Matrix Games Forums

Hello all,

Just wondering if anyone here has tried playing any wargames (board) that are built for solo?

If yes, which games have you played? And how do you rate the experience?

Having never played solo before, I have pre-ordered 'The Hunters' at GMT. It is a solo board/card/dice wargame in which you take command of a U-boat for a 'tour' from 1939, before ending in '43 (if you are still in the game...) and becoming a training instructor. The game looks nice, and the price is right for me to jump in and give it a go.

If anyone else has any 'must have' solo boardgames, speak up so I can go and have a look.

The old Victory Games Tokyo Express was a great one.  Wasted many hours in my college days with that.
 
Ed-

Ambush. Filled many a night when I should have been studying [8D]

Darkspire

-Thunderbolt Apache Leader from DVG: good mix of decisions/luck/complexity/atmosphere
(in fact the complete leader series from them (they also have a Uboat game)
-Fields of Fire from GMT: complex but highly rewarding. Out of print but a reprint is on the way
-D-Day at Omaha Beach (reprint just out) from Decision games. From the maker of Ambush. Very good game. My favourite solo game (for the moment )
-RAF (now reprinted) also from Decision games. Also from the same guy. A bit more 'generic'. But nice as well.


Also look for these old and out of print ones (some noted above) on ebay
-Carrier (Victory Games: very tense but long instruction book. So not for everyone
-Ambush: for a lot of solo gamers still the best. Biggest problem; no replayabilty as paragraph driven.
-Tokyo Express

Check the boardgamegeek.com site. They have several 'geeklists' for solo (war)games with reviews/descriptions/AAR's and more

Good luck!

Steel Wolves from Compass Games. Very complex and not super well-balanced, but still interesting.

Advanced Squad Leader (ASL) - solo play is not very high, very complex, very costly, HOF game, started in 1985 (actually derived from Squad Leader that started in 1977). It might not be for you but I thought I would give you the info. Happy Gaming!

http://www.multimanpublishing.com/Produ ... fault.aspx

Patrick

This Hallowed Ground....Regimental game, plenty of scenarios.  Has order system that's easy to work with and works great for solo.  Also the CWB series from Multiman Games.  Eurofront east is a good game solo by your self.   The Multiman tactical system will work as well.  Good luck. 

Let's see. I have:

Patton's Best
RAF
Advanced Squad leader
Thunderbolt Apache Leader
Steel Wolves.

I've played NONE of them...but have started reading all the manuals and really want to play them as they all are rated highly...so I have NO feedback other than I've heard they are good games!

B-17 Queen of the Skies.

SPI Fall of Rome.
I often thought of coding it for my computer but never got around to it.

I played a solo only WW11 game in the early 90's that was actually made to play solo but can't remember the name. It was individual soldier and vehicle based and you would control the American player against German or Japanese opponents. There was a guide that would direct the German or Japanese soldiers based on the roll of dice or your moves. I can't remember the name but it was a lot of fun. Since the opponents moves where based on the roll of dice there was always different situations if you replayed a scenerio. Anyone remember this game?

Avalon Hill's B-17 is the queen (pun intended) of solitare board games [:)]

AH's Bismark was pretty good for solo play with the spotting rules and all. Of course I could never convince anyone to play it, everyone preferring to play Space Invaders on the new fangled Atari 2600 system

ORIGINAL: oldbaldwargamer

Let's see. I have:

Patton's Best
RAF
Advanced Squad leader
Thunderbolt Apache Leader
Steel Wolves.

I've played NONE of them...but have started reading all the manuals and really want to play them as they all are rated highly...so I have NO feedback other than I've heard they are good games!

I played Patton's Best, Squad Leader and Ambush to death in the early-mid eighties. I moved on to ASL and Solo ASL...loved both.

Patton's Best and Ambush are still great solo games. Squad Leader, Panzerblitz and Panzer Leader are playable solo, but it is not the same as games made just for those of us lonely basement dwellers.

This channel may be of interest. Yes, an actual female wargamer...and she's young...and cute [;)]

She's just getting into wargaming and has started off doing solo stuff. Some companies have sent her free games, no doubt with an eye on the other 50% of the population...It's like selling stuff in China or India...you don't have to capture much of the market to move a lot of extra units.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svHiLZ8Yga4

Cheers, Neilster

ORIGINAL: Neilster

This channel may be of interest. Yes, an actual female wargamer...and she's young...and cute [;)]

She's just getting into wargaming and has started off doing solo stuff. Some companies have sent her free games, no doubt with an eye on the other 50% of the population...It's like selling stuff in China or India...you don't have to capture much of the market to move a lot of extra units.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svHiLZ8Yga4

Cheers, Neilster

I just showed this to my wife. Her response - "well good look marrying her!!"

OOPS.

I own and have played most of those listed here.

Have to add another great one:

Avalon Hill's Raid on St. Nazaire (sp?)

And consider using VASSAL for your gaming. I've only played Steel Wolves via VASSAL, and as such the game is largely pristine. The manuals are a bit dogeared, but the pieces are unpunched.

SPI did 2 games specifically for solo play - Operation Olympic (Invasion of Japan) and Wolfpack (U-boat war).

ORIGINAL: Fleming

-RAF (now reprinted) also from Decision games. Also from the same guy. A bit more 'generic'. But nice as well.

Not a "reprint" per se'. The original version had one game and you played as the RAF. The new version is updated and includes 3 games (2 of which are solitaire).