Thanks for these approachable reviews, Wayne. I’ve been more interested in solitaire games since moving away from buddies in Philly to CLT, then SAC, and now ABQ where I just didn’t take enough time to find local clubs. ABQ doesn’t seem to have much in the wargaming side of boardgames at any rate. Subscribed!
Very nice video ! 5 games I didn't know. Very useful. There are too much video about always the same hyped games or the last kickstarter... we need more videos like yours !
I appreciate that! Like I was saying to another viewer, Stuart, your wallet (or spouse) may not appreciate it, but there are truly some great games out there.
Hey Wayne! Haven't dropped you a comment in awhile, but I've been sick with Covid. Doing much better now. Will be sure to check out some of these games, as I'm mainly a solo player. Thanks for the list! I won a copy of Shores of Tripoli on The Gimpy Gamers sight, and after seeing your review, I'm going to give it a shot today.
Hey Jeff! Glad to hear you're feeling better at least! Oh man, lucky you, it's a great game. I can't say the topic was a huge interest of mine before I played the game, but don't let that stop you. The game is an amazing design, and plays fast and furious. My favorite kind of solo wargame.
Yea for Stilicho last of the romans great fun and hard to win game. it had great components and tons and tons of replayability. A real joy with the added bonus that it introduced me to you and your RUclips channel. Ostkrieg I enjoyed this game the complaints about this seem to be from people who were expecting a more complex simulation type eastern front game something this game never set out to be. It is a light enjoyable east front in a night themed game. The one other game I am surprised did not make your list even though it is not a out and out solo game is D-Day Quad this has a great map and is eminently suitable for solo play through the fire and move system and as you have included Chancellorsville it must have a chance to qualify as a two-player game that you can play both sides solo. Anyway, these are the three games you are responsible for me getting last year and I thank you even if my bank balance does not. 😉 I look forward to the 2021 list happy gaming.
@@chrisridley4840 I decided to only put games with a true solitaire mode on the list. All 6 games are either designed for solo play, or come with a bot that simulates the second player. DDay Quad and Battle for Germany, although fun games and easy to play solo by playing both sides, don't technically qualify based on that.
When you first started talking about “The First Jihad”, I wasn’t all that interested, not because I don’t like States of Siege, but I just have a lot of them already. But when you mentioned how they kind of flipped it on it’s head, that got me intrigued.
Aaron, I don't mind a game that uses tried and true methods, but when a game mixes things up and creates a new experience, that's when I really get excited. The First Jihad is one that does exactly that.
Caesar; Rome vs Gaul is one my favourites of 2020, need to try it solo with the stuka joe method. Always enjoy bashing some romans as gaul, no matter which game it is.
When GMT's official Solo CDG system comes out (I have it P500'd), I'm going to dive into some of these CDG's I have avoided. Caesar: Rome vs Gaul is definitely one of them. I am addicted to Roman games. Although I prefer to play as the Roman side lol.
Always enjoyed your videos but never subscribed ( I have now) All these look good. M g-grandfather fought w the confederacy at Chancellorsville so I will try that one first. Good episode, thanks.
Thanks Wayne, a good list. Last year I found out I'm not really a big fan of solo games, despite playing most of my games solo - I play for story and for most of the solo games very high difficulty level breaks the theme. Nowdays I prefer to play 2 players games only and just play 2-handed. One example I have from your list is Space Infantry Resurgence - it breaks the theme for me if every squad I'm sending feels like "forlorn hope" - you need to have above average luck with event rolls or pure maths will mean you'll lose your squad. Doesn't look like Space Infantry command is too smart...
I get that, I don't know why so many solo games are designed to be so difficult. I get frustrated if I can't beat a game. With Space Infantry Resurgence I had some luck and was able to win my first couple Missions in a row, so I think that made later Missions when I was crushed more palatable. I've played my share of 2 player games by playing both sides, but for this list, I wanted to focus on solitaire designed games. Either only solitaire, or with a true solo bot that comes in the box.
The problem with Mr Smith is that he almost always designs the same games, just changes the names of them. Air, boats, submarines, tanks ... all these are pure dice rollers with a bit of chrome. I call him DVG 2 and these kind of games the Avalon Hill B17 copycats. Obviously these “adventure games” sell but I would advice everyone to stick to the theme they like best. I want INNOVATION in solo designs not 13 in a dozen look alikes.
Nice List! Have you had a chance to play either Caesar: Rome Vs. Gaul or White Eagle Defiant? Both were really fun - Caesar RvG had me in the "One more turn, one more turn" zone.
Not yet Alexander! With Caesar: RvG I actually thought I had it on P500'd, but well, turns out I didn't. At this point I'm just going to wait till there is a good solo variant (fan made or otherwise) before I pick it up. White Eagle Defiant I also want, and was going to order it during Hollandspiele's winter sale, but somehow forgot to. Guess I had enough games at the time? Hah.
Hey, I saw you Shores of Tripili cards in a plastic bags. Did you know if you go to a card shop you can by clear plastic containers for baseball cards that perfectly hold those wide cards? Maybe its why they started making board games cards wider
Nice to see solo games. The last 2 interest me. I prefer games by Kevin Zucker not solo but great against another good player. A list of ACW games available would be useful to me. A battle or the campaign with a good hex map.
Hey everyone! I hope you liked the video. If you did, I'd love to think I earned your subscription. It really helps me to get more of these great games to show off! You can also help by subscribing to my Patreon: www.patreon.com/wargaminghansen OR making a One-time donation: paypal.me/wargaminghansen
I know this is late to the party but could/would you be interested in doing a solo war game.of the month video? For each month what you think is the pick of the month, whether a magazine game, board game etc??
Hey murph. It's definitely not a bad idea! My only concern is some months are a lot more lean than others. We'll see maybe one or two releases one month, then half a dozen another month. Since I focus on solitaire (and solitaire capable) wargames, that limits the amount of games available to look at also. I'm not saying it couldn't be done though. Another idea to add to the pile of video ideas, haha.
@@WayneHansen that makes sense! Do you like playing both sides in non traditional solo war games? I never have yet, i know your supposed to try your best for each side but just feel like my brain couldn't work like that and would always be "rooting" for one side lol
Interesting that you find Chancellorsville 1863 a good solo game. MarcoOmnigamer thinks the hidden movement rules out solitaire play. I watched your solo play (sample) so it's there. Can the gamer play against the Confederates, i.e, can the Union be the bot?
Dale, yes it does. It comes with an actual solitaire bot and rules. There's even a chart on the board itself for the solo mode. Did Marco not cover that? Did he have a production copy or an older version? Mine is a production copy.
OK, so you're saying the "bot" can be the Union as well as the Confederates. I've only seen demos with a Confederate bot. And clearly, a player probably wants to emulate Lee's more than Hooker and that requires an AI Union in the rules. In any event, thanks for evaluating solo games and games that can be played solo. Need 'em more than ever.
The core game is something like 20 pages of rules. Lots of pictures and examples. The rulebook includes other modes along with long examples of play and other helpful information. The actual rules are not that long or complicated.
Nice effort but ... seriously half of these are State of Siege games which - these days - are as exciting as watching paint dry. Ok I played a lot of these almost a decade ago with the now defunct Victory Point games, but I sold most of them over the years. You roll dice and try to stop an ever advancing AI on a board that frankly is not even close to portray a realistic situation. Be that strategical, tactical or political. I would not call these wargames frankly, just State of Siege games with a light theme put over them. Once you see through these, you’ll stop playing them as wargames, perhaps keep a few titles as time fillers, but that’s about it. I think your top2 are the only ones that could be interesting. But the Gettysburg game shows a single ONE 6 sided dice strategy, which always makes me worrying... about how intelligent that may be (knowing other disasters in this solo Bot field). The number one looks the best as a proper solo effort. I am new to your channel and I play 98% solo for decades. So I am certainly interested in your channel and keep posting please. FYI, after 43 years of (solo) (war)gaming I am still searching for the best games and any help is welcome :) My top solo games vary and it depends on the daily mood setting, but atm Enemy Action Ardennes, CoH Eastern Front solo expansion and the Ambush series are still up there for various reasons. John Butterfield is still the only Jedi Knight in solo war designs. The Panzer system of GMT is fun too (a mediocre solo effort but awesome in semi 2 handed with hidden troops) and a special mention to the AI Bot in Hitlers Reich for being true to some historical flow in a rather unique strategic WW2 game. I am very curious about Jason Carr too. He leads the new solo department of GMT atm and I loved his work on the Card Bots in both Tank Duel and Gandhi which (of course) took a good look at the AI Bot of CoH’s Butterfield 6 year old solo design. Keep up the work ! 😀
Bobo, I appreciate the comment, but I absolutely do not agree with you. The "State of Siege" games on this list are not the SoS games of years ago, with their "Roll 1d6 a few times and see what happens" style of mechanics. There is a lot more strategy and tactics to them thanks to new mechanics, card management, luck mitigation, etc. I could go on but I covered that in the video.
Dude. A game with war is not a wargame. A point to point game is different than an area movement game. And 'Shores of Tripoli' is not a 'mainstream game', it is a wargame with Euro like qualities. Words are useful if you use them correctly.
Awesome list Wayne! And thanks for the shout out for Stilicho: Last of the Romans :)
I appreciate that Robert! Hey, keep designing excellent games, and I'll keep playing and sharing them.
Mostly a list of games I had never heard of. Thanks for the heads up!
Absolutely Battle! I enjoy showing off the games that I find fun.
This is really cool dude! Thanks for the list! I’m really interested in The First Jihad and The Shores of Tripoli.
Thanks for these approachable reviews, Wayne. I’ve been more interested in solitaire games since moving away from buddies in Philly to CLT, then SAC, and now ABQ where I just didn’t take enough time to find local clubs. ABQ doesn’t seem to have much in the wargaming side of boardgames at any rate. Subscribed!
Hi Wayne,
I appreciate your videos!!! This is a very interesting one for solitaire gamers.
Glad you like them Chris! I plan to keep putting them out. Solitaire wargames need more love.
Very nice video ! 5 games I didn't know. Very useful. There are too much video about always the same hyped games or the last kickstarter... we need more videos like yours !
I'm glad you enjoyed the video! I try to cover games that aren't "mainstream". As mainstream as our hobby gets, anyway.
Fantastic Wayne, thanks for doing this. I've just upgraded my "to buy" list!
Glad to hear it Bob! So many good games out there, sometimes it's just a matter of finding them.
Great content Wayne. A few more added to my shopping list! Cheers
I appreciate that! Like I was saying to another viewer, Stuart, your wallet (or spouse) may not appreciate it, but there are truly some great games out there.
I enjoy watching your videos. You cover a lot of games that don't get any attention. Keep it up!
Thank you for the kind words Gordon. I certainly intend to!
Hey Wayne! Haven't dropped you a comment in awhile, but I've been sick with Covid. Doing much better now. Will be sure to check out some of these games, as I'm mainly a solo player. Thanks for the list! I won a copy of Shores of Tripoli on The Gimpy Gamers sight, and after seeing your review, I'm going to give it a shot today.
Hey Jeff! Glad to hear you're feeling better at least! Oh man, lucky you, it's a great game. I can't say the topic was a huge interest of mine before I played the game, but don't let that stop you. The game is an amazing design, and plays fast and furious. My favorite kind of solo wargame.
Yea for Stilicho last of the romans great fun and hard to win game. it had great components and tons and tons of replayability. A real joy with the added bonus that it introduced me to you and your RUclips channel.
Ostkrieg I enjoyed this game
the complaints about this seem to be from people who were expecting a more complex simulation type eastern front game something this game never set out to be. It is a light enjoyable east front in a night themed game.
The one other game I am surprised did not make your list even though it is not a out and out solo game is D-Day Quad this has a great map and is eminently suitable for solo play through the fire and move system and as you have included Chancellorsville it must have a chance to qualify as a two-player game that you can play both sides solo.
Anyway, these are the three games you are responsible for me getting last year and I thank you even if my bank balance does not. 😉
I look forward to the 2021 list happy gaming.
I agree with you completely Chris. I'm also looking forward to seeing what solitaire friendly wargames we get in 2021.
@@WayneHansen
Just out of curiosity why no D day quad or battle for germany both play very well solo so were they close to your list ?
@@chrisridley4840 I decided to only put games with a true solitaire mode on the list. All 6 games are either designed for solo play, or come with a bot that simulates the second player. DDay Quad and Battle for Germany, although fun games and easy to play solo by playing both sides, don't technically qualify based on that.
@@WayneHansen ok thanks for that
I see room for another list 2 player games you can play solo 🙂
When you first started talking about “The First Jihad”, I wasn’t all that interested, not because I don’t like States of Siege, but I just have a lot of them already. But when you mentioned how they kind of flipped it on it’s head, that got me intrigued.
Aaron, I don't mind a game that uses tried and true methods, but when a game mixes things up and creates a new experience, that's when I really get excited. The First Jihad is one that does exactly that.
Caesar; Rome vs Gaul is one my favourites of 2020, need to try it solo with the stuka joe method. Always enjoy bashing some romans as gaul, no matter which game it is.
When GMT's official Solo CDG system comes out (I have it P500'd), I'm going to dive into some of these CDG's I have avoided. Caesar: Rome vs Gaul is definitely one of them. I am addicted to Roman games. Although I prefer to play as the Roman side lol.
Always enjoyed your videos but never subscribed ( I have now)
All these look good. M g-grandfather fought w the confederacy at Chancellorsville so I will try that one first. Good episode, thanks.
Thanks Wayne, a good list. Last year I found out I'm not really a big fan of solo games, despite playing most of my games solo - I play for story and for most of the solo games very high difficulty level breaks the theme. Nowdays I prefer to play 2 players games only and just play 2-handed.
One example I have from your list is Space Infantry Resurgence - it breaks the theme for me if every squad I'm sending feels like "forlorn hope" - you need to have above average luck with event rolls or pure maths will mean you'll lose your squad. Doesn't look like Space Infantry command is too smart...
I get that, I don't know why so many solo games are designed to be so difficult. I get frustrated if I can't beat a game. With Space Infantry Resurgence I had some luck and was able to win my first couple Missions in a row, so I think that made later Missions when I was crushed more palatable. I've played my share of 2 player games by playing both sides, but for this list, I wanted to focus on solitaire designed games. Either only solitaire, or with a true solo bot that comes in the box.
Nice list Wayne!
Thank you! Lots of good games came out in 2020, it was hard to narrow down.
Didn't know Gregory M Smith was a co-designer on Ostkrieg,Love his games,Can't wait till his next game comes out
Agreed, he is a solo wargamers best friend. I can't wait to learn more about Tank Ace.
The problem with Mr Smith is that he almost always designs the same games, just changes the names of them. Air, boats, submarines, tanks ... all these are pure dice rollers with a bit of chrome. I call him DVG 2 and these kind of games the Avalon Hill B17 copycats. Obviously these “adventure games” sell but I would advice everyone to stick to the theme they like best.
I want INNOVATION in solo designs not 13 in a dozen look alikes.
One of the best parts of age of empires 2 and the xpo was reading the history book / glossary. Learned a lot as a kid playing that game
Thank you!
Thanks for the list and an introduction to some interesting solo games.
Robert, I figured if I enjoyed these games, maybe others will as well.
Nice List! Have you had a chance to play either Caesar: Rome Vs. Gaul or White Eagle Defiant? Both were really fun - Caesar RvG had me in the "One more turn, one more turn" zone.
Not yet Alexander! With Caesar: RvG I actually thought I had it on P500'd, but well, turns out I didn't. At this point I'm just going to wait till there is a good solo variant (fan made or otherwise) before I pick it up. White Eagle Defiant I also want, and was going to order it during Hollandspiele's winter sale, but somehow forgot to. Guess I had enough games at the time? Hah.
Nice video. I didn't know about Ostkrieg!
Thank you! Ostkrieg is my go-to light/easy playing eastern front game.
Thanks for sharing, nice list. =)
Hey, I saw you Shores of Tripili cards in a plastic bags. Did you know if you go to a card shop you can by clear plastic containers for baseball cards that perfectly hold those wide cards? Maybe its why they started making board games cards wider
Robert, I had no idea actually. Sure would protect them more than a plastic bag haha. I'll have to check out one of my local shops.
Awesome list, thanks!
My pleasure Tom!
Nice to see solo games. The last 2 interest me.
I prefer games by Kevin Zucker not solo but great against another good player.
A list of ACW games available would be useful to me. A battle or the campaign with a good hex map.
Hey everyone! I hope you liked the video. If you did, I'd love to think I earned your subscription. It really helps me to get more of these great games to show off! You can also help by subscribing to my Patreon: www.patreon.com/wargaminghansen OR making a One-time donation: paypal.me/wargaminghansen
80% in and already costing me money. Ouch!
@@harrybosch4595 I'm going to have to change my identity soon. There are about to be a lot of angry spouses looking for me...
thank you
Great video. Subbed! In Chancellorsville, can you be either side or are you always one side?
I appreciate that! You can play either side. The game comes with both Union and Rebel decks for controlling the bot.
I know this is late to the party but could/would you be interested in doing a solo war game.of the month video? For each month what you think is the pick of the month, whether a magazine game, board game etc??
Hey murph. It's definitely not a bad idea! My only concern is some months are a lot more lean than others. We'll see maybe one or two releases one month, then half a dozen another month. Since I focus on solitaire (and solitaire capable) wargames, that limits the amount of games available to look at also. I'm not saying it couldn't be done though. Another idea to add to the pile of video ideas, haha.
@@WayneHansen that makes sense! Do you like playing both sides in non traditional solo war games? I never have yet, i know your supposed to try your best for each side but just feel like my brain couldn't work like that and would always be "rooting" for one side lol
I really wanted to get Ostkrieg but the negative reviews put me off. Now I need to look at this again.
I like Ostkrieg. It's not perfect, but I can play an entire game in a long evening and get the feeling of the Eastern Front.
Interesting that you find Chancellorsville 1863 a good solo game. MarcoOmnigamer thinks the hidden movement rules out solitaire play. I watched your solo play (sample) so it's there. Can the gamer play against the Confederates, i.e, can the Union be the bot?
Dale, yes it does. It comes with an actual solitaire bot and rules. There's even a chart on the board itself for the solo mode. Did Marco not cover that? Did he have a production copy or an older version? Mine is a production copy.
OK, so you're saying the "bot" can be the Union as well as the Confederates. I've only seen demos with a Confederate bot. And clearly, a player probably wants to emulate Lee's more than Hooker and that requires an AI Union in the rules. In any event, thanks for evaluating solo games and games that can be played solo. Need 'em more than ever.
why there is no "In Magnificent Style Deluxe Edition"
Because it wasn't released until 2021! It may appear on my top solitaire games of 2021 list... or maybe not 🤥
For Space Infantry, how many pages of rules? The pdf is 136 pages. How much to just start playing?
The core game is something like 20 pages of rules. Lots of pictures and examples. The rulebook includes other modes along with long examples of play and other helpful information. The actual rules are not that long or complicated.
@@WayneHansen Thanks very much, Wayne, that’s a BIG help!
Nice effort but ... seriously half of these are State of Siege games which - these days - are as exciting as watching paint dry. Ok I played a lot of these almost a decade ago with the now defunct Victory Point games, but I sold most of them over the years. You roll dice and try to stop an ever advancing AI on a board that frankly is not even close to portray a realistic situation. Be that strategical, tactical or political.
I would not call these wargames frankly, just State of Siege games with a light theme put over them.
Once you see through these, you’ll stop playing them as wargames, perhaps keep a few titles as time fillers, but that’s about it.
I think your top2 are the only ones that could be interesting. But the Gettysburg game shows a single ONE 6 sided dice strategy, which always makes me worrying... about how intelligent that may be (knowing other disasters in this solo Bot field).
The number one looks the best as a proper solo effort.
I am new to your channel and I play 98% solo for decades. So I am certainly interested in your channel and keep posting please.
FYI, after 43 years of (solo) (war)gaming I am still searching for the best games and any help is welcome :)
My top solo games vary and it depends on the daily mood setting, but atm Enemy Action Ardennes, CoH Eastern Front solo expansion and the Ambush series are still up there for various reasons. John Butterfield is still the only Jedi Knight in solo war designs.
The Panzer system of GMT is fun too (a mediocre solo effort but awesome in semi 2 handed with hidden troops) and a special mention to the AI Bot in Hitlers Reich for being true to some historical flow in a rather unique strategic WW2 game.
I am very curious about Jason Carr too. He leads the new solo department of GMT atm and I loved his work on the Card Bots in both Tank Duel and Gandhi which (of course) took a good look at the AI Bot of CoH’s Butterfield 6 year old solo design.
Keep up the work ! 😀
Bobo, I appreciate the comment, but I absolutely do not agree with you. The "State of Siege" games on this list are not the SoS games of years ago, with their "Roll 1d6 a few times and see what happens" style of mechanics. There is a lot more strategy and tactics to them thanks to new mechanics, card management, luck mitigation, etc. I could go on but I covered that in the video.
Wow, you must be fun at parties
Dude. A game with war is not a wargame. A point to point game is different than an area movement game. And 'Shores of Tripoli' is not a 'mainstream game', it is a wargame with Euro like qualities. Words are useful if you use them correctly.
I appreciate the helpful feedback. 😁