WATERLOO Solitaire - Detailed Review!

A detailed Review and How to Play for Waterloo Solitaire, the new Bookgame from Worthington Publishing!

[@soloboardgaming]

Another brilliant Bookgame from Mike Wylie and the team! I have really enjoyed this format of game and tend to play them just sitting on the sofa! And I think they're great value too! :)

[@murph-4]

Have you heard anything about them coming out with another one in this series?

[@soloboardgaming]

@@murph-4 No Murph, not seen anything yet. But surely they will because the format has been such a great success! Maybe it would suit the Allied bombing campaign in WW2 or even Ancients battles? Watch this space! :)

[@murph-4]

@@soloboardgaming yeah I agree! Would love to see more, I'd like Alamo would suit well, or Civil War

[@soloboardgaming]

@@murph-4 Gosh Alamo! Heck yeh! That would work real well

[@chesapeakesoundsgreat]

I love your excitement in your videos! You made a subscriber out of me. Great job, and great videos!

[@soloboardgaming]

Thank you Sean for taking a look and particularly for your kind Sub! Well, maybe I just tend to reflect what's going on in all our heads as we play these games. I hope so! :) But now I can thank you and the team for producing such brilliant games in book format. They are just great to look at, and to play! I really hope we see more from this series. Thanks and have a great Christmas! :)

[@dmj284]

Just recently discovered your channel and am enjoying it very much, as most of my gaming is solo. I will be receiving this game for Christmas, and am looking forward to it immensely. Have a safe and peaceful Christmas, and thank you for all of your videos.

[@soloboardgaming]

That's great, you'll certainly enjoy it! Thank you for joining the channel, I really appreciate it and Happy Christmas to you! :)

[@Mr.Bassman]

Great overview and review of the game! Thanks for sharing

[@justinrabidoux]

I have both books and have played Bismarck twice. Really enjoying it as well as the process as trying to do better with each successive attempt. Can't wait to try Waterloo too.

[@soloboardgaming]

Exactly Justin, me too. I lost my first game as the French and just HAD to try again! Couldn't help it :) Thank you ever so much for watching and for your feedback, cheers! :)

[@charleslatora5750]

I have the Bismarck Solitaire and I enjoyed it immensely. I've only played twice but lots of fun. I guess I'll be getting this one too

[@soloboardgaming]

Hi Charles, I hope you're well. This is a real 'good looker' and great fun to play with plenty of challenges. And it's a reasonable price as a gift to yourself. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Love and very best wishes to you and your family for Christmas! :)

[@charleslatora5750]

@@soloboardgaming thank you sir. The same for you and yours. Have Good good fun and a happy n merry Christmas and a great New Year!

[@andrewchoong2895]

Splendid overview of this game book! I have this title on order and I'm really excited to play it. I already have the Bismarck game book it is an absolute blast! Many thanks for this, and I much look forward to trawling through your other videos :)

[@scottpalmer829]

Bismarck is a blast and its ease of play keeps "calling" me back to the desk for another try! I will put Waterloo on my to get list for sure.

[@soloboardgaming]

Thanks for visiting Andrew and for your feedback! :)

[@WarGamingNewbHistorical]

This is absolutely fantastic! Going to get this soon and give it a shot. Thanks for this concise review.

[@soloboardgaming]

Thanks for stopping by and for your feedback!

[@scottpalmer829]

I greatly enjoyed your video and enthusiasm. My younger son gave me Bismarck Solitaire for Christmas and I've been having a lot of fun with it. I hope to pull the trigger on this one as well. Also, I'm with you about the concept of adapting the book game concept to other situations; it would be great.

[@soloboardgaming]

Thank you Scott. Yes the format would make a superb 'Great Battles of History' seriies sure enough! Thanks for watching :)

[@scottpalmer829]

@@soloboardgaming My wife just found thirty dollars someone gave me for Christmas! Guess what I did with it? I gave it to my daughter who has an Amazon account and she ordered the game. There was a dollar and change left over so I let her keep it as a commission!

[@soloboardgaming]

@@scottpalmer829 Brilliant Scott, and sounds like a great Christmas for your daughter too! Winners all around! :)

[@AlmostSolitaire]

Thanks for showcasing this game. Been tempted to buy it, and now I think I just have to. :-) Great review, thanks!

[@soloboardgaming]

Great stuff, thank you for taking a look! You'll enjoy it for sure :)

[@davidmcfarland8452]

Playing Napoleon is great! I feel like either side could win especially the games of hardest difficulty. But playing Wellington was disappointing, I just kept winning with little effort. So I made it more challenging for Wellington to win by modifying the BOT rules for the French. I added to French BOT roll of one: If Prussian have 2 units on game board move one French Reserve unit to reinforce I Corps. Then the given "4 Prussion" option and the "otherwise" option. I added to French BOT roll of four - at the end: BUT, If there is only one Guard unit left after the attack move the last Guard unit to reinforce I Corps. I also add to the French BOT rolls of five or six that after the Cavalry attack: if 3 Cavalry units still remain move one to reinforce it's adjacent Corps. (Dragoons could dismount and use their muskets :). Lastly I changed the BOT 6 roll on the "Tactical Events" to remove 2 Allied Infantry units rather than just the one. Finally it was fun and quite challenging playing Wellington too! Enjoy from Virginia!

[@AD-on3zx]

Great description, thank you. I really wish the bookgames were available as PDFs for a smaller price. Then you could replay without marking it up (and save a few bucks).

[@soloboardgaming]

Thank you, I'm glad you like it and thanks for watching! :)

[@seanmulroy6897]

i photocopied the pages on A3 paper showing the whole lot

[@tabletoptemplar2486]

Excellent video! I can tell you are having a lot of fun playing this game. Its a really interesting concept that I hope they make more of. I'd imagine its possible they could make a series that would include famous battles throughout history in a similar format.

[@soloboardgaming]

Yes I have had a great time with these books. Just so convenient! And I do hope they make a lot more! Thank you for visiting and for your comment! :)

[@tabletoptemplar2486]

@@soloboardgaming You're welcome!

[@man_vs_life]

Beautiful graphics; really makes one want to play!

[@lbwstrategygaming]

This really intrigues me something I could do on vacation in lake country.

[@soloboardgaming]

Yes, definitely, sounds an ideal thing to take along with you! Thanks for taking a look :)

[@OldLadyPlays]

It probably doesn't say good things about me that as you were describing how little you need to play the game, I was thinking "you don't need the die, you could number the pencil and roll it instead, so you could do it in class without the teacher knowing!" :D

[@soloboardgaming]

Haha! Yes! That's genius! It's a hexagonal pencil! Lovely to hear from you, thank you for taking a look! I hope you have a fun, peaceful and healthy Christmas!

[@OldLadyPlays]

And you, my friend. I always watch all of your videos. It's the little details you take care of - like zooming in offscreen editing, using a tripod, just great production values. I hope you hit 1000 subs soon!

[@charleslatora5750]

Brilliant!!! Head of the class!!!

[@emilyemz]

Fabulous Video! 👍🏻😃

[@soloboardgaming]

Thanks for having a look, it's appreciated!

[@dennisgerlach5788]

Just found your channel and have Subscribed. Thanks for this very good video. Going to have to give this a go.

[@soloboardgaming]

Brilliant Dennis, thank you for watching and especially for subscribing! I'm sure you'd really enjoy the game :)

[@przemekbozek]

Thanks for the review😁 Sounds quite similar to their Quebec 1759...

[@soloboardgaming]

Pleasure and thanks for watchng! Merry Christmas! :)

[@przemekbozek]

@@soloboardgaming Thanks, and Merry Christmas as well😁

[@HethwillWargames]

Looks solid for what is, same as Bismarck. This one is very similar to W1815 ( U&P Games ) so I will probably not get it but definitely a nice book game.

[@soloboardgaming]

Thanks mate, yes it's just the sheer convenience and ease of this format, I love it! :)

[@michalstefanczak9860]

Which of the bookgames from Worthington Publishing do you find least random ? I mean that the decisions you do mater, not just dice rolls.

[@soloboardgaming]

Always difficult in any game that uses dice but I'd say Bismarck has the most mitigation. You decide where to go next, when to divide your raiders and when to bring them together. Various patrol areas will pose either more, or maybe less danger. Do you chase victory points or run for safety? So you'll roll the dice yes, but it was up to you how much you mitigate the result! I hope that helps a little Michal, thank you for your interest and support 👍😊

[@Vlad65WFPReviews]

Most interesting at 15:30 you openly admitted the importance of the Prussian arrival given how the Iron Duke always played down their role in the victory.

[@soloboardgaming]

I'm completely sure Wellington would have lost without the Prussians. Yes, the ground was well chosen because of the reverse slope, yes the breakwaters at Hougemont and La Haye Sainte were great tactics. But the Allied line was barely holding and was under huge pressure. Brilliant that he held as long as he did, but no Prussians, no victory!

[@Vlad65WFPReviews]

@@soloboardgaming You're probably familiar with this, but this discussion reminds me of the little book about the poor Engineer officer charged with making a large scale model of Waterloo - only to get grief from the aging Duke due to the placement of the Prussians. I think it is called Wellington's Smallest Victory. Of course you are right, no Prussians, no win.

[@soloboardgaming]

@@Vlad65WFPReviews No I wasn't aware of that story at all, thanks for sharing :)

[@idjester]

its been 7 days since your last video... come on man we need our fix... where is the next one? I need to get excited to play again by watching your videos

[@soloboardgaming]

Haha! Thanks for the encouraging reprimand! Yes it's nuts, sometimes it can be 3 weeks between uploads. I find it hard to keep a schedule and Christmas has also played its part. Anyhow, there is a small queue of stuff I want to do so I should wake up and do something! :)

[@A.Venator_Helveticus]

After having played both I do prefer this one over Gettysburg. Compared to Waterloo Gettysburg feels very limited, much easier and with less replayability. The possibility to play each side with their different tactics and the three difficulty levels for both the French and the Coalition side makes Waterloo the far superior game and the better deal in my opinion. While the two battles in Gettysburg are fine by themselves and bring some nice ideas (like the process of fortification works of Steinwehr) it felt to me as if I'd seen everything the game has to offer after the first play. Waterloo on the other hand seems to have much more replay value. Anyway, I'll still get all of these bookgames (Bismarck and Braveheart are ordered and should arrive shortly). The concept is just too brillant to miss even one of them.

[@soloboardgaming]

Actually thats a great comparison and review! Thank you for your thoughts my friend 👍

[@A.Venator_Helveticus]

@@soloboardgaming Thank you Paul. But if not for your well balanced and indepth reviews I wouldn't even know these bookgames, so thank you really! By the way: Compared to these battle centered bookgames (where you can almost hear the bullets and cannonballs flying through the air) Moscow, with its campaign setting, feels a bit too strategic and abstract for me. But I look forward to hear your thoughts about it. And as a second by the way: I copied the maps out of the book and play the games with red, blue and black colored wooden cubes (and I use a separate paper underneath the map to keep account of the activations). Feels like a proper boardgame this way. And it gives me much more of a field commander groove pushing these around than using pencils (plus I'd hate scribbling on these beautiful maps).

[@1111koen1111]

If you let the imperial guard attack Wellington's right wing they don't get the +1 DRM penalty,so you can defeat the coalition before the Prussians move in, great video, thanks

[@JKWARGAMES]

Fantastic video just subscribed must get this game asap. Many thanks Jk

[@soloboardgaming]

Yeh, it's perfect for a quick filler as is Bismarck Solitaire. reckon they're a cool idea. Great to see you here JK and I appreciate the feedback!

[@seanmulroy6897]

got reply from Worthington ,as i asked if any more books on the way , working on Coral Sea & Gettysburg

[@soloboardgaming]

Wow, that makes a lot of sense! I guess one modelled on Bismarck and the other on Waterloo. Great bit of work Sean, thanks buddy!

[@Careoran]

great review, enjoyed watching it, thank you

[@soloboardgaming]

I'm pleased you liked it, thank you for having a look!

[@JorgeCacho]

Are the 3 easy battles you play from French side (for example) the same? Or are there any difference?

[@soloboardgaming]

They are the same Jorge, no difference. It just means you can play again to change the result or to beat your score!

[@idjester]

interesting stuff.... not my cup of tea I don't think but it sure does fit the bill for a quick solo game... thanks for sharing..

[@soloboardgaming]

Thanks for dropping in Jester and for the feedback. Yeh it's in the 'filler' or gift category for many I think but great fun!

[@MrPhilcas31]

excellent but the allies are the French, right? lol cool video :) and apparently very good game a french fan :)

[@soloboardgaming]

🤣 thanks 👍

[@AlessioBeatrice]

Thanks! I like Bismarck solitaire and this too

[@soloboardgaming]

I'm glad you like them, I think they're a briliant idea! And thanks also for watching! Have a great Christmas! :)

[@AlessioBeatrice]

@@soloboardgaming thanks, happy Xmas

[@hexesandsoldiers6032]

Dangerous stuff good sir as your enthusiasm could just start another pandemic of gaming albeit of the solo variety…

[@soloboardgaming]

Thanks so much for checking in, it's appreciated! think this bookgame has been really well receved!

[@grantross2609]

the flatenning did look a bit awkward tho !

[@chrisshockey8883]

I'd buy this as a PNP...

[@soloboardgaming]

Fair comment, a few have suggested that. But it's been real nice to have around lately. Surprisingly challenging for a small game! Thank you for taking a look! :)

[@farpointgamingdirect]

@@soloboardgaming Having it as a PNP would make it easy for me to scale it up so I can use my 6mm armies as markers 😁

[@soloboardgaming]

@@farpointgamingdirect What a great idea! I can just imagine that now :)

[@A._J_.]

ill wait till the price drops to $20 then grab it.

[@soloboardgaming]

I guess it's sure to happen at some point. Cheers for taking a look!

[@A._J_.]

@@soloboardgaming Here's a question: You said the BOT's decision is decided randomly. So is the BOT's strategy random throughout the game, or over the course of the game, the does the system funnel the BOT's actions to a narrower set of choices to create a coherent, nonrandom strategy?

[@soloboardgaming]

@@A._J_. The BOTs action are purely random. You roll a die for one of six actions. It may then involve a second roll on the Events table. The BOT actions do vary in intensity as difficulty increases and sometimes asks for certain conditions with either/or actions. The actions do have historical purpose and narrative so it gives you a challenging and fun game.