haven't mentioned Legacy of Yu yet! lol!!!! There it is! #1. Couldn't agree more, it's SO refreshing to play a solo game that we don't have to play against an AI! Brilliant. That storybook is rich too! You have your heart strings pulled. It's great!
Love what you guys do. I just ordered Turing Machine after hearing you guys talk about it for the umpteenth time. Also finally ordered Brass Birmingham since it's been a 10/10 for me for years.
Deep Space D6 is my go-to solo. It's a simple and quick dice chucker trying to get through waves of enemy space ships.
When Nick says, "Co-op," it sounds to me like a native Bostonian saying, "cop." (Said w/ love...I just thought it was funny)
Yes! Legacy of Yu takes the #1 spot! Good choice! Amazing!
Great list. I have played most of the games you mentioned. I also like Resist!, Warp's Edge and Under falling skies.
great job, great vid, and great vibe! Subscribed !
Wahoo!
Yay! I was waiting for this! Thanks❤
You got it!
I've been playing the heck out of Undaunted Normand and N. Africa solo. Currently sitting here playing Hickory Dickory though
Marvel Champions is a great game to play solo.
We don't have any Marvel Champions but have always been interested for the solo alone
Great picks! The ones that I'd add to the list are Spirit Island and Obsession 😊
Good call!
When Feast for Odin turned up second I was hooked to see what number one would be.
I received my copy of The Witcher Old World and was thinging it would be number one. I have played this several times and love the solo mode.
I have Legacy of Yu and cant argue with it being number one on your list. It is a very solid game.
Take care
Final girl is a fit with me for the theme and the gameplay. I love sprawlopolis and Onirim as little quick solo games too. I wanna try Legacy of Yu and Falling sky next!
Great list, always enjoy watching your content. You guys are my wife and my favorite content creators. There's a few on here I've really been wanting to try such as Orleans invasion, Ex libris, and Burncycle. Ark Nova and Feast are so good, love those games. I think Ark Nova will be even better with the expansion, that will help cycle cards from the display. Hope it works well with solo.
Ah thank you so much Erin! Yeah we can't wait for the Ark Nova expansion
I like Ex Libris but I agree, the print is tiny. So I photocopied all the location texts and made little cards for all the players so they can have them in front of them during play. Makes it so much easier and much more enjoyable! Now I will have to check out the solo mode! Love your videos!
Yeah that's a great idea! The text in the game is just so ridiculously small lol
Love me some Friday, good to see it getting some love. It's like gaming comfort food for me, it's got such a satisfying arc with a simple ruleset and some cards.
Commented before I finished the video, so also... yes, Legacy of Yu is brilliant! It immediately jumped up to near the top of my solo games list from the first time I played it.
Great list guys!!!
I love CTG games for solo.. burncycle, cloudspire, hoplomachus, too many bones.. all of them are really great games.. excellent solo experience!!
Planet x is an addiction! Waiting for tuning machine to arrive in Greece to try it out asap!
As far as Garphill games is concerned, I haven't tried their ancient anthology yet, but they have some great solo modes! Paladins and Wayfarers are my fav so far!
Last I would like to mention Anachrony for its solo mode!!
Spirit island and tainted grail are two of my fav solo games as well!!
I really like some solo only small games like maquis, resist, wreckland run, black sonata and under falling skies !
Lastly, I think that the valiant series by Thompson are some great solo war games..
Siege of Valeria is my current favorite solo game. Quick to setup/takedown, some meaty decisions, but still quick to play, and doesn't take up a ton of space.
Oooooh fantastic we’ll have to take a look at that one :)
Great video! I love Turing Machine solo, and I REALLY want to try Legacy of Yu. My favorite solo game, by far, is Final Girl, and I also really love Under Falling Skies, and the solo mode of Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest.
Yeah we've gotta get final girl here at some point
Totally agree Legacy of Yu coming in at 1. I love that game, I also love how smooth and quick setup and clean up is. Also the insert is awesome at organizing too. Great video guys!
Edit: Also one I've been loving solo is Atiwa, I just don't like setting it up. Needs a setup as quick as Legacy of Yu has. Haha.
I'm totally with you Nick on deduction games. It can be very stressful playing with others because I am not as good at it, but when you solo, you can't take your time. Feast for Odin solo is good. You aren't playing your turn and then doing solo player maintenance. All the fun of the game without the time spent on taking the AI's turn as well. I'm still awaiting my copy of Legacy of Yu. Thanks for the list!
My favorite solo ones are: Lost Ruins of Arnak, Star Wars: Outer Rim, The Witcher: Old World, Unbroken, Everdell, Tapestry, Journeys in Middle Earth, Scythe and Terraforming Mars.
Hmmm, I must have forgotten that Outer Rim can be soloed. I've never done it but I love that game!
@@spike2439 yes, there is a solo version. It has its own deck to use just like arnak does & scythe.
Two games I've been playing solo and I loved both are Cascadia and Fantastic Factories.
I missed Final Girl in here. So frustrating game but really fun.
Nemesis would be my nr1 solo experience. Also This War of Mine is a great solo experience. Both are extremely hard, but rewarding.
One of the best solo games is Chainsaw Warrior. Fast paced, brutal and merciless. I revised the rules from 1987 for some logical flaws. After that i worked out a two player coop rule. Fantastic game, forgotten pearl.
Really amazing editing and game footage guys, automatic sub from me❤
Awww that’s awesome so happy to have ya!
SPIRIT. ISLAND. SO GOOD.
10:30 Any recommendations for large-print or iconography games with minimal setup, solo and/or multiplayer (esp. 2-3), for a senior who loves Yahtzee, catch phrase, and interior design/painting? I played Yahtzee and a round of Wingspan with a family friend this weekend, and Wingspan was a bit slow and crunchy for him. Thanks! Just discovered your channel today and I'm enjoying it.
Loved the video, I need to do more solo gaming... Eventually I'll get Turing Machine and that'll help.
Unrelated, but when is the shelf roast video coming? It's been a long while, so I understand if it's been scrapped. 😊
Definitely still on the way we’ve just been super swamped so stay tuned!
@@TheBrothersMurph I love you guys, no worries!!
I rarely play Solo, but I'm going to have to try some of these. I've heard the Dwellings of Eldervale solo mode is really good as well.
I've only played one episode of Final Girl, and that's moving up the list for me. I also enjoy "It's a Wonderful World " solo, which is an interesting way to search the decks, and the theme actually shines. Legacy of Yu tops the list. But, I decided to try the sandbox approach and have been playing 7th continent recently. And for the first time, I feel I might be brave enough for Mage Knight. Am I going solo crazy or what? Thought I'd never like it.
I cant believe they dont include Final Girl! Thats a shame! 🤦🏻♂️
l'll have to check out your next 10 on your Patreon, but here are a few of my favs that you didn't mention. Aeons End/Marvel Champions/Warp's Edges boss/minion battle games are great solo. Take your pick of David Thompson's Undaunted w/Reinforcements, Undaunted: Stalingrad and Pavlov's House have a complex solo mode, but once you get the hang of the cascading action selection system are brilliant. Under Falling Skies is Tetris the board game with an interesting dice action selection mechanism. I really need to pull Anachrony off the shelf for some solo play. And almost all of my favorite Euro games have a solo mode: GWT, Boon Lake, Viticulture, Teotihuacan...
Great choices all!
The 5th player expansion to Orleans also has a solo scenario. It's also tough.
That's where it is, I knew there was another one out there
My top 3 at the moment for solo play: Dune Imperium (+Ix), Legendary Encounters Alien, Nemesis: Lockdown
YOU ARE BOTH AWESOME! ❤❤❤
Nice shout w/ burncycle. Very underrated gem. If it were shorter (and therefore actually playable with 4 lol) it'd be a top 10 game for me. As it is though super super good at 1-2.
I just played Feast for the first time last night multiplayer and now cannot wait to play solo
It's sooooooooooo good!
I was wondering if you have tried The Great Wall?
The 2nd Kickstarter delivered and I have seen it at several stores. It’s interesting because you can play it against a Solo AI or you can play in a cooperative mode.
We haven’t yet. Maybe we’ll add it to the list
Funny. I agree with Ark Nova. Tried the ARNO bot but find it too laborious and it increases game time. I like the simplicity of the inbox solo.
Viscounts of the West Kingdom and Ashes Reborn: Red Rains are my current favourites. I really want to try out a number of games on this list - Legacy of Yu looks especially interesting.
If you can ever get your hands on some of the solo-only games by Alone Editions (Way of the Samurai, The Road, Colossus, The Spirit of Eden) do it. They are primarily Kickstarter only, but worth hunting down. Tiny footprint games that offer a ton of theme, great immersion, a good challenge, and solid replay value. As I wean myself away from Kickstarter altogether, Alone Editions will continue to be an insta-back for me. His games are fully designed and ready for print before even beginning a KS campaign. Once finished, they are off to the printer and shipping to backers within a couple of months. A welcome change of pace from so many other games that I've backed that go into development limbo for years.
Ooooh this sounds very promising we’ll take a look at those games for sure!
Planet Unknown, Cthulhu Death May Die and This War of Mine are my favourite games to solo.
Have you tried clank catacomb solo mode with the app ? The only reason i didnt havr clank was because itsm was not a solo game. The solo of catacomb is awesome !
Oooh that’s awesome!
I love a little game from KS called Doom Machine. Comes in a mint tin but packs a punch
Nemo's War technically is a solo only for me anyway and is great with all the different motives you can play for Nemo.🙂 Fields of Arle and Coffee Roaster are also a solos for me.
We want to get Coffee Roaster sooooo bad!
@@TheBrothersMurph It's sooo good. I recommend getting the original print run one. The artwork is way better imho. 🙂
My favorite board game for solitaire play is This War of Mine.
Flame craft, The Loop and New York Zoo Are in my main rotation now of those that are solo mode from the publisher. What fan solo versions are you loving?
Legacy of Yu is so fun! And hard...I think I'm 2-4 currently. Nemo's War is great but a much bigger game. Just tried Fields of Arle and loved it. Have you tried For Northwood? Unique solo trick taking game.
We haven’t but solo trick taking??? Color is intrigued
A Murph's attempt to powerplay channel content DENIED!
Nusfjord has a similar solo mode to feast for Odin where you use different colour workers each round. I'm not sure if Feast for Odin has this, but in Nusfjord there is a harder solo mode where you cycle between 3 colours of workers instead of just 2. It is so much fun to puzzle out when you want to do certain moves and then inevitably cursing the red player two rounds later for blocking your spot.. Then realising it was you 😔😝
Ooooo gotta try that!
Zapotec solo. Pretty decent opponent.
Oh nice!
I really dig Ark Nova solo and it certainly helps that the setup is pretty quick. I'd play Endless Winter more solo if the setup didn't take just as long as the actual game.
I also think Dune: Imperium is quite good solo.
I feel like there aren't enough turns in the Ark Nova solo mode and that some of the cards and strategies I use in multi-player games are almost useless in the solo version. Maybe I'll try Arno, I think I'll probably like it better.
@@tc3p I do agree that some cards are useless. Terraforming Mars has a similar luck problem because victory points don't matter in solo
I am currently playing Sleeping Gods solo and while it can be played with others, I am not sure I would want to. On the other hand I recently got Trailblazers and it is really good solo and I think it will be also fun with multiple players. I also enjoy Friday, but I like Trailblazers more, I really like to build stuff. Some LCGs (LOTR, AH) are also great solo, but it always takes me some mental courage and commitment to get back into those games.
Mike has won Friday?? BIG FLEX (great gammmme)
You guys need to get on the Button Shy solo train!! I also obviously love Final Girl, Town 66, Onirim, Next Station London, there are so many good ones!! :D
I (Mike) really want to just dive full in on button shy. Definitely jealous of your collection!
Favorites to solo: Marvel United, It's a Wonderful World, Heat, Cascadia, Akropolis, Black Sonata, Maquis.
I am going to have to look into Legacy of Yu.
TGIF…but Friday the game is another story. I’m definitely putting it on my resume if I ever win.
It’s a major accomplishment for sure!
My Ark Nova Solo-variant:
Play 5 turns - ☕️ - 5 turns - ☕️ - 5 - ☕️ - 5 - ☕️ - 5 - ☕️ - 2 turns.
This has the same amount of turns, 27. In the normal solo, I hate you have to wait so long for the first break (which imo is way too long comparing to multiplayer), and you're not constantly on break in the last few rounds. This way it's more in balance.
Good call!
My favourite Solo games currently are:
DUNE IMPERIUM
A FEAST FOR ODIN
TAPESTRY
&
DWELLINGS OF ELVERDALE
Very nice!
I have never been able to find a copy of Ex Libris, im from UK and just cant get it 🤷 been trying for 8 months, Fan Boy 3 is my local shop in Manchester but no luck yet
Ah dang sorry to hear it
I will keep trying 😬
My favorite solo game has to be Magic Maze - just pure chaotic fun
Good call!
Defenatly have to try Odin and Yu.
I've got a really different solo profile here, more on the relaxing side as I'm often really tired I need smooth and easy rules to remember.
Here are few of mine with no particular order :
Astro knights
LOTR LCG
Cascadia
Guild of merchant explorers
After us
Sprawpolis
Street masters
Warp's edge
Bullet
Parks (with my solo variant)
Great list of games!
Bloody Inn is a top solo for me. The minimal setup is great too.
Ooooh we haven’t tried that solo yet
@@TheBrothersMurph it’s a lot of fun solo and easy to manage. It’s a beat your high score kind of thing, but doesn’t bother me like it might some people. Highly recommend.
Watching 🎉
Ohhhh no. Feast of Odin has a solo mode? It would have a stretch to get it to table with my group but if the solo mode is that good I will need to reconsider
Mage Knight and too many bones. Always and forever
Final Girl is oh so good
Final girl, legacy of Yu and ark nova are probably my top 3.
Rad! We really want to try final girl
You don’t even have to like horror movies to enjoy it. I was turned off by the theme at first but now I enjoy it a lot
So for the ARNO bot there is a digital version that does everything for you. Just have to execute the actions and it only takes a few moments. I prefer this as I get to actually play Ark Nova. Any sort of rush variant just sucks all the fun out of a solo mode for me.
Oooh that’s cool hadn’t heard about the digital helper!
@@TheBrothersMurph here is the link. Maybe it will be a better fit. I just set the ipad next to me and good to go.
I bought Turing Machine because Mike made it sound so much fun... Guess what?... He was right!... Daily challenge: yes please!
Also bought The Search for Planet X... it's definitely more crunchy but absolutely love it... the bot always beats me though 😂
They're both just so so good!
Marvel Legendary is my solo of choice at the moment
Great pick! I know most folks solo that one
Loved your list but hey no Paladins of the West Kingdom, Grand Austria Hotel or Maracaibo. Come on get serious lads!!!
Hahaha we’re the worst
Under Falling Skies!
Gotta play that one more for sure!
Legacy of Yu might benefit from the shine of the new games. I agree that after a couple of games, it's an amazing game, but as you delve deeper into it, I find there is not enough renewal / replay value to make it worth it past one campaign. Actually, once you've figured out how to win, you can do it pretty consistantly, despite the cards added by the game as you win games. What I think this game lacks is variability. If you compare it to another Garphill game that I find much better, Hadrian's Wall, you'll find that the path cards you get, as well as the resources you get each turn, will very enough that you can't use the same tactic every time to win. What's more, the game actually provides you with so many different approaches that every game feels different (especially so with the solo campaign the devs issued on BGG), where's Legacy of Yu felt "more of the same" after a half-dozen games. Luckily, the game is rather unexpensive, and can easily be resold on the second-hand market once you're done with it. I agree it's a good game, but one that won't stand the test of time, whereas Spirit Island, Gaia Project, Mage Knight or Marvel Champions, with their modularity, will. That, for me, is what a #1 solo game should be.
Well hey we appreciate your thoughts and especially your picks for fav solo games! We love making lists because it gives us a chance to show what WE love to play and love that folks tell us what they are into playing wherever or not it lines up with our tastes
@@TheBrothersMurph Absolutely! I'm just giving my own opinion here. I'm really glad you're enjoying this game so much!
It's "Or Lee An" not NawLeans two different places #Hermione 😂 One of my favorites
It's so interesting about Ark Nova. I always use it as an example of my least favorite kind of solo mode, one that changes the nature of the game itself. I so dislike that its on a timer compared to multiplayer or ARNO Ark Nova letting you just play the game as you normally would. Especially for Ark Nova being a fairly big box game, I want to leave that bad boy on the table for a while, not only play a set number of turns.
But you see it both ways!
That is totally fair :-) I’m really glad someone made that variant and I hope they print it in future copies of the game so that people have a choice of how they want to engage with it!
Ex Libris is BOSS!
Woah! I mean... i usually don't try to comment why X and Y is missing... but i would never imagine, that ALL of my absolutely favourite solo games would be missing from such a list.... and those are NOT totally "unknown" games, at least, 3 of them.
1. WARP'S EDGE
2. UNDER FALLING SKIES
3. Nemo's War
4. Doom Machine
5. Pulp Invasion
6. The Dead Eye (even 3d glasses in here and 3d coat on everything)
The top3 is very well know... how... why... whatever. And you even look like sci-fi guys... :D And these games i wrote, at least TRUE solo games... Ark Nova on a Solo list? There are so many good TRUE max. player 1 solo games, not just solo variants... why flood the lists with Ark novas... This list now a huge miss for me.
Ha! They’re games we like what can we say?
@@TheBrothersMurph I totally understand. But just becouse u like games to play solo variant, i dont think that should make a proper "top solo game list". I dont think this list adding proper value, or insight to the solo board gamint at all.
In mechanics, there is a huge difference between this: a solo game is like... you against an AI in a box, it reflects on your turns, or make his own turns, behave like a proper AI. Solo variants on the other hand are this: "play the game as usual, ur goal is X or Y points. Hahh... now thats NOT a true solo game. I don't try to be disrespectful, i love your work guys, but i think when you create such a list, you should delve more into this area. There are many games, that can make a solo game toplist without the "get x score" solo variants.
No Mage Knight feels like a literal war crime.
Ha! We still gotta try that one
Yeah MK is my favorite solo game
Orléeeeeeeeeeeeenzzzz.....❤❤❤
Turing machine for sure made my solo list
Its a bit of a heavier game, but I absolutely love Imperium: Classics/Legends as a solo game. Campaign is great but also can play it without and the Bot is simple to run. Just have to get past the vagueness/not so great rulebook
Oooooh copy that!
I second this. I haven't even tried the campaign yet but don't feel the need to. The game has got a really big barrier to entry, but once the system is in your body the game just gives and gives. If you know your history too the attention to detail in the theming is absolutely on point. The game has tricked me into learning about these civilizations just from the cards in the game.
Track down Renegade and play it.
Copy that!
City of the Great Machine is criminally underrated for a solo game
Spirit Island
Mage Knight
Cloudspire
burncycle
Edge of Darkness
Anachrony
Perseverance
Gaia Project
Fully agree on City of the Great Machine, it's the game that I table most often for solo plays
What about Zombicide??????
Ya know I’m not sure either of us have ever soloed that one
Should've seen that coming from a couple of Garpheads.
We out here
If you guys like Friday you really should try Goblivion, it will be available again this fall through the US, it's really good with some mechanics from Friday.
Oh cool!