Discovered quite a few games I had never heard of that are now on my list to check out and buy. Thank you for sharing outside of your atypical BGTop10.
Just got to spirit island. I own it, played it, but my small ass brain couldn't think far enough ahead to be good at the game. I gave up on it, maybe I shouldn't have?
AT:O is my newest game I bought. Its a better KDM. A bit of a learning curve but it's soooo good. I have cycle 4 and 5 coming and will 100% back Twelve Sins next month. ItU is my new fav publisher. All in'd Kingdoms Forlorn as well. So hyped for what these guys make.
Mage knight is quite simply a masterpiece. Whilst I enjoy many different games, mage knight stands above them all as the overall design is a work of genius
Great list, we have similar tastes in games! A lot of the games you mentioned, I love playing at two player. Gloomhaven and Oathsworn are my favorites at low player counts!
Thanks 🙏 , with the right person a lot of these are great two player as well for sure. Gloomhaven is a great game and I’ve only heard good things about oathsworn looking forward to the reprint later this year :)
I nearly left when you put Tainted Snail on your list. But then you completely redeemed yourself with Mage Knight at number one. It's a fantastic game and just a really, really good recommendation which is, honestly, more often than not better solo.
Haha Tainted Grail is pretty polarizing, it definitely isn’t a perfect game but I enjoyed it a lot at least and I think the new one will improve on a lot of its imperfections. I agree though mage knight is better solo for sure I couldn’t imagine playing it with 5 players
Thanks, and good suggestions I’ve really been enjoying Marvel Champions lately and I’m hoping to learn tmb soon. Iss Vanguard I was a little disappointed with unfortunately but I’m gonna keep trying it. Thanks for watching :).
Good video. As a solo player you must consider time spent housekeeping components and modifiers vs time spent decision space (the fun part). Sometimes less is more. I would highly recommend you check out: - Space Cadets Away Missions - Dawn Of The Zeds - D-day At Omaha Beach - Carnival Zombie - Machina Arcana - Too Many Bones
I agree sometimes the upkeep and setup on some games can be overwhelming there has to be a great story or great gameplay to justify it. I’ve been recommended dawn of the zeds a few times I’ll definitely have to try that soon. I’ve wanted to play too many bones for a while but keep putting it off because of all the expansions I know I’ll want to collect them all lol I’ll add the other games to the wish list too thanks :)
Honestly, if someone decides to make an abbreviated version of the Bardsung campaign, it would probably be one of my top 10 games. I know I posted my opinions on it in another one of your videos, about how I think you cap out on abilities and treasure items too early, but I think it'd be possible to shorten the campaign in half and add a couple more challenges to balance it out (additional boss fights or mix up enemy types a little more often). That way you wouldn't cap too quickly and lose the lure of leveling up, or feel like a slog to get to the next boss fight. The Fables box is also the best stretch goal box I've received from any game I've crowdfunded, the experience wouldn't be the same without it.
All that said about Bardsung, I do own half of your list and it is a great list! Cloudspire is probably my favorite on here at the moment, but MK still is my reigning champion. I need to get more games in of Spirit Island and your opinion on Etherfields is spot on... I'm more motivated to dive into ISS Vanguard than finish the Etherfields campaign, but hopefully it doesn't fall too far down my queue. I pledged the new sleeping gods and kings of ruin so hopefully those are even better than their predecessors!
@@kylemoore7746 It is a shame that Bardsung wasn’t more challenging for sure and I do agree too there should have been less nodes in each chapter especially less standard crawls. Glad you liked the list, I have the same problem with Iss Vanguard I really want to try it but it keeps getting pushed down the list because of other games I’m playing. Hope you’re able to try it soon 😀
Within the last week, I've gone from not knowing what Mage Knight is to deciding that it's a game I must have in my collection! I enjoyed listening to your list, great job.
@@gregorys9629 tbh it could do with a second edition with a more streamlined ruleset and a better manual. It's one of those rulesets that starts out simple but then is complicated by exceptions.
MK is my favorite solo game too! I totally agree with your comments about it! Since I love MK, I was looking for another game similar to MK, how is luck in burncycle? I don’t like too much luck and dices in boardgames
Although I don’t find them super similar a lot of people compare Euthia to mage knight either way Euthia is another good game as well. Burncycle has a bit of luck but a lot of choices for mitigation in it as well, there is a bit of randomness on what keypad cards you draw and there is dice rolling but there’s a lot of strategy around how many dice to use and what upgrades to give yourself I found Burncycle to have a great balance.
Hey! Thank you so much for this clip! Due to it I decided to give Spirit Island a chance and now I am just obsessed with the game. Really amazing for solo! I really needed to have such a game in the collection, thanks!
What a surprising list, since the solo space now is so dominated by euros. And makes sense why spirit island is no 6 on your list…it’s not as theme heavy as the other games. If you were more of a euro / mechanics first kind of a gamer, perhaps SI would have been higher and we may have seen some pure euros on the list. Not that this list is a bad thing. It’s an amazing list, especially for solo gamers who love theme heavy games.
Thanks and yea there definitely was a lack of euros on the list for sure I do tend to gravitate to more campaign style games when playing solo. I enjoy many euros I just don’t typically play them solo. Thanks for watching!
When I saw the name of the video I thought of one particular game. And then I had to watch the whole video to see it in the first place. Of all the games I played on this list, I totally agree!
As someone on disability and lots of time and little money, I'd love to get all of these games, but sadly, they are too expensive for me. Great video tho! Thank you for making me aware of these solo games.
I’m sorry to hear that, and it is a shame that board games are becoming so expensive for sure. If you’re looking for some cheaper options for solo games final girl and legacy of yu are cheaper. Thanks glad you liked the video.
Anyone who’s number 1 is mageknight, I know our likes will align. We have a very similar list, Burncycle I just broke down off of my table, I walked away not enjoying it too much, I will have to try it again though. Thanks for the vid!
Haha awesome 😎, mage knight really is a fantastic game eh, sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy Burncycle, I personally didn’t love it at first it wasn’t until I played a scenario that had you start on the third floor that I got to see how good this game was, it was also the session where the rules started to make sense and I could plan ahead because I knew how the guards would move, from then on I loved the game but it definitely is not for everyone. I hope you end up enjoying it more :)
Awesome list. Would love to throw you a plug on a couple games you may like since you have Frost Punk back there: This War of Mine and Robinson Crusoe. RC is my all time #1, especially with all expansion content. This war of mine is legit tied as a super close second since it almost de-throned RC. Frost Punk is the love baby that was born of these two games. Give them a go, but be warned: they are both brutal and unforgiving
Thanks, and i appreciate the recommendations those are both on my ever growing wish list. I’ve had RC I’m my cart so many times and ended up buying other things instead each time lol I’ll have to get it soon though and anything by awaken realms is good too. As for frostpunk i hadn’t played it yet when I made this list which is why it wasn’t on there, I really like it though apart from the setup, I’ll hopefully be putting out a review of it soon :).
Robinson Crusoe has a collectors edition coming out. Should be pretty close to being done manufacturing since it’s been over two years since Gamefound campaign. If you want it sooner, definitely get mystery tales to go along with it. The scenarios in it are soooooooooooo good 👍
Great video! Honestly, as soon as I saw ISS Vanguard in the background I thought that would be your number 1 but it didn’t even make the list??!!😮 I must admit, I’ve become a bit of an Awaken Realms fanboy - their story driven campaigns are absolutely amazing. Just curious, did you use the v2.0 system for Etherfields of did you stick with the original?
Thanks :), I haven’t had a chance to play ISS Vanguard yet I think I’ll really enjoy it I just keep putting off learning it, I wanna finish some other campaigns first. But yea I agree their story driven games are fantastic, always so unique and epic. I used the 2.0 rulebook to learn the game but just used the normal rules for the slumbers and everything.
Thanks so much, and I’ve tried to stay away from another card collecting game since spending so much money on MtG but Marvel Champions has been recommended to me so many times recently I think ill definitely have to check it out :).
@@fatherofgames9239 it's not collectible like MtG. There's no randomness. You can play the main campaign over and over just differing heroes or villains. And if you want a specific hero, you just buy that expansion pack. What I find awesome is each hero plays so different, and they completely feel like that super should feel.
@@fatherofgames9239 tbh champions is not the kind of game you feel like you HAVE to keep spending money. There's no FOMO with not buying new content like there is with other LCG/CCG. I've purchased core set, sinister motives campaign expansion, and 2 other heroes. But I've yet to try any of my expansions and 2 extra heroes because I keep replaying the core set. It comes with 5 different characters and 3 villains, and they all play sooooo different from each other which extends the replayability considerably. And that's WITHOUT customizing decks (I just use pre-constructed for now), which will extend the replayabilty even more. I sound like a commercial I know lol. But damn MC is fkn amazing solo! (and at 2 players)
@@leosalcedo3384 haha that sounds fantastic actually, you and some others have definitely sold it for me I’m gonna be picking up a copy in the next few weeks :)
Thanks so much, I haven’t had a chance to try all of them yet I have very little free time these days lol, I usually just end up playing the solo conquest scenario most often.
OMG, just came across your channel, this vid was awesome, your list blew my mind. The way you presented each game makes me want to run out and buy all of em! All I need to do is win the lottery 🤞😜
Awesome list! I’ve only played a few games on it, others have been on my radar, and the rest are brand new to me. Thank you for showing them off! From one dad to another, I’m very glad your channel got recommended to me. Subbed and will be checking out your backlog while looking forward to new videos! 😁
Fun list! Thank you for sharing. Spirit Island is definitely my favorite solo game. The base game is good, the Branch & Claw expansion make it better, but the Jagged Earth expansion makes it amazing. I would highly recommend those expansions if you can get your hands on them. Also noticed ISS Vanguard and Frostpunk in the background. I absolutely love ISS Vanguard. Frostpunk is ridiculously hard. Played it again last night for my fourth time and still haven't beaten it. Have you gotten the chance to play it?
Thanks glad you liked it, I don’t have the Branch and Claw expansion but I do have the Jagged Earth and the Feather and Flame ones, I haven’t had a chance to play them much yet but I was really impressed with how much was included in the box for the jagged earth one at least. I just got those both recently, I was blown away by the quality of Vanguard but want to beat the first cycle for Aeon Trespass before I play it. And Frostpunk I think I finally have a handle on the rules, planning to play it this weekend I think I’ll really enjoy that one :).
@@fatherofgames9239 Ah! Feather and Flame has one of the best spirits (Downpour)! I hope you end up enjoying the content from Jagged Earth because it adds so much quality content to the game. Totally fair about waiting on beating the first cycle of Aeon Trespass. One you break it out, I'm curious to hear your thoughts. If you're getting a handle on Frostpunk's rules then that's impressive. Definitely a beast of a game but if you like challenging games, it'll be right up your alley.
@@colejolley6031 oh awesome I’ll be sure to try that sprit next thanks :) I’ll do my best to post a review video of it soon 😀 Frostpunk definitely isn’t easy to learn at all but from what I can tell so far it seems like it will be well worth the effort!
Hi. Question about Chip Theory Games. I see Too many Bones is not on your list. I want to buy one of their games, but not sure what to get for solo play. have you tried Too Many bones? as it's widely considered their best game. If you have, why do you prefer the two on your list? Thanks again
Hey there, I own too many bones but haven’t tried it as of yet. But from my limited knowledge of both they are quite different, Cloudspire is a moba style tower defense game and too many bones is an adventure game where you try to defeat enemy monsters. It would just be a matter of which one sounds more appealing to you, too many bones is considered easier but from what I’ve heard it works better at 2 or 3 players. Hoplomachus victorum is another chip theory game to check out and it’s a solo only game I personally didnt love it but it generally recieved high ratings overall. Anyways hope that helps.
I’m just entering the solo board game experience, as I too, like so many always considered board games to be a very social experience. Many of the games you list are not familiar to me, however, the exploration and discovery themes seem very very interesting, thematically. The games you list are probably a bit pricey…would there be one exploration or discovery game that you would recommend to start with at an affordable price point? Also, I see there is a Star Trek version of Mage Knight that would interest me, but Mage Knight sounds fairly complex to learn. I guess as a solo player, I could take my time learning it. 😅. Thanks for your review!!
Awesome there’s definitely a ton to choose from for solo games and it seems to becoming more and more popular, sadly I do gravitate to the pricier games, from my top 10 here the cheapest would be destinies followed by spirit island. Mage knight is pretty complex for sure but they have a list of help cards and thematically the rules make sense, I highly recommend the ultimate edition if you’re planning on mage knight.
Czech version of Sleeping gods will be released in few weeks, i am looking forward to that game. There is something about ships and crew theme that mekes me more interested than for example sequel Distant skies.
@@fatherofgames9239 it takes time to negotiant localization, than lot translation and finally waiting for a window to print a small amount of games. For example Spirit Island took years for a very slow comunication with Greater than games, it was released translated last year. I have english version of Spirit Island, but not all my friends are good enought with english to be sure if they understand cards corectly.
Great list! So tempted to get Etherfields. I think Awaken Realms makes such great games and I have several others (Tainted Grail, Nemesis, ISS Vanguard, This War of Mine). Just can't seem to pull the trigger. So, Bardsung is your favorite dungeon crawler? Have you tried Massive Darkness 2?
Thanks 🙏, Etherfields definitely isn’t for everyone while I really enjoy it it’s hard to recommend because it’s so unique it’s kind of polarizing, people usually love it or hate it. But I agree Awaken Realms makes such great games for sure. I have played massive Darkness 2 I enjoyed it, it was in my top 10 of 2022, bardsung was my favourite dungeon crawler solo, to be honest my enjoyment for it has gone down a fair bit since posting this video though. My favourite dungeon crawlers are gloomhaven and Descent 2nd Ed but just haven’t played them solo. I also think CoD has potential to be one of my favourites from what I’ve seen of it I’m just still waiting for my kickstarter pledge and haven’t had a chance to play it yet.
Did you back Tainted Grail: Kings of Ruin? It still has late pledge with the 2.0 upgrade for Fall of Avalon but a lot of your dislikes of Fall of Avalon are addressed in the new one. Also if you haven't played the solo for Viscounts of West Kingdom, it's a pretty good AI.
I did back it yes, I’m really looking forward to it, it does seem like they improved a lot from what was already a great game. I haven’t tried the solo version of viscounts I’ll have to check that out thanks.
Awesome I hope you like them. Final Girl is one I definitely need to look into more I know a lot of people really like it, I’ll definitely have to add it to my wish list.
To be honest frostpunk and Iss Vanguard were very recent purchases so I hadn’t played them yet, I just finally got Frostpunk to the table last night, the learning curve and set up is rough but I really enjoyed it it definitely has potential to make the list but I’ll have to play it more before I could say for sure.
Just stumbled upon your channel (today) and am very happy to have done so! Very good video! Your opinions already have credibility with me and I am interested in exploring more of your content on YT. I wondered if MK would be your #1. I am recently feeling more of a desire to find & play good solo games. I might start a little lighter than these games, though.🙂 BTW, a new game whose theme interests me as something different and creative, which I would like to see your review of, is Unconscious Mind. (I'm not aware of it having a solo mode, though.) Again, great job on this video; I even liked the transitions! Subbed.
Thanks so much I really appreciate that. I hadn’t actually heard of unconscious mind, I just looked into it and added it to my wish list I’ll try to late pledge it soon so I can do a review when it’s released. I really enjoyed endless winter my Fantasia games so I’m definitely optimistic about unconscious mind too :)
@@fatherofgames9239 Thanks. Sounds good. BTW, just found through my own poking around that UM will indeed come with a "finely-crafted" solo mode, which I was happy to learn.
@@fatherofgames9239 May I throw out one more title whose theme intrigues me? Solomon Kane. Played it, by any chance? Would certainly value your opinion.
@@pnutbutrncrackers I’ve wanted to try that one I haven’t had a chance yet but it looks cool for sure. Mythic games hasn’t had the greatest reputation lately and the fact that they sold the IP for this recently makes me hopeful that we’ll see a reprint of this in the near future.
I am simply guy. I see Mage Knight, i SMACK that Sumbscribed button, like and enjoy your perfect list. On other way, its shame, we donest have translated few games from your list to my native language 😥 On otherside, this year they were release Etherfield into my native language, but without DLCs. Do you think, it is worth to play it without DCLs? Or how about replayability? Thanks :)
Thanks I appreciate that :). Etherfields is a hard one to recommend because of the uniqueness of it and i found it a bit overpriced compared to other awaken realms games. That being said I enjoyed it a lot and I only have the base game and stretch goal box (harpy and she wolf). I haven’t beaten the base game yet i think it’s about 50 hours to beat, I can’t comment on the replayability after you beat the campaign but there’s a lot of dreams to go through in just the base game and they are all very different and unique.
@@fatherofgames9239 Yea. 130€ is pretty huge price (i can imagine pricepool around 60€ like Oltréé or Dreams), but base on your comment and video :) Games looks really interesting. I likde that kind of interesting games. About DLCs, they are must have or as you said, core game is enought?
I never played any campaigns. Any dungeon crawlers at all. Not my jam. I just don’t enjoy rolling a bunch of dice. I’m more of a Euro gamer. But from your list, I think I would like to try Sleeping Gods. Anyway man, will keep exploring your Chanel. God bless
Hey thanks so much, as far as solo games go most games similar to risk are typically multiplayer but a few with solo options that I can think of are Lords of Hellas, Lords of Ragnarok and scythe.
I love your list, and have all the games except Bardsong ( already have several good dungeon crawlers) and Aeon Tresspass (too expensive for a board game). Spirit Island and Mage Knight were one of the first games I ever purchased and are ageless classics, highly recommended. I have a few suggestions to add for diversity; Isle of Cats (great for solo, polyomino & card game), Aeons End ( Deck building), City of Kings (exploring/puzzle/tactics), This War of Mine (atmospheric survival), Gloomhaven Jaws of the Lion (more suited to solo play than the larger game) , Dune Imperium ( solid euro/worker placement game), Wingspan ( rewarding card driven euro) and if you have the time to play it...Frost Punk (Atmospheric, survival, story telling game). For portable/short play solos games I recommend DeepSpace D6 and Warps Edge. And If you want to put all those board game miniatures to good use , then check out the miniature agnostic skirmish games like 5 Parsecs from Home ( sci-fi themed) or 5 leagues from the Borderlands( fantasy). If you like RPGs, but can't find a group, then take a look at Ranger of Shadow Deep, its great fun and was made for solo play.
Thanks, glad to hear you enjoyed it, wow 8 out of 10 that’s pretty crazy, Aeon Trespass was very affordable if you backed it early it’s definitely gone up quite a bit in price but the amount of content is staggering I’m just over 50 hours in and in a lot of ways I feel I’ve just scratched the surface of what the game has to offer. Isle of cats and aeons end are definitely on my radar I have wanted to try them for a while. Dune Imperium is one of my favourite games just not for solo and jaws and gloomhaven are great too, but again ones I don’t really play solo though. I’ll add the other ones to the wish list thanks for the recommendations :).
You know it’s funny I was just thinking the other day I want to do a top 10 best miniatures, I plan to do a video on that near the end of the year as a lot of big kickstarter mini heavy games are coming out this year but out of what I’ve played anything from awaken realms has some of the best miniatures as far as quality goes, and I was very impressed by Aeon Trespasses Miniatures. Ankh and Massive Darkness 2 has some of the largest quantity though not the greatest quality (for massive darkness) and I’ve heard darkest dungeon has a ridiculous amount as well.
@Father of Games thank you so much for the info. I would love to see a video for best miniatures. I haven't found many creators featuring something like that.
A lot of the games on this list are sold out. As a newcomer to the hobby, what is the best way to keep informed about upcoming releases so I can avoid the disappointment of missing out on new games I might be interested in?
Sorry to hear that, a lot of these were kickstarters to be informed on those theres the kickstarter app that you can set up to only show upcoming board games (scholars of the South Tigris is on there now I recommend that one) there’s also gamefound online which is another platform that a lot these games were sold on, a lot of games this size don’t go to retail there’s not a big enough market to justify the cost of production so for the bigger ones that’s the best way to get them typically. As far as retail games i buy from 401 games and boardgamebliss if somethings out of stock you can put your email in to be notified but from my list Bardsung, sleeping gods, Etherfields, destinies, spirit island, and mage knight are currently in stock at 401 games Cloudspire and Burncycle are available at chip theory games online store Tainted grail is available on gamefound right now along with the new one coming out in December And Aeon Trespass Odyssey is supposed to come back to gamefound soon. Hope this helps :)
notice that you have your sleeping gods cards with sleeves, can you add a link on were did you get those sleeves, both medium and big size, i would be appreciated, thanks for taking the time to do this videos.
I actually got those ones from a local board game store but I use the site www.sleeveyourgames.com/sleeves/6481/sleeping-gods to find the quantity and size of sleeves needed and then if I were to order them I’ll use 401games.ca Sleeve kings sleeves on there are usually the best value and price.
I just got ISS Vanguard last week I haven’t had a chance to get it to the table yet I tend to post first impressions and more reviews on my instagram if you’re interested I’ll post my impressions of it once I’ve played it, and with Nemesis I haven’t played it solo but I think a lot of the fun on not knowing who to trust and what your opponents are doing would be removed solo so I personally don’t see it being as good.
Thanks so much for doing this! It would be super helpful if there was some text on the video for the game name just for when I couldn't hear you clearly. Do you know if any of these have good digital versions??
No problem :) yea that’s a good idea I could definitely try to implement that in next time, I don’t know to be honest I think Tainted Grail does but I can’t say for sure.
Im trying to dig into BardSung right now, and am pretty torn on whether its good for me or not. Love how you used the pieces from the games to form the numbers
It definitely isn’t for everyone I had some big negatives with it too but it can be really fun as well, I hope you enjoy it more as you keep playing and if not I hope you can find one you like better. Haha thanks 😊
@@fatherofgames9239 Thanks we will see how it goes, playing Oathsworn with one group and Midarra with another and loving those, just trying to find a good one for solo play when I have the time , I do agree it is easier than most to get ready to play
To be honest it was sadly not a game I’ve enjoyed, production quality was off the charts and it was a really cool idea but I found it to be too repetitive and kind of boring personally.
They are mostly pretty expensive I tend to gravitate towards those type of games unfortunately. As for cheaper solo games I don’t have enough to make a top 10 but legacy of yu and final girl are ones I enjoyed, also destinies from this list is quite affordable as well.
Awesome glad to hear you like it, I’m still waiting to try TI4 it’s been on my shelf for almost a year but I can’t find anyone willing to play such a long game lol.
Honestly Its rare that I play games Solo, I usually either to that because I want to learn the game before inviting people over, or because the game is not massive and i can enjoy the story without distractions (Arkham Horror LCG), but playing Awakened real games solo for me just feels odd as they are basically video games in boardgame format
Playing them solo before teaching them is definitely helpful I agree. To be honest the fact they feel like video games is one of the main reason I like them but they’re definitely not for everyone for sure.
@@fatherofgames9239 playing a massive boardgame that i have to set up for me feels as silly as setting up a 3 course dinner with a candle and music for just for me. If Im gonna eat alone, you know ill eat something that takes 5-10 mins to prepare and eat it straight out of the pot so i have less dishes to wash :D
@@konstantinstepanov5461 hahaha, I personally think a steak dinner or a 3 course meal would be enjoyable with others or by myself. But I get what you’re saying everyone has their own preferences.
Is there even a single “pure” solo game on this list (by pure I mean a game specifically designed to be played by a single player)? If not, why not? It seems pretty strange to create a best solo games list without one pure solo game on it.
Most top 10 solo lists don’t have solo only games as there’s not many out there, (legacy of yu, final girl, rogue dungeon and Hoplo victorum are the only I’ve played or know of.) a lot of these games on this list (tainted grail, Etherfields, spirit island, mage knight and Burncycle especially) I’d argue play better as a solo game.
I liked Gloomhaven a lot, if I had to rank it on how much I like it compared to these 10 it would rank around the middle of the list. I went through most of the campaign with a group and never ended up playing it solo so that’s why I just didn’t include it on this list.
I actually haven’t played either, 7th continent was in my Amazon cart for a long time and I never ended up buying it. If you like tainted grail there’s a good chance you’d those as well as far as I’ve heard anyways.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, I bought too many bones a few months ago still trying to get it to the table I definitely will soon, thanks for the recommendation :)
Wow Aeons Trespass at number 3 really surprised me. I thought that game was a terrible knockoff of KDM with extremely boring combat. The equipment is so bland and straightforward there’s no cool build paths like in KDM the character and enemy designs were rather boring and the gameplay was awful. The game prides itself on being difficult but I found it to be more annoying than difficult. The exploration would be fun if you weren’t on a constant time crunch. You want to explore and do the side quest which I found enjoyable but you can’t with the timer constantly bearing down on you. I was so excited to finally get the game but then the combat just completely ruined it for me. There’s no strategic depth at all. Just roll dice hit the enemy and the next player does the same. Yes you leave tokens for the next player in the pool but who cares? My buddy and I beat cycle 1 then packed it away. I want to be clear I’m not attacking you for your opinion or you liking it I’m just explaining why I didn’t like it. To each their own and I’m glad you’re enjoying it especially for the extreme cost of the game. I went all so I’ve got over $600 into it and I’d have to say it’s my biggest regret from kickstarter. From your list either Burncycle or Ethersfield would be my number 1. Really fun mechanics super unique and really wanted to keep me coming back to the table for more. Thanks for the video and I just want to be clear these are just my opinions. I know the fanboys are gonna get over emotional.
Those are fair points, I know it definitely has too much randomness for some, and it’s always a drag when you don’t enjoy a kickstarter you’ve backed especially when it’s so expensive. I’ve been getting into KDM since posting this video and it’s definitely a great game, I personally felt they were quite different from each other despite many saying ATO is just a knock off of Kdm though. Glad to hear you like Burncycle and Etherfields, I felt both of those games were under appreciated. Thanks for your input
Haha Destinies was cheap at least 😄. I tend to gravitate to more campaign/scenario based games instead of beating your score types of games but to each their own, there’s tons of games out there which is one of the great things about this hobby :).
Awesome glad to hear you’re enjoying it, it definitely is a great game I played that and gloomhaven with a group but never really played them solo so I didn’t include them in this list but they’re definitely great games!
I am always interested in recommendations for solo games, and I think you’ve gone and done it and convinced me to get Mage Knight. It keeps topping so many lists of solo games, even lists that don’t feature sprawling and/or campaign games as yours did. I need to pick up Spirit Island as well. You said you might do more lists of solo games in the future. I’d be interested in your take on smaller-scale solo games, if your gaming tastes run that way. Thanks for the video. It was great.
Haha that’s awesome I hope it doesn’t disappoint, it’s a fantastic game if you’re willing to take the time to learn it, spirit island is great too very unique and so many expansions adding to the replayability. I tend to lean toward the big games solo and play more smaller ones multiplayer, final girl was a smaller one that’s been recommended to me a few times which I just purchased and will hopefully be trying this week along with legacy of Yu, marvel champions is another one that I’ve really been enjoying since posting this video. That’s probably the smallest ones for me so far.
a moja Top Gier Solo 2023’: 1. Etherfields 2. Pax Pamir 3. Bonfire 4. Mage Knight 5. Diuna: Imperium z dodatkiem 6. Anachrony 7. Scythe 8. This War of Mine 9. 51 Stan - ale wersję solo sobie zmodyfikowałem :D 10. To Many Bones 10. Uśpieni bogowie 10. Frostpunk 10. Nemesis
Great list! Many similarities. I would add the Arkham LCG and Dawn of the Zeds. You should definitely check out these two, really great games and work great in solo mode. Also did you try KDM, any thoughts compared to Aeons Tresspass?
Thanks, to be honest I don’t think I could get into another card game since MtG lol my wallets still recovering from that 😆. I’ll add dawn of the Zeds to the wish list though thanks. I had money set aside to buy KdM this year and ended up using it to back Anastyr instead, I’ll hopefully get KdM later this year and compare it to aeon Trespass.
Pace, delivery, and visuals are great. Speaking to Pros AND cons is key. Thanks.
Thanks so much 😀
Great list and a good choice for #1. Mage Knight has been my favourite solo game since I got into the hobby
Thanks :), glad to hear you like it too it’s such a great game!
I have no friends and my siblings don't want to play with me so this is perfect. Thank you!
Ok trauma dump in the youtube comment section
Really appreciate the effort and time you put into this production especially the stop motion work👍
Thanks so much I appreciate that :)
That’s what made me finish the entire video
Glad to see Etherfields. I also think it’s an exceptionally unique game.
Glad to hear you enjoy it, it’s definitely an underrated game for sure.
love etherfields, got 4 Silverkeys now in the first campagne, love every minute playing this game
@@boardgamer_with_beard oooh. I’m not to the four silver keys yet
Discovered quite a few games I had never heard of that are now on my list to check out and buy. Thank you for sharing outside of your atypical BGTop10.
Awesome, I hope you enjoy them, thanks for watching :)
you start your solo journey with most heavy/ biggest boxes boards games you could find
Haha I’m a sucker for miniatures and big production games, I play a lot of smaller ones too just not typically solo
@@fatherofgames9239 it is heavily inspired in Mage Knight with an “D&D” thematic. More simple with rules, but still puzzling.
@@fatherofgames9239 I subbed just on the first few. Pretty sure we like the same games.
Just got to spirit island. I own it, played it, but my small ass brain couldn't think far enough ahead to be good at the game. I gave up on it, maybe I shouldn't have?
AT:O is my newest game I bought. Its a better KDM. A bit of a learning curve but it's soooo good. I have cycle 4 and 5 coming and will 100% back Twelve Sins next month. ItU is my new fav publisher. All in'd Kingdoms Forlorn as well. So hyped for what these guys make.
Mage knight is quite simply a masterpiece. Whilst I enjoy many different games, mage knight stands above them all as the overall design is a work of genius
I totally agree it really is a masterpiece for sure.
I really enjoy Star Trek frontiers because of theming. It’s crazy how many small rule changes can completely alter the game
Great list, we have similar tastes in games! A lot of the games you mentioned, I love playing at two player. Gloomhaven and Oathsworn are my favorites at low player counts!
Thanks 🙏 , with the right person a lot of these are great two player as well for sure. Gloomhaven is a great game and I’ve only heard good things about oathsworn looking forward to the reprint later this year :)
I nearly left when you put Tainted Snail on your list.
But then you completely redeemed yourself with Mage Knight at number one. It's a fantastic game and just a really, really good recommendation which is, honestly, more often than not better solo.
Haha Tainted Grail is pretty polarizing, it definitely isn’t a perfect game but I enjoyed it a lot at least and I think the new one will improve on a lot of its imperfections.
I agree though mage knight is better solo for sure I couldn’t imagine playing it with 5 players
Any list with Mage Knight #1 is a great one 😁
Haha thanks, such a great game eh
Great List! I like Mage Knight, Tainted Grail, Sleeping Gods and would add Too Many Bones, Lord of the Rings LCG, Marvel Champions and ISS Vanguard.
Thanks, and good suggestions I’ve really been enjoying Marvel Champions lately and I’m hoping to learn tmb soon. Iss Vanguard I was a little disappointed with unfortunately but I’m gonna keep trying it.
Thanks for watching :).
Good video. As a solo player you must consider time spent housekeeping components and modifiers vs time spent decision space (the fun part). Sometimes less is more.
I would highly recommend you check out:
- Space Cadets Away Missions
- Dawn Of The Zeds
- D-day At Omaha Beach
- Carnival Zombie
- Machina Arcana
- Too Many Bones
I agree sometimes the upkeep and setup on some games can be overwhelming there has to be a great story or great gameplay to justify it.
I’ve been recommended dawn of the zeds a few times I’ll definitely have to try that soon. I’ve wanted to play too many bones for a while but keep putting it off because of all the expansions I know I’ll want to collect them all lol I’ll add the other games to the wish list too thanks :)
I would also strongly recommend Hoplomachus Victorum.
Dude, thanks for this. Been looking for a game to play with my young daughter as a solo game. Very helpful video.
No worries, glad to hear it was helpful. I hope you’re able to find one you both enjoy :)
You need to keep making videos. You do a great job. @@fatherofgames9239
What? You know what the word SOLO means right?
@@JayJayPea1lol, I'm playing with my 9 year old. So I guess I don't.
Honestly, if someone decides to make an abbreviated version of the Bardsung campaign, it would probably be one of my top 10 games. I know I posted my opinions on it in another one of your videos, about how I think you cap out on abilities and treasure items too early, but I think it'd be possible to shorten the campaign in half and add a couple more challenges to balance it out (additional boss fights or mix up enemy types a little more often). That way you wouldn't cap too quickly and lose the lure of leveling up, or feel like a slog to get to the next boss fight. The Fables box is also the best stretch goal box I've received from any game I've crowdfunded, the experience wouldn't be the same without it.
All that said about Bardsung, I do own half of your list and it is a great list! Cloudspire is probably my favorite on here at the moment, but MK still is my reigning champion. I need to get more games in of Spirit Island and your opinion on Etherfields is spot on... I'm more motivated to dive into ISS Vanguard than finish the Etherfields campaign, but hopefully it doesn't fall too far down my queue. I pledged the new sleeping gods and kings of ruin so hopefully those are even better than their predecessors!
@@kylemoore7746 It is a shame that Bardsung wasn’t more challenging for sure and I do agree too there should have been less nodes in each chapter especially less standard crawls.
Glad you liked the list, I have the same problem with Iss Vanguard I really want to try it but it keeps getting pushed down the list because of other games I’m playing. Hope you’re able to try it soon 😀
Awesome animation between games.
Thanks so much :)
Interesting and expensive list. Destinies looks interesting and I agree MK is an awesome game but that is as complex as I'm willing to get right now.
Sleeping Gods, Etherfields, Tainted Grail, and Burncycle all on order. Mage Knight is difficult, but well worth the time to learn.
That’s exciting hopefully you get those soon, and I totally agree about mage knight
I would put Dungeon Alliance amongst the top 3. It is a milestone for solo gaming!
Sounds awesome I’ll look into that one thanks.
Within the last week, I've gone from not knowing what Mage Knight is to deciding that it's a game I must have in my collection! I enjoyed listening to your list, great job.
Thanks so much :), awesome I hope you enjoy it 😎
Try it out somehow (TTS) before you buy it. It's always popular on solo lists but I bounced off it HARD.
@@bn5055 Good advice, thanks. The 4.65 complexity rating on BGG is a bit intimidating.
@@gregorys9629 tbh it could do with a second edition with a more streamlined ruleset and a better manual. It's one of those rulesets that starts out simple but then is complicated by exceptions.
@@gregorys9629 Did you get it? (I adore it)
Yes, Burncycle is the 2nd! I think this game is often underestimated. I love this game (and Mage Knight also).
Glad to hear you like Burncycle as well, it really was a massively underrated game for sure and one I found just gets better with more plays.
MK is my favorite solo game too! I totally agree with your comments about it! Since I love MK, I was looking for another game similar to MK, how is luck in burncycle? I don’t like too much luck and dices in boardgames
Although I don’t find them super similar a lot of people compare Euthia to mage knight either way Euthia is another good game as well. Burncycle has a bit of luck but a lot of choices for mitigation in it as well, there is a bit of randomness on what keypad cards you draw and there is dice rolling but there’s a lot of strategy around how many dice to use and what upgrades to give yourself I found Burncycle to have a great balance.
Hey! Thank you so much for this clip! Due to it I decided to give Spirit Island a chance and now I am just obsessed with the game. Really amazing for solo! I really needed to have such a game in the collection, thanks!
Hey that’s awesome I’m really glad to hear you’re enjoying it :)
What a surprising list, since the solo space now is so dominated by euros. And makes sense why spirit island is no 6 on your list…it’s not as theme heavy as the other games. If you were more of a euro / mechanics first kind of a gamer, perhaps SI would have been higher and we may have seen some pure euros on the list.
Not that this list is a bad thing. It’s an amazing list, especially for solo gamers who love theme heavy games.
Thanks and yea there definitely was a lack of euros on the list for sure I do tend to gravitate to more campaign style games when playing solo. I enjoy many euros I just don’t typically play them solo. Thanks for watching!
When I saw the name of the video I thought of one particular game. And then I had to watch the whole video to see it in the first place. Of all the games I played on this list, I totally agree!
Haha sorry you had to watch the whole thing 😂 glad to hear you agree with the list :).
As someone on disability and lots of time and little money, I'd love to get all of these games, but sadly, they are too expensive for me. Great video tho! Thank you for making me aware of these solo games.
I’m sorry to hear that, and it is a shame that board games are becoming so expensive for sure. If you’re looking for some cheaper options for solo games final girl and legacy of yu are cheaper.
Thanks glad you liked the video.
Great!!! I love Mage Knight! 😍
Such a good game for sure :)
YOU ARE AWESOME! ❤❤❤
No Mike, you are awesome 😎
@@fatherofgames9239 ☺️
Awesome list!
Thanks 🙏
Id like to see what you think of "Return to dark tower" and where that would be on your solo list.
I haven’t had a chance to play that one yet I’ve been wanting to get it for a while but haven’t yet. Looks awesome though.
Anyone who’s number 1 is mageknight, I know our likes will align. We have a very similar list, Burncycle I just broke down off of my table, I walked away not enjoying it too much, I will have to try it again though. Thanks for the vid!
Haha awesome 😎, mage knight really is a fantastic game eh, sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy Burncycle, I personally didn’t love it at first it wasn’t until I played a scenario that had you start on the third floor that I got to see how good this game was, it was also the session where the rules started to make sense and I could plan ahead because I knew how the guards would move, from then on I loved the game but it definitely is not for everyone. I hope you end up enjoying it more :)
Spirit Island is the only one on the list that I've played. Time to try another one (hopefully Burncycle!)
Good choice, I hope you enjoy it :)
Awesome list. Would love to throw you a plug on a couple games you may like since you have Frost Punk back there: This War of Mine and Robinson Crusoe. RC is my all time #1, especially with all expansion content. This war of mine is legit tied as a super close second since it almost de-throned RC. Frost Punk is the love baby that was born of these two games. Give them a go, but be warned: they are both brutal and unforgiving
Thanks, and i appreciate the recommendations those are both on my ever growing wish list. I’ve had RC I’m my cart so many times and ended up buying other things instead each time lol I’ll have to get it soon though and anything by awaken realms is good too.
As for frostpunk i hadn’t played it yet when I made this list which is why it wasn’t on there, I really like it though apart from the setup, I’ll hopefully be putting out a review of it soon :).
Robinson Crusoe has a collectors edition coming out. Should be pretty close to being done manufacturing since it’s been over two years since Gamefound campaign. If you want it sooner, definitely get mystery tales to go along with it. The scenarios in it are soooooooooooo good 👍
Thank you, great reviews!
Thanks :)
Let me go on a limb here and guess: you like big box games :'D Nice list, although I did keep wondering how many rooms you have dedicated to gaming.
Haha how’d you guess 😂 hahah just one….. for now 😆
Great video! Honestly, as soon as I saw ISS Vanguard in the background I thought that would be your number 1 but it didn’t even make the list??!!😮
I must admit, I’ve become a bit of an Awaken Realms fanboy - their story driven campaigns are absolutely amazing. Just curious, did you use the v2.0 system for Etherfields of did you stick with the original?
Thanks :), I haven’t had a chance to play ISS Vanguard yet I think I’ll really enjoy it I just keep putting off learning it, I wanna finish some other campaigns first. But yea I agree their story driven games are fantastic, always so unique and epic.
I used the 2.0 rulebook to learn the game but just used the normal rules for the slumbers and everything.
This was the wrong video to watch for affordable solo game recommendations lol.
Though destinies is supper affordable so i got something out of it
What a great video. I love the pace and what you had to say about every game, and the B-roll is great as well. Subbed!
Thanks so much I really appreciate that 🙏
Good content! and good choices. I would add Marvel Champions to the list.
Thanks so much, and I’ve tried to stay away from another card collecting game since spending so much money on MtG but Marvel Champions has been recommended to me so many times recently I think ill definitely have to check it out :).
@@fatherofgames9239 it's not collectible like MtG. There's no randomness. You can play the main campaign over and over just differing heroes or villains. And if you want a specific hero, you just buy that expansion pack. What I find awesome is each hero plays so different, and they completely feel like that super should feel.
@@fatherofgames9239 tbh champions is not the kind of game you feel like you HAVE to keep spending money. There's no FOMO with not buying new content like there is with other LCG/CCG. I've purchased core set, sinister motives campaign expansion, and 2 other heroes. But I've yet to try any of my expansions and 2 extra heroes because I keep replaying the core set. It comes with 5 different characters and 3 villains, and they all play sooooo different from each other which extends the replayability considerably. And that's WITHOUT customizing decks (I just use pre-constructed for now), which will extend the replayabilty even more. I sound like a commercial I know lol. But damn MC is fkn amazing solo! (and at 2 players)
@@AdamHennebeck that does sound really awesome actually I’ll definitely be buying that one in the next few weeks.
@@leosalcedo3384 haha that sounds fantastic actually, you and some others have definitely sold it for me I’m gonna be picking up a copy in the next few weeks :)
Enjoyed the video! I recently started delving into Mage Knight and can see why you have it so highly rated. What's your preferred scenario?
Thanks so much, I haven’t had a chance to try all of them yet I have very little free time these days lol, I usually just end up playing the solo conquest scenario most often.
OMG, just came across your channel, this vid was awesome, your list blew my mind. The way you presented each game makes me want to run out and buy all of em! All I need to do is win the lottery 🤞😜
Hey thanks so much Donna I really appreciate that, haha oh no 😆 well I couldn’t think of a better thing to spend lottery winnings on, good luck 🤞
Awesome list! I’ve only played a few games on it, others have been on my radar, and the rest are brand new to me. Thank you for showing them off!
From one dad to another, I’m very glad your channel got recommended to me. Subbed and will be checking out your backlog while looking forward to new videos! 😁
Hey thanks so much glad you enjoyed it :).
Thanks I really appreciate that 😀
Fun list! Thank you for sharing. Spirit Island is definitely my favorite solo game. The base game is good, the Branch & Claw expansion make it better, but the Jagged Earth expansion makes it amazing. I would highly recommend those expansions if you can get your hands on them.
Also noticed ISS Vanguard and Frostpunk in the background. I absolutely love ISS Vanguard. Frostpunk is ridiculously hard. Played it again last night for my fourth time and still haven't beaten it. Have you gotten the chance to play it?
Thanks glad you liked it, I don’t have the Branch and Claw expansion but I do have the Jagged Earth and the Feather and Flame ones, I haven’t had a chance to play them much yet but I was really impressed with how much was included in the box for the jagged earth one at least.
I just got those both recently, I was blown away by the quality of Vanguard but want to beat the first cycle for Aeon Trespass before I play it. And Frostpunk I think I finally have a handle on the rules, planning to play it this weekend I think I’ll really enjoy that one :).
@@fatherofgames9239 Ah! Feather and Flame has one of the best spirits (Downpour)! I hope you end up enjoying the content from Jagged Earth because it adds so much quality content to the game.
Totally fair about waiting on beating the first cycle of Aeon Trespass. One you break it out, I'm curious to hear your thoughts. If you're getting a handle on Frostpunk's rules then that's impressive. Definitely a beast of a game but if you like challenging games, it'll be right up your alley.
@@colejolley6031 oh awesome I’ll be sure to try that sprit next thanks :)
I’ll do my best to post a review video of it soon 😀 Frostpunk definitely isn’t easy to learn at all but from what I can tell so far it seems like it will be well worth the effort!
Hi. Question about Chip Theory Games. I see Too many Bones is not on your list. I want to buy one of their games, but not sure what to get for solo play. have you tried Too Many bones? as it's widely considered their best game. If you have, why do you prefer the two on your list? Thanks again
Hey there, I own too many bones but haven’t tried it as of yet. But from my limited knowledge of both they are quite different, Cloudspire is a moba style tower defense game and too many bones is an adventure game where you try to defeat enemy monsters. It would just be a matter of which one sounds more appealing to you, too many bones is considered easier but from what I’ve heard it works better at 2 or 3 players. Hoplomachus victorum is another chip theory game to check out and it’s a solo only game I personally didnt love it but it generally recieved high ratings overall. Anyways hope that helps.
I’m just entering the solo board game experience, as I too, like so many always considered board games to be a very social experience. Many of the games you list are not familiar to me, however, the exploration and discovery themes seem very very interesting, thematically. The games you list are probably a bit pricey…would there be one exploration or discovery game that you would recommend to start with at an affordable price point? Also, I see there is a Star Trek version of Mage Knight that would interest me, but Mage Knight sounds fairly complex to learn. I guess as a solo player, I could take my time learning it. 😅. Thanks for your review!!
Awesome there’s definitely a ton to choose from for solo games and it seems to becoming more and more popular, sadly I do gravitate to the pricier games, from my top 10 here the cheapest would be destinies followed by spirit island. Mage knight is pretty complex for sure but they have a list of help cards and thematically the rules make sense, I highly recommend the ultimate edition if you’re planning on mage knight.
Czech version of Sleeping gods will be released in few weeks, i am looking forward to that game. There is something about ships and crew theme that mekes me more interested than for example sequel Distant skies.
Oh wow that’s really late eh, I really hope you enjoy it, the ship and crew theme is definitely a good one :)
@@fatherofgames9239 it takes time to negotiant localization, than lot translation and finally waiting for a window to print a small amount of games. For example Spirit Island took years for a very slow comunication with Greater than games, it was released translated last year. I have english version of Spirit Island, but not all my friends are good enought with english to be sure if they understand cards corectly.
@@frantaf I could definitely see that being frustrating, sorry to hear that hopefully it’s worth the wait
Great list! So tempted to get Etherfields. I think Awaken Realms makes such great games and I have several others (Tainted Grail, Nemesis, ISS Vanguard, This War of Mine). Just can't seem to pull the trigger.
So, Bardsung is your favorite dungeon crawler? Have you tried Massive Darkness 2?
Thanks 🙏, Etherfields definitely isn’t for everyone while I really enjoy it it’s hard to recommend because it’s so unique it’s kind of polarizing, people usually love it or hate it. But I agree Awaken Realms makes such great games for sure.
I have played massive Darkness 2 I enjoyed it, it was in my top 10 of 2022, bardsung was my favourite dungeon crawler solo, to be honest my enjoyment for it has gone down a fair bit since posting this video though. My favourite dungeon crawlers are gloomhaven and Descent 2nd Ed but just haven’t played them solo. I also think CoD has potential to be one of my favourites from what I’ve seen of it I’m just still waiting for my kickstarter pledge and haven’t had a chance to play it yet.
Did you back Tainted Grail: Kings of Ruin? It still has late pledge with the 2.0 upgrade for Fall of Avalon but a lot of your dislikes of Fall of Avalon are addressed in the new one. Also if you haven't played the solo for Viscounts of West Kingdom, it's a pretty good AI.
I did back it yes, I’m really looking forward to it, it does seem like they improved a lot from what was already a great game. I haven’t tried the solo version of viscounts I’ll have to check that out thanks.
Have you tried Final Girl? One of the best I've played. Im going to have to buy a couple on your list that I do not have!
Awesome I hope you like them. Final Girl is one I definitely need to look into more I know a lot of people really like it, I’ll definitely have to add it to my wish list.
I am very interested in Sleeping Gods. How well do you think it would work with 2 players?
I’ve only played it solo personally but I think with the right person 2 players could definitely be the best way to play.
Lots of fantasy/sci-fi adventure games on this list. Does Frostpunk make your cut at all? It's practically built for only solo.
To be honest frostpunk and Iss Vanguard were very recent purchases so I hadn’t played them yet, I just finally got Frostpunk to the table last night, the learning curve and set up is rough but I really enjoyed it it definitely has potential to make the list but I’ll have to play it more before I could say for sure.
Just stumbled upon your channel (today) and am very happy to have done so! Very good video! Your opinions already have credibility with me and I am interested in exploring more of your content on YT. I wondered if MK would be your #1. I am recently feeling more of a desire to find & play good solo games. I might start a little lighter than these games, though.🙂 BTW, a new game whose theme interests me as something different and creative, which I would like to see your review of, is Unconscious Mind. (I'm not aware of it having a solo mode, though.) Again, great job on this video; I even liked the transitions! Subbed.
Thanks so much I really appreciate that. I hadn’t actually heard of unconscious mind, I just looked into it and added it to my wish list I’ll try to late pledge it soon so I can do a review when it’s released. I really enjoyed endless winter my Fantasia games so I’m definitely optimistic about unconscious mind too :)
@@fatherofgames9239 Thanks. Sounds good. BTW, just found through my own poking around that UM will indeed come with a "finely-crafted" solo mode, which I was happy to learn.
@@pnutbutrncrackers that’s awesome I want it even more now 😃
@@fatherofgames9239 May I throw out one more title whose theme intrigues me? Solomon Kane. Played it, by any chance? Would certainly value your opinion.
@@pnutbutrncrackers I’ve wanted to try that one I haven’t had a chance yet but it looks cool for sure. Mythic games hasn’t had the greatest reputation lately and the fact that they sold the IP for this recently makes me hopeful that we’ll see a reprint of this in the near future.
I am simply guy. I see Mage Knight, i SMACK that Sumbscribed button, like and enjoy your perfect list. On other way, its shame, we donest have translated few games from your list to my native language 😥 On otherside, this year they were release Etherfield into my native language, but without DLCs. Do you think, it is worth to play it without DCLs? Or how about replayability? Thanks :)
Thanks I appreciate that :). Etherfields is a hard one to recommend because of the uniqueness of it and i found it a bit overpriced compared to other awaken realms games. That being said I enjoyed it a lot and I only have the base game and stretch goal box (harpy and she wolf). I haven’t beaten the base game yet i think it’s about 50 hours to beat, I can’t comment on the replayability after you beat the campaign but there’s a lot of dreams to go through in just the base game and they are all very different and unique.
@@fatherofgames9239 Yea. 130€ is pretty huge price (i can imagine pricepool around 60€ like Oltréé or Dreams), but base on your comment and video :) Games looks really interesting. I likde that kind of interesting games. About DLCs, they are must have or as you said, core game is enought?
@@quinterx I think the core game is definitely all you need for sure at least it was for me :).
I never played any campaigns. Any dungeon crawlers at all. Not my jam. I just don’t enjoy rolling a bunch of dice.
I’m more of a Euro gamer. But from your list, I think I would like to try Sleeping Gods.
Anyway man, will keep exploring your Chanel. God bless
That’s fair they’re definitely not for everyone, there are some that have no dice like Frosthaven or gloomhaven though.
Thanks for watching :)
Hey! Great list here. Thanks so much for the video. Off hand, do you know of any solo board games that are similar to Risk? Thanks :)
Hey thanks so much, as far as solo games go most games similar to risk are typically multiplayer but a few with solo options that I can think of are Lords of Hellas, Lords of Ragnarok and scythe.
I love your list, and have all the games except Bardsong ( already have several good dungeon crawlers) and Aeon Tresspass (too expensive for a board game). Spirit Island and Mage Knight were one of the first games I ever purchased and are ageless classics, highly recommended.
I have a few suggestions to add for diversity;
Isle of Cats (great for solo, polyomino & card game),
Aeons End ( Deck building),
City of Kings (exploring/puzzle/tactics),
This War of Mine (atmospheric survival),
Gloomhaven Jaws of the Lion (more suited to solo play than the larger game) ,
Dune Imperium ( solid euro/worker placement game),
Wingspan ( rewarding card driven euro)
and if you have the time to play it...Frost Punk (Atmospheric, survival, story telling game).
For portable/short play solos games I recommend DeepSpace D6 and Warps Edge.
And If you want to put all those board game miniatures to good use , then check out the miniature agnostic skirmish games like 5 Parsecs from Home ( sci-fi themed) or 5 leagues from the Borderlands( fantasy).
If you like RPGs, but can't find a group, then take a look at Ranger of Shadow Deep, its great fun and was made for solo play.
Thanks, glad to hear you enjoyed it, wow 8 out of 10 that’s pretty crazy, Aeon Trespass was very affordable if you backed it early it’s definitely gone up quite a bit in price but the amount of content is staggering I’m just over 50 hours in and in a lot of ways I feel I’ve just scratched the surface of what the game has to offer.
Isle of cats and aeons end are definitely on my radar I have wanted to try them for a while.
Dune Imperium is one of my favourite games just not for solo and jaws and gloomhaven are great too, but again ones I don’t really play solo though.
I’ll add the other ones to the wish list thanks for the recommendations :).
Out of every board game you have or have played, which has the best minis? how about the most? How about the biggest?
You know it’s funny I was just thinking the other day I want to do a top 10 best miniatures, I plan to do a video on that near the end of the year as a lot of big kickstarter mini heavy games are coming out this year but out of what I’ve played anything from awaken realms has some of the best miniatures as far as quality goes, and I was very impressed by Aeon Trespasses Miniatures. Ankh and Massive Darkness 2 has some of the largest quantity though not the greatest quality (for massive darkness) and I’ve heard darkest dungeon has a ridiculous amount as well.
@Father of Games thank you so much for the info. I would love to see a video for best miniatures. I haven't found many creators featuring something like that.
Top 10 Solo Adventure/Exploration Games
Haha thats a bit of a mouthful though 😂
A lot of the games on this list are sold out. As a newcomer to the hobby, what is the best way to keep informed about upcoming releases so I can avoid the disappointment of missing out on new games I might be interested in?
Sorry to hear that, a lot of these were kickstarters to be informed on those theres the kickstarter app that you can set up to only show upcoming board games (scholars of the South Tigris is on there now I recommend that one) there’s also gamefound online which is another platform that a lot these games were sold on, a lot of games this size don’t go to retail there’s not a big enough market to justify the cost of production so for the bigger ones that’s the best way to get them typically.
As far as retail games i buy from 401 games and boardgamebliss if somethings out of stock you can put your email in to be notified but from my list
Bardsung, sleeping gods, Etherfields, destinies, spirit island, and mage knight are currently in stock at 401 games
Cloudspire and Burncycle are available at chip theory games online store
Tainted grail is available on gamefound right now along with the new one coming out in December
And Aeon Trespass Odyssey is supposed to come back to gamefound soon.
Hope this helps :)
@Father of Games That's a great help! Exactly the advice I was looking for. Thanks. Earned yourself a sub
@@jimbomacroth3400 thanks so much glad to hear it was helpful :)
Nice! +1 subscriber :)
Thanks I appreciate it :)
Great video
Thanks James :)
notice that you have your sleeping gods cards with sleeves, can you add a link on were did you get those sleeves, both medium and big size, i would be appreciated, thanks for taking the time to do this videos.
I actually got those ones from a local board game store but I use the site www.sleeveyourgames.com/sleeves/6481/sleeping-gods to find the quantity and size of sleeves needed and then if I were to order them I’ll use 401games.ca
Sleeve kings sleeves on there are usually the best value and price.
I was thinking that Nemesis or ISS Vangurd could have been on the list but they weren’t. Am wandering how you found them solo?
I just got ISS Vanguard last week I haven’t had a chance to get it to the table yet I tend to post first impressions and more reviews on my instagram if you’re interested I’ll post my impressions of it once I’ve played it, and with Nemesis I haven’t played it solo but I think a lot of the fun on not knowing who to trust and what your opponents are doing would be removed solo so I personally don’t see it being as good.
Interesting, out of all of these Mage Knight is the one I've actually played (with friends).
Haha well it’s the only one you really need
Thanks so much for doing this! It would be super helpful if there was some text on the video for the game name just for when I couldn't hear you clearly. Do you know if any of these have good digital versions??
No problem :) yea that’s a good idea I could definitely try to implement that in next time, I don’t know to be honest I think Tainted Grail does but I can’t say for sure.
@@fatherofgames9239 appreciate you giving me some options to check out I've been out of the board game meta for too long! 🙌🙌
@@buickchaser haha no worries it’s a hard hobby to keep up with for sure
Im trying to dig into BardSung right now, and am pretty torn on whether its good for me or not. Love how you used the pieces from the games to form the numbers
It definitely isn’t for everyone I had some big negatives with it too but it can be really fun as well, I hope you enjoy it more as you keep playing and if not I hope you can find one you like better.
Haha thanks 😊
@@fatherofgames9239 Thanks we will see how it goes, playing Oathsworn with one group and Midarra with another and loving those, just trying to find a good one for solo play when I have the time , I do agree it is easier than most to get ready to play
@@jonathanw3199 glad to hear you’re enjoying Oathsworn, I’m really looking forward to the reprint of that later this year.
I notice ISS Vanguard on the shelf behind you. What do you think of that game? I thought it would’ve been on this top 10! lol
To be honest it was sadly not a game I’ve enjoyed, production quality was off the charts and it was a really cool idea but I found it to be too repetitive and kind of boring personally.
Your list is very heavy on the miniature site and those look like quite expensive games. Could you do a low-budget list too?
They are mostly pretty expensive I tend to gravitate towards those type of games unfortunately. As for cheaper solo games I don’t have enough to make a top 10 but legacy of yu and final girl are ones I enjoyed, also destinies from this list is quite affordable as well.
mage knight is fun. hope im playing it right though lol
lol there definitely is a ton of rules but as long as you’re having fun playing it that’s the main thing
Mage Knight is my #2 boardgame of all time. Only Twilight Imperium IV surpases it.
Awesome glad to hear you like it, I’m still waiting to try TI4 it’s been on my shelf for almost a year but I can’t find anyone willing to play such a long game lol.
mage knight mechanic looks like slay the spire
Definitely some similarities for sure!
Solo games are perfect for me. I am my own strongest opponent.
Haha glad to hear you enjoy them too :)
Honestly Its rare that I play games Solo, I usually either to that because I want to learn the game before inviting people over, or because the game is not massive and i can enjoy the story without distractions (Arkham Horror LCG), but playing Awakened real games solo for me just feels odd as they are basically video games in boardgame format
Playing them solo before teaching them is definitely helpful I agree. To be honest the fact they feel like video games is one of the main reason I like them but they’re definitely not for everyone for sure.
@@fatherofgames9239 playing a massive boardgame that i have to set up for me feels as silly as setting up a 3 course dinner with a candle and music for just for me. If Im gonna eat alone, you know ill eat something that takes 5-10 mins to prepare and eat it straight out of the pot so i have less dishes to wash :D
@@konstantinstepanov5461 hahaha, I personally think a steak dinner or a 3 course meal would be enjoyable with others or by myself. But I get what you’re saying everyone has their own preferences.
Destinies - where you find those solo modes?
Once you click on a story section to play 4 game mode options come up the challenger and explorer options are both solo.
Wyrmspan good for solo ?
Bardsung is my first game lol
That’s awesome I’m glad to hear I wasn’t the only one who enjoyed it :)
Is there even a single “pure” solo game on this list (by pure I mean a game specifically designed to be played by a single player)? If not, why not? It seems pretty strange to create a best solo games list without one pure solo game on it.
Most top 10 solo lists don’t have solo only games as there’s not many out there, (legacy of yu, final girl, rogue dungeon and Hoplo victorum are the only I’ve played or know of.) a lot of these games on this list (tainted grail, Etherfields, spirit island, mage knight and Burncycle especially) I’d argue play better as a solo game.
you need to paint all those minis!!!
lol working on it
Gaming 20 yearscand haven't heard of even 1 of these
Hahah I guess they’re not all the most popular games but I can’t recommend them enough :)
no lord of the rings journey into middle earth?
I haven’t actually had a chance to try that one, I definitely want to soon!
My all-time favorite is Gloomhaven. You don't care for it?
I liked Gloomhaven a lot, if I had to rank it on how much I like it compared to these 10 it would rank around the middle of the list.
I went through most of the campaign with a group and never ended up playing it solo so that’s why I just didn’t include it on this list.
Where would you put 7th continent or 7th citadel? I'm thinking about getting one of them soon.
I actually haven’t played either, 7th continent was in my Amazon cart for a long time and I never ended up buying it. If you like tainted grail there’s a good chance you’d those as well as far as I’ve heard anyways.
Id love etherfieleds but I dunno how you could afford it it's over $100!! 😔
Awe It is unfortunate that awaken realms games are so expensive for sure but they come with a lot of quality components to somewhat justify the price.
lol, all games so big when u play this all ?
Haha not as often as I’d like
Did you try Tindaya solo?
I never played Tindaya actually I thought it looked fun but never ended up buying it.
Great list, great video, thanks for some inspiration!
Do yourself a favor and check out Too Many Bones. 😉 it’s my all time favorite, also solo.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, I bought too many bones a few months ago still trying to get it to the table I definitely will soon, thanks for the recommendation :)
Wow Aeons Trespass at number 3 really surprised me. I thought that game was a terrible knockoff of KDM with extremely boring combat. The equipment is so bland and straightforward there’s no cool build paths like in KDM the character and enemy designs were rather boring and the gameplay was awful. The game prides itself on being difficult but I found it to be more annoying than difficult. The exploration would be fun if you weren’t on a constant time crunch. You want to explore and do the side quest which I found enjoyable but you can’t with the timer constantly bearing down on you. I was so excited to finally get the game but then the combat just completely ruined it for me. There’s no strategic depth at all. Just roll dice hit the enemy and the next player does the same. Yes you leave tokens for the next player in the pool but who cares? My buddy and I beat cycle 1 then packed it away.
I want to be clear I’m not attacking you for your opinion or you liking it I’m just explaining why I didn’t like it. To each their own and I’m glad you’re enjoying it especially for the extreme cost of the game. I went all so I’ve got over $600 into it and I’d have to say it’s my biggest regret from kickstarter.
From your list either Burncycle or Ethersfield would be my number 1. Really fun mechanics super unique and really wanted to keep me coming back to the table for more.
Thanks for the video and I just want to be clear these are just my opinions. I know the fanboys are gonna get over emotional.
Those are fair points, I know it definitely has too much randomness for some, and it’s always a drag when you don’t enjoy a kickstarter you’ve backed especially when it’s so expensive. I’ve been getting into KDM since posting this video and it’s definitely a great game, I personally felt they were quite different from each other despite many saying ATO is just a knock off of Kdm though.
Glad to hear you like Burncycle and Etherfields, I felt both of those games were under appreciated.
Thanks for your input
Content was good, but why copy the dice tower animations lol?
admit it, you're here because you're a virgin.. i don't know whether to laugh or cry
MK first place, auto subs.
Haha thanks, it’s definitely a fantastic game
Really hate your top 5 because of the time and money commitment on all of them
Haha I can assure you they are well worth the effort and cost
Too many bits and pieces. Who has that much time on their hands?
I do! I work 40 hours and still make the time to engage in my hobby :)
All of this list contains
Too damn heavy litterly games,
Samey games in general,
Expensive as hell games
Not a fan of your choices at all, sorry 😊🤷
Haha Destinies was cheap at least 😄. I tend to gravitate to more campaign/scenario based games instead of beating your score types of games but to each their own, there’s tons of games out there which is one of the great things about this hobby :).
Heavy? Sure
Samey? No... (just sounds like you have played none of them saying that)
Expensive? 4/10 you can get reasonably cheap. 🤷
@@nihlify I don't play any of those I just don't like any of them at all
And yeah they are have the same idea of big Campigns
@@fatherofgames9239 I also prefer not beat your own score as well, but also not those damn heavy and expensive games
Sleeping Gods and Spirit Island in which world samey samey?
Awful list
Just my opinion, feel free to make your own 😎
🙏👏👏👏
Surprised nobody ever mentions Lord of The Rings LCG. It's an amazing solo game, though it's a card game, it has many board game elements.
I never mentioned it because I haven’t played it but I’m definitely intrigued I’ll have to look into that one for sure, thanks for the recommendation
I've just begun soloing Gloomhaven Jaws of the Lion, and I am liking it a lot - the hype is real, just like with Mage Knight.
Awesome glad to hear you’re enjoying it, it definitely is a great game I played that and gloomhaven with a group but never really played them solo so I didn’t include them in this list but they’re definitely great games!
Ok but how do you LOSE Gloomhaven?
@@Quincy_Morris you fail certain scenarios by running out of cards or health and can redo them if you choose when your stronger or more experienced.
@@fatherofgames9239 hahahha! Nice answer! Very well-thought-out...
I am always interested in recommendations for solo games, and I think you’ve gone and done it and convinced me to get Mage Knight. It keeps topping so many lists of solo games, even lists that don’t feature sprawling and/or campaign games as yours did. I need to pick up Spirit Island as well. You said you might do more lists of solo games in the future. I’d be interested in your take on smaller-scale solo games, if your gaming tastes run that way. Thanks for the video. It was great.
Haha that’s awesome I hope it doesn’t disappoint, it’s a fantastic game if you’re willing to take the time to learn it, spirit island is great too very unique and so many expansions adding to the replayability.
I tend to lean toward the big games solo and play more smaller ones multiplayer, final girl was a smaller one that’s been recommended to me a few times which I just purchased and will hopefully be trying this week along with legacy of Yu, marvel champions is another one that I’ve really been enjoying since posting this video. That’s probably the smallest ones for me so far.
a moja Top Gier Solo 2023’:
1. Etherfields
2. Pax Pamir
3. Bonfire
4. Mage Knight
5. Diuna: Imperium z dodatkiem
6. Anachrony
7. Scythe
8. This War of Mine
9. 51 Stan - ale wersję solo sobie zmodyfikowałem :D
10. To Many Bones
10. Uśpieni bogowie
10. Frostpunk
10. Nemesis
Solid list we definitely have some crossovers!
Great list! Many similarities. I would add the Arkham LCG and Dawn of the Zeds. You should definitely check out these two, really great games and work great in solo mode. Also did you try KDM, any thoughts compared to Aeons Tresspass?
Thanks, to be honest I don’t think I could get into another card game since MtG lol my wallets still recovering from that 😆. I’ll add dawn of the Zeds to the wish list though thanks.
I had money set aside to buy KdM this year and ended up using it to back Anastyr instead, I’ll hopefully get KdM later this year and compare it to aeon Trespass.
Agree 100%!! Worth checking out 👍