What minis games have an AI opponent?

[Luigi]

More akin to heroquest (so a miniature based board game rather than a proper miniature wargame), Gloomhaven has "AI" controlled enemies.

[Ham Solo]

More akin to heroquest (so a miniature based board game rather than a proper miniature wargame), Gloomhaven has "AI" controlled enemies.

If this interests you, try Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion. It's usually $25ish on Amazon. Well worth it. You can use the miniatures in other games. Look it up on Boardgamegeek.com.

[Easy E]

- Chain Reaction from Two-Hour Wargames.  Most of Two-Hours wargames have solo stuff.
- The Walking Dead from Mantic
- Under the Martian Yoke on the Wargame Vault
- Zona Alfa from Osprey Games
- Zero Dark from Precinct Omega

Those are ones that I do not think have been mentioned, but it is a long thread. 

Here are a couple of blog posts about solo-game design in general that maybe useful to you as well:

Scenarios:
http://bloodandspectacles.blogspot.com/2020/06/wargame-design-solo-wargaming-scenarios.html

Deployment:
http://bloodandspectacles.blogspot.com/2020/05/wargame-design-solo-gaming-deployment.html

[ced1106]

I have done a lot of work on solo wargame, mostly with Rangers of Shadow Deep, but also with Frostgrave, Stargrave, and Silver Bayonet.  I have found, in most cases, it works better to play against 'a scenario' than it is a 'specific opponent'. An opponent is never going to be intelligent using a simple AI system, so the challenge needs to come from elsewhere, and just beefing up the opponent often leads to a slog.

Yeah, that. A more common solo mechanic reminds me of 80's videogames. (: Each turn, the game throws more bad guys at you, so you're overwhelmed if you don't achieve the objective in time!
* Core Space
* Lasting Tales

fyi, Battle Systems will have a Maladum dungeon-themed solo/coop game, based on the Core Space mechanics. Even if you're not shopping for a new game, it will have terrain suitable for dungeon skirmish!

[Mammoth miniatures]

Planet 28 has solo rules with enemy A.I. as well.1st edition has them as an add on,but they're included in the core rules of 2nd edition.

[6mmfan]

Most of the games mentioned are skirmish games but i'd be curious to see what larger game/mass battle rules there are that have an AI? I guess TMWWBK could be categorised as that.

[Easy E]

Men of Bronze has solo-rules in the Ionian Revolt supplement on the Wargame Vault and that is a unit on unit game. 

Combat! is also a free game on the Wargame Vault that has solo-play rules.


The thing about solo-games is that they can not recreate what a human player will do.  However, that is not necessarily what a good set of solo-rules does.  Instead, it creates an element of "surprise" and Decision-making on the human player.  In that way, AI's can do unpredictable or strange actions in order to generate the surprise and force the human player to decide to "do something"!

However, AI alone is often not enough.  It needs to be coupled with time pressures, limited resources, and good win conditions.   

[YPU]

Most of the games mentioned are skirmish games but i'd be curious to see what larger game/mass battle rules there are that have an AI? I guess TMWWBK could be categorised as that.

I'm curious to that as well, the larger the game the more involved or simplified the AI system will become I imagine.

[Belligerentparrot]

Most of the games mentioned are skirmish games but i'd be curious to see what larger game/mass battle rules there are that have an AI? I guess TMWWBK could be categorised as that.

I have a vague memory of being told about a solo Iwo Jima game that was large scale - the human player controlled the Marines. Sorry that isn't very helpful, but it might jog someone else's memory too (I'm not a WWII gamer myself). And I guess Iwo is a scenario particularly conducive to solo play!

[Ethelred the Almost Ready]

Men of Bronze has solo-rules in the Ionian Revolt supplement on the Wargame Vault and that is a unit on unit game. 

Combat! is also a free game on the Wargame Vault that has solo-play rules.


The thing about solo-games is that they can not recreate what a human player will do.  However, that is not necessarily what a good set of solo-rules does.  Instead, it creates an element of "surprise" and Decision-making on the human player.  In that way, AI's can do unpredictable or strange actions in order to generate the surprise and force the human player to decide to "do something"!

However, AI alone is often not enough.  It needs to be coupled with time pressures, limited resources, and good win conditions.

I agree with Easy E.  A solo game will never replicate playing against another person.  But a tabletop wargame can never replicate a real battle and some aspects of solo gaming could help us get closer to real world situations.
The standard wargame against an opponent gives us a view of the battlefield that no pre-modern general could hope for.  Likewise, command and control is typically better than what it would have been the case in a real ancient to early 20th Century army.  In short, wargames are just games and never a true simulation of battle (this is a fact we all accept but wish was otherwise, hence part of the reason for the search of the perfect rules). 

A well constructed solo game can allow for unseen terrain, surprises by the enemy, command failures of the player's army etc.  I would argue that some of these events would bring us closer to what a real world commander might have faced. 

The main thing with a solo game, as in any game, is making sure the player can make enough meaningful decisions.  There should be the ability to make some sort of coherent battle plan but enough uncertainty and surprises to force the player to adapt that plan. 

I should add, I currently play Sellswords and Spellslingers and Lion/Dragon Rampant predominantly. 

[Easy E]

Which is also true of any wargame in my opinion, but solo-play provides for "unique" challenges in how to accomplish it.