The Hexy Beast - Top 10 Solo Games From My First Year in the Hobby

[@Fshinobi]

Thanks for this list man! I just can't stand anymore waiting weeks for my friends wanting to play a game. I'm going solo for now on and you just helped me a lot.

[@TheHexyBeast]

nice man! im so happy this helped you get started in this hobby... gives me the warm and fuzzies lol thanks for watching ! Stay Hexy!

[@Dragonnox]

I got into this hobby about the same time as you, it seems. Thanks for this great list! I'm currently playing 7th Continent and loving it. Waiting for my copy of Too Many Bones to arrive in the mail.

[@TheHexyBeast]

oh my! i have a feeling your going to love too many bones! Thanks for watching Stay Hexy!

[@lilianempls]

Thanks for the list. What I really like about your choices is the variety. Our collections look very similar.

[@TheHexyBeast]

yea variety is very important to me in my collection as i go through phases of what i enjoy lol last year there was a 3 month worker placement binge for example lol Thanks for Watching. Stay Hexy!

[@SpiderDiscord]

Thanks for the video! Spirit Island really opened my mind with solo games. I'm interested in expanding that horizon.

[@TheHexyBeast]

yea it really is something special and it a horizon worth expanding although it can get expensive lol Stay Hexy!

[@FreeformRock]

This list is great, nice to see some different games. Cheers man

[@TheHexyBeast]

glad you liked it... theres so much i could have added to the list i think i will need to make another one in future. Glad you enjoyed it! Stay Hexy!

[@Frodo-]

Fun video! You have hit some excellent games in your first year. I love mage knight glad to see it so high on your list. If TMB didn't cost so much I'd probably have it in my collection. I don't remember if you have played Nemo's War? That and Mage Knight are my top games.

[@TheHexyBeast]

thanks compy i do have and love nemos war... may make a review of it in future. so hard picking 10 lol thanks for watching man Stay Hexy!

[@patrickbarnes9874]

This was a wonderful video and super interesting! I was into gaming for years before I ever tried solo gaming, and then got into solo gaming in bits and pieces slowly. It's super interesting to see someone who got heavy into solo gaming as their primary gaming mode from the start.

[@TheHexyBeast]

thanks dude! ive never known any different lol Thanks for watching! Stay Hexy!

[@RPG_Bliss]

Great list! You know I’m staying hexy! Totally agree with your #1

[@TheHexyBeast]

i know right! its still got me coming back for more lol Thanks for watching!

[@bryanscollick8305]

Hi @The Hexy Beast! This is the first video I have seen and I must say I really liked your list! Like you, I am a newbie to the hobby. I enjoy solo gaming and I own the top two on your list! In fact, I played BOTH this weekend!! I love these lists as there are always games that I need to check out. Have you checked into Tainted Grail? Still not sure about it, yet! I will see you over at Rob’s for next episode of LotR!

[@TheHexyBeast]

haven't played tainted grail yet... i heard its a tad expensive lol glad you enjoyed the vid! Stay Hexy!

[@tanyamorgan5362]

Ohh I like the look of Core Space. I love my Warhammer 40k

[@TheHexyBeast]

Corespace is great there's a kickstarter going for its reprint and stand alone expansion at the moment I think its a little hard to find at retail but totally possible

[@seanmorgan2257]

Thanks for this list, really awesome games on there, I have mage knight on back order but will definitely look into core space as I have never heard of it.

[@TheHexyBeast]

i lot of people havnt heard of corespace but if u ask me it is the best solo minis skirmish games out there. Thanks for Watching Stay Hexy!

[@AnimatronicBadgerlord]

Fantastic Factories, Wingspan, and Cascadia are three of my first entries that I love, and still love (It's only been a few months) hard to say what my current favorite is but Root has sort of Taken over for the moment...

[@TheHexyBeast]

i been so tempted to try root because im enjoying the digital version its that clockwork expansion thats making me think twice tbh but i should prob just go for it lol Thanks for Watching! Stay Hexy!

[@AnimatronicBadgerlord]

@@TheHexyBeast For solo play you do need the clockwork expansion and it was admittedly a rough start for me to get used to, but a few videos later and I can go through the ai turn in less than a minute usually.

[@leejones9757]

Great vid dude! Im only just into the solo hobby.. starting off with Friday and Under Falling Skys at the moment (very light by your standards i know). I hope one day to have progressed to your level :o) also nice to have a fellow brit in the hobby

[@TheHexyBeast]

haha ye it can feel like that sometimes. theres a review of friday on the channel and i think under falling skies is great i will probably be reviewing that one too soon. Thanks for watching! Stay Hexy!

[@grahamhall7546]

Love it. Hi Jonny. Great video dude. Good quality countdown to your number one. There's serious money in this modern board game biz hey dude? Gonna go see if you done any playthroughs.

[@TheHexyBeast]

hehe i dont make any money lol although i have had the odd review copy. i will always mention if i have. my reviews are semi playthroughs (more demos really) with a scoring section at the end. im glad you enjoyed this one. Stay Hexy!

[@NotBoredGaming]

Nice list Jonny - some really solid selections there.

[@TheHexyBeast]

Cheers Mark my collection isnt massive but it was really hard picking 10 lol im surprised i didnt get people going nuts cos there was no gloomhaven lol

[@dominikgarbauer6883]

I highly recommend Nemo's War. Nicely made, awesome artwork and a also rather complex.

[@TheHexyBeast]

if u look carefully u may notice its on the shelf behind me... Amazing Game!

[@MichaelsCatEmporium]

The just miss for Marvel Champions stung, but awesome list! Surprised to see the higher complexity games top your list for your first year!!

[@TheHexyBeast]

it surprised me too Mage knight was one of the first games i played and gave me a mind set of "if i can learn that i can learn anything" lol Thanks for watching! Stay Hexy!

[@yannlaliberte8407]

yes awesome list, GG man.

[@TheHexyBeast]

thanks dude! Stay Hexy!

[@hachirokumedia2195]

Great list solid top 5

[@TheHexyBeast]

Thanks! Stay Hexy!

[@arvi8843]

Wingspan with Wingspan soundtrack makes the solo game experience much better. 🦉🦅🦜 Commonly not on top solo list, but I really love it.

[@TheHexyBeast]

the main way i play wingspan theese days is digitally.... unless i fancy some oceania expansion... just saves me having to set up lol if u have it on pc... maybe we could have a game at some point . thanks for watching Stay Hexy!

[@arvi8843]

@@TheHexyBeast 😂 I don't have computer games, I like games I can touch, thus board games. I'm newbie in this hobby and only have Parks and Wingspan. Thanks for your solo games list. 💯

[@jasonpetersharpe]

I really enjoyed your video. Thanks 🙏🏽, -j

[@TheHexyBeast]

Thank You for Watching Jason! Stay Hexy!

[@gamerdude2023]

Great video thank you! Really love the look of Core Space. Are there any expansions you think are must haves with it?

[@TheHexyBeast]

well i dont have any myself and i feel its fine although you can buy crews and some stuff separately and they just did a big box expansion but i feel u get plenty to be getting on with in the core game... and its ruleset allows things like playing around ur breakfast as terrain (i tried that once was fun, just drop a few spawn points and an objective on the table and ur off lol )

[@gamerdude2023]

@@TheHexyBeast thank you!

[@TheHexyBeast]

@@gamerdude2023 no problem

[@triplel3910]

cut the mustard was the term. Nice list. Some of them are out of my price point. I'm going to look at Core Space never heard of it. Never played Mage Knight but need to find somewhere to play it before sink that kind of money in because no one gives it up once they have it. Which is good recommendation for game.

[@TheHexyBeast]

i think dire wolf digital are working on a digital version of mage knight no idea how long that will take lol thanks for watching! (writes "cut the mustard" in a small notebook)

[@KabukiKid]

Fun list! :-) I still haven't played Arkham Horror 3e... I love 2e and own basically everything for it. Have you played Nemo's War, Legendary Encounters: Alien, or Robinson Crusoe? Those are favorites of mine to play solo from time to time. :-) I also just picked up Crystallo... a little puzzle game with cards. Nice for a quick one. :-)

[@TheHexyBeast]

love nemos war crusoe is on the list of games i need to buy lol 3rd plays quite a bit different from second i would liken second more to eldritch horror... i really like 3rd edition and have all the stuff for it so far(all 2 expansions lol) it really tells good stories and i find it mechanically interesting in the way it combines all the quirky ffg stuff into a nice package...codex from the fallout game, modular board similar to outer rim, token bag from arkham lcg(although its used for mythos phase and not tests). i also find the drawing from either top or bottom of clue deck depending on action really interesting. Thanks For Watching! Stay Hexy!

[@Table.Fables]

Legends untold looks interesting. Which novice set would you recommend most out of the two?

[@TheHexyBeast]

right now both are a little tricky to get hold of but if u can i would reccomend getting the caves set first as its a little less pressure compared to the constant hunt from the newcomers in the sewers set both are great tbh theres another set coming to kickstarter in the near future also which should also have the novice sets come back into print

[@kosterix123]

1:35 the expression is "didn't make the cut". And like Everdell, Single Tiered Deck game, STD should be avoided and all STD games fall in grace after a while in the bgg 5.5-6.0 range.

[@amitversion2]

Wow you've managed to acquire all those games in your first year! Moneybags!!

[@TheHexyBeast]

i tend to buy 2 or 3 games a month and i will always hunt for good deals. not using Kick Starter has helped me keep control of what i spend... i also rarely expand a game unless its one i really like. Thanks for Watching! Stay Hexy!

[@RocketMagnetUK]

I'm new to Board Gaming (3- 4 months since my Mountain Biking crash put me off the bike until next year.. ready now but being lazy) and I've bought all of TMB including the Trove Chest.. for me the replayability is learning the different Gears. Waiting on Cloudspire as I bought everything for that prior to the VAT charges and also backed Burncycle. Also I got Spirit Island and thinks it's excellent as i was originally put off as I'd labelled it as a Euro game and they don't float my boat... doing a spreadsheet at the end to work out who won isn't my idea of fun. Scythe is ok but IMO over rated gameplay wise.. I find i generally do the same moves initially. Gloomhaven JOTL is great Solo and obviously it's bigger brother which I'm saving for the Xmas Holidays to start. I also really enjoy the Oniverse games especially Aerion and Sylvion which I find i regularly pick up and play (Onirim is free on steam but the physical game is WAY too much deck shuffling for me).

[@TheHexyBeast]

i love Aerion... my jaws of the lion video is coming in a few weeks and i have a feeling my opinion of the game might be unpopular lol but i wont say more until my review lol i too was put off by euros at first but then i played a couple and have found i quite like worker placement as a mechanic... thanks for watching Stay Hexy!

[@RocketMagnetUK]

@@TheHexyBeast Well who doesn't house rule Gloomhaven and JOTL to make them more fun ;). Once you realise the game police arn't going to kick your door in for you not following the rules exactly you can do what you enjoy. The designer is a bit too clever I feel, the Magic system for example is too easy to forget to manage especially with only one Meerkat keeping a lookout on the sequence but with 4 players its easier to not miss stuff. Still it's a poor implementation and should be streamlined.

[@TheHexyBeast]

have u tried playing JOTL without the +/- decks... its less random but a bit mental as the enemy never misses lol

[@TheHexyBeast]

P.S. u have just given me an idea for a video series lol Game Police lol where i talk about house rules might be fun lol

[@RocketMagnetUK]

@@TheHexyBeast No for me personally I like my character levelling up and one of the major parts is you get to modify your Attack Deck. At the Start the Attack deck is balanced at 0, whenever I level I look and see which cards will make the deck the most +ve in my favour so removing a -2 is better than adding a +1 card on average etc. You can never remove the total miss though but you do put the deck massively in your favour at the higher levels. I'm playing JOTL mainly base rules so far (60% through i think) but next time I play I'm just going to add all the unlocked Cards up to the level I'm at.. picking one from 2 just seems a bit arbitrary when you level as you still have your card cap anyway. I've got Daddy Gloomhaven unplayed but I'm definitely going to modify the rules when I play it... stuff like put Summons under character control and not base AI. I may adjust the loot/XP rewards also to speed up the game.. as I have no intention of grinding missions for loot/XP. I'm considering getting rid of the magic Waning system and just have it an activated until used to simplify and totally remove me forgetting to manage it... the game is balanced to synergise between players at the magic system but it's not fun IMO.

[@mgranvee8549]

Great list! How do you find the time to play all of these games. I’m jealous. 😀. I waited a few years before picking up Mage Knight. You are brave.

[@TheHexyBeast]

lol its kinda a mixture of disability and insomnia lol mage knight was my first grail game it was that one game that made me feel "if i can learn this i can learn anything" lol Thanks For Watching! Stay Hexy!

[@wexfordrob]

Hey. I’m a complete noob. Haven’t played a board game since I was a kid! Can you, or anyone here, recommend some that are a good beginners game. Something that eases me into it. Please and thanks 👍

[@TheHexyBeast]

hey first of all welcome back to the hobby. one game i would always suggest as a starting point would be Sagrada as it is easily available inexpensive and plays very quickly in about 15 mins... the solo mode also offers a lot of variability and challenge... and the rules are simple to pick up (2 pages) Thanks for Watching! and Stay Hexy!

[@wexfordrob]

@@TheHexyBeast I’ll give that a go thanks 👍

[@wexfordrob]

@@TheHexyBeast I actually started playing rallyman gt on bga and I love it! 👍👍

[@onepipwonder915]

nice list! I think I need to try Too Many Bones :)

[@TheHexyBeast]

Thank you! it really is something special. Stay Hexy Jona!

[@dreadsteady]

Mustard

[@TheHexyBeast]

? lol

[@dreadsteady]

@@TheHexyBeast Cut the mustard is the phrase 👍 Good video, I’ve put these games on my list. I really want to play Too Many Bones but thought it wouldn’t be good with one player, so I’ll remember your recommendation

[@TheHexyBeast]

@@dreadsteady oh yea lol im glad you found it helpful Stay Hexy!

[@mabos555]

Well sorry non of them are for me 😅

[@TheHexyBeast]

thats one of the great things about the hobby... we all have different tastes and it always makes for interesting conversations. Thank you for Watching! Stay Hexy!

[@mabos555]

@Dawn Clark No... Non of which you mentioned I like.. Im a card based solo gamer, for medium time which means games like : The oniverse, sweeet spot, way of the samurai, any button shy games game, superhot, deep space d6, palm island and so much more I'll never be a literally board gamer which means I'll never play games with boards not a fan... But card/dice games hoo boy those games are awesome for me.

[@mabos555]

@@TheHexyBeast Yeah agreed

[@TheHexyBeast]

@@mabos555 have you tried mutants the card game? theres an old review on my channel... there will be a top 5 solo card games video coming in a few months part of the reason everdell and wingspan didnt make the list lol

[@mabos555]

@@TheHexyBeast not a fan on wingspan and everDale as well lol Umm I do know about the mutants deck building game but didn't really want to buy it maybe try it but not buy it I will be more specific : the games that I like tends to have expansions already inside of the box, solo or soloable games, no board at all mostly cards (its OK to have dice here and there). The game won't be longer than an hour or hour and half, and the theme needs to fit for me like space, fantasy, dreams and sometimes it can be other themes. No fan of games about vehicles , animals, horror or agriculture (or any other food) theme for me :)