Best Solo Colonial Experience

[FutureFarm]

I'm looking for a colonial ruleset that plays well solo, preferably gridded.  Gridded is important to me so that I can play at relatively small scale without small measurement errors having a significant impact on the overall game. 
I've played Neil Thomas' One Hour Wargames in the Horse and Musket Era and found it enjoyable, but I had a hard time playing both sides.  I found it very hard to execute any real strategy because I knew what both sides were planning.  To that end, I read through Colonial Adventures by Two Hour Wargames and like the PEF movement and enemy tactics, but the number of tables is a bit overwhelming. Maybe I would end up memorizing some results, but I think I'd spend more time in the rules than playing the game.  Osprey's The Men Who Would Be Kings seems to get good reviews, but it seems similar to Colonial Adventures but with less solo-ability.  What ruleset am I missing?  Is it worth my time to bother attempting to force Colonial Adventures onto a grid?

[SteveBurt]

'Men who would be Kings' comes with a solo engine called 'Mr Babbage' so would be ideal for solo play. No grid, though
I've played a colonial version of 'BattleCry' (the Command and Colors series by Richard Borg) and that worked pretty well. I probably have the rules mods I sued for ZUlu War games somewhere. It uses hexes, not squares, though.

[Atheling]

I might me mistaken but I seem to remember there is a solo option in The Devils Wind (Indian Mutiny) and A Good Dusting (Sudan), both by Mike Bickley.

[Yankeepedlar01]

I might me mistaken but I seem to remember there is a solo option in The Devils Wind (Indian Mutiny) and A Good Dusting (Sudan), both by Mike Bickley.

Actually it's Dave Bickley 😉
They are also included in my Anglo-Zulu War rules, 'Washing the Spears'.

[Atheling]

Actually it's Dave Bickley 😉
They are also included in my Anglo-Zulu War rules, 'Washing the Spears'.

Sorry about that 

I have the Divine Wind and A Good Dusting but not Washing the Spears.

[SteveBurt]

Is there an overview of 'Washing the Spears' anyplace?

[italwars]

more than trying to find a dedicated rule set just for Solo Colonial..you actually need a dedicated set of scenarios with random events...many years ago i found in a two consecutive issues of a famous wargame magazine...maybe Miniature Wargame?..two series of extremely playable scenarios (about 10 scenarios) labelled "Solo Colonial"..they were based on small units, few figures and gridded ground...you took the command of Imperial Troops and the natives were generated or mooved at random ecc..i played quite a few of them even changing the nationality of Imperial troops and their foes....for example FFL Vs Berbers instead of British Imperials  Vs Sudanese, NWF tribesmen , zulus or Boers..and it worked very well.as they are easily playable with any set of skirmish type rules i used both TSATF and a Featherstonian style Old School rules...in case you're interested let me know and i'll try to find them...

[ragbones]

I’ll second David’s “A Good Dusting” and “Washing the Spears.”  I’ve had some terrific Sudan games with the former.

[Arundel]

I've never played them, but I too have thought Mr Bickley's rules look very solid. It probably wouldn't be all that hard to convert them to gridded action.

Another title you might want to check out, if only for inspiration, as well as some gorgeous eye candy, is Sands of the Sudan. It is a beautifully tarted-up edition of Peter Gilder's old Sudan rules that he used to use at the Holiday Wargames Centre, lo those many years ago. The player(s) take the role of the Imperial forces while the game mechanics control the Mahdist hordes.* They don't use a grid (though again, you could probably tweak it without much trouble), and tend to assume one has hundreds of figures, so be warned. The number of figures could definitely be scaled down without hurting the system. Anyway, just a thought.

* Gilder in turn based his rules on the classic Pony Wars set by Ian Beck.

[ragbones]

‘A Good Dusting’ also has an optional AI mechanism for the Mahdist forces.  It’s a nice feature to have.

I’ve always wanted to get a copy of, ‘Sands of the Sudan.’  The photographic eye candy alone makes it look like it’d be worth the price.  Oh, how I used to drool over the pictures of Peter Gilder’s games.