Ultimate Solitaire or Solo Game Battle!
Tony Ackroyd
United Kingdom
Brighton
E Sussex
-
Continuing my 'Battle' series of geeklists (see the full list below) on another topic of interest to me: Solo Games. This list tries to capture all the best games on the geek that are either solitaire or have a good solo variant.
I've trawled a load solo/solitaire geeklists to get the base list of 86 - I required a game to be mentioned on at least 3 lists to add it.
Feel free to add your own suggestions.
The initial order will be based on the number of times the games appeared on the geeklists I used. This will also be used as a tide-breaker, as will ranking if required.
The Battle
Some of these games receive increased ratings due to nostalgia while others that are not just for one player will not be rated purely on the basis of solitaire play. This list attempts to determine the best games to play solitaire!
1. Vote using the green  icon for the games you think play well solitaire. Feel free to add comments saying why you like them. ThumbsUp in comments will not be counted.
2. If you strongly dislike a game solitaire then you can add a comment with a  or a THUMBSDOWN. Feel free to thumb down if you think the game is not suitable for this list - i.e. not playable solitaire!
I'll regularly review the list and re-sort it based on the Net number of each game has.
The comment for each game is one from a user who rates it highly - not my comments!
Other lists in this 'Battle' Series:
Ultimate Ameritrash Game Battle!
Ultimate 2-Player Game Battle!
Ultimate Gateway Game Battle!
Ultimate Gamers Game Battle!
Ultimate Horror/'B Movie' Game Battle!
Ultimate Light Wargame Battle!
Ultimate RPG/Dungeoncrawl/Herogame Battle!
Party Game Battle: The (Little) BIG 13
Party Game Battle: The BIG 13
And a Metalist of them all: The Tony Awards
Also check out: The Best Games for 1 Player
Also see: Best Games By Category - Polls
-
Tony Ackroyd
United Kingdom
Brighton
E Sussex
-
On 3 Solo/Solitaire geeklists.
The Maverick: "Simple solo "hack and slash" fantasy adventure. Not up to par with state of the art solo games, but looks to be a fun little diversion for its time."
-
-
Tony Ackroyd
United Kingdom
Brighton
E Sussex
-
On 4 Solo/Solitaire geeklists.
jody: "Our first intro to a dungeon-crawl type game (we play w/100 pt heroes). The unique 'click' design in the combat dial base containing the attributes of each individual figure is very slick. The collectibility was not a problem as the individual figures were relatively easy to obtain off eBay. Game play is straight forward and offers enough variety in control and randomness to make each play a unique one. An additional .5 is given for the 'eerie' enhancements made by the Artifact sets, 3D Dungeon tiles, walls, and traps accessories."
official solo rules:
http://www.wizkidsgames.com/mkdungeons/documents/Pyramidsoli...
-
-
Ross Gerke
United States
Indianapolis
Indiana
Wisdom begins in wonder.
Stale pastry is hollow succor to a man who is bereft of ostrich.
-
I'm surprised to see this missing from the list. I really enjoy it and have played all 80 set-ups included, and plan on running through them again the see if my scores improve.
-
-
Tony Ackroyd
United Kingdom
Brighton
E Sussex
-
On 3 Solo/Solitaire geeklists.
slacker35: "Based on the same mechanics as the earlier Microgame Intruder, this game has several differences and IMO is considerably more difficult, though not much more difficult to understand and play. Decent as a solo game."
-
-
Jonathan Townsend
Italy
Roma
Lazio
-
I have the earlier Hornet Leader and Thunderbolt Apache Leaders, and I much prefer this one.
The chit management and fiddliness of the other two detracted from the enjoyment I gained from them.
Whilst this is just a fabbo streamlined Blast! I found it really really good fun.
This game gets a 10 in my book.
-
-
Tony Ackroyd
United Kingdom
Brighton
E Sussex
-
Added late. Free Print n Play.
kombaman: "I love this game. It's taken over my table and refuses to leave. Replayability is high. Solitaire has been working fine for me, as long as I remain impartial from side to side, which is hard to do, as you can become somewhat invested in your squads on any particular side. It's a great game that grows better with your understanding of the rules and intricacies possible within them."
-
-
Tony Ackroyd
United Kingdom
Brighton
E Sussex
-
On 3 Solo/Solitaire geeklists.
Maxiumum Pain: "played it a few times. The rules for modern weapons are interesting as are some of the monsters (watch out for that dragon!!!) got a lot of use out of the map for role playing as well."
Hrothgarrr: "If simply for the fact that you get to take on dragons with machine guns...this can be recommended."
-
-
Tony Ackroyd
United Kingdom
Brighton
E Sussex
-
Late entry
It's a nice easy filler. Very simple to learn and to play. The cards have beautifull art and the coding system is very realiable. I recommend it for those that want some solitary challenge, have very short time and table space.
-
-
♫ Eric Herman ♫
United States
West Richland
Washington
I like elephants. I like how they swing through trees.
-
A free solo PnP Old West themed dice-based journey. Requires 8 dice (3 of one color and 5 of another), a pen/pencil and the playsheet.
rathmourne: "All in all, I really like the game and I recommend it to anyone with a handful of d6s lying about. It is a nice challenge and there are plenty of choices to be made along the way."
-
-
Tony Ackroyd
United Kingdom
Brighton
E Sussex
-
Very late entry...
EndersGame: "Rating: 9. A filler that's a civ game with dice? As long as you're not expecting a sumo wrestler the size of Through the Ages: A Story of Civilization, and judge the game on its own merits as a dice-rolling filler game, Roll Through the Ages has to be commended for offering a genuinely civilization experience packed into 30 minutes. There's a basic tech tree, there's interesting choices, there's tension, and there's a high fun factor. A big thumbs up!
The game ends quickly, I recommend playing up to 5 developments with 4 players, 6 developments with 3 players, and 7 developments with 2 players.
See my comprehensive pictorial review here: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/380167
Also don't miss the solitaire high score challenge - my highest score is 93."
-
-
Tony Ackroyd
United Kingdom
Brighton
E Sussex
-
It doesn't fit my base requirement for the list so it goes on as a additional entry, but I've enjoyed a solo game of Britannia in the past - you just play each nation as an individual group, which is fairly easy given their victory conditions, and see what happens.
1
-
-
Jim Ruddy
Canada
Hamilton
Ontario
-
I'm going to add this one to the list. I know it is on at least one solo GL (mine) and it does come up in the forums as good wargame to solo play as well.
-
-
Tony Ackroyd
United Kingdom
Brighton
E Sussex
-
Late addition. Free Print n play.
-
-
Tony Ackroyd
United Kingdom
Brighton
E Sussex
-
On 7 Solo/Solitaire geeklists.
Strategy: "The best political boardgame that I've ever played, and probably one of the most enjoyable games I've played. It's greatest weakness (as has already been noted) is the length of the game as well as the complexity of the rules, something which is not helped by a rather opaque rulebook. It is more than made up for (in my opinion) by the elegance of the game itself, which shines the most in its full 5 player glory. Surprisingly, the game can also be very entertaining as a 2-player or solo-game."
2
-
-
Trencher for Life
United States
Slidell
Louisiana
-
ynnen: Another of my all-time favorites. One of the best cooperative games out there. Yes, there is a lot of luck involved, but clever groups with good teamwork can overcome luck and will find a wonderful gaming experience. One of the most often played games I own. A social, outgoing and talkative group will get the most out of this game.
[UPDATE] A recent replay confirmed just how much I love this game. It is indeed an "experience" game moreso than a "strategy" game, but for what it does, and the niche it fills, there is none finer. If the current version of Minion Hunter mechanically stayed intact but benefited from the excellent production quality and marketing FFG is able to apply to a game, it would easily be among their top rated games, quickly outdistancing Lord of the Rings, Fury of Dracula and Arkham Horror as the best cooperative game in their library.
-
-
Gary Pressler
United States
West Lafayette
Indiana
-
Insecta is best with a small group, but it can also be a rather entertaining diversion for one, using an included set of rules to control the enemy critters. However, the "AI" could use a bit of tweaking, and you'll need at least two mutant (character) bugs to have any chance of survival. Still, it is fun to see what combinations of bug bits work well together. Add the Rainforest Expansion and you can have a pixie, complete with flamethrower, attempt to ride and guide a mutant bug or two out of the hive.
-
-
Ray
United States
Carpentersville
Illinois
-
Has a bit more theme than DeathMaze...
-
-
Tony Ackroyd
United Kingdom
Brighton
E Sussex
-
Added late for completeness. Free Print n Play.
seandavidross: "This is an okay game. The theme adds flavour to the plain push your luck mechanics; and it also brings a sense of cohesiveness to the 10 variations by making similar competitions have similar mechanics. The game can pass the time enjoyably when played solo but is more enjoyable when played with two. Even at that number, however, it can run a bit long, so I'd recommend only playing it with more players if everybody gets a set of 8 dice. Also, keeping track of records between sessions sounds like an excellent way to add some extra spice to the game."
-
-
bran mcmillin
United States
Batavia
Ohio
-
Cheese Chasers is a SOLITAIRE OR MULTI-PLAYER, FREE PNP card game that I designed, takes 1-10 minutes to play. Printable on 3 pgs of 8.5" x 11" (that includes the pocketmod rule booklet). It can be played Cooperatively OR Competitively.
Show everyone how you are the top Cheese Chasers around by posting your HIGH score at the Scores Thread.
Scores Thread: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/386572
-
-
Christoph Haeberling
Switzerland
Hinterforst
SG
-
Tactical First World War game included in #8 winter 2009-10 issue of Panzer Digest magazine.
From Minden Game's website
POOR BLOODY INFANTRY is a tactical World War I "experience" game simulating a single platoon (featuring counters representing individual men) going over the top at the Somme on July 1, 1916. The game is played on a standard chess board grid, and includes 128 counters, rules, Reference Card, and four historical scenarios: Red Hand at Thiepval Wood, 10th West Yorks at Fricourt, Advance of the 4th Liverpool Pals, and 16th Middlesex at Beaumont Hamel.
Poor Bloody Infantry is a simple solitaire tactical game that simulates a British platoon going "over the top" during the first hour of the initial British attack at the Somme on July 1, 1916. The object of the game is for the British (the player) to capture the opposing German trench. During play, individual British soldiers will brave German fire (the game system) while moving across No Man's Land towards the enemy.
The game uses a deck of cards, dice and provides pieces which are moved across a standard checkerboard. Four scenarios are provided.
-
-
Tony Ackroyd
United Kingdom
Brighton
E Sussex
-
Late addition
It's a game where you build an old-school D&D dungeon by simulating its inhabitants as they compete for treasure and food with adventurers showing up from time to time and other random events sowing chaos. All you need are the rules and some paper and pens.
Free print & play version on website:
http://planet-thirteen.com/dungeon.aspx
-
-
Tony Ackroyd
United Kingdom
Brighton
E Sussex
-
Late addition - free print 'n' play
-
-
Tony Ackroyd
United Kingdom
Brighton
E Sussex
-
On 5 Solo/Solitaire geeklists.
rcc1230: "Fun solitaire game. Sure, it's basically Klondike with some tweaks, but the beauty and quality of the pieces seem to add to the enjoyment. And the twists to the rules and the scoring system add whole different levels to the play. Quite addictive."
-
-
Tony Ackroyd
United Kingdom
Brighton
E Sussex
-
On 5 Solo/Solitaire geeklists.
BSG75CAG: "This one ranks a little low for me only because I have not had much of an opportunity to play it, but more time learning the system thoroughly will probably increase it's score. I love that it concentrates on Armor, which sets it apart from other solitaire games out there.
Victory games did a nice job with the game components, and since it's based on the Ambush! system, it's stands a great chance of being a long time play choice in my collection as time goes on."
3
-
-
Tony Ackroyd
United Kingdom
Brighton
E Sussex
-
On 5 Solo/Solitaire geeklists.
msaari: "I've played mostly the basic game with no turns. It's a great fun that way, but a word of warning: newbies will stand no chance against an experienced player. People seem to enjoy the game nevertheless. Solitaire play is great fun, too!"
-
-
|
|
Posted Wed Aug 29, 2007 12:58 pm
Brighton
E Sussex
Arkham Horror
Lord of the Rings
B-17
Ambush!
RAF
Dungeonquest
Runebound 2nd Ed
London's Burning
Barbarian Prince
Magic Realm
Glad to see a good mix of wargames, RPGs and 'quest' games.
Brighton
E Sussex
No changes in the top 9
Zombie in my Pocket (PnP) up 3 more to #10
Intruder up 4 more
Roads & Boats recovers, up 4
Thunderbolt/Apache Leader up 5 to #23
Return of the Heroes continues to fall - 4 more places and out of the top 25!
Update: The Rest Major Movers
Field Commander Rommel up 7 to #35
Silverton up 8 to #45
Solitaire Caesar up 7
American Megafauna up 7
Micropul up 10
Late entries Pandemic and Agricola continue to climb - to #32 and #41 respectively
Late Addition, Ghost Stories, up several pages![/q]
Brighton
E Sussex
I haven't played either but they are listed seperately on the geek and I believe they are quite different.
(Board game with 2 player and solitaire rules and campaign system)
Naval Warfare - WW2
(Board game with 2 player and solitaire rules and campaign system)
Nights of Fury : Guadalcanal Naval Battles
(Solitaire or 2 Player /w Campaign Rules)
Publisher Website,
http://www.navalwarfare.net
BGG Website,
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/2358
Thanks.
Brighton
E Sussex
B-17: Queen of the Skies up 2
Zombie in my Pocket up 3
Patton’s Best up 4
Silent War up 5
Mosby’s Raiders up 3 and into the Top 25
Pandemic up 13 and into the Top 25
Other Major Movers
Sorceror’s Cave down 7
Agricola up 8
Silverton up 15
Ghost Stories up 20
Commands & Colors: Ancients up 20
Gunslinger up 12
New additions: Airborne in my Pocket, Delve the Dice Game, Delve the Card Game, Fields of Fire, The d6 Shooters, Roll Through the Ages, D-Day Dice, Poor Bloody Infantry up loads