Sword of Fellows | Nerdologists https://nerdologists.com Where to jump in on board games, anime, books, and movies as a Nerd Thu, 29 May 2025 15:14:15 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://nerdologists.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/nerdologists-favicon.png Sword of Fellows | Nerdologists https://nerdologists.com 32 32 Top 10 Board Games that Deserve a Second Shot https://nerdologists.com/2025/05/top-10-board-games-that-deserve-a-second-shot/ https://nerdologists.com/2025/05/top-10-board-games-that-deserve-a-second-shot/#respond Thu, 29 May 2025 15:12:05 +0000 https://nerdologists.com/?p=9609 What board games should you revisit? Maybe the first time or two you played them it just wasn't right, but it could be now?

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This is a weird list for me. Generally I know if I like or I don’t like a board game pretty quickly. But every once in a while there is a board game that I come back to and play again and it works for me. So what am I doing? Well, for this list, I’m looking at games that I rate 5 or lower and that I maybe should give another try. Because, maybe I missed something on them or it feels like I should like them. What are the 10 board games that deserve a second shot?

Top 10 Board Games that Deserve a Second Shot

10. Bottom of the 9th

Bottom of the 9th is one of a few board games on the list that are Gen Con games. So what does that mean, it means that I got to demo those board games at Gen Con. And that is not always the best spot to do it. This one is lucky feeling. And I think that is going to be one of the common reasons why it is lower.

But I didn’t play a full game at Gen Con. So is there more fun interaction, I suspect there could be. Even if not in the game, Bottom of the 9th is probably a decently fun time with the right person that you are facing off against. It can become a game of just trying to get into that players head. And that, I think, could make the game more fun.

9. Lucidity: Six-Sided Nightmares

This one I think just didn’t work for me because it’s maybe not best at two players. And it isn’t going to be the only one of the board games on the list like that. But this is a push your luck dice game as you try and traverse nightmares. And you might even get turned into a monster.

That is something that I love the sound of. However, like I said, this is a push your luck dice game where generally bad things just happen. And you find that any control you have is very limited. For me that is the biggest letdown in the game. But I do think with more than two players, it is going to balance a bit more. One player still might run away with it, but it won’t feel as lopsided.

8. A Fake Artist Goes to New York

This one I already feel like I should rank higher. And for that reason it is lower on the list. To me, this is a pretty enjoyable hidden role game. However, I don’t love hidden role board games, unless there is more to go on than just social deduction. And A Fake Artist Goes to New York does give you a bit more of that.

Plus this is a fast game and easy to play. It is way less set-up than other hidden role games. It’s just drawing a picture and adding to it each time, but there is one person who doesn’t know what is being drawn. If you figure out who they are, the players who know what the image is get points. If not, the fake artist gets points. And it’s relatively easy to figure out who it is, but if that person can guess what the drawing is, well, they get points that way too.

7. Arkham Horror: Final Hour

This one I suspect is not a great game. But again, it is one of those Gen Con demo board games on the list. And we got to see how some of it works, but not spend enough time with the game. That’s the downside of a game that kind of fizzles immediately, it isn’t back at Gen Con.

In this game you want to interrupt a ritual. And to do that you need to figure out what the ritual is all while dealing with cultists. The game, I think, has a bit of mastermind feel to it, or simple deduction maybe (it’s been a while) where you figure out symbols that are part of the ritual or not. And then you need to correctly guess all of them. But at the same time you need to avoid being overrun by cultists which adds to the game. I like Lovecraftian games though, generally, so I want to try this one again.

6. Sword Art Online Board Game: Sword of Fellows

I only played this game a couple of times solo. And it is one that is actually still in my collection. It never left because I like the IP so much and it’s pretty unlikely we’ll get a ton more games in this IP. Though, Japanime Games did just crowdfund a new skirmish Sword Art Online game. I am interested to see that one, and probably pick it up, at some point in time.

But this one is a die rolling game. And I think that there are some interesting elements to it. Mainly, you face off against three bosses in the game, one after the other. As you go you level up your character and unlock new abilities. That is pretty simple and normal, but it brings in from the anime the “switch” mechanism. If you get a perfect hit, aka use up all your dice, you switch with the next person. And that person just jumps straight into their attack. The bad guy doesn’t get to deal damage to you. That is a fun thematic twist from an otherwise Yahtzee style game.

5. Fallout

Now, I own Fallout Shelter, and that’s not the one I’m talking about. Though, I need to play Fallout Shelter still. But I’ve only heard generally good things about that one. This one I’m talking about is the big Fallout board game where you are exploring the world, seeing story, maybe allying yourself with factions, and upgrading.

The issue I saw with this game is that it could get out of balance pretty quickly and there is just too much luck when it comes to pushing the end game. I went for one way of scoring, based off of my character, and things just didn’t line-up for that. What I’ve heard is that the expansion improves the game. I’m not sure it is going to be one of those board games on this list where I start to love it if I play it again, but I’d be interested to try again with the expansion.

4. Celestia

Celestia
Image Source: Blam!

Celestia is another convention board game. Though this one isn’t a Gen Con game. I learned and played this one at AcadeCon which is mainly an RPG convention. My wife and I had downtime between games and we decided to give it a try.

This is one of the games on the list where I know that I played it wrong. I think we rolled too many dice at the lower levels. So we never really progressed up as we went. And Celestia being a push your luck game, I think two players is probably not the right number. In fact on Board Game Geek, they recommend 3-6 players and really say it’s best at 5-6 players. So I want to try it again at a game night and see if it’s better. This is one that I might pick-up to see if it works for me.

3. Smash Up

I did enjoy this game. But it is a game that fell off some for me. I think that I should try it again. Because, I suspect that I’d still find enjoyment in the game. Or maybe more enjoyment now that I haven’t played the game in a while.

Smash Up is one of those board games with a great concept. You take two factions, you mix them together and then you battle for area control. But, I think that the game works at three. Mainly because three factions can battle over the locations. And then the number of locations as well. The game just feels too lopsided at times with two. One player might just get their combo or dinosaurs and bears to work perfectly while the other players wizard robots never get going. But at four, it’s a bit too much randomness.

2. SeaFall

Seafall Title
Image Source: Plaid Hat Games

This one might be shocking on the list. But I think with the right group of three players, none of whom have analysis paralysis tendencies at all, the game could be fun. I thought that there were some good ideas in SeaFall, and some fairly easy things to fix that could have made the game better.

But the biggest thing is that the game at five players is just way to long. Especially when I played it, there were a couple of people who loved to think heavily through their turns. So even though they had four turns before theirs, their turns would be as long as the three players who didn’t have analysis paralysis. So I think the game could be fun with three for me. Though, even I’ll admit, it is going to need to be the right three.

Side note, I’d love to see a second edition of this come out. And in the second edition the story be fixed, and game length, so that the story, being redone is more of a narrative progression. I think faster game length (so fewer points to win), progressing story, and balancing winning and losing combats would by relatively easy fixes to the game.

1. Nidavellir

Nidavellir
Image Source: GRRRE Games

The final game on the list is a bit of a cheat. But I came to realize as I played Nidavellir on BGA (Board Game Arena) for the first time in a couple of years why it maybe didn’t work for me. I think that there are some strategies in two players that makes Nidavellir not that fun. But at three players or more, I think it works well.

Nidavellir is a blind bidding game where you recruit dwarves into your group. Each type of dwarf is going to score a different way. Generally the more you have the more you score. But some of them the numbers on them matter as well. You also gain bonus dwarves as you fill in complete sets of dwarves. And these bonus ones often give you some really nice extra scoring or abilities. But one of the abilities is kind of broken in two players if you get it. So that just makes the game less fun.

It’s like I’ve said with some other board games. At two players it is prone to a run away leader issue. But at more players there is more of a balancing act that needs to be done. And I don’t find that with more than three, which sometimes can become too random, Nidavellir becomes too random. I think it still works well.

Final Thoughts

What are some games that you ranked poorly in the past that you think you should revisit. Now, know that my list is not all the games that I’ve ranked that low. And I think that there are some that I rank low that people would be shocked about. For example, I really dislike Concept and Dominion. Neither of them made the list for me to revisit them.

Let me know which ones would make your Top 5 or even just a couple you think you should revisit?

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Top 5 Anime Board Games https://nerdologists.com/2023/06/top-5-anime-board-games/ https://nerdologists.com/2023/06/top-5-anime-board-games/#respond Mon, 12 Jun 2023 11:44:21 +0000 https://nerdologists.com/?p=8066 I want good anime board games. Which are ones that I like or at least that I want to try and I've heard good things about?

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Spoilers, I don’t have a Top 5 Anime Board Games. My list is going to be ones that give that sort of feel, but they won’t all be based on anime. Why, because anime board games are hard to find. And I mentioned this in my Top 5 Board Game Themes it’s a situation where there are games but a lot of them aren’t that great. So this list won’t even always have games that I’ve fully played or done more than messed around with. And it’ll be games that maybe give me some of that feel, versus being tied to an actual anime.

Top 5 Anime Board Games

5. Sword Art Online: Fellowship of Swords

This is one where it is based on an anime, and one that I really like, Sword Art Online. Let me just say, if this game wasn’t based on SAO, I wouldn’t own it. It’s a pretty simple Yahtzee like game where you collect dice to use for attacks. There isn’t much you can do to manipulate the dice, so you roll, keep and hope you hit. And then, if you hit, you deal out damage and if you hit well, you “switch” with another character.

The concept is fun, but this is where I struggle with games based on anime. The concept of the game is actually interesting, but when it comes to execution, it’s only partly done. The choices are limited and don’t leave me feeling like I made too many decisions. I think I make more decision in Yahtzee than in Sword Art Online: Fellowship of Swords.

Krosmaster Arena
Image Source: Board Game Geek

4. Krosmaster Arena/Quest

I thought about a couple of battle games on this list. Through, I put both Krosmaster Arena and Quest on here. They both use the same IP which is again anime or animated anyways. The characters feel like they belong in an anime.

In Krosmaster Arena, you beat up other characters, knock them out, and collect gold to be the first one to a number of points. Or you play where you just knock them out. In Quest, well, it is going to add in quests. This game is fun because you build your team and can tailor the game play to what you want to do. Similar in nature to Super Fantasy Brawl, though it came out first, I prefer Super Fantasy Brawl, Krosmaster just gives the anime feel.

3. Middara: Unintentional Malum Act 1

I said there would be one I haven’t played on the list. Here it is. Middara is one I’ve messed around with and watched played. But this is clearly an anime inspired game. The whole setting and lots of story lean into that. In fact if you watch the videos around the game and how it works, it even doubles down on feeling like that.

This is the only one of these games that is a campaign game. So good for me with with. As most of the other campaign games fall into the space or fantasy category. I say that, but also that is the character I want more anime games. Good anime builds rich story. The ones above, they don’t as much.

2. Bullet *Star*

The other one I need to play still is Bullet. You pick if you want Bullet Star or Orange or whatever it might be. In Bullet from Level 99 Games you play as an anime character using your powers to deal with bullets that are coming down and putting them onto a bad guy or your opponents.

From what I remember about this game, it is a fast one. The game itself goes quickly as you use your powers to play out cards and get those bullets where they need to go. But the game itself is pattern manipulation. You play out cards to clear off your board. It’s one that I need to learn so I can play it solo some Monday night on Malts and Meeples.

Astro Knights
Image Source: Indie Boards & Cards

1. Aeon’s End/Astro Knights

Finally, we have Aeon’s End or Astro Knights. These two games are the same game, generally. Using a system of readying attacks and then attacking in a deck building game. Also no shuffling of that deck you build, you just build, flip the deck and continue when everything hits the discard pile. Theoretically you can set yourself up some with how cards hit the discard. And it does work, sometimes.

But why that theme of anime? I think that Aeon’s End borrows some story elements from anime. When I went through the legacy version, I got some feeling of an anime like Gurren Lagann. And I think that Astro Knights leans more into that anime style artwork. So it’s nice to see a board game, like Middara, take inspiration from anime to build it’s own world.

Final Thoughts

I will continue to harp on this for a long time until there are good games based on anime. I do want to try the Cowboy Bebop Deck building game. But so many anime driven games are focused on basic mechanisms with a few cards that give you the theme while otherwise being a generic game. Anime is rich and full of tons of different stories.

Maybe the trick is that an anime game works if it is themed to feel like anime, not based on an actual one. It is possible that the IP’s are held too tightly to allow for good game creation around them. If that is the case, it’s sad, and I hope that changes.

What’s your favorite game with an anime theme or feel?

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Best Board Game That’s Like…. Anime https://nerdologists.com/2022/04/best-board-game-thats-like-anime/ https://nerdologists.com/2022/04/best-board-game-thats-like-anime/#respond Fri, 22 Apr 2022 14:00:52 +0000 https://nerdologists.com/?p=6939 There are a lot of games out there, but some themes don't have as many. Anime is big but what board games give that feel?

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You can find a board game with almost any theme out there. When I was doing my Should It Stay Or Should It Go on Monday, one of the games I talked about and kept for Sword Art Online: Sword of Fellows. That is not a good game. But I like the theme, and I really love Sword Art Online, so it stays in my collection. And I’d love a good game, which is why I started designing one that I need to get back to working on. That lead me to think, there are a lot of categories of movies, TV shows, books, and more out there. What board game gives you the feel of Anime?

I could go through and do different ones all at once, but I want to spend more time talking about why a game works for that theme. And some of are going to be more specific than just a category, like anime, but I’ll get to those in the future.

Board Games That Feel Like Anime

So this is an interesting category to talk about. There are a number of games based off of Anime or Manga, and a lot of them are Japanime Games. The issue with that is Japanime games tend to be pretty hit or miss for me. And they are the ones who put out Sword Art Online: Sword of Fellows. But the point of this list isn’t that the game needs to be based on an anime, it needs to have the theme. So I went looking for other games that maybe feel more like an anime.

Middara: Unintentional Malum

First one that I thought of and this one was easy. Middara gives you that Anime art style and theme for sure in the game. This is a big dungeon crawl game where you are a person who was taken from Earth and through a connected portal brought to a new world. This world has magic, weapons, and you’re being trained to go out and adventure. It’s a dungeon crawl game with definitely an Anime flare to it. Very straight forward with how Middara connects.

Middarra
Image Source: Succubus Publishing

Clank Legacy

Clank Legacy is a bit more of a stretch. But one thing about anime is they often are a bit goofy. And Clank Legacy is going to be that, as it is based off of Acquisitions Incorporated D&D Campaign. This is very goofy and a lot of fun to watch. And the situations they get into, while definitely fantasy based, tend to lean into that absurd that you see in Anime.

Super Fantasy Brawl

This is an Anime fighting game. Your team of characters transport in from another time and face off against each other. There are humanoids, animals, and basically all sorts of cool and epic creatures. Then the game itself is a tactical battle where you try and knock out your opponent and complete objectives. This will give you the feel of moments like in Dragonball Z where there is the tournament or My Hero Academia.

Forgotten Waters

Forgotten Waters is a goofy pirate game with voice acting for the story. If you want an epic high seas adventure, this is going to be it. And I think that gives it some of that Anime sort of feel to it, the whole epic pirate adventure but with humor added in as well. Plus, it uses I believe some of the crossroads system from Dead of Winter, so adds in some good choice.

Say Bye to the Villains

Say Bye to the Villains is a Japanese themed game. You play as different Samurai or Ninja who know of villains they will be facing. You have ten days to prepare to face off against the villains, researching their tactics, preparing your skills, and helping others. This is a really hard cooperative card game, in fact, I still want my first win. But it gives you the Japanese theme, and the villains and Samurai or Ninja are larger than life, so definitely an Anime vibe.

King of Tokyo
Image Source: Board Game Geek

King of Tokyo

I doubt this one is too much of a shock for the list. King of Tokyo is all about giant monsters and mechs fighting. While some of it feels more like Godzilla and King Kong than anime, the whole cartoon look and giant things fighting, easy choice for me to add to the list. The game it also really accessible for new gamers, so one that’d be easy to get to the table with Anime fans.

Village Attacks

Sometimes you just want an Anime about an edge-lord, and Village Attacks is going to give you a bit of that in a board game. You all play as the bad guys, the monsters who terrorize the village. And now, you want a peaceful evening, but the village is there with pitchforks and torches ready to destroy the heart of your castle. A dark themed game but plays fairly absurd.

Under Falling Skies

Under Falling Skies is a solo board game where a player defends against waves of aliens attacking. The small ships come down all the time the mothership is making it closer and closer to landfall. Can you research a way to stop the mothership and scramble the jets to blow the smaller ships out of the sky. The game is a ton of fun, but the whole aliens or something crazy coming to earth, that happens in a lot of Anime, or at least a number I’ve watched. So this gives me some of the anime vibe as well as Space Invaders and Independence Day.

Spires End
Image Source: Greg Favro

Spire’s End

Spire’s End is pretty new to my collection but one that I think has an Anime feel to it. The whole premise, a spire popping up out of the ground is weird. Then you add in Mushroom Men, keys that are alive, and trying to rescue townsfolk who have been taken away into the tower. That seems like an Anime plot. And while the game is dark it is a lot of fun to play, and a good solo game.

Sleeping Gods

Finally, Sleeping Gods. It and Spire’s End you can watch game play of on Malts and Meeples. But this game is a bit crazy. Sleeping Gods plays as an Isekai. You are the crew of the Manticore going from Hong Kong to New York. One day, as a storm clears, you find yourself in an unfamiliar land and are told you need to wake up the Sleeping Gods who once were active. Then you go off and explore and adventure. Definitely an Anime feeling plot for the game.

Final Thoughts

I’d have loved to put some games that are based off of actual Anime on the list. Cowboy Bebop Boardgame Boogie is one that I own and should play. I’ve played Sword Art Online: Sword of Fellows, and honestly, I just want better games based off of Anime. Give me a dungeon crawler set in Aincrad, let me play as a random character trying to clear that world and death game.

If I were to pick others, besides Sword Art Online. I think a good pick-up and deliver epic game for Cowboy Bebop would be fun. Demon Slayer as a one versus all fighting game could be cool. My Hero Academia and Dragonball Z with their tournaments would both make nice one versus one games. I mean, My Hero Academia Dice Throne, I’d be all over that.

What anime would you like to see a good board game of, and what type of game would it be?

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Ranking My Solo Games https://nerdologists.com/2022/01/ranking-my-solo-games/ https://nerdologists.com/2022/01/ranking-my-solo-games/#comments Thu, 27 Jan 2022 15:23:22 +0000 https://nerdologists.com/?p=6616 What solo games do I play? I have 28 that I've played as solo and I want to play more, so how do they rank? And which ones might be better with more?

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This list is games that I’ve played solo. It doesn’t mean that these are solo games only but that they have a solo mode, or can be played solo. One on the list doesn’t actually have a solo mode. And games that can be played solo, like Gloomhaven, but that I haven’t played solo, those aren’t on the list either. Let’s see how they rank.

Ranking My Solo Games

So, one thing that I haven’t talked about when ranking is how I rank them in each category. And that’s somewhat because this is the category that needs this explanation. In a lot of them, I can just pick my favorite game, which game is my favorite roll and write. Here, I am trying to factor in a combination of what my favorite is, but also what my favorites for solo are. So if something is harder to get to the table, I might rank it lower.

I think that is important because solo gaming is a different beast. I think that some very complex games might be high on the list, if I could leave them set-up all the time. So I could go and play them for thirty minutes to an hour in an evening every evening. But when it takes twenty minutes to set-up, that isn’t an option.

28. Sword Art Online Board Game: Sword of Fellows

This might be the worst game in the group, and I still own it. I have played it solo a few times and it’s a fun push your luck sort of game. But when you’re controlling three characters, or two, it isn’t as fun. And the theme of the game, Sword Art Online doesn’t come through.

27. Legacy of Dragonholt

I think I I had streamed Legacy of Dragonholt, which I had thought about doing, I might put this higher on the list. The game is fine, the mechanics are solid, but the writing on the story was just fine. And when the game play is solid and the story is fine, it wasn’t going to stick. I’d love to see Fantasy Flight use some of their IP’s and create a story in this vein. Or even an Arkham game that uses the same mechanic.

Second Chance
Image Source: Stronghold Games

26. Second Chance

Second Chance is easy to get to the table, but the game plays out the same every time. And with roll and write games, when I play them solo, I prefer that I can then compare a score, or something like that. Second Chance you just see how well you do. Sure, you can use the empty spaces as a score, but it’s not that interesting solo.

25. Criss Cross

This one is also one where you can just see how well you can score. I have it lower on the list, even though it is easy to play, because I have played it a lot. I don’t think I’d pull out Criss Cross to play solo again. Other roll and write games, yeah, those are higher on the list, but Criss Cross I’ve played a lot.

24. Marvel Battleworld

This one is easy to play and has high toy factor. But it is barely a game, the rules allow you to play some sort of game, but they aren’t that clear. You really play Marvel Battleworld to open up the little “Thanos Stones” to get new heroes and do the blind buy. It’s not a great game, but fun toy value.

23. Gravwell: Escape from the 9th Dimension

Gravwell is a game that generally would be higher in my Top 100 games but drops so solo, not because of set-up, but because the game is much more random solo. It feels like mechanically the game isn’t as good. So I don’t want to play it solo all that often. I’d play it with people, but solo is just okay.

Floor Plan
Image Source: Board Game Geek

22. Floor Plan

Floor Plan is another one where the solo seems added on and not fully planned. You get a certain number of rolls for solo play and see how well you do. But it lacks the tension of racing to complete different features that people want.

21. Pandemic Legacy: Season 1

This one I played through solo on Malts and Meeples, and it is a blast to play that way. Technically, it doesn’t have a solo mode, but no information is hidden, so you can easily play solo. But I wouldn’t play it solo again after doing that once. I would play it for the third time because the story and game are fun.

20. Marvel United

I was a little bit surprised that this one was lower on the list. But I prefer to play it with others. It again comes down to a solo mode that is okay. And you can play it solo like you’re playing multiple people, and it’s good. But the game is more fun with more players and working together cooperatively and discussing how you can set up the next player.

19. Tainted Grail

This is fun solo, and I’d love to have it higher on the list, but even three player, the game is a beast to get to the table. I’d maybe come back to it solo if I could leave it set-up. And I’d love to explore it again that way, which maybe I eventually will. But right now, three player play is great.

Onirim
Image Source: Z-Man

18. Onirim

Actually just got rid of this game, but I really enjoy Onirim and I still own the app. Onirim is a nice little puzzle of a game with a lot of shuffling. And I feel like the decision space is good. But as I get more solo only games, that are higher on the list, I know that I’m going to play it less and less. So the app is good enough for me, for now. I can always pick it up again.

17. A Gentle Rain

The first solo only game on the list. I think technically you can do two player, but it just means you split up half of the stuff, which means it’s less fun. The game is simple, but it is very relaxing to play. And for me, that’s nice. It comes in a small box, but plays large, in area, on the table. I wish it played a little bit smaller, so it was more portable.

16. The Dresden Files Cooperative Card Game

Now back to a bigger game, The Dresden Files Cooperative Card Game, I like to play that one at two best. But three is good as well. And the game while having a lot of cards, is pretty fast to set-up and get to the table. I think it works best as a game in general, if you know the books. The theme is there, but it’s hidden behind mechanics.

15. Arkham Horror: The Card Game

One that I’d love to play solo more. And I think the game works really well solo for keeping the game moving. But Arkham Horror: The Card Game, it takes effort to get to the table. There are a lot of cards, and setting up each scenario takes time. I’d love for a faster way to get it to the table so I could play it more often because the story is good.

14. Doppelt So Clever

We’re going to see a lot of roll and writes now. Which makes sense because they are easy to get to the table. Doppelt So Clever is on the lower end because while it is easy to play, it is less satisfying than some. Mainly because I feel like I’m not doing as well as I should be. That is a function of the game and scoring sections, but still, it’s less fun.

13. Deadly Doodles

Deadly Doodles is a dungeon crawler roll and write, kind of. I’d say it is a more like D&D where you go diving into a dungeon, get some treasure and be done. Maybe more of a classic thing, here you find treasure, get weapons and fight monsters. Very simple game, but a fun one to play solo.

12. Marvel Champions: The Card Game

Now back to a living card game that is easier to get to the table. Marvel Champions works very well as a solo game. I prefer it two player, but either works. You play as a hero trying to stop a villain and thwart their evil scheme. Deck construction is fine, but I just like that this is a mechanically fun game, simpler than Arkham Horror, but still thematic game.

Welcome To Box
Image Source: Board Game Geek

11. Welcome To…

Back to roll and writes, Welcome To is a game that works as a solo game. Though, I will say that it is better with more players. And I’m not 100% sure, they might have improved the solo mode in a small pack. But base solo mode is go through the deck and eventually hit a point where it ends and see how well you did. It works, and the game play is still a lot of fun, just the overall experience doesn’t feel as robust.

10. Aeon’s End

Some people might disagree with me. You need to control multiple characters, I recommend only two. But I think this is fairly fast to get to the table. Use the randomizer, pick the market, grab two breach mages and a nemesis and get going. There is more than that, and there are tokens, but Aeon’s End is easy to control two at once. I think that’s a thing for a lot of bigger games, they might be better controlling two characters, but is that easy.

9. Clever Hoch Drei

The third of the Clever roll and writes, and the middle one on my list. It’s a good solo game and this one lets you feel like you can do everything. It is more rewarding than Doppelt So Clever, but almost too rewarding. You can do everything, like every track will be filled in a lot at the end. You can optimize it still, which is what I love about the game. But huge points.

8. Ganz Schon Clever

Last of the Clever trilogy or first if you read top down, Ganz Schon Clever is just fun. I still play it on the app. And I love the game two player. I think that it helps improve the game play and is less lucky than solo while still getting all the rolls and all the rounds. But at any player count, I always want to know what is going on during your turn. And the combos, it feels like the right amount.

Metro X
Image Source: Gamewright

7. Metro X

Metro X is a roll and write that has a great puzzle. It isn’t one that has many combos, but the game play feels so tight and restrictive. You try and complete routes, and as you fill in one route, it might help another route. But since you are filling in 4 spots, if you now only can do three before you hit a filled in spot, is that optimizing what you do. The game’s puzzle feels tense from the start.

6. Spire’s End

New to the list and new to me. When I did my cooperative games, I couldn’t put this one on the list. Since it technically is cooperative, though, it just splits it up so that a person controls each of the characters. I’ve even heard of three player with one person being the dungeon master. But Spire’s End, and I’ll talk about it more in the future, is a story driven game where you take characters into a spire for some reason. And you fight monsters in there, but game play is simple and smart.

5. Sleeping Gods

Hey, this is the one that I’m playing right now. You can what last nights stream here. For some people this might seem like a lot because there are nine crew you are in charge of. But you always control them as a group and I think makes it easier. Plus this game is so story focused that if you miss a mechanic, I don’t feel bad about it.

4. Super Mega Lucky Box

One that when I played it the first two times I thought might leave my collection quickly. But no, I really like this game. It’s basically binge, you draw a card, cross of a number. So roll and write mechanics with bonuses when you fill in rows and columns on your card. The game is very fast and so much fun. And there is depth to how you try and get combos working in the game.

3. Railroad Ink & Challenge

Another one that works well solo because you are just trying to beat your previous score. I like either version, so I think that Challenge adds some good stuff to the game. It’s mainly about connecting routes of rail and road. This one also has a strong puzzle to it and the right amount of luck, I feel. The app is a lot of fun too.

2. Orchard: A 9 Card Solitaire Game

Another true solo game, Orchard is amazing. Orchard is all about laying cards on top of each other and growing fruit. It hits that great spot of simple but interesting. The combination of layering cards, creating a few dead spots to try and score more, it’s interesting. And I can knock out games so fast while watching something from sports to cooking shows. If I don’t need to pay complete attention, Orchard is great.

Super-Skill Pinball
Image Source: WizKids

1. Super-Skill Pinball: 4-Cade

Finally, Pinball. I love Super-Skill Pinball, I haven’t played multiplayer yet. But the roll and write works as a pinball game. It is maybe the most thematic roll and write game that I own. And there are a lot of boards, pinball machines, you can play on. The production quality is high and game play is so much fun, and I’ll 100% be getting the Star Trek version when it comes out.

Final Thoughts

Solo gaming is something I want to do more of. And I know it’s goin to be a way to help me get through my goal of getting under 100 unplayed games in 2022. Right now, the number sits around 130, and when I can learn and play it solo, it helps. I’m curious to see how two, Village Green and Floriforous play solo. Mainly because it’d let me learn the game to make it easier to teach to others, if I’ve played it.

What are your favorite games to play solo?

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