Is it possible to spend an evening playing alone? Are there any special mechanics to follow? Are there board games suitable for the purpose? Let's ask ourselves.
The board game for many is synonymous with board game. In reality this is not always the case… A party game is not necessarily a board game, a board game is not necessarily a party game. Let's think of the most classic solitari with cards, of which there are various forms (my favorite is a pyramid): it is a board game but, in fact, solitaire.
Is it so weird to play solo?
Indeed it makes us strange because we indissolubly associate the board game with the parlor game. But also the classic playing cards, French or Spanish, can be used for a game of broom or for a solitaire, which can be moved by the desire to be alone or by the objective absence of people around. Besides, how can we forget the good old solo PC games?
The same concept can be applied to boxed games, designed for a group of people but which, with due care, can also be used to play solo, challenging yourself or the game mechanics.
A board game used alone it makes us strange also because it is more likely to see a person alone on a video game rather than a party game because in any case a video game, badly, offers you any challenge against AI ... But there are people who do not love / do not have / they don't want to play video games, so they prefer to open a box rather than turn on the Play.
Basically, in addition to solitaire cards and solitaire video games, it is also possible to use a solitaire board game.
Why play solo?
We actually answered this question before: because you are alone or you want to play alone. But also because you want to try a title, you want to test mechanics but no one is available to share the experience. For those who live in the city it is easily possible to reach friends, relatives, work colleagues or classmates for a playful evening. But many people live far from urban centers and not everyone is willing to travel many kilometers. Here comes the need to play solo.
Which titles to play alone?
First of all, with a little forethought, any box game can be transformed for a solo game. Some fit less, especially when the mechanics involve the use of cards that must remain secret from other players, others much more. Here is a short list of boxed games suitable for the purpose:
- This war of mine, board game based on the video game of the same name, therefore suitable for playing alone. Collaborative game that sees a group of civilians trapped in a civil war in Poregon, even more civilians can be handled alone;
- Descent, journey into darkness, dungeon crawler-type boxed game with a group of adventurers eager to defeat the overlord, a dedicated app is available to play solo.
- Terraforming Mars, a management science fiction title set in 2174, by managing the few available resources, Mars must be made habitable, that is terraforming;
- Scyte, steampunk title set in a 1920 Europe devastated by the Great War. The solo objective is to defeat another nation managed by the regulation;
- Arkham Horror LCG, non-collectible card game set in the world of Lovecraft: the players or the player will have to manage investigators immersed in disturbing atmospheres - let's talk about it here;
- Sherlock Holmes, investigative consultant, perfect for evenings in groups or as a couple, it is also good alone: players will have to solve a puzzle with fewer clues than Sherlock, in a Victorian London.
Will you try one of these titles?
