this channel is phenomenal the work put on these videos is like no other, definitely in my top 3 boardgame channels, and my taste seem to be aligned with yours thus far
@@TotallyTabled yeah shaggy, I second the above comment. Amazing editing and production on all your videos. I got into board gaming during the pandemic and your channel is one I always keep coming back to.
I knew Voidfall would make an appearance but wow #2! I'm so glad I took your advice and bought this game, I'm not usually a heavy gamer but it was worth the effort...such an amazing game!
It keeps growing on me. I actually haven't played it on the table in a little bit, but I've managed some digital games. I want to get it back on the table and get all the scenarios played at least once. Thanks!
Robinson Crusoe is not only a masterpiece but is also amazing on table, looks fantastic and immersive. Definitely one on my top 5. Halls of hegra is another little musterpiece. Love it. Thanks for the video.
Some of my top favourite games (Spirit Island my top 1 game ever) are in this list. Mage Knight, Feast For Odin, Great Western Trail, Gloomhaven... Great list!
Thanks for this excellent top Ten Heavy Solo BG. Here are my other favorites heavy Solo BG: - This War of Mine - Trickerion - Gaia Project - Scythe - Nemo's War - Terraforming Mars - Too Many Boones - Teotihuacan - The Lord of the Rings The card Game - Tainted Grail - Ark Nova (with ARNO) - Dune Imperium - Pax Pamir - Barrage
The the theme and art of Robinson looks so tempting but I've heard so many bitter complaints of randomness wrecking sessions. I can handle that in short games like Final Firl, but sounds like it would get really grating in a longer heavier game where I usually want my decisions to be a greater deciding factor than rng
I mean, I could spend hours discussing "randomness" in board games and the misguided conversations about it. In terms of RC, I bet a lot of those bitter complaints are from players with little experience with the game. I can only offer up my three playthroughs as the rebuttal to those comments. I assure you, your decisions are the main factor in success or failure in RC. Sometimes those decisions involve timely risk taking, which can blow up in your face. But you chose to roll the dice. And in a survival game, having obstacles thrown up in your way is not randomness or bad luck -- its storytelling, its tension, its excitement. I don't know, I'll never understand some of the rhetoric around RC. Thanks for watching.
Yesss! I've been keenly anticipating this video. Great list! The more I hear about GWT the more intrigued I become; despite not having any real interest in the theme. Here's what my list would be: 10. Anachrony 9. Sankore: The Pride of Mansa Musa 8. The Great Wall 7. Scholars of the South Tigris 6. Ark Nova 5. Nucleum 4. Weather Machine 3. Sabika 2. Voidfall 1. Wayfarers of the South Tigris Honourable Mentions: Ezra and Nehemiah, Zhanguo: The First Empire
Yeah, you might even want to check out GWT New Zealand. I haven't tabled it yet, but I've seen it played. Might be more your speed. Lots on your list I still need to try. Wish I could play three times the number of games I do each week, but I'll get them to the table eventually! :) Thanks Laurence.
Another great video! Love this channel and look forward to many of your play-through videos, since I am relatively new to solo gaming. I bought Robinson Crusoe a couple of months ago and will bring it to the table soon this summer! Thank you for all you do!
I'm glad you like the channel! Thanks, Mike. I hope you enjoy Robinson Crusoe once you table it. Be sure to check out my RC playthroughs if you haven't. Those should help make the rules easier to learn. Thanks!
Wow, that is so nice of you to say! I consider that high praise. I try my best with every video and I'm happy you find them enjoyable. Thanks so much for supporting the channel and have a wonderful day!
I have only just discovered your channel and find it incredibly insightful! I am pretty new to board games in general, and especially solo games, so I am really learning about a lot of really interesting games I never knew existed! Small idea, maybe have a mini-series on solo games that also play well at 2, 3 and 4 player? I know a lot of the games in your lists are, but just an idea! Regardless, looking forward to exploring more of your backlog and new videos in future. Cheers!
Welcome to the channel! I'm glad you found it. I made a top 10 list a little while back about the games I like equally solo and multiplayer, but I like the idea of breaking it up based on specific player counts. Thanks! I hope you enjoy the rest of the videos on the channel. Have a great day!
Terrific round up. Really well presented and rationalised. Thanks. I very much have your 1 and 2 as a high priority. I LOVE Frostpunk. That game is hard but so much fun.
Your videos are so good. Definitely my number one channel for boardgames. Would love to have a top of light-medium games. I love heavy games but sometimes my brain is so tired from work that I just want to play something simple but most of my games are medium-heavy so not sure where to start.
I'm glad you enjoy the channel so much. I appreciate that. You should check out the other videos in this series (links are in the description). I've made one for light, med-light (which I call "next step"), medium, and then med-heavy. I also have many med-light games on my top 50 solos of all time video. Many of these have full playthroughs that can help you narrow down which look most fun to you. Thanks so much for watching!
@@TotallyTabled thanks for the reply! I actually watched some of the videos in this series after I commented. Will look into the ones I didn't. Keep up the good work
I don't play Voidfall that often due to the setup time but it's a blast every time! When you reveal the first cycle card and start formulating a plan it's just the best crunchy feeling.
I feel exactly the same way. Tough to get to the table but a joy to play. I wish I had a third table where I could just leave one of these heavy games out for months. One day. Thanks for watching!
It's so nice to have a youtuber who's tastes so much align with mine. Always a pleasure to listen to your thoughts and tastes. As for stuff that's missing, the big things are Chip Therory games: Cloudspire or Too Many Bones. I took a look at your BGG ratings, and seems that Imperium: Classics, Gaia Project and Maracaibo might be underplayed. From my tastes, Cooper Island and Circadians: First Light are not really "hidden" gems, but rarely talked about today. And then T-series is kinda step below Lacerda and Mindclash in terms of hype and production levels, but I still enjoy them sometimes, say Tekhenu or Trismegistus.
My BGG play counts are wildly inaccurate, so don't go off of that. That said, I have not played Cloudspire and only played Too Many Bones like twice or three times. Not enough. I've played Gaia Project quite a bit, especially digitally, but mostly multiplayer. Maracaibo I've only played multiplayer (maybe once solo but it was a long time ago). So, yeah, long story short, I need to play them all more solo. Great games for sure. Thanks so much for watching the video!
I love your list!! Gloomhaven, Mage Knight, Frostpunk, Spirit Island and Robinson Crusoe are among my absolute favourite games. Since you like Robinson Crusoe so much, I would like to see you play one of the new Adventure Book scenarios! Even another Frostpunk scenario video would be great!
Thanks for this! Great suggestions that I will look into. And frostpunk is my favorite solo game at this time, so I highly agree with this choice! Have you tried Alien Invasion, the expansion for On Mars which add a solo mode? Its very good and replace the bot with objectives, a fixed number of turns and a way to disrupt the board (''alien sabotage!'') that allow the game to loose a lot of complexity and downtime in between your turns. What is great is that its still challenging! Those objectives are very well done. Highly recommand for solo players that are fans of Lacerda.
I have not played with the expansion yet, but I really want to. Thanks for the suggestion and I'm glad to hear it works so well. I'll definitely get it to the table soon.
Yeah, cuz there are mostly the same games rotating on all channels. Which is understandable, these games get views after all. You should try some COIN games for solo (I started with Falling Sky, but there are tons beginner friendly COIN games now, like A Gest of Robin Hood and The British Way). They may be kinda hard to get into, but man are they fun solo once they click. How the mechanics play into the theme is also really amazing. There are also games like Inferno and Almoravid, but those are REALLY hard to learn. Ps: the video is great, don’t get me wrong ;)
Great video and great list. Half of the games you listed I have but never played solo. My favorite heavy solo is probably Carnegie or Lisboa. I’m terrible at it but I still like them.
Good List and i will take a closer look at some games on your list. 😉 I totally agree with every word said about Spirit Island. One Spirit is good, two are brain burning. And i also wouldn't rate it on the first place. If i had to decide which game in my collection would be on top .... I couldn't decide because i play my games depending on my mood. Dawn of the Zeds for tough stratecic decision. Robinson Crusoe if i want a survival game. Carnegie if i want to play a game if a lot of planning ahead.
Yeah, lists like this are a thought exercise for fun and nothing more. Some days any one of these games could be #1. Dawn of the Zeds is one I need to get to the table. Thanks for watching!
@@TotallyTabled So you haven't played Dawn of the Zeds till now. To be honest, I had my problems with the game at the beginning. I took me a while till I started to love it like I do now.
Ha, definitely check out my RC playthroughs before buying. It is love it or hate it for sure, and a very different experience than something like Voidfall or other heavy euros. Thanks for checking out the video!
Frostpunk is on my shelf of shame. I'm a bit intimidated to be completely honest 😅. Really want to try out a Lacerda at some point, but I keep waffling on which one I want to try.. This was a great series. Thanks for sharing!
Make sure to check out my Frostpunk playthrough if you haven't. Hopefully that will make it less intimidating. But it is a beast. Definitely need to be prepared to spend some time with it. Thanks for watching!
Yes, I've played them all except the two most recent. I really like them but not as much as most people. But I totally understand why they are so popular. I've made playthrough videos of Legacy of Yu and Wayfarers so far, with more to come. Thanks for watching!
For me, the TOP10 Solo games now are: 1. Mage Knight 2. Imperium (Classics, Legends & Horizons) 3. Dune: Imperium 4. Marvel Champions 5. Euthia 6. Shadowrun: Crossfire 7. 51st State 8. Unsettled 9. Eleven 10. ISS Vanguard
Thanks for the vid. Very helpful and informative. One issue. Can you ensure there's at least one wide shot of the entire game? For instance, it's hard to get the scale of Feast for Odin when all you're showing are close ups...
I've played a bunch of Gaia Project multiplayer but only once or twice solo and it has been a while. Definitely needs to hit the table again. Thanks for the recommendation and thanks for checking out the video!
Thanks for another great video Shaggi! You got me hooked on your content with Mage Knight and I can’t wait to try these games. I was curious, have you played Feudum? I’m kind of intrigued by it, but curious if you had any experience.
What a very excellent list, to nobody's surprise. 😁 Thank you for sharing it. I still haven't played Robinson Crusoe, and your video reminded me to get after it. Voidfall still sits solidly at the pole position for me. There are some very strong contenders going to fulfillment at the moment, or very soon. Exciting times. There is a 1-2 player game currently in funding and you might wanna check it out. It is so very unique in how it takes established concepts and puts them to a new shine. "The Thinning Veil - Cormac Mac Airt on the Other Side of Midnight" Yes, that's the name of the game. 🤣
I haven't heard about that game. I'll definitely check it out -- thanks for the recommendation! That title ... all those words and I still have no idea what the theme is. Impressive. :) Thanks for watching!
Nice list. I, also, perused your series and Robinson Crusoe (yes, a vicious challenge of a solo game), but, IMHO, I think you have missed Dawn of the Zeds as one of the great solo games, and Ambush should get an honorable mention somewhere as one of the original solo only games (but that may have been before your time). P-)
Yeah, Ambush is before my time and not really in my wheelhouse. Dawn of the Zeds is one I've been meaning to get to the table for years and it has just fallen through the cracks. Hopefully I'll play it soon and maybe it will make it on future lists. Thanks for watching!
I also find two handing spirit island is quite a tricky task. There is just too much for the upkeep especially if you have the scenarios and adversaries that changes the base rules. even one handed I am often overlooking some rules implemented by the blight card/ scenario adversaries etc. still hope one day I get to try two player. but given its complexity I wonder if I would get to try it.
Yeah, if you can find someone who enjoys heavy co-ops, Spirit Island really shines at 2 players. Hopefully one day I'll be able to manage it better solo. It is a brilliant game. Thanks for checking out the list!
wow, i don't hope to find some like you, but here you are. someone like Robinson Crusoe as much as me, its my no.1 co-op game to play as solo too. actually I played it 50+ times includes fan scenario and expansions. there is no other games closed that much of playtime. imo, this game is basically like Skyrim the board game, the amount variation of each scenario and fan-made stuff is mind boggling. also, unlike some people would argue, its not just random and chaos, you can stably beat base game scenarios after you find suitable strategy with each scenarios. the only bad thing I can talk about this game is, since there is no personal turn or personal equipment for each player, it feels like everyone control every character at the same time. I've seen some people(my brother actually lol) lost their immersion because of that. but its no problem when you play this game as solo. sorry for my rough English, but I want to share my enthusiasm of this game. this was my first big game, and it introduce me to so many great board games while still remain strong after all this day. its shame that I missed that collector's edition funding. I was so broken at that time lol.
Awesome to hear you like RC as much as I do. There are a few of us left in the world. I agree the multiplayer game feels a bit like collectively solving a solo puzzle. In fact, that is how I play with my wife. We just discuss what to do with each character as if it were a solo game. Works great. And there are extras and promos that can add a bit more individuality to the characters above and beyond their unique special abilities. I wouldn't worry about missing the Collector's Edition. Just make sure to grab the Book of Adventures when it hits retail. That is all you need. And if you haven't checked out my full solo playthroughs on the channel, be sure give them a watch. I have three so far -- Jenny Needs Help, Volcano Island and Reality Island. Thank you so much for watching!
I think you've missed out by not including Imperium on your list. It's the original collab between Nigel and David (before Voidfall) and the solo game is VERY GOOD. Folks who liked this list should check it out for sure.
Loved the video as always! I am fairly new to the board game hobby and don‘t have that many games yet but I really enjoy Lords of Ragnarok and would consider it heavyish. I‘m sure that people disagree with that statement but that‘d be my choice. :D Also a little video suggestion (more like a wish lol). Don‘t know if it‘s something you‘d even consider but I just wanted to throw it out there ^^ Have a nice day and thanks for these videos! I really appreciate them :)
I'm not sure if they count as heavyweight board games, but I would have added zombicide and assassin's Creed: brotherhood of Venice, to my top 10 list. To me, they feel like classics, yet complex enough to keep me coming back both solo and with friends.
So I'll be honest. I'm here because I played Tiny Epic Vikings in the solo mode and found it a perfect experience and looked up the forums and the were all about how the solo variant was so complicated and hard that it was a whole rank of weight heavier and was not for this fan base. So I decided to look into actual Heavy games
Thanks! I'm glad you are enjoying the channel. Be sure to check out my three playthroughs of Robinson Crusoe if you haven't. Hope you have fun with RC! Thanks for watching!
I've owned and played Robinson Crusoe, Feast 4 Odin, Anachrony, GWT, Kanban EV, and JoTL. Mage Knight is the only one I still own and my favorite. I would add TMB Undertow to that list. Prefer adventure games to euro's. Interested in Voidfall. Thanks again.
Wow, that is a list of games there that I would never part with and will be playing for ever. You should definitely try Voidfall if you like Mage Knight. I have a playthrough of Voidfall on the channel that might help you decide if it would be something you enjoy. Thanks for checking out the list!
@@TotallyTabled there all great games if you play them regularly. I have time 6-7 solo games at most, so a lot of good ones go. JOTL did not enjoy because it’s 2 handed. Feast for Odin theme and beat your own score issue for me. Robinson Crusoe felt to random. I only have 7 solo games and they are Mage Knight, Marvel Champions, Arkham Horror LCG, TMB, shadows of brimstone, dune uprising, and ark nova.
I never thought about Great Western Trail as heavy game. I really like it, I love that it has goals to complete to get points in the end, it helps with getting an idea what to do in this game haha. Without it I think it would be bit dull for me to just go around and do whatever to collect points. And I'm not deck building enthusiast normally but here it's so simple. Mage Knight is the game I played few times and now I can't make myself bring it to the table. I tried but after setting up I didn't want to play anymore 😅 I used to like lighter modes like mines or druids, maybe I'll try to play it someday again... For me another really heavy game is Arkham horror lcg... So much thinking goes into deck building and planning upgrade path, and it's so hard I never completed even one campaign and I have quite a few of them.
I put Arkham Horror LCG in the medium-heavy video, but I could see it being considered heavy. It is certainly hard to get to the table and requires a lot of commitment to play. Fun game. Thanks so much for checking out the list!
Another great watch. Thanks. Mage knight, Robinson Crusoe and spirit island are my (in no particular order) top 3. Voidfall I hope is coming 😊into my collection as a bday present in august! I guess what’s missing for me imperium classic/horizons/legends series - where do you rate and what weight would they appear?
Yes, Imperium is a good one! I've played like 1.5 times and need to play more. I found it very complex to learn, but I would need to play more to really get a feeling about its weight. Definitely on my to-do list for this year. Thanks so much for checking out the list!
Honestly any version works great. I played with 1st edition for over a decade -- my first two playthroughs were with my blinged out first edition. I'd probably recommend second edition, just for the improved rulebook, but you can find that online. Either way, definitely get the Book of Adventures with it. You can check out this video to learn more about it: ua-cam.com/video/f_FCFA81PME/v-deo.html. Thanks!
as always i really enjoyed your review. with Robinson C my problem is two fold. - the same board for all the scenarios seems very repetitive, after a couple of games playing one scenario you loose element of exploration. never played any scenario beyond as from i find intimdating to learn the game again.
Robinson Crusoe is the opposite of repetitive. It might be the least repetitive game I've ever played. The map is used in so many different ways scenario to scenario, it never feels like the same map. You find different rewards, different beasts, and have different adventures. The order the tiles come out is so important. It dictates your early item building. I would encourage you to watch my three RC playthroughs of three different scenarios that use the map in three interesting ways. And, yes, the game can be intimidating to learn, but it really flows after you get the base rules down. 90% of those rules are fairly easy, there's just a 10% that gets confusing, but you can usually ignore them until it comes up in your game. You may never sleep outside of camp, for example, so you don't need to relearn those rules every time. You can use my playthroughs to help with the learning process as well. Anyway, thanks for watching!
Based on your rave review, I ended up buying the Robinson Crusoe scenario book a la carte from Portal (to pair with my retail copy of the game). It just came yesterday.
EXCITING! I'm so happy that people can get the Book of Adventures separately and just add it to the game they have or get a cheap copy of the 1st or 2nd edition. So awesome. I hope you enjoy it. I'm planning another scenario playthrough for next month. Thanks for watching!
I really need to check out Voidfall. Mage Knight is one of my favorite solos, and I've heard that Voidfall is kinda of a spiritual successor to it. How accurate is that?
Spiritual successor is further than I would go, but there are certainly parallels. It gives me a similar feel and I would encourage anyone who likes Mage Knight to try Voidfall. Thanks for watching!
Obviously, I highly recommend RC but I would recommend checking out my playthroughs first to see if it looks fun and interesting to you. It isn't for everyone. I have played a little Nemo's War and it didn't click with me. But that was a while ago and I would like to try it again. Thanks for watching!
I have been playing medium and heavy weight hobbyist boardgames for decades and still own but have bounced off of Robinson Crusoe over and over out of exasperation with the errata, rules and FAQ. It's not been a relaxing solo experience for me to date. Any advice? Thanks for this video.
Hmmm. I will say that I've been playing RC for over a decade and I've never once looked at an errata or FAQ. Not once. Does that mean I'm maybe playing some things technically "wrong"? Perhaps, but I've found when I have a question, if I just do whatever feels most thematic, then everything plays great. Timing question? Order of operations question? Special ability question? Do whatever seems most thematic and just soldier on. It is a co-op after all. As long as it is fun and challenging, then don't sweat it. I would recommend watching my RC playthroughs. I have three on the channel and in the first one I give a lot of tips and pointers about how to have the best RC experience -- play with 3 characters, don't look at the bottoms of adventure cards, etc. Those playthroughs might also give you insight into the flow of the game and make you feel more comfortable with the structure of play. Hope that helps. Thanks for watching!
A great list of heavy games! The only one I disagree with is your number one. I've played it half a dozen times and it never felt heavy, just medium. Especially compared to Gloomhaven, Spirit Island or Mage Knight.
Yeah, it is all a matter of perspective. I've had people tell me Gloomhaven is medium. I think the issue is, if we start defining games like RC and Gloomhaven medium, then we have about 20 heavy games and 10,000+ medium ones. Once you've played a few times, and if you have experience with heavy games, then RC isn't so difficult. But if you take into account all the rule changes for every different scenario, all the cards for every event and adventure and how they can interact, all the phases, all the edge case and timing rules, RC starts to feel more weighty to me than games like Arnak and Obsession and other streamlined medium-heavy euros. But yes, Mage Knight is more complex for sure. Thanks for watching!
@@TotallyTabled I think it's a different interpretation of light/medium/ heavy, For me it's the amount of thinking you need to do on your turn, for you, it seems (correct me if I'm wrong) it's the amount of rules and rules exception + the thinking. So for my definition RC is medium, for yours it's heavy. :)
@@Kentchangar If by "thinking you need to do" you mean "need to do in order to play skillfully" then I would call that strategic depth. If you mean "thinking you need to do in order to correctly follow the rules" then that is complexity or weight for me.
@@TotallyTabled 1st one: the amount of thought you need to play the game. The more thought, the heavier/deeper the game. The amount of rules and rules exceptions is complexity. All the games apart from RC are heavy by my metric apart from RC, but all the ones seem to be heavy by your metric.
Unfortunately, I haven't. I've been super busy with non-hobby related activities, so I've been avoiding heavier games for the moment. My time will open up soon, hopefully. Thanks!
You know, I've missed most of those, including the ones you mentioned. GMT, COIN, DVG, all of that is a bit of a blind spot for me, one that I would like to rectify. I've heard great things. Thanks for checking out the video!
Yes, I was wondering where 'Mr President' or 'Fields of Fire' was 😂 DVG Valiant Defense games are also great but wouldn't really say they were particularly heavy.
@@TotallyTabled I've only managed 1 play so far. Well, a full day where I managed half a round. Was enjoyable and not difficult (just a lot to think about) and definitely want to give it a proper go some time (but will need a week off work ).
Great Western Trail doesnt shine because of its Deckbuilding aspect (in fact there is at max a "soft" deckbuilding aspect). It shines because of the hand management, diverse way to go and the great "worker movement" (who would ever guess that a modern game with worker movement could be that great?!?! ;-) ).
Most of it im good. Not sure if frostpunk, gloomhaven are consaidered heavy ones. Still nice list. If 4 is the bgg cut, Nucleum, its also a nice game. If lower, ark nova, skymines and trickerion
Frostpunk is definitely heavy. Gloomhaven is more on edge of med-heavy to heavy, but its length, size, and volume of rules pushes it up for me. I put Ark Nova on the med-heavy list. Great suggestions. I'm looking forward to getting Nucleum to the table. Thanks for watching!
Those are amazing games. I'm sort of late to the party with Mage Knight so I'm still discovering it and trying to learn. Nice to finally experience this classic. Thanks for watching.
I love Primal! I made a playthrough video and I hope to make another one at a higher level. My favorite boss battler so far (I haven't played many). I think I would call it medium-heavy and it might make that top 10 at this point. Thanks for watching!
Great list of recommendations. I have yet to play any of these, but Plum Island Horror and Dawn of the Zeds are high on my list. Not sure when I can get Mr. President to the table. I need more time. Thanks for watching!
@@TotallyTabled Mr. President looks more intimidating that it is. You do a lot of learning as you play, and the ring-bound book takes you step by step through your turns. They did a fantastic job in easing you into the game and the gameplay itself is not the kind of game where you have to keep 1000 rules in your head. The strategy/challenge is in taking a step back and assessing the flow of the year, the state of the board and (with experience) identifying the potential red flags and putting out the most critical fires....but actually learning and playing the game is a LOT easier than DotZ or PIH for example. It IS long, I just leave it set-up on my this-was-never-a-diner-table table and eat in front of the TV.
Funny how Mage Knight, Spirit Island, Robison Crusoe and Gloomhaven are games on you list and are like top 5~10 to me but I cant for the life of me play solo board games..
Why not? Mage Knight and Robinson Crusoe are great solo. I prefer Spirit Island and Gloomhaven with 2 players, but they are also fun solo. It is wonderful to be able to take your time and think through your strategy on your own. Every other hobby can be enjoyed alone (movies, music, books, TV, video games, etc) why not board games?
@@TotallyTabled Something feel wrong with me playing by myself and having to keep managing everything.. Somehow, I feel that board games is a social hobby and if I had to play it solo, I would rather play video games. The setup, upkeep and even playing alone feels too demanding.. I can play 10 hours straight of Twilight Imperium but couldnt handle 2 rounds of Mage Knight solo.. or even Lord of the rings LCG.. and dont even get me started with playing with two hands.. I would be so much happier if it worked for me.. I hardly play nowadays for lack of group. -_-
This is actually a common refrain -- "board gaming is social" and "I'd rather play a video game." Both are manufactured feelings not based on anything except the fact that solo board games didn't really exist 15 years ago. But solo gaming is exploding as people start tearing down some of these myths. Yes, part of board gaming is social. But also, board gaming is about thinky strategic decision-making and puzzle solving, which is really fun to do alone. Most video games are exercises in dexterity, not exercising the mind. Many board game don't require long, fiddly setups, upkeep or playtimes. They don't require multiple hands or even running a solo opponent. The variety of solo games available now means you can find something that you'll enjoy. And many games already in your collection probably have official solo modes or solo variants. Mage Knight is an extreme. Watch some of my playthroughs of lighter solo games. I play these kinds of games a ton at night when I don't feel like something heavy. It is a great way for me to connect to the hobby, spend valuable time with myself, and it provides a different experience than playing a video game. I rarely can force myself to play video games anymore. I'd much rather roll some dice, flip cards and manipulate actual components with some of these amazing physical games. I don't know. That is my two cents. But I might be somewhat of a dinosaur in this regard.
What is meant when you say combat is “deterministic”? I don’t understand the meaning of the word in the context of board game combat/mechanics. Thank you for your answer 😊
In Voidfall (for example) combat is deterministic in that when 2 armies battle, there is no randomness (eg dice throws). The stronger army will win. So if one wants to go into battle, one has to build up a powerful enough fleet to overcome the defense's army. The defender knows that might be coming, so has to strengthen his troops and defences. But when the battle takes place, the stronger wins.
yesterday i played frostpunk, is like the 7th time i played and 7 times i lose. i dont know what to do to win, only 1 time a reach round 10, but mostly i end on 6-7th round, or hunger or decease or hopeless or corpses. is just never ending tragedy, on this war of mine i won once, but on the edge, is very hard this solo game, i would like to try robinson, but prob is even harder
If you haven't watched my Frostpunk playthrough video, I provide a few tips there. Definitely play with Society 2. It is a brutally hard game, no getting around that. I don't think Robinson Crusoe is as hard as Frostpunk, especially once you understand the game. In my first RC playthrough video I provide a bunch of tips. But, yeah, all three are survival games and tough, which is what I like. Nothing worse than a solo game I always win. I much prefer never winning. :) Thanks for watching!
That's a good point, I should have. I play Gloomhaven with 2 characters, but I don't find it that hard, probably because the actions are pretty straightforward and don't require as much planning to pull off. With Robinson Crusoe I always play with 3 characters, which is very easy to manage. Thanks for watching!
@@TotallyTabledyes I find Gloomhaven with two characters the best balance. I also love playing Nemesis solo but again with two characters. P.s. I love Frostpunk, 15 games in and still yet to win! Even with the BGG Very Easy starting society! 😂
@@TotallyTabled Thanks for elaborating and great video by the way! I'm a passionate gamer but kinda new to solo & I have some big projects waiting for me on my shelf being: JotL, Frostpunk and 7th Citadel (which I both originally backed All-In on KS but still haven't got the chance to play unfortunately) anyway I can't wait🤩
ha! i have all these games Mr Shaggy! i knew you had good taste. However, Spirit Island should be your #1!! :P I even have the full Lacerda collection. I must admit, there are a few on this list i still have to master (Mage Knight, Voidfall and gloomhaven.) Also just need to point out Ian O'tool is quite prominent as artist in this list.
Both of those were in the medium-heavy video. I know, they are teetering on the edge of both categories for me, although BGG has them solidly in the medium-heavy weight at 3.3. I look forward to answering a lot of these comments. Thanks for watching.
@@MarioHuizar10 heavy by complexity of learning and mechanics? Or heavy by the simple fact of winning it constanly? Most lacerda games could be win by following a system, no random events happens, just maximise and optimize your plays. On this war of mine or frostpunk You can lose by hitting 3 times noise, by taking fatal damage on dice against 3-4 thugs. How You manage a system to make that work? You can just have Bad luck each time. On "heavy" lacerdas that doesnt happens.... So.... My Guess is Heavy by mechanics and learning tho...
Weight is subjective and abstract -- everyone includes different factors and experience plays a large role. This War of Mine is difficult and long, features many phases each with different rules, so for many this would make it feel heavier than the rules would suggest.
@@FK-Jajaheavy I believe means how complex is learning the game which includes the flow, mechanics, upkeep etc. heavy does not mean “difficulty” in my opinion. There are plenty of easy to learn games that are hard to win, and that doesn’t make them “heavy” games. This war of mine is very simple to learn, the journal walks you through each phase and the upkeep is in the medium category as the journal again walks you through that (eating, drinking, consequences of scavenging, cold etc.) now there are different strategies but that doesnt make it “heavy” either imo. Hope that helps explain what im thinking?
Hi Shaggi, thank you so much for your content! I love your reviews and 'top' videos, as I find that our board game taste match, it's really helpful to hear your thoughts on games :) I wish you did a bit more non-solo game reviews though. 🥲
Yeah, it is a solo centric channel and the bulk of my gaming has been solo lately. I do focus on games that are both solo and multiplayer so, for example, all the games on this list can be played multiplayer and half are competitive. I am planning more non-solo lists in the future and my Top 100 Games of all time will be dropping in a few months. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for another great video Shaggi! You got me hooked on your content with Mage Knight and I can’t wait to try these games. I was curious, have you played Feudum? I’m kind of intrigued by it, but curious if you had any experience.
I'm so happy you enjoyed the video. I did play Feudum a few times multiplayer a long time ago. I have not played enough to talk about it with any certainty. I remember it being challenging to learn and play, but I also remember finding it intriguing. A lot of interesting ideas. A lot of player interaction. I have been meaning to get it back to the table but never did. Unfortunately, that's about all I can say about it. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for a great video! Have you played First Martians? In many ways very similar to RC, but a for a couple of reasons I like it better than RC. - FM feels less random. Events, adventures and especially weather phase (malfunction phase) dont`t feel so punishing and I get a better feeling how and what to prepare for. I feel that game experience in FM is more consistent and I can make better plans and follow them through more successfully. - In RC I often feel like reacting to what the game throws at me rather than making my own plans. There are more possibilities in RC (lots of inventions, trasure deck, hunting and planty of mini expansions) which are all tempting and potentially useful, and I often find myself making decisions in the lines of "what if I find something useful and amazing" rather than making assured plans. - Character wound track in FM is shorter, so each wound feels more meaningful. In RC, you get wounds basically every round and sometimes multiple at a time. Long track often leads to a false sense of security and often I find myself unexpectedly on the verge of death, then the focus shifts abruptly from completing scenario goals to just staying alive. - Very realistic take on a space theme. Unique in that sense on the board game market. Both games create amazing stories, but FM is just more consistent and reliable for me. :)
I'd like to try FM at some point, but RC's theme and mechanisms appeal to me more. I don't personally feel any of the negatives you mentioned about RC. And FM's more realistic theme with less highs and lows are actually negatives for me. It's a matter of different tastes, so I'm glad FM exists for those who want something different. I'll definitely try FM at some point, just out of curiosity. Thanks for the recommendation and thanks for watching!
When I think about what makes Mage Knight great it's not "multiuse cards". I don't even get where/why those cards are multiuse. In 80% the effect using a crystal is just an improved version. So that can't be the reason?!
@@TotallyTabled Well, as multi-use cards is listed in the BGG entry, I cant disagree. ;-) But I cant really agree that making use of that is efficient. 90% of the cases when you use a card just as 1 basic action point, is wasnt efficient BUT inefficient. ;-) So if you play well AND you have some luck with the order of your card draw, you would not need to do that. Multi-use to me is more like having evenly good options (like in 51st State) and not that the other option is an emergency solution. In Quest for El Dorado, you can use every card as 0.5 money. Thats another example for a emergency solution and no real even option. I would never tell people that Mage Knight is great because of multi-use cards, because that's no USP of the game. It's just a design decision to counter unlucky card draws because you shuffle your deck. As real efficiency puzzle you would play with your whole deck in hand (like in Concordia) with no option to use a card as 1 basic action point. So it's no mechanisms to make Mage Knight great BUT to prevent the game from being NOT great. ;-) Do you get what I mean?
Thank you for this beautiful presentation. I thought you would put Carnegie. To this list I would possibly add ultimate railroad, 7th continent, Marcaibo and pax pamir.
this channel is phenomenal the work put on these videos is like no other, definitely in my top 3 boardgame channels, and my taste seem to be aligned with yours thus far
I really appreciate that! I'm glad you enjoy the channel!
@@TotallyTabled yeah shaggy, I second the above comment. Amazing editing and production on all your videos. I got into board gaming during the pandemic and your channel is one I always keep coming back to.
I completely agree with this.
Great list along with Shaggy's perfect narration. A+ video!
I appreciate that! Thank you for the confidence boost. :)
I love Robinson. Definitely scratches the solo adventure itch.
I knew Voidfall would make an appearance but wow #2! I'm so glad I took your advice and bought this game, I'm not usually a heavy gamer but it was worth the effort...such an amazing game!
It keeps growing on me. I actually haven't played it on the table in a little bit, but I've managed some digital games. I want to get it back on the table and get all the scenarios played at least once. Thanks!
Robinson Crusoe is not only a masterpiece but is also amazing on table, looks fantastic and immersive. Definitely one on my top 5. Halls of hegra is another little musterpiece. Love it. Thanks for the video.
Yeah, I had Halls of Hegra on the previous Medium-Heavy list. Amazing game! Thanks for watching.
Some of my top favourite games (Spirit Island my top 1 game ever) are in this list. Mage Knight, Feast For Odin, Great Western Trail, Gloomhaven... Great list!
Another great list! Thank you!
Thanks, HiHo! I'm glad you enjoyed the list.
Thanks for this excellent top Ten Heavy Solo BG.
Here are my other favorites heavy Solo BG:
- This War of Mine
- Trickerion
- Gaia Project
- Scythe
- Nemo's War
- Terraforming Mars
- Too Many Boones
- Teotihuacan
- The Lord of the Rings The card Game
- Tainted Grail
- Ark Nova (with ARNO)
- Dune Imperium
- Pax Pamir
- Barrage
The the theme and art of Robinson looks so tempting but I've heard so many bitter complaints of randomness wrecking sessions. I can handle that in short games like Final Firl, but sounds like it would get really grating in a longer heavier game where I usually want my decisions to be a greater deciding factor than rng
I mean, I could spend hours discussing "randomness" in board games and the misguided conversations about it. In terms of RC, I bet a lot of those bitter complaints are from players with little experience with the game. I can only offer up my three playthroughs as the rebuttal to those comments. I assure you, your decisions are the main factor in success or failure in RC. Sometimes those decisions involve timely risk taking, which can blow up in your face. But you chose to roll the dice. And in a survival game, having obstacles thrown up in your way is not randomness or bad luck -- its storytelling, its tension, its excitement. I don't know, I'll never understand some of the rhetoric around RC. Thanks for watching.
Great list.
Thanks for checking it out!
Yesss! I've been keenly anticipating this video. Great list! The more I hear about GWT the more intrigued I become; despite not having any real interest in the theme. Here's what my list would be:
10. Anachrony
9. Sankore: The Pride of Mansa Musa
8. The Great Wall
7. Scholars of the South Tigris
6. Ark Nova
5. Nucleum
4. Weather Machine
3. Sabika
2. Voidfall
1. Wayfarers of the South Tigris
Honourable Mentions: Ezra and Nehemiah, Zhanguo: The First Empire
Yeah, you might even want to check out GWT New Zealand. I haven't tabled it yet, but I've seen it played. Might be more your speed. Lots on your list I still need to try. Wish I could play three times the number of games I do each week, but I'll get them to the table eventually! :) Thanks Laurence.
Another great video! Love this channel and look forward to many of your play-through videos, since I am relatively new to solo gaming. I bought Robinson Crusoe a couple of months ago and will bring it to the table soon this summer! Thank you for all you do!
I'm glad you like the channel! Thanks, Mike. I hope you enjoy Robinson Crusoe once you table it. Be sure to check out my RC playthroughs if you haven't. Those should help make the rules easier to learn. Thanks!
currently my favorite board gaming channel. thanks for the great content.
Wow, that is so nice of you to say! I consider that high praise. I try my best with every video and I'm happy you find them enjoyable. Thanks so much for supporting the channel and have a wonderful day!
I havent played all games you mentioned here but the ones I did are one of my favs. Great list!
I'm glad you enjoyed the list. Thanks for checking it out.
I have only just discovered your channel and find it incredibly insightful! I am pretty new to board games in general, and especially solo games, so I am really learning about a lot of really interesting games I never knew existed! Small idea, maybe have a mini-series on solo games that also play well at 2, 3 and 4 player? I know a lot of the games in your lists are, but just an idea! Regardless, looking forward to exploring more of your backlog and new videos in future. Cheers!
Welcome to the channel! I'm glad you found it. I made a top 10 list a little while back about the games I like equally solo and multiplayer, but I like the idea of breaking it up based on specific player counts. Thanks! I hope you enjoy the rest of the videos on the channel. Have a great day!
You put together a great list! One of my favorite solo games is Nemo’s War.
Terrific round up. Really well presented and rationalised. Thanks. I very much have your 1 and 2 as a high priority. I LOVE Frostpunk. That game is hard but so much fun.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video! Frostpunk is amazing. Tough to get to the table, like all these games, but always worth it. Thanks for watching!
Your videos are so good. Definitely my number one channel for boardgames.
Would love to have a top of light-medium games. I love heavy games but sometimes my brain is so tired from work that I just want to play something simple but most of my games are medium-heavy so not sure where to start.
I'm glad you enjoy the channel so much. I appreciate that. You should check out the other videos in this series (links are in the description). I've made one for light, med-light (which I call "next step"), medium, and then med-heavy. I also have many med-light games on my top 50 solos of all time video. Many of these have full playthroughs that can help you narrow down which look most fun to you. Thanks so much for watching!
@@TotallyTabled thanks for the reply! I actually watched some of the videos in this series after I commented. Will look into the ones I didn't.
Keep up the good work
I don't play Voidfall that often due to the setup time but it's a blast every time! When you reveal the first cycle card and start formulating a plan it's just the best crunchy feeling.
I feel exactly the same way. Tough to get to the table but a joy to play. I wish I had a third table where I could just leave one of these heavy games out for months. One day. Thanks for watching!
It's so nice to have a youtuber who's tastes so much align with mine. Always a pleasure to listen to your thoughts and tastes.
As for stuff that's missing, the big things are Chip Therory games: Cloudspire or Too Many Bones. I took a look at your BGG ratings, and seems that Imperium: Classics, Gaia Project and Maracaibo might be underplayed.
From my tastes, Cooper Island and Circadians: First Light are not really "hidden" gems, but rarely talked about today. And then T-series is kinda step below Lacerda and Mindclash in terms of hype and production levels, but I still enjoy them sometimes, say Tekhenu or Trismegistus.
My BGG play counts are wildly inaccurate, so don't go off of that. That said, I have not played Cloudspire and only played Too Many Bones like twice or three times. Not enough. I've played Gaia Project quite a bit, especially digitally, but mostly multiplayer. Maracaibo I've only played multiplayer (maybe once solo but it was a long time ago). So, yeah, long story short, I need to play them all more solo. Great games for sure. Thanks so much for watching the video!
I love your list!! Gloomhaven, Mage Knight, Frostpunk, Spirit Island and Robinson Crusoe are among my absolute favourite games. Since you like Robinson Crusoe so much, I would like to see you play one of the new Adventure Book scenarios! Even another Frostpunk scenario video would be great!
Done! Here is a Reality Island playthrough: ua-cam.com/video/GG1kaPlisGo/v-deo.html. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for this! Great suggestions that I will look into. And frostpunk is my favorite solo game at this time, so I highly agree with this choice!
Have you tried Alien Invasion, the expansion for On Mars which add a solo mode? Its very good and replace the bot with objectives, a fixed number of turns and a way to disrupt the board (''alien sabotage!'') that allow the game to loose a lot of complexity and downtime in between your turns. What is great is that its still challenging! Those objectives are very well done. Highly recommand for solo players that are fans of Lacerda.
I have not played with the expansion yet, but I really want to. Thanks for the suggestion and I'm glad to hear it works so well. I'll definitely get it to the table soon.
Great list. Great taste!
Thanks! I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for checking it out.
I just recently got into Robinson Crusoe when I backed the ultimate edition crowdfunding, it is such a great game.
Nice! I'm so happy people are rediscovering RC. Thanks for watching!
Saw the thumbnail of this video and thought I'd find a bunch of new games to add to my collection. Turns out i already own half of the list😂
Nice! Only 5 games you need to buy! :) Thanks for watching.
Yeah, cuz there are mostly the same games rotating on all channels. Which is understandable, these games get views after all.
You should try some COIN games for solo (I started with Falling Sky, but there are tons beginner friendly COIN games now, like A Gest of Robin Hood and The British Way). They may be kinda hard to get into, but man are they fun solo once they click. How the mechanics play into the theme is also really amazing. There are also games like Inferno and Almoravid, but those are REALLY hard to learn.
Ps: the video is great, don’t get me wrong ;)
@DonBuonasera thanks fir the suggestions, dude. I'll take a look!
Great video and great list. Half of the games you listed I have but never played solo. My favorite heavy solo is probably Carnegie or Lisboa. I’m terrible at it but I still like them.
Good List and i will take a closer look at some games on your list. 😉
I totally agree with every word said about Spirit Island. One Spirit is good, two are brain burning. And i also wouldn't rate it on the first place.
If i had to decide which game in my collection would be on top .... I couldn't decide because i play my games depending on my mood. Dawn of the Zeds for tough stratecic decision. Robinson Crusoe if i want a survival game. Carnegie if i want to play a game if a lot of planning ahead.
Yeah, lists like this are a thought exercise for fun and nothing more. Some days any one of these games could be #1. Dawn of the Zeds is one I need to get to the table. Thanks for watching!
@@TotallyTabled
So you haven't played Dawn of the Zeds till now.
To be honest, I had my problems with the game at the beginning. I took me a while till I started to love it like I do now.
Yeah, I haven't played yet. One of those that slipped through the cracks. But it is on my to-play list. Very excited to try it.
@@TotallyTabled I'm excited to hear your opinion.
mage knight and affo
Two amazing games for sure. Thanks for watching!
Shaggy, love it when you give voidfall its due!!!! It’s a genius level game. I think you have finally talked me into trying Robinson Crusoe
Ha, definitely check out my RC playthroughs before buying. It is love it or hate it for sure, and a very different experience than something like Voidfall or other heavy euros. Thanks for checking out the video!
Frostpunk is on my shelf of shame. I'm a bit intimidated to be completely honest 😅. Really want to try out a Lacerda at some point, but I keep waffling on which one I want to try.. This was a great series. Thanks for sharing!
Make sure to check out my Frostpunk playthrough if you haven't. Hopefully that will make it less intimidating. But it is a beast. Definitely need to be prepared to spend some time with it. Thanks for watching!
Great video, Great list! Thank you!
I wonder if you have ever played any of the garphill games?
Yes, I've played them all except the two most recent. I really like them but not as much as most people. But I totally understand why they are so popular. I've made playthrough videos of Legacy of Yu and Wayfarers so far, with more to come. Thanks for watching!
Looking forward to it😁
For me, the TOP10 Solo games now are:
1. Mage Knight
2. Imperium (Classics, Legends & Horizons)
3. Dune: Imperium
4. Marvel Champions
5. Euthia
6. Shadowrun: Crossfire
7. 51st State
8. Unsettled
9. Eleven
10. ISS Vanguard
My love, my nuber one, my Mage Knight ❤
Love your videos Shaggy. Awesome.
I appreciate that. Thanks so much! Have a great day!
Great List! These games are way over my head right now…but you inspired me to look into Voidfall…btw my heaviest game is Paladins of the West Kingdom.
Root solo is incredible !! My number 1 so far ! ✨
Nice. Definitely a great choice. I've kind of bounced off Root solo and kinda just want to play multiplayer at this point. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the vid. Very helpful and informative. One issue. Can you ensure there's at least one wide shot of the entire game? For instance, it's hard to get the scale of Feast for Odin when all you're showing are close ups...
Your videos are ASPIRATIONAL! Im at UKGE and im sooo tempted to buy ovoidal this weekend. EEEEEEEK!
Hope you had a great UKGE! Thanks for watching!
@@TotallyTabled guess what… I bought voidfall! 😊
Nice! Well, congrats or I'm sorry, depending on your feelings. 😜
Great list! I would add Gaia Project. The solo system is just great. You would like it Shaggy!
I've played a bunch of Gaia Project multiplayer but only once or twice solo and it has been a while. Definitely needs to hit the table again. Thanks for the recommendation and thanks for checking out the video!
On games that didn't make the list.. I have Nemos War which I've only played once. I quite enjoyed it but haven't had that urge to go back.
Nemo's War didn't click with me, but I need to play more to be sure.
Thanks for another great video Shaggi! You got me hooked on your content with Mage Knight and I can’t wait to try these games.
I was curious, have you played Feudum? I’m kind of intrigued by it, but curious if you had any experience.
What a very excellent list, to nobody's surprise. 😁 Thank you for sharing it.
I still haven't played Robinson Crusoe, and your video reminded me to get after it.
Voidfall still sits solidly at the pole position for me. There are some very strong contenders going to fulfillment at the moment, or very soon. Exciting times.
There is a 1-2 player game currently in funding and you might wanna check it out. It is so very unique in how it takes established concepts and puts them to a new shine.
"The Thinning Veil - Cormac Mac Airt on the Other Side of Midnight"
Yes, that's the name of the game. 🤣
I haven't heard about that game. I'll definitely check it out -- thanks for the recommendation! That title ... all those words and I still have no idea what the theme is. Impressive. :) Thanks for watching!
Nice list. I, also, perused your series and Robinson Crusoe (yes, a vicious challenge of a solo game), but, IMHO, I think you have missed Dawn of the Zeds as one of the great solo games, and Ambush should get an honorable mention somewhere as one of the original solo only games (but that may have been before your time). P-)
Yeah, Ambush is before my time and not really in my wheelhouse. Dawn of the Zeds is one I've been meaning to get to the table for years and it has just fallen through the cracks. Hopefully I'll play it soon and maybe it will make it on future lists. Thanks for watching!
I also find two handing spirit island is quite a tricky task. There is just too much for the upkeep especially if you have the scenarios and adversaries that changes the base rules. even one handed I am often overlooking some rules implemented by the blight card/ scenario adversaries etc.
still hope one day I get to try two player. but given its complexity I wonder if I would get to try it.
Yeah, if you can find someone who enjoys heavy co-ops, Spirit Island really shines at 2 players. Hopefully one day I'll be able to manage it better solo. It is a brilliant game. Thanks for checking out the list!
Trickerion is my favorite by far. Sadly not many people talk about it
I enjoy Trickerion but there are a few things that keep it from being one of my favorites. I'm a much bigger fan of Anachrony. Thanks for watching!
I did sponsor the Orange Dutch Resistance game
Nice! I hope you enjoy the game. Thanks for watching the video!
wow, i don't hope to find some like you, but here you are. someone like Robinson Crusoe as much as me, its my no.1 co-op game to play as solo too. actually I played it 50+ times includes fan scenario and expansions. there is no other games closed that much of playtime.
imo, this game is basically like Skyrim the board game, the amount variation of each scenario and fan-made stuff is mind boggling. also, unlike some people would argue, its not just random and chaos, you can stably beat base game scenarios after you find suitable strategy with each scenarios.
the only bad thing I can talk about this game is, since there is no personal turn or personal equipment for each player, it feels like everyone control every character at the same time.
I've seen some people(my brother actually lol) lost their immersion because of that. but its no problem when you play this game as solo.
sorry for my rough English, but I want to share my enthusiasm of this game. this was my first big game, and it introduce me to so many great board games while still remain strong after all this day. its shame that I missed that collector's edition funding. I was so broken at that time lol.
Awesome to hear you like RC as much as I do. There are a few of us left in the world. I agree the multiplayer game feels a bit like collectively solving a solo puzzle. In fact, that is how I play with my wife. We just discuss what to do with each character as if it were a solo game. Works great. And there are extras and promos that can add a bit more individuality to the characters above and beyond their unique special abilities. I wouldn't worry about missing the Collector's Edition. Just make sure to grab the Book of Adventures when it hits retail. That is all you need. And if you haven't checked out my full solo playthroughs on the channel, be sure give them a watch. I have three so far -- Jenny Needs Help, Volcano Island and Reality Island. Thank you so much for watching!
Great video. Imperium legends, classics, horizons... no good?
I just need to play them more before they can qualify for one of my lists. I'm interested in getting them back to the table. Thanks for watching!
I think you've missed out by not including Imperium on your list. It's the original collab between Nigel and David (before Voidfall) and the solo game is VERY GOOD. Folks who liked this list should check it out for sure.
Loved the video as always! I am fairly new to the board game hobby and don‘t have that many games yet but I really enjoy Lords of Ragnarok and would consider it heavyish. I‘m sure that people disagree with that statement but that‘d be my choice. :D
Also a little video suggestion (more like a wish lol). Don‘t know if it‘s something you‘d even consider but I just wanted to throw it out there ^^
Have a nice day and thanks for these videos! I really appreciate them :)
Great list. I'll add for myself Imperium horizons
Yeah, that one is getting mentioned a lot. I really need to get it to the table. Thanks!
I'm not sure if they count as heavyweight board games, but I would have added zombicide and assassin's Creed: brotherhood of Venice, to my top 10 list. To me, they feel like classics, yet complex enough to keep me coming back both solo and with friends.
So I'll be honest. I'm here because I played Tiny Epic Vikings in the solo mode and found it a perfect experience and looked up the forums and the were all about how the solo variant was so complicated and hard that it was a whole rank of weight heavier and was not for this fan base. So I decided to look into actual Heavy games
Really enjoying your channel, I need to break out Robinson Crusoe again.
Thanks! I'm glad you are enjoying the channel. Be sure to check out my three playthroughs of Robinson Crusoe if you haven't. Hope you have fun with RC! Thanks for watching!
I've owned and played Robinson Crusoe, Feast 4 Odin, Anachrony, GWT, Kanban EV, and JoTL. Mage Knight is the only one I still own and my favorite. I would add TMB Undertow to that list. Prefer adventure games to euro's. Interested in Voidfall. Thanks again.
Wow, that is a list of games there that I would never part with and will be playing for ever. You should definitely try Voidfall if you like Mage Knight. I have a playthrough of Voidfall on the channel that might help you decide if it would be something you enjoy. Thanks for checking out the list!
@@TotallyTabled there all great games if you play them regularly. I have time 6-7 solo games at most, so a lot of good ones go. JOTL did not enjoy because it’s 2 handed. Feast for Odin theme and beat your own score issue for me. Robinson Crusoe felt to random. I only have 7 solo games and they are Mage Knight, Marvel Champions, Arkham Horror LCG, TMB, shadows of brimstone, dune uprising, and ark nova.
I never thought about Great Western Trail as heavy game. I really like it, I love that it has goals to complete to get points in the end, it helps with getting an idea what to do in this game haha. Without it I think it would be bit dull for me to just go around and do whatever to collect points. And I'm not deck building enthusiast normally but here it's so simple.
Mage Knight is the game I played few times and now I can't make myself bring it to the table. I tried but after setting up I didn't want to play anymore 😅 I used to like lighter modes like mines or druids, maybe I'll try to play it someday again...
For me another really heavy game is Arkham horror lcg... So much thinking goes into deck building and planning upgrade path, and it's so hard I never completed even one campaign and I have quite a few of them.
I put Arkham Horror LCG in the medium-heavy video, but I could see it being considered heavy. It is certainly hard to get to the table and requires a lot of commitment to play. Fun game. Thanks so much for checking out the list!
Another great watch. Thanks. Mage knight, Robinson Crusoe and spirit island are my (in no particular order) top 3. Voidfall I hope is coming 😊into my collection as a bday present in august! I guess what’s missing for me imperium classic/horizons/legends series - where do you rate and what weight would they appear?
Yes, Imperium is a good one! I've played like 1.5 times and need to play more. I found it very complex to learn, but I would need to play more to really get a feeling about its weight. Definitely on my to-do list for this year. Thanks so much for checking out the list!
Voidfall is way more complex compared to Imperium! Great game!
@@stormburns yeah I’m looking forward to it! Hope my table is big enough
Thank you for this great video, again!
Which version of Robin Crusoe do you recommend?
Thanks!
Honestly any version works great. I played with 1st edition for over a decade -- my first two playthroughs were with my blinged out first edition. I'd probably recommend second edition, just for the improved rulebook, but you can find that online. Either way, definitely get the Book of Adventures with it. You can check out this video to learn more about it: ua-cam.com/video/f_FCFA81PME/v-deo.html. Thanks!
Love Anachrony! fab worker placer game that works well both solo and multiplayer!
For sure. I've played it way more multiplayer than solo, so I want to explore it more, but both have been a blast. Thanks for watching!
as always i really enjoyed your review. with Robinson C my problem is two fold. - the same board for all the scenarios seems very repetitive, after a couple of games playing one scenario you loose element of exploration. never played any scenario beyond as from i find intimdating to learn the game again.
Robinson Crusoe is the opposite of repetitive. It might be the least repetitive game I've ever played. The map is used in so many different ways scenario to scenario, it never feels like the same map. You find different rewards, different beasts, and have different adventures. The order the tiles come out is so important. It dictates your early item building. I would encourage you to watch my three RC playthroughs of three different scenarios that use the map in three interesting ways. And, yes, the game can be intimidating to learn, but it really flows after you get the base rules down. 90% of those rules are fairly easy, there's just a 10% that gets confusing, but you can usually ignore them until it comes up in your game. You may never sleep outside of camp, for example, so you don't need to relearn those rules every time. You can use my playthroughs to help with the learning process as well. Anyway, thanks for watching!
@@TotallyTabled thank you for sharing this interesting perspective. im sure one day i will give it another try.
Based on your rave review, I ended up buying the Robinson Crusoe scenario book a la carte from Portal (to pair with my retail copy of the game). It just came yesterday.
EXCITING! I'm so happy that people can get the Book of Adventures separately and just add it to the game they have or get a cheap copy of the 1st or 2nd edition. So awesome. I hope you enjoy it. I'm planning another scenario playthrough for next month. Thanks for watching!
I really need to check out Voidfall. Mage Knight is one of my favorite solos, and I've heard that Voidfall is kinda of a spiritual successor to it. How accurate is that?
Spiritual successor is further than I would go, but there are certainly parallels. It gives me a similar feel and I would encourage anyone who likes Mage Knight to try Voidfall. Thanks for watching!
I have been wanting to try robinson Crusoe for a while! Have you played Nemo's War? I like it a lot
Obviously, I highly recommend RC but I would recommend checking out my playthroughs first to see if it looks fun and interesting to you. It isn't for everyone. I have played a little Nemo's War and it didn't click with me. But that was a while ago and I would like to try it again. Thanks for watching!
Two of my favorites!
I have been playing medium and heavy weight hobbyist boardgames for decades and still own but have bounced off of Robinson Crusoe over and over out of exasperation with the errata, rules and FAQ. It's not been a relaxing solo experience for me to date. Any advice? Thanks for this video.
Hmmm. I will say that I've been playing RC for over a decade and I've never once looked at an errata or FAQ. Not once. Does that mean I'm maybe playing some things technically "wrong"? Perhaps, but I've found when I have a question, if I just do whatever feels most thematic, then everything plays great. Timing question? Order of operations question? Special ability question? Do whatever seems most thematic and just soldier on. It is a co-op after all. As long as it is fun and challenging, then don't sweat it. I would recommend watching my RC playthroughs. I have three on the channel and in the first one I give a lot of tips and pointers about how to have the best RC experience -- play with 3 characters, don't look at the bottoms of adventure cards, etc. Those playthroughs might also give you insight into the flow of the game and make you feel more comfortable with the structure of play. Hope that helps. Thanks for watching!
I've never seen Merchant of Venus on one of these lists. Has it been fired by a similar but better game, its mechanics outdated, or just overlooked?
A great list of heavy games! The only one I disagree with is your number one. I've played it half a dozen times and it never felt heavy, just medium. Especially compared to Gloomhaven, Spirit Island or Mage Knight.
Yeah, it is all a matter of perspective. I've had people tell me Gloomhaven is medium. I think the issue is, if we start defining games like RC and Gloomhaven medium, then we have about 20 heavy games and 10,000+ medium ones. Once you've played a few times, and if you have experience with heavy games, then RC isn't so difficult. But if you take into account all the rule changes for every different scenario, all the cards for every event and adventure and how they can interact, all the phases, all the edge case and timing rules, RC starts to feel more weighty to me than games like Arnak and Obsession and other streamlined medium-heavy euros. But yes, Mage Knight is more complex for sure. Thanks for watching!
@@TotallyTabled I think it's a different interpretation of light/medium/ heavy, For me it's the amount of thinking you need to do on your turn, for you, it seems (correct me if I'm wrong) it's the amount of rules and rules exception + the thinking. So for my definition RC is medium, for yours it's heavy. :)
@@Kentchangar If by "thinking you need to do" you mean "need to do in order to play skillfully" then I would call that strategic depth. If you mean "thinking you need to do in order to correctly follow the rules" then that is complexity or weight for me.
@@TotallyTabled 1st one: the amount of thought you need to play the game. The more thought, the heavier/deeper the game. The amount of rules and rules exceptions is complexity. All the games apart from RC are heavy by my metric apart from RC, but all the ones seem to be heavy by your metric.
Shaggi! have you finally tabled Nucleum?
Unfortunately, I haven't. I've been super busy with non-hobby related activities, so I've been avoiding heavier games for the moment. My time will open up soon, hopefully. Thanks!
Love this series! Have you tried any of the GMT solo games like Comancheria, Navajo Wars, etc.?
You know, I've missed most of those, including the ones you mentioned. GMT, COIN, DVG, all of that is a bit of a blind spot for me, one that I would like to rectify. I've heard great things. Thanks for checking out the video!
Yes, I was wondering where 'Mr President' or 'Fields of Fire' was 😂
DVG Valiant Defense games are also great but wouldn't really say they were particularly heavy.
Yeah, Mr President is staring at me in my to-play pile. I'm scared. :)
@@TotallyTabled I've only managed 1 play so far. Well, a full day where I managed half a round. Was enjoyable and not difficult (just a lot to think about) and definitely want to give it a proper go some time (but will need a week off work ).
Best list ❤
Thanks so much!
Great Western Trail doesnt shine because of its Deckbuilding aspect (in fact there is at max a "soft" deckbuilding aspect).
It shines because of the hand management, diverse way to go and the great "worker movement" (who would ever guess that a modern game with worker movement could be that great?!?! ;-) ).
Most of it im good. Not sure if frostpunk, gloomhaven are consaidered heavy ones. Still nice list. If 4 is the bgg cut, Nucleum, its also a nice game. If lower, ark nova, skymines and trickerion
Frostpunk is definitely heavy. Gloomhaven is more on edge of med-heavy to heavy, but its length, size, and volume of rules pushes it up for me. I put Ark Nova on the med-heavy list. Great suggestions. I'm looking forward to getting Nucleum to the table. Thanks for watching!
Nice video! Really like both Mage Knight and Frostpunk!
Those are amazing games. I'm sort of late to the party with Mage Knight so I'm still discovering it and trying to learn. Nice to finally experience this classic. Thanks for watching.
@@TotallyTabled no problem, also late comer to Mage Knight!
Great list! Have you played Primal solo? If so, how does it compare?
I love Primal! I made a playthrough video and I hope to make another one at a higher level. My favorite boss battler so far (I haven't played many). I think I would call it medium-heavy and it might make that top 10 at this point. Thanks for watching!
Mr. President, Warfighter, Legends Untold or Aventuria can get heavy, LOTR the card game, Dawn of the Zeds 3rd ed, The Plum Island Horror
Great list of recommendations. I have yet to play any of these, but Plum Island Horror and Dawn of the Zeds are high on my list. Not sure when I can get Mr. President to the table. I need more time. Thanks for watching!
@@TotallyTabled Mr. President looks more intimidating that it is. You do a lot of learning as you play, and the ring-bound book takes you step by step through your turns. They did a fantastic job in easing you into the game and the gameplay itself is not the kind of game where you have to keep 1000 rules in your head. The strategy/challenge is in taking a step back and assessing the flow of the year, the state of the board and (with experience) identifying the potential red flags and putting out the most critical fires....but actually learning and playing the game is a LOT easier than DotZ or PIH for example. It IS long, I just leave it set-up on my this-was-never-a-diner-table table and eat in front of the TV.
Great list. What are your thoughts on Nemo's War?
I've not played enough to have solid, deep thoughts, but it hasn't click with me yet. I need to get it back to the table and try again. Thanks!
Funny how Mage Knight, Spirit Island, Robison Crusoe and Gloomhaven are games on you list and are like top 5~10 to me but I cant for the life of me play solo board games..
Why not? Mage Knight and Robinson Crusoe are great solo. I prefer Spirit Island and Gloomhaven with 2 players, but they are also fun solo. It is wonderful to be able to take your time and think through your strategy on your own. Every other hobby can be enjoyed alone (movies, music, books, TV, video games, etc) why not board games?
@@TotallyTabled Something feel wrong with me playing by myself and having to keep managing everything.. Somehow, I feel that board games is a social hobby and if I had to play it solo, I would rather play video games. The setup, upkeep and even playing alone feels too demanding.. I can play 10 hours straight of Twilight Imperium but couldnt handle 2 rounds of Mage Knight solo.. or even Lord of the rings LCG.. and dont even get me started with playing with two hands.. I would be so much happier if it worked for me.. I hardly play nowadays for lack of group. -_-
This is actually a common refrain -- "board gaming is social" and "I'd rather play a video game." Both are manufactured feelings not based on anything except the fact that solo board games didn't really exist 15 years ago. But solo gaming is exploding as people start tearing down some of these myths. Yes, part of board gaming is social. But also, board gaming is about thinky strategic decision-making and puzzle solving, which is really fun to do alone. Most video games are exercises in dexterity, not exercising the mind. Many board game don't require long, fiddly setups, upkeep or playtimes. They don't require multiple hands or even running a solo opponent. The variety of solo games available now means you can find something that you'll enjoy. And many games already in your collection probably have official solo modes or solo variants. Mage Knight is an extreme. Watch some of my playthroughs of lighter solo games. I play these kinds of games a ton at night when I don't feel like something heavy. It is a great way for me to connect to the hobby, spend valuable time with myself, and it provides a different experience than playing a video game. I rarely can force myself to play video games anymore. I'd much rather roll some dice, flip cards and manipulate actual components with some of these amazing physical games. I don't know. That is my two cents. But I might be somewhat of a dinosaur in this regard.
Have you played Nemo’s War?
What is meant when you say combat is “deterministic”? I don’t understand the meaning of the word in the context of board game combat/mechanics.
Thank you for your answer 😊
In Voidfall (for example) combat is deterministic in that when 2 armies battle, there is no randomness (eg dice throws). The stronger army will win. So if one wants to go into battle, one has to build up a powerful enough fleet to overcome the defense's army. The defender knows that might be coming, so has to strengthen his troops and defences. But when the battle takes place, the stronger wins.
I wonder if euthia will be in one of these lists next year
I need to play more of the scenarios to know for sure, but it will be hard to crack onto this list. I love these games! Thanks for watching!
Cloudspire! Too many bones! 😅
Great suggestions! Too Many Bones is one of the major holes in my solo gaming -- I plan to get it played more soon. Thanks for watching!
yes and yes... and burncyle is also on my list, I love playing that one solo (using two agents)
yesterday i played frostpunk, is like the 7th time i played and 7 times i lose. i dont know what to do to win, only 1 time a reach round 10, but mostly i end on 6-7th round, or hunger or decease or hopeless or corpses. is just never ending tragedy, on this war of mine i won once, but on the edge, is very hard this solo game, i would like to try robinson, but prob is even harder
If you haven't watched my Frostpunk playthrough video, I provide a few tips there. Definitely play with Society 2. It is a brutally hard game, no getting around that. I don't think Robinson Crusoe is as hard as Frostpunk, especially once you understand the game. In my first RC playthrough video I provide a bunch of tips. But, yeah, all three are survival games and tough, which is what I like. Nothing worse than a solo game I always win. I much prefer never winning. :) Thanks for watching!
No Sierra madre games 😑 but excelent video! :)
I'm curious about how many characters you run when playing Gloomhaven solo? I don't think you mentionned that😉
That's a good point, I should have. I play Gloomhaven with 2 characters, but I don't find it that hard, probably because the actions are pretty straightforward and don't require as much planning to pull off. With Robinson Crusoe I always play with 3 characters, which is very easy to manage. Thanks for watching!
@@TotallyTabledyes I find Gloomhaven with two characters the best balance.
I also love playing Nemesis solo but again with two characters.
P.s. I love Frostpunk, 15 games in and still yet to win! Even with the BGG Very Easy starting society! 😂
@@TotallyTabled Thanks for elaborating and great video by the way! I'm a passionate gamer but kinda new to solo & I have some big projects waiting for me on my shelf being: JotL, Frostpunk and 7th Citadel (which I both originally backed All-In on KS but still haven't got the chance to play unfortunately) anyway I can't wait🤩
um lumping in all the lacerdas? really?
I also say if I had to pick one for solo it would be Inventions, but you have to listen to the video to know that.
Anachrony is my number 1 game
A very deserving #1. Great game that I need to play more. Thanks for checking out the video!
@@TotallyTabled cheers and excellent video
Nemo's War Ultimate Edition?
That's a good suggestion. I personally don't love Nemo's War but it is extremely popular. Thanks for watching!
ha! i have all these games Mr Shaggy! i knew you had good taste. However, Spirit Island should be your #1!! :P I even have the full Lacerda collection. I must admit, there are a few on this list i still have to master (Mage Knight, Voidfall and gloomhaven.) Also just need to point out Ian O'tool is quite prominent as artist in this list.
Agree that spirit island should be higher
As a true solo game I quite agree with Shaggy that it is not as top tier as other games. 2p is a lot more fun.
I didn't notice that, but I'm not surprised. Ian O'Toole has amazing taste in games. And his art is incredible, of course. Thanks for watching!
When 18xx?
Unfortunately, not my thing. I've tried it a few times and I have accepted that it isn't for me. Thanks for watching!
what? and this war of mine? and halls of hegra?
Both of those were in the medium-heavy video. I know, they are teetering on the edge of both categories for me, although BGG has them solidly in the medium-heavy weight at 3.3. I look forward to answering a lot of these comments. Thanks for watching.
Yeah this war of mine is not a “heavy” game at all. Definitely medium lol
@@MarioHuizar10 heavy by complexity of learning and mechanics? Or heavy by the simple fact of winning it constanly? Most lacerda games could be win by following a system, no random events happens, just maximise and optimize your plays. On this war of mine or frostpunk You can lose by hitting 3 times noise, by taking fatal damage on dice against 3-4 thugs. How You manage a system to make that work? You can just have Bad luck each time. On "heavy" lacerdas that doesnt happens.... So.... My Guess is Heavy by mechanics and learning tho...
Weight is subjective and abstract -- everyone includes different factors and experience plays a large role. This War of Mine is difficult and long, features many phases each with different rules, so for many this would make it feel heavier than the rules would suggest.
@@FK-Jajaheavy I believe means how complex is learning the game which includes the flow, mechanics, upkeep etc. heavy does not mean “difficulty” in my opinion. There are plenty of easy to learn games that are hard to win, and that doesn’t make them “heavy” games. This war of mine is very simple to learn, the journal walks you through each phase and the upkeep is in the medium category as the journal again walks you through that (eating, drinking, consequences of scavenging, cold etc.) now there are different strategies but that doesnt make it “heavy” either imo. Hope that helps explain what im thinking?
Hi Shaggi, thank you so much for your content! I love your reviews and 'top' videos, as I find that our board game taste match, it's really helpful to hear your thoughts on games :)
I wish you did a bit more non-solo game reviews though. 🥲
Yeah, it is a solo centric channel and the bulk of my gaming has been solo lately. I do focus on games that are both solo and multiplayer so, for example, all the games on this list can be played multiplayer and half are competitive. I am planning more non-solo lists in the future and my Top 100 Games of all time will be dropping in a few months. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for another great video Shaggi! You got me hooked on your content with Mage Knight and I can’t wait to try these games.
I was curious, have you played Feudum? I’m kind of intrigued by it, but curious if you had any experience.
I'm so happy you enjoyed the video. I did play Feudum a few times multiplayer a long time ago. I have not played enough to talk about it with any certainty. I remember it being challenging to learn and play, but I also remember finding it intriguing. A lot of interesting ideas. A lot of player interaction. I have been meaning to get it back to the table but never did. Unfortunately, that's about all I can say about it. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for a great video! Have you played First Martians? In many ways very similar to RC, but a for a couple of reasons I like it better than RC.
- FM feels less random. Events, adventures and especially weather phase (malfunction phase) dont`t feel so punishing and I get a better feeling how and what to prepare for. I feel that game experience in FM is more consistent and I can make better plans and follow them through more successfully.
- In RC I often feel like reacting to what the game throws at me rather than making my own plans. There are more possibilities in RC (lots of inventions, trasure deck, hunting and planty of mini expansions) which are all tempting and potentially useful, and I often find myself making decisions in the lines of "what if I find something useful and amazing" rather than making assured plans.
- Character wound track in FM is shorter, so each wound feels more meaningful. In RC, you get wounds basically every round and sometimes multiple at a time. Long track often leads to a false sense of security and often I find myself unexpectedly on the verge of death, then the focus shifts abruptly from completing scenario goals to just staying alive.
- Very realistic take on a space theme. Unique in that sense on the board game market.
Both games create amazing stories, but FM is just more consistent and reliable for me. :)
I'd like to try FM at some point, but RC's theme and mechanisms appeal to me more. I don't personally feel any of the negatives you mentioned about RC. And FM's more realistic theme with less highs and lows are actually negatives for me. It's a matter of different tastes, so I'm glad FM exists for those who want something different. I'll definitely try FM at some point, just out of curiosity. Thanks for the recommendation and thanks for watching!
When I think about what makes Mage Knight great it's not "multiuse cards".
I don't even get where/why those cards are multiuse.
In 80% the effect using a crystal is just an improved version. So that can't be the reason?!
Every card can be used as 1 move, 1 attack, 1 block, etc. It's one part of the efficiency puzzle, which is what makes it great.
@@TotallyTabled
Well, as multi-use cards is listed in the BGG entry, I cant disagree. ;-)
But I cant really agree that making use of that is efficient.
90% of the cases when you use a card just as 1 basic action point, is wasnt efficient BUT inefficient. ;-)
So if you play well AND you have some luck with the order of your card draw, you would not need to do that.
Multi-use to me is more like having evenly good options (like in 51st State) and not that the other option is an emergency solution.
In Quest for El Dorado, you can use every card as 0.5 money.
Thats another example for a emergency solution and no real even option.
I would never tell people that Mage Knight is great because of multi-use cards, because that's no USP of the game. It's just a design decision to counter unlucky card draws because you shuffle your deck.
As real efficiency puzzle you would play with your whole deck in hand (like in Concordia) with no option to use a card as 1 basic action point.
So it's no mechanisms to make Mage Knight great BUT to prevent the game from being NOT great. ;-)
Do you get what I mean?
Thank you for this beautiful presentation. I thought you would put Carnegie.
To this list I would possibly add ultimate railroad, 7th continent, Marcaibo and pax pamir.
Sprit island works much better as an app imho
The app is nice for sure. I always prefer games on the table, but that is not always practical. Thanks for watching.
Looking forward to you maybe doing a playthrough of Skytear Horde Monoliths 🗿
It actually just arrived, so I'm hoping to check it out soon. No idea when I might film it, but it's definitely in the queue. Thanks for watching!
@@TotallyTabled So glad to hear that it is in the queue!
@@TotallyTabled Paul is first mover on this haha ua-cam.com/users/livexFhiHYqJqOY?si=fJhID2-nX9wih50w