With the pandemic, solo gaming has really taken off. It is rare now to see a game without a solo experience in the box. But is that for you and do all the games really need that solo experience? I want to talk about it because the hobby is growing and changing. And solo gaming is now a very important part of it. But I think for some people, that is a frustration that everything needs to have a solo mode to it now.

Why Do People Do Solo Gaming?

There are a number of reasons that people play solo games. I can’t probably come up with all of them. But I want to touch on some of the reasons that I play solo games. The idea of solo gaming is likely odd for a lot of people because gaming is often a social experience. But let’s talk about why you might want to, and why it is booming.

It’s The Only Way To Game

Sometimes solo gaming is the only option. So if you want to play a game that is how you have to do it. Even without the pandemic, in Minnesota, during the winter, there are some days you just can’t get out and game. And if you don’t have a roommate, spouse, kid, or significant other to play a game with. That means that it might be your only option. Plus getting sick now, people are being less likely to go out. So if you want to game, sometimes it’s the only way to game.

It Allows For More Gaming

Another one that is fairly obvious. But when you play games solo, that means that you can play more games. It ties into it might be the only way to game for an evening. But even if you can normally game in person it allows you to play more. Everyone else busy, you can still game if you really want to game.

The Game Gives You A Way To Learn

It also let’s you learn games. Now, getting a game to a table with a group for the first time is fun as well. But sometimes you want to know how to play a game well before you teach it. It comes up pretty often with bigger games where you want to know it well. Only so much can be gleaned from reading the rulebook or watching how to play videos.

It’s A Mental Refresher

But the main reason that I do it is that it is a mental refresher for me. I know a lot of people with a long day of work like to zone out and watch a TV show or movie. And I don’t mind doing that once in a while. But I find when I get into that groove and I’m just doing it over and over again, it feels like I am wasting time.

Therefore, solo gaming gives me a good mental refresh. It allows me to focus on something that isn’t work. It’s easy to take home a frustrating work project or something like that. But I find that board games, even if I play them solo and often as much when I play them solo, just allows me to focus in on one thing. It’s that clean break and a fun focus where I’m not worried about anything else.

Does Every Game Need A Solo Mode

In my opinion, the more the merrier for solo gaming. I want to see games coming out with good solo modes because that means that those games are more accessible to everyone. Having a solo mode in a game, often times just an added section to a rule book, doesn’t hurt the gaming experience if you want to play it multi-player.

That said, not ever game needs or can have a solo mode in it. A confrontational take that sort of competitive game is going to be nearly impossible to give a solo mode to. So I want games to have a solo mode if it makes sense. Even a game where it might work, I want a well done solo mode. If a game just adds it in because that’s the cool thing to do, but it isn’t good, I might not ever like that game.

What Makes A Good Solo Mode?

That segues nicely into our next topic. Because not all solo modes are created equal, and depending on the type of gamer that you are, that might make a difference for what type of solo mode that you want to play.

Same As Normal Game

There are a lot of games where it is baked into the ruleset, especially for cooperative games. Generally, it allows for scaling. So if we look at something like Aeon’s End or Gloomhaven, they basically tell you to play as at least two players. With Tainted Grail, the amount of energy it takes to do thing, how long the Menhir are lit, and what level monsters you get are all determined by number of characters. Besides that, those games are the same game as you play multiplayer.

Slight Tweak to the Rules

Then there are solo games that tweak the rules slightly. Something like the solo mode for Sagrada would be like this. You still draft dice and fill in your stained glass window like normal, but it gives you a score to beat with the dice that you don’t use. Basically you beat the total that the dice add up to, to win. It changes up the game a little, gives you more to think about but doesn’t add to much.

Ghost Players

And finally, kind of, there are ghost players. Fleet: The Dice Game, for example, has a character that basically pushes up from the bottom of tracks to stop you from going the whole way down. But it’s very simple, take a die, fill in a circle just like you do in the base game. Or this could be like the automa decks for things like Scythe. It determines how the enemy acts through a deck.

What Type of Solo Gaming Do I Like?

So, I will say, that while I am not opposed to a ghost player or automa deck, I prefer the other two. Mainly because the ghost player adds in more house keeping to the game. I play the AI turns for them, which isn’t as interesting.

But I really like my cooperative solo games. Mainly because they require so little work. I am already playing a game fully at that point and I don’t need to add in anything extra to it. I think with Aeon’s End the only thing that might scale is the health, if I remember correctly. And the turn order deck tweaks slightly. For Gloomhaven, they recommend you maybe play on a slightly harder level than normal. But the core of the does not change.

But I do play Fleet: The Dice Game, and I enjoy that. Mainly because it gives me a simple enough way for a ghost player. Once you know the pattern of how that character moves, because that’ll determine preference for dice to take, it is easy enough. But if it’s a full new set of rules for a ghost player or automa, I am likely not going to play it solo.

Do you appreciate it when a game has a solo mode?

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