Another great video from my favourite solo reviewer! I saw your video from a few months back about your Top 10 solo games vs an AI opponent and I bought Sabika based on that. I have six plays this month and absolutely LOVE it! It may be a top 10 all time for me. I love the historical theme, the great art, and the mechanical elegance of the design. Such crunchy decision space! The simplicity of the solo bot (which is something you highlighted in your review) is a terrific bonus. Yusuf is fiercely competitive without requiring me to do too much upkeep, allowing me to focus on my game and my strategy. Also based off that Top 10 video I researched Terracotta Army and Wayfarers of the South Tigris and have added both of them to my and my fiancée's Amazon wedding registry with "most wanted" tags. Lol I regretted not backing Darwin's Journey on the Kickstarter and after watching your review and then Slickerdrips' solo playthrough I knew I wanted it. So, I bought it on Ebay with all the expansion stuff. I have five plays under my belt and the game is just delicious. I love the variable setup, the combo-ing chain effect actions, and the beautiful deluxe components. It's a game I walk away still thinking about. It's been set up in my game room for the last two weeks and I keep resetting it to play again. I'm currently trying to beat Yellow Advanced Alfred. I lost my first game to him, 221-201. Again, John, great recommendations and reviews and videos. You have been bad for my wallet but great for my morale. Keep up the outstanding work!
Don't know how I missed this video... great list... picking up 3 of these I missed Findorff, Warfarers and Sabika... so I hope your recommendations are spot on...
My favourite new solo game is For Glory with the Champions expansion that was released to backers last month. The Ludus Magnus A.I. is fantastic creating some marvelous gladiatorial matches (with their huge deck of cards and a large assortment of tactics). My 2nd favourite is Distilled. After your comments, I'm very interested in Darwin's Journey also.
I can confirm Jimmy's sentiment : also received my KS and as I had a firm grasp on the rules, I had a go at it. And after finishing, I had another go. It's a rare thing that I immediately want to play 2 games in a row but For Glory was unexpectedly better than I thought 🙂
Great list ! I love Darwins Journey as well, both as a solo as well as multi player ! One recommendation for another absolutely amazing new solo game is "City of the Great Machine". It did fly somewhat under the radar but it is a really awesome solo experience - together with Darwins Journey the most played on my side. In particular because it provides some alternative victory conditions ("start three riots") which mixes things up a bit with other games. Definitely worth checking out ! Great art and theme as well !
Ah. I had forgotten about Friday. I partially agree with you but it is so hard I lost the will to keep playing it. I was mostly referring to a lot of his other games that play 1-X players.
Another great video. Thanks again John. Will probably purchase Distilled as that theme interested me most on your list. Not sure if you ever played or considered any Games Works Shop games. I just purchased Blackstone Fortress. I like mini's.
I have never gotten into Games Works Shop proper but only the games that Fantasy Flight had licensed to them. I’m not sure I would like mini’s. I would need to try it out first somehow.
Thanks, John, really enjoyed that list. I totally agree with you when it comes to Distilled. I knew a good game was coming my way but I was surprised in the end of how good it was. Twilight Inscription is a tough one considering it's "just" a Roll&Write. Most of those are not that tough. Hadrian's Wall maybe. But I love it. I was not very interested in Tiletum and Darwin's Journey until now but I'll check them out. I was never let down by a recommendation of yours so far. And I'll definitely keep an eye out for Sabika. Never heard of it before, but it was picked up by Strohmann Games to be released here in Germany. That alone is a reason for me. Strohmann Germany has a ridiculously good catalogue (Planet Unknown, Fantasy Realms, Obsession, Fantastic Factories, Beyond the Sun etc.). Usually, when they release a game it's a must buy for me.
I am in my sixties. I only play solo and have way too any games already with 98% of them in storage miles from home but...these look fascinating. Also, ive never quite u derstood what a kickstarter is or how it works. Enjoyable watch. Thank you.
Glad to be a good watch for you! A Kickstarter is basically a preorder of sorts where you take a risk that if you fund a project, they will deliver it in the future as promised. This can be anything, but many board game producers use this method these days to raise the capital necessary to get their game paid for before they have to shell out the cost. However, if they mismanage their money or the project, they may not deliver anything at all, so you have to be careful what you back.
I would say it seems overwhelming at first but becomes fairly simple to manage after a couple of plays. There's really only one of four things Alfred will do - unlock a new location, block a special location, deliver to the museum, or take the most powerful main diary action possible. All the other actions will combo and chain from there like with a human player. Sometimes this leads to his turns taking a full minute or two but it's not too bad. My recommendation would be to read through the rulebook, watch Totally Tabled's solo playthrough (he does a great job teaching as he plays), and then just jump into a solo game consulting the rulebook as needed. After you finish that game, you can read the rulebook again to see if you missed anything. After two or three plays the bot feels very manageable and not overwhelming at all. The solo mode is totally worth the upfront work!
I just received a shipping notification for Halls of Hegra, a solo only worker placement / tower defense style game where you are trying to defend a Norwegian town from an invading Nazi force. It was a bit of an impulse back on Kickstarter at the time but I'm actually excited for it to arrive. Would be interested to hear your thoughts if you can find a copy!
Since I spotted SpaceCorp in the back of the video: how do you like it solo? Have you played it with more than 1 player? Do you think it's better as a multiplayer game or as a solitaire game?
I think it is actually better multiplayer because it is easier to focus on what you are doing. However, solo is just fine and I still really enjoy it. It has been in my collection for years and thanks to the expansion, I don’t see myself ever selling it.
Top (almost) 10 euro games should it be. I'm not so fan of solo euro I might say, but I discovered some I'd like to try thanks to you. You probably know them already, but for solo I enjoy a lot The Red Cathedral and Genotype.
Tiletum is really growing on me lately. I'm still trying to find the sweet spot difficulty. I beat it on easy and normal mode using just the printed actions on the board. I next have to use the action tiles in a random way to see how it could affect the scores. The good thing is that you can add however many challenge cards to your liking, and I'm excited to find out what the ideal number of cards should be to provide a neck and neck challenge. So far, easy and normal mode without using the randomized action tiles isn't cutting it, but I'm definitely interested enough to keep playing on higher difficulties, absolutely. Tiletum definitely makes my top 10 list of best solo games of 2023 so far. As far as Wayfarers goes, I'm going to stay away from that one because of the AI cheating claims. I also find that to be true about Viscounts, and I don't want to experience that again. I'm going to be selling Viscounts very soon actually (the whole set with expansions). Paladins is my favorite game in the series by far. It's much more juicy, manageable, and fair, in my opinion. It's the closest game in the series that resembles a Euro. Other than that, I still have to get to Di"still"ed, which has been on my shelf for a little over a month now. Right now, I'm playing Resident Evil 3 The Board Game. Absolutely great campaign game dungeon crawler (yes, I love that genre). Hoplomachus Victorum is also set up and ready to go for some more arena battles. My Lord is that game good! Worth the 150 buck price tag. You definitely need a Chip Theory Games item in your collection, John, and that should be the one you first buy.
I'm still waiting for Darwin's Journey 🥲 The moment I saw it from Before You Play and got mesmerized by the art and it's straight up Euro, that's it! Throw in my money there 😂.
Another great video from my favourite solo reviewer! I saw your video from a few months back about your Top 10 solo games vs an AI opponent and I bought Sabika based on that. I have six plays this month and absolutely LOVE it! It may be a top 10 all time for me. I love the historical theme, the great art, and the mechanical elegance of the design. Such crunchy decision space! The simplicity of the solo bot (which is something you highlighted in your review) is a terrific bonus. Yusuf is fiercely competitive without requiring me to do too much upkeep, allowing me to focus on my game and my strategy.
Also based off that Top 10 video I researched Terracotta Army and Wayfarers of the South Tigris and have added both of them to my and my fiancée's Amazon wedding registry with "most wanted" tags. Lol
I regretted not backing Darwin's Journey on the Kickstarter and after watching your review and then Slickerdrips' solo playthrough I knew I wanted it. So, I bought it on Ebay with all the expansion stuff. I have five plays under my belt and the game is just delicious. I love the variable setup, the combo-ing chain effect actions, and the beautiful deluxe components. It's a game I walk away still thinking about. It's been set up in my game room for the last two weeks and I keep resetting it to play again. I'm currently trying to beat Yellow Advanced Alfred. I lost my first game to him, 221-201.
Again, John, great recommendations and reviews and videos. You have been bad for my wallet but great for my morale. Keep up the outstanding work!
We are all bad for our wallets :) Thanks for the kind words though!
Keep up the great work John! 👍
Thanks and thanks for watching!
Don't know how I missed this video... great list... picking up 3 of these I missed Findorff, Warfarers and Sabika... so I hope your recommendations are spot on...
You will not be disappointed!
Happy to hear about Sabika. Got this game when it just came out but it’s still on my shelf of shame 😊. Will check out the solo mode!
You need to put that bad lad to the test and try it! It is very rewarding!
Also good to see some love for Twilight Inscription and Wayfarers. Thanks for the video!
You got it. Such a great game!
Thanks for the list, John! I am going to have to get busy - I only own one of them!
Great list! I agree with Darwin’s Journey and Oranienburger Kanal as being great solo games. Will have to try the others.
They have all been really good. Golden year for solo gaming thus far.
Thanks for the list. I will have to check into Sabika. It intrigues me.
It is quite good. I should get a commission for recommending this because many people are in your boat and go away satisfied when they buy it!
Also agree with Darwin's... did not back the game but managed to get it second hand. Incredible solo game!
My favourite new solo game is For Glory with the Champions expansion that was released to backers last month. The Ludus Magnus A.I. is fantastic creating some marvelous gladiatorial matches (with their huge deck of cards and a large assortment of tactics). My 2nd favourite is Distilled. After your comments, I'm very interested in Darwin's Journey also.
Very cool. I will look at For Glory.
I can confirm Jimmy's sentiment : also received my KS and as I had a firm grasp on the rules, I had a go at it. And after finishing, I had another go. It's a rare thing that I immediately want to play 2 games in a row but For Glory was unexpectedly better than I thought 🙂
Great list ! I love Darwins Journey as well, both as a solo as well as multi player !
One recommendation for another absolutely amazing new solo game is "City of the Great Machine". It did fly somewhat under the radar but it is a really awesome solo experience - together with Darwins Journey the most played on my side. In particular because it provides some alternative victory conditions ("start three riots") which mixes things up a bit with other games. Definitely worth checking out ! Great art and theme as well !
I have that one and need to play it much more often! It is great!
1:54 slanderous! Friday is an amazing solo game.
Ah. I had forgotten about Friday. I partially agree with you but it is so hard I lost the will to keep playing it. I was mostly referring to a lot of his other games that play 1-X players.
Another great video. Thanks again John. Will probably purchase Distilled as that theme interested me most on your list. Not sure if you ever played or considered any Games Works Shop games. I just purchased Blackstone Fortress. I like mini's.
I have never gotten into Games Works Shop proper but only the games that Fantasy Flight had licensed to them. I’m not sure I would like mini’s. I would need to try it out first somehow.
Thanks, John, really enjoyed that list. I totally agree with you when it comes to Distilled. I knew a good game was coming my way but I was surprised in the end of how good it was. Twilight Inscription is a tough one considering it's "just" a Roll&Write. Most of those are not that tough. Hadrian's Wall maybe. But I love it.
I was not very interested in Tiletum and Darwin's Journey until now but I'll check them out. I was never let down by a recommendation of yours so far.
And I'll definitely keep an eye out for Sabika. Never heard of it before, but it was picked up by Strohmann Games to be released here in Germany. That alone is a reason for me. Strohmann Germany has a ridiculously good catalogue (Planet Unknown, Fantasy Realms, Obsession, Fantastic Factories, Beyond the Sun etc.). Usually, when they release a game it's a must buy for me.
Sounds good!
I am in my sixties. I only play solo and have way too any games already with 98% of them in storage miles from home but...these look fascinating. Also, ive never quite u derstood what a kickstarter is or how it works. Enjoyable watch. Thank you.
Glad to be a good watch for you! A Kickstarter is basically a preorder of sorts where you take a risk that if you fund a project, they will deliver it in the future as promised. This can be anything, but many board game producers use this method these days to raise the capital necessary to get their game paid for before they have to shell out the cost. However, if they mismanage their money or the project, they may not deliver anything at all, so you have to be careful what you back.
Good to hear that Darwin's Journey is your top solo this month. Is the solo easy to manage? I want to try it for the first time this weekend🙂
I would say it seems overwhelming at first but becomes fairly simple to manage after a couple of plays. There's really only one of four things Alfred will do - unlock a new location, block a special location, deliver to the museum, or take the most powerful main diary action possible. All the other actions will combo and chain from there like with a human player. Sometimes this leads to his turns taking a full minute or two but it's not too bad. My recommendation would be to read through the rulebook, watch Totally Tabled's solo playthrough (he does a great job teaching as he plays), and then just jump into a solo game consulting the rulebook as needed. After you finish that game, you can read the rulebook again to see if you missed anything. After two or three plays the bot feels very manageable and not overwhelming at all. The solo mode is totally worth the upfront work!
I agree with this on all points.
I just received a shipping notification for Halls of Hegra, a solo only worker placement / tower defense style game where you are trying to defend a Norwegian town from an invading Nazi force. It was a bit of an impulse back on Kickstarter at the time but I'm actually excited for it to arrive. Would be interested to hear your thoughts if you can find a copy!
Fantastic list, many of my favourites there 😁🙏. The only one I do not agree - Wayfarers. But that's ok 😇
Buena lista, Saludos desde Argentina
Since I spotted SpaceCorp in the back of the video: how do you like it solo? Have you played it with more than 1 player? Do you think it's better as a multiplayer game or as a solitaire game?
I think it is actually better multiplayer because it is easier to focus on what you are doing. However, solo is just fine and I still really enjoy it. It has been in my collection for years and thanks to the expansion, I don’t see myself ever selling it.
Top (almost) 10 euro games should it be. I'm not so fan of solo euro I might say, but I discovered some I'd like to try thanks to you. You probably know them already, but for solo I enjoy a lot The Red Cathedral and Genotype.
I enjoy Genotype and have yet to play The Red Cathedral but have seen a lot of praise for it!
@@JohnLaRuffa I bet you'll like it.
oh! does the collector's edition of Darwin's Journey include Fireland Expansion? Heard it's good
Yes. On the back of the board is the Fireland map and I can say it is fantastic! Just so many things you can decide to do!
Grove, Black Sonata, Maquis 😊 ordered Distilled 🍷
Never played those three, but you are in for such a treat with Distilled!
Wayfarers, Oranienburger Kanal, Sabika, GWT:À, Tiletum, it seems we play the same games. Now I regret not Backing Darwins Journey 😢
Don’t worry, I bet you will be able to find a copy of Darwin’s Journey.
How are you feeling about Europa Universalis so far?
Unfortunately, I sold it. It was just way tooooooooooooooo much for me to play solo. I can respect the design, but it was just not for me.
Tiletum is really growing on me lately. I'm still trying to find the sweet spot difficulty. I beat it on easy and normal mode using just the printed actions on the board. I next have to use the action tiles in a random way to see how it could affect the scores. The good thing is that you can add however many challenge cards to your liking, and I'm excited to find out what the ideal number of cards should be to provide a neck and neck challenge. So far, easy and normal mode without using the randomized action tiles isn't cutting it, but I'm definitely interested enough to keep playing on higher difficulties, absolutely. Tiletum definitely makes my top 10 list of best solo games of 2023 so far.
As far as Wayfarers goes, I'm going to stay away from that one because of the AI cheating claims. I also find that to be true about Viscounts, and I don't want to experience that again. I'm going to be selling Viscounts very soon actually (the whole set with expansions). Paladins is my favorite game in the series by far. It's much more juicy, manageable, and fair, in my opinion. It's the closest game in the series that resembles a Euro.
Other than that, I still have to get to Di"still"ed, which has been on my shelf for a little over a month now. Right now, I'm playing Resident Evil 3 The Board Game. Absolutely great campaign game dungeon crawler (yes, I love that genre). Hoplomachus Victorum is also set up and ready to go for some more arena battles. My Lord is that game good! Worth the 150 buck price tag. You definitely need a Chip Theory Games item in your collection, John, and that should be the one you first buy.
Glad to hear that you have found your way to likening Tiletum! Distilled is fantastic!
I'm still waiting for Darwin's Journey 🥲 The moment I saw it from Before You Play and got mesmerized by the art and it's straight up Euro, that's it! Throw in my money there 😂.