Board Games That Are a Lot of Fun to Play Alone
There’s something about the sound of the dice rolling, the feel of the pieces moving across the board and the feel of the cards in your hand that makes board games so magical. If you lack this experience or can’t get a group to play , these games can be played on their own whenever you want.
The real key to enjoying solo board game
Playing alone removes the need to fight for your favorite character or rules, takes you away from screens and monitors, and can be quite meditative. But since you are playing alone, there are some important rules that you must follow to ensure you enjoy the game.
First you need to choose a good game for a single game (we have a few suggestions below). Basically, you want something that can be played by one person or that can be played alone, with minor tweaks and minor rule changes. Solo Monopoly and Risk is only fun if you can convince your other personalities to play too.
Now that you have your game ready, take care of yourself. This is your time, so grab a bite to eat and play some music or ambient sounds . Or, if you like, enjoy this all too rare silence.
Finally, and most importantly, don’t be fooled! Of course, you can give yourself an added edge every time things get difficult. Nobody would know. But deception will spoil the impression. Remember why you enjoy playing games: they are complex and unpredictable. Sometimes you win; sometimes you lose. This is fine.
Great games for single player
A good solo game should also make you want more after each game. You want an experience that’s different every time you play. If you’re using solitaire as an example, the rules are simple, but no two games are the same. The same principle applies to good solo board games. You need this feeling, “I’ll win next time” or “I wonder what would happen if I used this other character?”
Here are some game tips to get you started. Some are designed to be played solo, but others can be easily converted to single player with a few tweaks.
Friday
Friday is a unique card game because there is actually only one maximum number of players – you. You help “Robinson”, the guy who made his way to your island, to survive, overcoming many of the dangers and harsh conditions of your home.
Robinson and his ability to survive is presented as a stack of cards that you gradually improve throughout the game. Robinson starts out hopelessly and not very skillfully, but based on your decisions, he gains experience and becomes a stronger survivor. It’s hard to give up a single player game that’s meant to be played alone!
Robinson Crusoe: Cursed Island Adventure
Like Friday, Robinson Crusoe (this guy shouldn’t be traveling) features shipwreck survivors lost on a desert island. To survive, you will have to build a shelter, find food, fight animals and fight the elements. There are multiple scenarios and hundreds of event, object, and structure cards that make each game a different survival situation.
As you progress through the game, you can build walls around your house, tame animals, construct weapons and tools, and explore deeper than the island. You can find pirate treasures, abandoned villages, or even a cursed temple.
The game
This card game, which is one of my favorites, is perfect for those who are good at logic or math . The object of the game is pretty simple: discard all 98 numbered cards into four different piles in the correct order. You must play cards in ascending order in two piles and in descending order in the other two piles, and you must play a certain number of cards from your hand each turn before you can draw more. Sounds simple? It is, but it is not easy to win.
Every card you play matters, and a single wrong move can diminish your chances of achieving the perfect game. There are also tons of difficulty settings you can make to keep things fresh. It’s kind of like a solitaire game on steroids. Easy to learn but hard to master.
Arkham Horror and Eerie Horror
They are two different games from the same publisher, Fantasy Flight Games , but I put them together because they have pretty similar mechanics. You play as an investigator or a team of investigators who are trying to keep the nasty Lovecraftian monsters from destroying the city or the entire world. Investigator characters have different stats, stats, and skills, and each investigator has their own inventory of useful items to tackle adversity.
In a nutshell, Eldritch Horror are explorers traveling around the world, not locals, and slightly more advanced than Arkham in mechanics. So it all depends on what sounds more attractive to you. Both games, however, have fantastic add-ons to dive into.
Card Game Pathfinder Adventure: Rise of the Runelords
If you crave some board RPG game but don’t have a group to play with, the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game is for you. You are given a unique character with a specific deck of cards and characteristics. You can be a fighter, a wizard, a crook, and so on, and you can find tasty and tasty loot as you play.
The game is similar to an RPG adventure module with characters, locations and quests. You will acquire allies and equipment to customize your character’s deck and become the character you want to be. Everything you need to get started is included in the basic set, but there are also expansions and additional adventure decks to continue your quest for your character’s glory.
Legendary Encounters: Alien Deck Building Game
Legendary Encounters: Alien is a deck-building game in which you build the best deck of cards you can to take on scenarios from all four films in the Alien franchise. You will battle face lovers and other xenomorphs with characters like Ripley, Dallas and Bishop, and use familiar gear in familiar places.
Legendary Encounters is also a series of games with versions for Marvel and now Predator . They each have their own quirks, but they are fun to play with others or alone.
Knight Mage
In Mage Knight, you are, well, a mage knight who explores an ever-changing world, builds armies, battles enemies, and conquers cities. No two games or board layouts can be exactly the same, and you have tough decisions to make as you go on adventures, cast spells, and become a powerful leader.
A word to the wise, learning to play the knight magician is not a walk in the park. This is what many desktop enthusiasts would call “heavy” or “hardcore.” You definitely need to spend some time reading the rulebook, and your first game will probably be pretty slow. However, once you get your head around it, this is one of the most rewarding and highly recommended solo experiences.
Keep in mind these are just suggestions. There are tons of other games that are great for soloing, and they just can’t fit on this list. Notable games that are missing but worth checking out include Star Realms , Lord of the Rings: The Card Game , Ghost Stories ,Race for the Galaxy , Pandemic , Space Hulk: Death Angel – The Card Game , Elder Sign and many more. … For more guidance, check out these great lists of the Top 100 Singles of 2014 and the Top 100 Singles of 2015 at Boardgamegeek.com.