The reason the "flying games" went up, especially B-17 Queen of the Skies, probably has a lot to do with the Masters of the Air mini series having come out this past spring/summer. Great vid!👍
I think one of the reasons for Fields of Fire remaining so high is also because of the recent Battle of the bulge expansion pack. I know a surprise expansion 15 years after the release of the game got me excited to play it all over again, and I really enjoyed rediscovering how fantastic it is.
Great work. I am a solo wargamer for 46 years now and I still missed the survey.😂 I practically purchased AND played all these games on that top list. I am very glad John Butterfield has by far the most games on this list. My top 5 … after a mere 30.000 hours of solo gaming is … Enemy Action Ardennes Atlantic Chase ! A tie with EAA Panzer system by Jim Day DDay at Tarawa Ambush ! Ambush because of its legendary age and Tarawa because it is a tad better than Omaha in gaming options. But there are just SOOOOO many superb solo wargames out there that I could cite dozens of others… Not even mentioning superb 2 player games that are fantastic in solo mode because of their mechanism…and fun. Up Front, Wing Leader, etc… Great job and THANK YOU to all the people that organised this list. Fantastic to see I am not the only one out there. Now to do something unpopular… Which games I should get out of that list 😜 All Tower Defence games. Fields of Fire is still a turd for me even after the recent revision on the GMT website. But opinions do differ of course. Best miniature fun is Bolt Action these days. Awesome to play that with the often superb Osprey books for solo study. The Stalingrad book is Osprey’s games best ever. Blame it on my 3D printers to boost my wargames session s lately. Iron and Oak from Jim Day with 3D printed Ironclads mixed in with the fabulous strategic Rebel Raiders on the High Seas. Guaranteed hunderds of hours of solo fun. I hope to participate next year !
Skies Above Britain has rules to link RAF. I wonder if that had something to do with it…? Mike you won’t be disappointed!!! The squad and narrative is so awesome
Great piece! Despite war/historical gaming for nearly 40 years, along with more than a decade in development and playtesting, my library remains rather limited. I tend to gravitate to specific eras and conflicts, focusing on more strategic titles rather than operational and tactical ones. Again, wonderful analysis and conversation.
I'm following you on the podcast and though I voted for the list, I as almost missed the episode! Only heard about it through Mike in his podcast. Would be great if you consider also using the podcast for this round up next year!
My biggest surprise is that the DVG Leader and Warfighter games scored so low. I think it might be fragmentation impacting them more than most systems.
Just for fun, I pulled out my copy of Wargamer vol. 2, no. 19 from Mar/Apr 1990, as it had an article by Rick Swan entitled "A Connoisseur's [sic] Guide to Solitaire Wargames." His top 10 were: 1) RAF; 2) Ambush; 3) Tokyo Express; 4) Conquistador; 5) Mosby's Raiders; 6) Raid on St. Nazaire; 7) Patton's Best; 8) Open Fire; 9) B-17 QotS; and 10) Eastern Front Solitaire. I must admit I was surprised at how low Tokyo Express and Raid of St. Nazaire were ranked in the survey - grab either one of these if you ever get a chance - and how high B-17 and Patton's Best were. Maybe I need to revisit Patton's Best to see if it clicks decades later.
This is so interesting! It is interesting to see tastes change, but I think it’s neat that I have heard of these and they have longevity well beyond anything on the main People’s Choice solo list.
it is possible that the premiere of the TV series “Masters of the Air” has influenced this year's rise of RAF, Skies Above Britain and B-17 Queen of the Skies, so with have a influence from other culture spaces on what the players put onto their tables during the year
Not sure we talk about that specific title. We don't spend a lot of time digging into any 1 title, but talk about the data as a whole and what we learned across the bulk of the replies.
D-Day at Omaha Beach is such a great game! I dont bring it out much but when I do it stay out for days as I run through another 2 or 3 failed invasions XD One day ill get there!
I played D-Day at Omaha Beach for the first time this year. I haven't completely wrapped my head around it, but I am motivated to get it back out. It is compelling. I also have Saipan, which doesn't get as much love, but I like both. In my addled brain they are practically the same game.
@@Autotross imo, you will eventually end up with both. Masterclass solo war games. I would start with Omaha as it is a little less rules heavy. However if I could only own one Tarawa is better because of the extra rules, cc combat, and the beach approach
Thanks for doing this again! I wonder if RAF going up has anything to do with the recent popularity of Skies Above Britain since there are optional rules in SaB to incorporate it into RAF (plus it's the same conflict). I hope to one day to get my hands on RAF, and I wonder if having RAF in the back of the SAB variant rulebook turned more new gamers on to it that had never heard of it before. Btw, SaB got my #1 vote. Jeremy White's rulebooks are top tier! Also, I'm looking forward to the next few years ranking and see where Firefight Tactical will land (it releases next year). I've been playtesting it and the solo mode is fantastic. Firefight Tactical feels a little like a more accessible Fields of Fire that's quicker to learn and get to the table.
I had never heard of it but I'll keep my eye out for a copy now. :) One of the best parts of this list is that people love games I had no clue about and I have a chance to find something I might have missed otherwise.
Someone mentioned it last year -- they were surprised it "didn't make the list" b/c Zilla was a fan. But that person commenting missed that it was a public vote on the list, and not just the 4 of us picking out favorites! 🤠
Top Ranked Games: D-Day at Omaha Beach Skies Above Britain RAF: Battle of Britain 1940 Fields of Fire Pax Pamir (Second Edition) Games Noted for Movement or Popularity: B-17: Queen of the Skies (rose significantly, moving up 18 spots to 8th place). Halls of Hegra (moved up 20 places). Atlantic Chase (newly on the list at 14th place). Other Games Mentioned: Mr. President (dropped one spot but remains in the top range). John Company (Second Edition) Legion of Honor (acknowledged as an influential game but didn’t make the current top list). Endurance (low ranking, near the 200s). Solitaire Advanced Squad Leader (ASL) (ranked 20th this year). Notable Series & Mentions: States of Siege series (no specific titles ranked high this year). Undaunted: Reinforcements/Kalisto (mentioned as better solo implementations but not strictly historical). Days of Ire / Nights of Fire (not represented on this year's list).
Possibly people chose Solitaire ASL to list, even if they don't really use it, because of the exact point that it's hard to identify a single product as "ASL" for this list.
John Company is just thematically out of my wheelhouse. There are some historical games that I just can't find enjoyable, even though they may be great games. Votes for Women would fall in that category. I make no claims about where that line is drawn for me. I play plenty of games that are based on events that I might find onerous. Juist some of them hit harder than others and, to be fair, there are lots of other games for me to play.
D-Day games are unplayable for me. I have red-green-brown color issues. I suppose I could write a letter corresponding to each tiny circle, but still a PITA.
Btw BGG KILLED historical wargames. I started playing historical wargames back in 1978 with the Last Battles of Napoleon (SPI) because I am interested in HISTORY. And that is the main reason why we play historical boardgames. So keep that fantasy and SciFi stuff etc out of this list PLEASE…
The reason the "flying games" went up, especially B-17 Queen of the Skies, probably has a lot to do with the Masters of the Air mini series having come out this past spring/summer. Great vid!👍
Interesting! I had no idea!
I think one of the reasons for Fields of Fire remaining so high is also because of the recent Battle of the bulge expansion pack. I know a surprise expansion 15 years after the release of the game got me excited to play it all over again, and I really enjoyed rediscovering how fantastic it is.
Great work.
I am a solo wargamer for 46 years now and I still missed the survey.😂
I practically purchased AND played all these games on that top list.
I am very glad John Butterfield has by far the most games on this list.
My top 5 … after a mere 30.000 hours of solo gaming is …
Enemy Action Ardennes
Atlantic Chase ! A tie with EAA
Panzer system by Jim Day
DDay at Tarawa
Ambush !
Ambush because of its legendary age and Tarawa because it is a tad better than Omaha in gaming options.
But there are just SOOOOO many superb solo wargames out there that I could cite dozens of others…
Not even mentioning superb 2 player games that are fantastic in solo mode because of their mechanism…and fun.
Up Front, Wing Leader, etc…
Great job and THANK YOU to all the people that organised this list. Fantastic to see I am not the only one out there.
Now to do something unpopular…
Which games I should get out of that list 😜
All Tower Defence games.
Fields of Fire is still a turd for me even after the recent revision on the GMT website.
But opinions do differ of course.
Best miniature fun is Bolt Action these days. Awesome to play that with the often superb Osprey books for solo study. The Stalingrad book is Osprey’s games best ever.
Blame it on my 3D printers to boost my wargames session s lately. Iron and Oak from Jim Day with 3D printed Ironclads mixed in with the fabulous strategic Rebel Raiders on the High Seas.
Guaranteed hunderds of hours of solo fun.
I hope to participate next year !
Skies Above Britain has rules to link RAF. I wonder if that had something to do with it…?
Mike you won’t be disappointed!!! The squad and narrative is so awesome
Very interesting discussion. Halls of Hegra is now top of my list to look into. Thanks all.
You won't regret it!
Thanks for the great video
Thanks for watching! (And for voting, if you voted!)
Thank you! Great discussion.
Great piece! Despite war/historical gaming for nearly 40 years, along with more than a decade in development and playtesting, my library remains rather limited. I tend to gravitate to specific eras and conflicts, focusing on more strategic titles rather than operational and tactical ones. Again, wonderful analysis and conversation.
I'm following you on the podcast and though I voted for the list, I as almost missed the episode! Only heard about it through Mike in his podcast. Would be great if you consider also using the podcast for this round up next year!
Good idea, maybe I will do a little announcement there next time.
My biggest surprise is that the DVG Leader and Warfighter games scored so low. I think it might be fragmentation impacting them more than most systems.
DVG games are excellent. Spruance Leader, and Thunderbolt-Apache Leader are THE best games of their genre.
Probably because votes are spread across the different games in the series?
Just for fun, I pulled out my copy of Wargamer vol. 2, no. 19 from Mar/Apr 1990, as it had an article by Rick Swan entitled "A Connoisseur's [sic] Guide to Solitaire Wargames." His top 10 were: 1) RAF; 2) Ambush; 3) Tokyo Express; 4) Conquistador; 5) Mosby's Raiders; 6) Raid on St. Nazaire; 7) Patton's Best; 8) Open Fire; 9) B-17 QotS; and 10) Eastern Front Solitaire. I must admit I was surprised at how low Tokyo Express and Raid of St. Nazaire were ranked in the survey - grab either one of these if you ever get a chance - and how high B-17 and Patton's Best were. Maybe I need to revisit Patton's Best to see if it clicks decades later.
This is so interesting! It is interesting to see tastes change, but I think it’s neat that I have heard of these and they have longevity well beyond anything on the main People’s Choice solo list.
it is possible that the premiere of the TV series “Masters of the Air” has influenced this year's rise of RAF, Skies Above Britain and B-17 Queen of the Skies, so with have a influence from other culture spaces on what the players put onto their tables during the year
Timestamp would be super helpful too. Lot of nuggets and wisdom being shared, which others may miss out.
I wanted to fast forward to a section where they might talk about Comancheria, does anyone have a time stamp?
Not sure we talk about that specific title. We don't spend a lot of time digging into any 1 title, but talk about the data as a whole and what we learned across the bulk of the replies.
D-Day at Omaha Beach is such a great game! I dont bring it out much but when I do it stay out for days as I run through another 2 or 3 failed invasions XD
One day ill get there!
I played D-Day at Omaha Beach for the first time this year. I haven't completely wrapped my head around it, but I am motivated to get it back out. It is compelling. I also have Saipan, which doesn't get as much love, but I like both. In my addled brain they are practically the same game.
I’ve been trying to decide between Omaha and Tarawa, suppose I should just pick one and get on with it.
@@Autotross imo, you will eventually end up with both. Masterclass solo war games. I would start with Omaha as it is a little less rules heavy. However if I could only own one Tarawa is better because of the extra rules, cc combat, and the beach approach
Not Surprising to see 2 John Butterfield games in the top 5, have both and really enjoy them
If I were less lazy I would add designers to this list and see how many times he appears. It's bound to be a lot!
i guess i should learn how to cut and paste!
Thanks for doing this again! I wonder if RAF going up has anything to do with the recent popularity of Skies Above Britain since there are optional rules in SaB to incorporate it into RAF (plus it's the same conflict). I hope to one day to get my hands on RAF, and I wonder if having RAF in the back of the SAB variant rulebook turned more new gamers on to it that had never heard of it before. Btw, SaB got my #1 vote. Jeremy White's rulebooks are top tier! Also, I'm looking forward to the next few years ranking and see where Firefight Tactical will land (it releases next year). I've been playtesting it and the solo mode is fantastic. Firefight Tactical feels a little like a more accessible Fields of Fire that's quicker to learn and get to the table.
You've got good taste! :P
Still get "Save South Vietnam" on the table consistently. Always a challenge. Im shocked it doesnt get more credit as a solo game...
I had never heard of it but I'll keep my eye out for a copy now. :) One of the best parts of this list is that people love games I had no clue about and I have a chance to find something I might have missed otherwise.
Someone mentioned it last year -- they were surprised it "didn't make the list" b/c Zilla was a fan. But that person commenting missed that it was a public vote on the list, and not just the 4 of us picking out favorites! 🤠
Top Ranked Games:
D-Day at Omaha Beach
Skies Above Britain
RAF: Battle of Britain 1940
Fields of Fire
Pax Pamir (Second Edition)
Games Noted for Movement or Popularity:
B-17: Queen of the Skies (rose significantly, moving up 18 spots to 8th place).
Halls of Hegra (moved up 20 places).
Atlantic Chase (newly on the list at 14th place).
Other Games Mentioned:
Mr. President (dropped one spot but remains in the top range).
John Company (Second Edition)
Legion of Honor (acknowledged as an influential game but didn’t make the current top list).
Endurance (low ranking, near the 200s).
Solitaire Advanced Squad Leader (ASL) (ranked 20th this year).
Notable Series & Mentions:
States of Siege series (no specific titles ranked high this year).
Undaunted: Reinforcements/Kalisto (mentioned as better solo implementations but not strictly historical).
Days of Ire / Nights of Fire (not represented on this year's list).
Possibly people chose Solitaire ASL to list, even if they don't really use it, because of the exact point that it's hard to identify a single product as "ASL" for this list.
I had other comments but I try to limit myself to three :)
that's a good point, and probably a fair one, but then we also had 1 jabroni who put it in all 5 spots :)
@@ThymeKeeper comment away!
John Company is just thematically out of my wheelhouse. There are some historical games that I just can't find enjoyable, even though they may be great games. Votes for Women would fall in that category. I make no claims about where that line is drawn for me. I play plenty of games that are based on events that I might find onerous. Juist some of them hit harder than others and, to be fair, there are lots of other games for me to play.
D-Day games are unplayable for me. I have red-green-brown color issues. I suppose I could write a letter corresponding to each tiny circle, but still a PITA.
i would have voted B-17 if i knew how
Btw BGG KILLED historical wargames.
I started playing historical wargames back in 1978 with the Last Battles of Napoleon (SPI) because I am interested in HISTORY.
And that is the main reason why we play historical boardgames.
So keep that fantasy and SciFi stuff etc out of this list PLEASE…