Top 10 Solo Uwe Rosenberg Games - Straight Up Solo with John LaRuffa

[@morkar90]

Great list. Hallertau is probably my favorite solo game of all time. My favorite thing is specifically the card play - the variance actually allows my brain to just ease up and go with the flow, "come what may". I just wish they would release more decks! EDIT: I also wanted to add that I find it so interesting that Uwe designed both Agricola and Hallertau - two games that on the surface have so much similar dna but are yet so radically different. It's like someone asked two different designers, "make a medieval worker placement game where you can develop your home, take care of animals, farm crops, and play cards for special effects." Agricola is Bach (rich, multi-layered and very overt with its moving parts and complexity) while Hallertau is Mozart (supremely elegant, complexity revealed as you play). Both great games.

[@JohnLaRuffa]

I totally agree with your comment in the edit. However, given the time frame difference on the release, I can see how it is possible. The thoughts on the farming process seem to have evolved based on some of hot other designs over the years.

[@cjazerjay]

I love your passion for the Fields of Arle. I share the enthusiasm! Probably my top Uwe game. It's a perfect game.

[@JohnLaRuffa]

I agree!!!

[@DiceWiseDW]

Thank you for sharing your list. I'm really glad so many of his games are a great solo experience. I'm looking forward to playing Caverna (and Forgotten Folk) and A Feast for Odin!

[@isauraluizamachadodossanto548]

nice list, and thank you. Here in Brazil, Agricola and Caverna are being reprinted, but unfortunately I don't have many friends who are willing to play expert games. Your video will help me a lot between me choosing which of the two I will take

[@JohnLaRuffa]

Glad to be of service!

[@sebastianhoyos1961]

Sweet list! I was debating on Caverna or Agricola, but in the end chose Caverna with the forgotten folk expansion, just ordered it a few minutes ago. Love the theme of being a dwarf in a cave. I also ordered Feast for Odin, which has been on my list for a while! Definitely planning to pick up Agricola and Fields of Arle down the line to have a nice Uwe solo collection.

[@JohnLaRuffa]

Enjoy! They are all good!

[@bookaddict777]

I love the shout out to Merkator, one of Mr. Rosenberg's most underrated titles, IMHO. Both it and Glass Road are on a 30x30 solo challenge that I am currently doing. I already have 30 solo games of Loyang under my belt. I have yet to play Nusfjord and Hallertau, although I own them both. I very much enjoy Ora & Labora and the sense of satisfaction that the game gives me at its end. Caverna is a favorite with both me and my daughter. I have yet to play it solo. I have never played Agricola and honestly, do not want to. I am happy with Caverna. I love Fields of Arle! I will have to get the expansion as I have never played it. A Feast for Odin and Fields of Arle flip flop for me as to which is my favorite. Thanks for the list! I had been looking forward to this one.

[@JohnLaRuffa]

So glad to have been able to provide! Thanks for the great comment!

[@clvrswine]

Agricola is worth it. If you play a campaign where you need to hit a certain score and keep an occupation as you keep playing games, it's solid solo. With a few occupations, you get the feeling of a nice combo and the game really shines.

[@alanswift6802]

Like you I believe Feast for Odin is simply the best game to put on the table. Hours of solo fun and never feels stale.

[@JohnLaRuffa]

Indeed!

[@DiceWiseDW]

@@JohnLaRuffa Also, your choice of it as #1 helps me feel better about the outrageous price I paid for it!

[@davidc6836]

My top 2 is also Feast for Odin and Fields of Arle..but play more Fields of Arle due to the set up time and table space availability at home..

[@timotheeb.8289]

Very interesting video!! In my case, I have Agricola for years with the extension and I love it! I’ve bought recently Hallertau & Caverna & Feast for Odin but never played any of these 3 😅 I still need to read and understand the rules 😁 At least, I’m glad to hear that I’ve bought good games 😂

[@JohnLaRuffa]

You are literally sitting on a gold mine 😆

[@alois257]

Patchwork has a great automa, the experience is very close to a human opponent.

[@JohnLaRuffa]

For that game, I just play the iOS app. Thanks for the recommendation though!

[@bankingonmoney8224]

Nice list. I just received Merkator not long ago. Thought it was ok solo but better multiplayer. I agree about Le Havre, started to feel repetitive after awhile, was at the mercy of the card market. Didn't care care much for Loyang. Enjoyed Glass Road but after playing Fields of Arle I enjoy the sandbox mode much more. Never tried Caverna, it appeared much simpler in comparison to his other games, nor did it feel unique enough. Thanks for your listing, really enjoyed.

[@JohnLaRuffa]

You got it! I would say that Caverna is not simpler at all. The food wall is easier to manage but there is a lot more to juggle than Agricola, though it is less constrained.

[@bankingonmoney8224]

@@JohnLaRuffa As they say it's the holiday season will put this one on my list to get as I'm sure there will be a sale in the next two months. Maybe I was looking at another version as it didn't look more in-depth than Agricola.

[@JohnLaRuffa]

@@bankingonmoney8224 I don’t know, but I think there is a lot more going on in Caverna than Agricola.

[@bankingonmoney8224]

@@JohnLaRuffa Found the version I was looking at Caverna Cave vs Cave. Is there much of a difference between this and the version you mention cave farmers?

[@JohnLaRuffa]

@@bankingonmoney8224 yes. Completely different game. The version I was showing is much more like Agricola and is much better.

[@jedisith3864]

Merkator? Wow a local Professor translated a biography of Gerardus Mercator and the man adopted Italics and arabic numerals for condensing information on maps, published a small manual on Ptolemy's triangulation maths and how to log them for maps, then got merchant and exploration navigators on ships to map the world. He invented several globe projections to translate a sphere onto paper (including a heart shape that was "protestant" and got him locked up. Most famous for his Mercator Projection of the globe and compilation of maps that he named the "Atlas". Uwe is one of my favorite game designers so I think I am nearly forced to buy the game!

[@JohnLaRuffa]

It is very different from all of his other designs. I like it but it got a mild reception when it hit the market.

[@mikeforner7797]

Subscribed!

[@JohnLaRuffa]

Thank you! I hope you enjoy my content.

[@boriskirov3953]

Nice! I was on the fence with Caverna, was considering Caverna Cave vs Cave for solo... so you reccommend the original one with the Forgotten Folk expansion instead?

[@JohnLaRuffa]

Absolutely. The Cave vs. Cave is ok, but no where near as good as the original with the expansion.

[@jimpaek]

Can't wait for Atiwa and the canal game also! Uwe is the best.

[@TheWandererGamer]

Oranienburger Kanal is a good one! I've playing on tts a lot 😂

[@jako3910]

Interesting you like Agricola better than Caverna, thought I've always heard the opposite, could you please expand on why? Are you saying specifically for solo only, or multi too? (I play 50% of the time solo, and 50% multi)

[@JohnLaRuffa]

I am talking about solo only and to be honest, it is neck and neck. I would say the only reason that Agricola nudges just ahead of Caverna is because you can play a campaign mode in it. Otherwise they both have their strengths that make them amazingly good games!

[@jako3910]

@@JohnLaRuffa Thank You, appreciate the detail (and all the great vids)!

[@lostinsim]

Honestly: which one of Uwe’s game is your ‘most played’?

[@JohnLaRuffa]

Agricola

[@PublicExecution]

This is Dr. D/Father Paolo. Why wasn't my previous comment going through about the GameRulesforOne solo variants for Uwe's games?

[@JohnLaRuffa]

I have no idea? I never saw it.

[@booch7767]

Maybe it included a link which might not be allowed?

[@crepusculo1027]

@@booch7767 oh wow, i didn't know this. Is this a general KZbin thing? Or just for some channels?

[@booch7767]

@@crepusculo1027 I think a channel can choose whether to allow or dissallow links in their comment section.

[@JohnLaRuffa]

I’m not sure where that option is but I will look for it.

[@worldrecipeoflife3806]

Glass Road vs Black Forest

[@JohnLaRuffa]

Once I get my copy of Black Forest, I would be happy to let you know my thoughts!

[@danpalmer7676]

Got all of these great games,although haven't played all of them(shameful)Do you prefer the physical game or app'?I'm a physical guy.

[@JohnLaRuffa]

Physical for sure, but it is nice to have an app while on the road.

[@clvrswine]

I agree that Loyang is best as solo. I didn't like playing it with other players. Nusfjord is probably #3 for me, with Hallertau at #10. A Feast for Odin #1 for me with Agricola and Caverna floating at #2 and #4. Edit: Farmers of the Moor made the game less fun for me. Feeding is enough of a chore, and adding in heating with peat tipped it for me. Also, Le Havre is not a top 10 for me either.

[@JohnLaRuffa]

Le Havre was great at the time it came out but eventually slipped off my table.