10 BEST Solo Board Game MECHANICS in 2023

[@arifmemovic3383]

I am new to the board game hobby. However, I am not new to learning and this is one of the best educational channels I have found on KZbin for any niche interest. Fantastic job!

[@LegendaryTactics]

That is very kind of you to say. Your encouragement means a lot.

[@cheese4cheese303]

I'm so excited for you! Welcome to a vibrant hobby with a great community!

[@abefroman81]

This is the first video from this content creator that I've come across and I commend the quality of the video. Very well put together. I'm a sucker for dungeon crawls with character progression. I'm currently in love with Chronicles of Drunagor. Happy gaming everyone.

[@LegendaryTactics]

That's very kind of you to say. Thanks so much. I'll have to give Drunagor a look. It's done well on Kickstarter. We just tried Rogue Angels and really liked it.

[@kosterix123]

DNGN, Dungeon Flee and Dungeon of Darkness are good ones

[@michaelmelen9062]

One very notable solo wargame played for the narratives it creates is "B-17 Queen of the Skies" (now out of print). It spawned games like "The Hunters", "Target For Today", and many others which are in print. The Stuka Joe KZbin channel has a wonderful playthrough series of QOTS. "Dawn of the Zeds 3rd Ed" is another good one, with great narratives.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Oh yes!!! Nato (from Legendary Tactics) loves that one. I imagine he'll do a video on B-17 before too long. He's actually working on Skies Above the Reich for a boardgame dramatization for release in the next week.

[@markc8401]

Excellent! I am new to your channel but I am enjoying the way you present topics logically with good voice tempo. I also enjoy the comprehensive coverage of multiple games as examples of what you are describing. Bravo!

[@LegendaryTactics]

Very kind of you to say. We appreciate you watching and talking time to give us some feedback Mark.

[@aceshelman]

Aeon’s End is a superb cooperative deck builder, love it! My favorite bag builder is Orleans.

[@LegendaryTactics]

I haven't tried Orleans. This is major problem with running a board gaming channel. There's never enough time to play all the games that you learn about through the channel. Thanks for that suggestion.

[@hovhannesbeaver8161]

Great video, high quality. Totally disagree with dice rolling being #10, especially with “push your luck” and “hand management” being #3. Dice rolling is push your luck as well and I’m sure a lot of people love rolling dice and would put that’s mechanic a lot higher. Definitely agree with #1 hah

[@LegendaryTactics]

I think it's actually in multiplayer that I'm more averse to dice. In solo games, they reflect the randomness and chance of the day to day moreso. Perhaps I just need to play more Too Many Bones.

[@dragonshadow1902]

Dice rolling is no more random than card drawing. It all depends on what manipulation may be done with the results.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Though with deck-builders, the percentages change as you make your deck more lean.

[@sadglitterbunny]

I really like Flip & Write / Roll & Write Games for solo play

[@LegendaryTactics]

Have you tried Stonemaier's game Rolling Realms?

[@mickeymyers13]

Great video as always!

[@LegendaryTactics]

Thanks very much!

[@Meaulnes]

Very clever video ! I love thé way you analysis of the various mechanisms with their strengths and weaknesses. Congrats !

[@LegendaryTactics]

Much appreciated. I'm glad you enjoyed the concept.

[@DanMan852]

This is such a great video! Solo gaming is underrated. I play Lord of the Rings LCG alone and it's a blast.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Thanks very much. Solo gaming mechanics really deserve more attention than they get. One of our creators is thinking of getting into the LOTR LCG. How does it compare to Marvel Champions LCG?

[@DanMan852]

@@LegendaryTactics I can't comment on the Marvel LCG because I haven't played it, but it seems like it's right up my alley!

[@kosterix123]

True solo or 2 handed?

[@kosterix123]

I like more muddy games, not pure deck builders for example. A few examples are One Deck Dungeon, the Phantom The Card game and Zerywia. A well written story is essential and I often get involved in editing and proofreading just to get it right. The result is phenomenal. Your last question is a good one. I think for me it’s about the scenarios. Scenarios make a game come to life. So naturally I have the classics Arkham Horror lcg and WQACG and since Monday Memoir 44. I already built the books on the Stalingrad offensive and Market garden and a few others. I thought I liked sandbox games but I don’t.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Sandbox games are a lot more fun as video games. Board games lend well to narrative. I don't even mind playing games that have 5 scenarios and then you're done. Legends of Andor was my first experience with this, and it was great.

[@kosterix123]

@@LegendaryTactics yeah playing in a sandbox you don't need to clean up anything in a video game after you called it quits.

[@youreatowel1103]

Asymmetric player powers like in spirit island and too many bones. Each character is so different from the others that each play feels completely different because you have a new "toolset" to use to beat the game.

[@LegendaryTactics]

The asymmetry also keeps the game fresh for much longer.

[@Sylvaantye]

I like to play Earth solo. It has a card automata (called Gaia). She is quite difficult to beat, even though her score is different each time and influenced by some of your choices.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Sounds like a good and simple AI opponent. Stonemaier Games is also good at developing good, simple AI opponents that provide a nice challenge

[@Sylvaantye]

Do you have examples of nice games that use similar automata? A lot of solo-game top 10s have a "beat your own score"-system that I really dislike or out of print/not available in the Netherlands or >100 euros. So I am still a bit in the dark on what games I would want to add to my collection, especially considering my limited shelf space.

[@Reaperman4711]

Holy stock-footage, Batman!

[@LegendaryTactics]

We will have to get on our editor to shape up! :)

[@Quinlin007]

What a great video! Thanks for this!!

[@LegendaryTactics]

No problem. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@uplinkundergroundgames9259]

Breakaway Football has a compelling solo mode where the opponent's decisions are made with two 1d6 rolls. The info is parsed out to the human because the formation the bot selects can influence the player's choice. It makes you feel like you are playing against a real person, especially since each team has its own unique AI tuned to the strength of their cards.

[@LegendaryTactics]

That sounds neat, although I'd like to see how it works in practice. You pretty much have to bet on a roll of seven every time, unless you can adjust your formation after the roll?

[@zxccxz164]

my first solo gaming was strat-o-matic.....baseball sim in the 70s.......HUGE fun....dice rolling and charts.....but i never felt the dice rolling gave an unfair advantage.....you have to work within the probabalities

[@wsiegel9539]

Any solo designed by David Turczi. The mechanic for Anachrony is unique with an AI Board and dice. I also love the decks in the West Kingdom Series for solo.

[@LegendaryTactics]

What are your thoughts on Dice Settlers? I've been wanting to find a really great dice game.

[@wsiegel9539]

@@LegendaryTactics Great game for resource /action selection mechanics. My favorite dice game lately has been Troyes. Or even Raja of the Ganges.

[@kirksellman1999]

I like all mechanics. Well done video. Thanks for making it for us.

[@LegendaryTactics]

You're a true board gamer then. With the right theme and the right execution, any mechanic can be a winner. We appreciate you watching Kirk, and taking the time to comment.

[@zxccxz164]

Not sure where this fits in....but I always struggle with Card counting.....the player that knows the cards the best will always have an advantage.....i don't see a way around that other than having TONS of cards. At least the computer gives (we think ) a great shuffle. I guess i suffer because i like seeing new cards, and getting surprised.......if i start playing say talisman, knowing there is card out there that i need, it takes away a bit of the fun of the adventure....same with twiglite struggle......and well, almost any card game...hmmmm

[@LegendaryTactics]

You should try wingspan then. With all the expansions, it'll be awhile before you see the same card repeat from one game to the next.

[@giacomobreschi2316]

Id like to build multiple automa for "swordfish" but it's not so Easy. Thanks for your video.

[@LegendaryTactics]

No problem!

[@nebulapuppy]

Great vid, you got a sub!

[@LegendaryTactics]

Brilliant! Much appreciated. Welcome to the channel.

[@freecheese7977]

Awesome video!

[@LegendaryTactics]

Thanks! What's your favourite solo game mechanic?

[@Lwilibert]

"search for the emperor`s treasure" and "knights of camelot" are 2 games that we`ve been playing lately in my group. Both provide a nice sense of story being told for each character, they are not overly long and they have replayability cause they are not narrative so you can fill the gaps with your imagination. Both are also olg dames that you can build yourself with few components, and they look nice. The lovely (IMO) character art in "Search for..." got my sister and gf to play the game, which is a lot and ended up playing it more than "Legends of ANDOR".... Knights of Camelot I play alone or with a friendwho also likes to struggle with the english language like i do, it`s a cool game. I really enjoyed this video, a bit too heavy on stock footage but the quality is great, subbed.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Great suggestions. I'll definitely check them out. I will try to cut back on the stock footage. We avoid centralizing our own faces, but perhaps I could do more focus on the game boards.

[@allencolwell3140]

Ok, guys and gals, I'm new to the board gaming scene but so far I'm loving it with my older children but they don't always have the time to play when I want too so I need some suggestions for games. I currently own Sleeping Gods, Gloomhaven JotL, and Folklore the affliction. Suggest me some gamed that can be both solo or cooperative. I like rpg/campaign/story based games. I like to spend a lot of time on a game through multiple sessions. Please help me out!!!!

[@amansparekh]

Just noticed the photo from the thumbnail is the same as bored online board offline’s mage knight vids

[@LegendaryTactics]

I usually try to use the publisher's photos, but that was the one that Google spat out to me. Do you think I should swap it out?

[@LegendaryTactics]

You must be a hardcore Mage Knight player to recognize that!

[@amansparekh]

@@LegendaryTactics no, I think its fine. I’m not really hardcore, just a KZbin addict

[@amansparekh]

@@LegendaryTactics just got UE in fact - really like it

[@LegendaryTactics]

@@amansparekh Europa Universalis? I didn't realize that was out yet. What other game would you compare it to?

[@freddiechristian1298]

Dune Imperium has a good solo variant along with an app campaign that handles your AI players Deck.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Unlike some, I'm actually quite fond of the app driven games. I'll have to give that one a go. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@mgalliardt44a3]

How are you playing these games on your pc? I don't know how. I would love to be able to

[@LegendaryTactics]

I put together a video to walk you through the process. Enjoy! kzbin.info/www/bejne/eWO7Z6meoq2qp5o&ab_channel=LegendaryTactics

[@supertom44]

Really useful video for someone new to gaming like myself. I noticed a clip of a digital version of Legendary Encounters Aliens. I've been hunting for this game for age. Does anyone know where I can buy the digital version? Thanks.

[@supertom44]

Found it, it's a mod for tabletop Simulator as opposed to a standalone/dlc for it! Thanks none the less, didn't know this existed before this video.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Here's how you get these: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eWO7Z6meoq2qp5o&ab_channel=LegendaryTactics

[@jasonc2784]

Black Sonata has a kind of hidden movement.

[@evanbotics]

To be fair it didn't start very well, throwing dice is something a lot of players enjoy and you begin by saying it's a bad mechanic...

[@billybirdy9507]

Great video

[@LegendaryTactics]

Much appreciated. Thanks for touring around our shop of wares.

[@Colaris99]

I didn't release there were so many digital versions of boardgames!

[@LegendaryTactics]

It's definitely a growing area. Though, there weren't that many digital ports of tabletop games in 2021. We put together a list of the newest ones here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hIHShHyrermhmac&ab_channel=LegendaryTactics

[@Sayuiv]

Hi! I liked the video in the way you edit it and the rhythm of it but if I have to be honest it confused me a bit. Sometimes you gave me the impression that you know what you are talking about and sometimes not. To make a few examples, you paired up deckbuilding and card drafting or worker placement with tile placement: I understand that sometimes games mix them, but generally, the main mechanism is 1 of those, and deckbuilding and card drafting are really different. The last thing that confused me is that you "compared" mage knight to dominion and terra mystica. Ok, there is a deck-building element, but is way far from the one in dominion, and regarding TM, the only similarity I can see is the hexagon grid. At the end I enjoyed the video, and that is what it counts and hope you can take my criticism just as a feedback and not as a gnarly comment, that is not what I mean. Thank you.

[@LegendaryTactics]

This is absolutely the best kind of feedback. I'm hoping to do more solo videos, so this is very helpful. You're very kind and forgiving. I think your criticisms are very valid, and will keep working on improving the writing of these videos.

[@mabos555]

For me for solo never give me vp based games and never give me fighting with dices :) Also really not a fan of flow charts I didn't came to work sorry

[@LegendaryTactics]

Your posts are always so honest and make me laugh. Thanks for your thoughts. I (Flash) agree with all of your sentiments on that one. Nato loves the flow charts though.

[@mabos555]

Haha thanks man yeah I know I love tonight be honest great video as always :)

[@petermarcatili7748]

Euro Games. The best accountancy simulators on the market.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Ha, that might be true, but when has accountancy ever been this much fun?!

[@zxccxz164]

is that your family in the screen clips?? if not, do you have to pay for them??

[@LegendaryTactics]

This is stock footage which comes with my video editing subscription.

[@zxccxz164]

@@LegendaryTactics haha i'll just pretend you are out on location filming : )

[@LegendaryTactics]

What's your favourite Solo board game mechanic?

[@JPLucas]

what are your favorite narrative games?

[@LegendaryTactics]

1. I'm really enjoying This War of Mine. 2. I'm really enjoying Betrayal At the House on the Hill with my kids, but it's not a solo game, so let's go with Robinson Crusoe here. 3. Mansions of Madness is also quite good with kids. 4. I haven't played it for long, but Sleeping Gods has some good potential. How about you?

[@MrSomebunny]

I’m not going to watch your video because of the clickbait. Let the board games speak for itself, don’t rely on some girl in the thumbnail for clicks.

[@LegendaryTactics]

We've made a choice not to show our own faces on our channel, but we're also aware that faces tend to humanize videos. So we include stock footage with a variety of people, young, old, male, female, racialized, white etc.... Perhaps this video is better than the others, but there's also a possibility that this image is more appealing than some of our others because this video has in fact done better. Either way, I'm sorry that the thumbnail turned you off. I do think this is one of my better videos on solo games. I would also guess that if you see the variety of thumbnails that we have on the channel, that you won't find a huge imbalance of one particular type of face. If anything, we might have a disproportionately high number of old man faces with big bushy moustaches.

[@af1762]

weakest part of this video is the intro. Made me almost skip the whole thing. What does that girl or the guy jave to do with any of it. So generic, ugh.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Good to know. I appreciate the feedback. I'll use less stock footage and go for more on-point footage for the next one. I was going for the "here's a person taking a selfie" to represent a person playing solo, but I agree that it didn't really come off as I had hoped.

[@KarmaAdjuster]

I've been working on a solo mode for my fantasy themed investment game that I think introduces a new twist to another new mechanic pioneered in Dwellings of Eldervale's solo mode. In DoE, it uses an automaton deck, but you have 3 possible options that you can prepare for allowing you to anticipate what the automaton opponent might do. In my game, Mercenaries of Esterok, I've taken that idea and expanded upon it. In addition to having the automaton randomly select between 3 options on a turn, each of these three options builds upon what it had done in a pervious round, effectively letting the automaton plan 1 turn in advance. If you'd like to see how it works yourself, you can try it out on Tabletop Simulator here: steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2326700813 Attached are videos for the base rules as well as how to operate the solo mode. Also great break down of solo mode mechanics!

[@LegendaryTactics]

Thanks for sharing this with us. This looks very intriguing. I just subbed to the workshop. Is a cardboard version coming out?

[@KarmaAdjuster]

@@LegendaryTactics not exactly soon, but I have signed with a publisher so eventually there will be an official version. It's official title and release date haven't been announced yet, but I expect it will make a decently large splash when it does! Until then you can follow on the FB page: fb.me/MercenariesOfEsterok Once it is officially announced, I'll be redirecting fans to the official page for it from there.

[@LegendaryTactics]

@@KarmaAdjuster Awesome! Congratulations on your progress. I'll give it a look.