Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Medieval Adventures => Topic started by: Ethelred the Almost Ready on December 28, 2023, 10:35:56 PM
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I think there is enough crossover for the three gaming genres in the title to be lumped together.
Covid certainly saw an increase in solo gaming and some of us live far from other gamers or have lives that are too busy to regularly play against others.
I know some will argue that any game can be a solo game, just play the best moves you can for each side. But there are some features that make some games more enjoyable than others for solo play. I don't want to necessarily list what those attributes are (perhaps a topic for another thread). I would like a list of games that people find easy and rewarding to play solo.
Th kick things off:
Lion Rampant
Dragon Rampant
Sellswords and Spellslingers
Rangers of Shadowdeep
Any of the Chain Reaction group of rules
Midgard (playtesting - still to be published)
Hail Caesar
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This thread has a good look at the generic fantasy miniature skirmish games:
https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=131694.0
For myself, I like narrative play as well as the combat. So I'd add that, at least for narrative content, rather than play only one game, play 'em all. You eventually see all the encounters and events in the rulebook, so see what the next game has to offer. With solo, I can play a scenario each day, rather than the weekly game with others, so can plow through content quickly. Unless I have to paint something. :P
Not exactly a miniatures game, but I'm going through the Gloomhaven: Crimson Scales boardgame solo. I figure since you're killing things and grabbing loot, it's close enough. :P Upgraded the standees to miniatures, added some dungeon walls and lights, etc. I like hand management games over dice-throwing ones. Not much narrative, but I'm a sucker for unlocking things. CS is a free PnP that uses the GH components: https://www.thecrimsonscales.com/
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I've played a few solo games but, ultimately, I don't find them as rewarding.
Any game that requires 'tactics' and advance planning falls short as a solo game, because you find yourself having to out-wit yourself, which is a very hard thing to do. So games like Saga are out (although people have tried tweaks to play Saga as a solo game).
In my experience, the games that work best as solo games are the ones that rely on reacting to what your opponent has just done. Not sure if that entirely captures what I am trying to say. Of course, you may have an overall strategy and aim, but I mean mechanics wise. So games like Lion/Dragon Rampant (as you've listed) work well as solo games.
Ones that I have found that work well as solo games are:
Basic Impetus (if some multi-based big battles is what you want)
Frostgrave (works very well because it has pre-programmed 'monster' movement)
Ravenfeast (quick and simple Viking age skirmish)
Outremer (the Osprey title. Needs a bit of tweaking to make the rules work adequately - what Osprey title doesn't? - but returns an surprisingly enjoyable game and has a campaign element for that narrative aspect you enjoy)
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Will second Lion Rampant, very enjoyable game to play on your own 8)
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I find that Hail Caesar / Pike and Shotte both work well as solo games, the command system helps a lot for this.
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I don't solo game but I would imagine that Simon Miller's To the Strongest ancient/medieval ruleset could work solo. I may even ttey them solo myself sometime.
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FUBAR is great for solo gaming and it is free.
Another not named yet title is five leagues from the borderlands.
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I got the stand alone a song of Arthur and Merlin for Christmas ans plan to work throught the three different renditions solo using the sellswords and spellslingers npc rules
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My own humble effort, Waelstowe
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZyTjEnzAj-t29m4MFQzEj4U_xDo5GXcI/view?usp=sharing (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZyTjEnzAj-t29m4MFQzEj4U_xDo5GXcI/view?usp=sharing)
Has full solo play rules.
What, IMHO, makes this a challenge is that you, the player, have some idea what cards will come out and which enemy Heroes activate, but you don't know precisely when. With your own 'goal' to achieve, you've got to outguess the 'AI' and take risks. Games only take about 45 minutes, so there's plenty of time to have another go when you guessed wrong.
It keeps me out of mischief :)
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nice set of rules there. I may have to have a play...
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I'm surprised there's no mention of 2 Hour Wargames, every set of rules they've released has written with solo/same-side in mind.
Their fantasy offering is Warrior Heroes.
https://twohourwargames.com/products/warrior-heroes-adventures-in-talomir
Rebel Minis handle their older games.
https://rebelminispress.com/collections/historical-games?page=1
Rally Round the King is big battle, while Captains and Kings is aimed more towards skirmish. Great Hall Burning is the Dark Age set.
I've found them all to be great fun :)
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I'm surprised there's no mention of 2 Hour Wargames, every set of rules they've released has written with solo/same-side in mind.
Their fantasy offering is Warrior Heroes.
https://twohourwargames.com/products/warrior-heroes-adventures-in-talomir
Rebel Minis handle their older games.
https://rebelminispress.com/collections/historical-games?page=1
The quick play version sounds interesting
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Two Hour Wargames are great for solo play. Both skirmish and large battle options. The reaction system that they use is a matter of taste. But I think they have at least one free set to try out the basic system.
The Ganesha Games Song of … series are fun to play solo. The activation system for figures means every turn has some uncertainty as to which figures will get to act and how much they will be able to do. Keeps you thinking and planning. Not just move to contact and roll dice to see what happens. A nice simple set of mechanisms and you can customize each individual figure if you want or give a number of figures the same basic profile as you like.
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The one Page rules fantasy system also had a solo / Co-op add on. I have not tried it myself.
https://www.onepagerules.com/games/age-of-fantasy (https://www.onepagerules.com/games/age-of-fantasy)
All the one page rules games are quick and brutal.
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Brutal quest has a solo expansion, and both it and the core rules are avaliable via wargames vault for free. Although it's fantasy by default i kept it quite low fantasy for the most part so it can serve as a generic pre-modern skirmish system.
https://www.wargamevault.com/product/352626/Brutal-Quest--Narrative-skirmish-rules-based-on-the-planet-28-engine
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5 Leagues from the Borderlands by Ivan Sorensen and available from Modiphius is designed for solo and co-op play. I'd describe it as RPG-lite.
Haven't played it yet but have had much fun with 5 Parsecs from Home, the Sci-fi equivalent.
Not cheap but worth it, IMHO.
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I play 40k solo. I found a decent system to do random actions for each of the 4 units types in 40k. These types are Shooty units, Melee units, units that move and fire but avoid melee. Hybrid which are units that fire and charge if within range. I play 1700 armies against and AI of 2000 pts.
Works really well.
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5 Leagues from the Borderlands by Ivan Sorensen and available from Modiphius is designed for solo
There are some lovingly described campaigns using 5 Leagues on the Fantasy section and I imagine you can just ignore anything ‘too fantastic’ to play it in a dark age/medieval setting. I am currently reading the old Donald Faetherstone book on solo wargaming looking for inspiration to make a campaign using Saga solo.
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I believe Forbidden Psalm also has a solo play option.
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Pulp Alley has a solo deck and is certainly usable for the medieval period. I used it with a buddy for some Samurai Alley and it played very well