Hi all!
I LOVE board games but don’t have a lot of people to play with. What are some good games that are either solo only or are able to be played solo? Open to all suggestions!
Friday is a very fun solo game.
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/43570/friday
You are Friday and your objective is to keep Robinson Crusoe alive.
It’s challenging and got a lot of replayability.
Yes!! I second this suggestion :)
If you’re looking for a solo ttrpg, check out IronSworn for a semi-nordic low fantasy game that plays great solo. They recently released a sci-fi version called Star forged that’s worth a look if you prefer that genre.
Maquis and Under Falling Skies are my main solo games at the moment. Both are worker placement, but UFS is a dice worker placement game, where you roll a handful of dice and then decide where to spend them. Maquis has a “resistance helping to defeat the Nazi occupation” theme and Under Falling Skies is basically Space Invaders re-imagined as a board game. Both are well done and play in 20 or 30 minutes usually.
Some of my current favorites:
- When I want something very easy to get into and relaxing: Orchard. Very quick setup, simple gameplay, focused on a single goal
- When I want something a bit heavier but still pretty chill: For Northwood, a solo trick-taking game (how can that even work? It does!). Recent game, inexpensive, good replayability, great value.
- When I want a nice comfy midweight euro: Newton is a great Italian-style euro that has a very smooth solo. Also online on Yucata.
- When I want something heavier but still pleasant: Fields of Arle or A Feast for Odin, some of Uwe’s best. Arle is also online on Yucata, Feast is on BGA.
Right now there’s no game I’d recommend more than Regicide, a game that you can play for free using any standard deck of cards. It works for solo or coop, is surprisingly tactical and challenging and all the rules fit together very nicely.
I learned about it from this Shut Up and Sit Down video, if you want to see someone pitch it better than I could.
You say you’re open to anything, but can you clarify if you prefer board/card games or TTRPGs?
There are a ton of free solo TTRPGs all along the spectrum to simple journaling games to full on RPG experiences. Alone Among The Stars, Thousand Year Old Vampire, Starforged, Colostle, and tons more. If you’re into that idea, check a few out - there are lots available pay-what-you-want on itch.
As far as boardgames, I love Nemo’s War 2nd Edition as a solo game. Many of the Tiny Epic games have solo modes that are pretty fun. Someone else mentioned Friday which is good fun, too.
Not gonna lie, I was today years old when I learned about TTRPGs, or at least the proper name for them. I’ll definitely look into these, as they seem very interesting. Thank you for the suggestions!
Amazing! Welcome to the world (or worlds?)! There are so many different types of games that fit under this umbrella that it can be a little overwhelming.
The games I mentioned in my above comment offer a pretty good cross-section of different types of games built for solo. But there are some I didn’t touch on. And there are also plenty of different types of multiplayer games with lots of different themes and mechanics - it’s not just D&D anymore.
If you want any more specific recommendations or tips as you explore and get started - or if you just want to share about some of the games you’ve been playing - definitely start a new post about it in this community. I love chatting about these games!
I absolutely fell down the journaling TTRPG rabbit hole last night, there’s so many of them that look like fun. I’m generally a sucker for games with beautiful artwork and I got some great vibes from some of them.
Bullet (♥️ or ⭐) are fun board game adaptations of the Shmup video game genre. It plays kind of like Bejeweled or Tetris attach where each player fights to stay alive in a fast paced struggle for survival. In solo (or multiplayer), every heroine has a boss side you (and friends) can fight with unique powers and styles of fighting. Bosses have scaling values so you can play solo fairly. The boss mode also allows for more thinking, as it disabled the real time timer of multiplayer.
