Solo Board Gaming and Why It Will Continue to Grow
Solo board games continue to gain in popularity and solo modes in the newest and most popular board games is a trend that will only continue in the years ahead.
For those left unaware solo board gaming is a game mode allowing a gamer to play by themselves. Most of us are familiar with one of the classic solo games — Solitaire, but many gamers (and people in general) have never gone past that old-school card game.
In fact, in board gaming circles, multiplayer games with very little to no player interaction are often referred to as “solitaire games” or “multiplayer solitaire” with an often negative association as in “Why not just play by yourself?”
Well, that’s exactly what a lot of us are doing these days.
On the Solitaire Board gaming subreddit the community description states “All about exploring, discussing, and playing board games solo… as in solitary, alone, one-player, without others, etc. Solitaire Board Gaming: Get together and play by yourself!”
On the Solo Board Gamers group on Facebook, the group description reads “Sometimes our appetites are larger than our families and game groups. Sometimes others are too busy to play as much (LIES!). Sometimes we are just antisocial or people weird us out. Whatever the reason, we like board and card games enough to play by ourselves. This is a group dedicated to the gamers who like to play tabletop games solo.”
These groups aren’t small. We are talking about tens of thousands of members and they aren’t the only such groups. Solo board gaming groups are all over social media.
For many gamers, the first reservation against solo board gaming goes along the lines of “But I play tabletop games to be social and spend time with my friends. I also have made many new friends across the gaming table. Why would I want to play solo?”
I would argue that no one is suggesting that every gamer should play every kind of board game or even every mode of a board game that they like. The point is that there are many reasons that solo board game modes appeal to a wide swath of hobby-level board gamers and we will go into some of the reasons why in the article.
My primary play mode is multiplayer. If you had asked me three years ago I had never played a modern solo game (that I can recall), but in the last few years the demand for this product has grown and in response, many game designers and game publishers have developed and promoted solo modes.
This development has led to many of us exploring what solo modes have to offer.
I moderate a local board game group on WeChat and assist in arranging weekly board game meet-ups. These are specifically designed to allow our members to sit face-to-face with other players, make new friends, learn new games, get out of the house, get off their computers/phones, etc.
But most members can’t or choose not to attend events. Some are too busy. It’s tough to arrange for people to play a specific game at a specific time at a specific location. Some have other priorities, some members just want to participate in the group chats and play off to the side in their own privately arranged sessions. The point I’m getting at is that it can be hard or undesirable for many to make it to a board game meetup.
Personally, playing at home with my wife is sometimes an option as well, but that doesn’t always work out either. I determined that playing solo was something I could give a try as a way to relax in the evening. Along with reading, playing solo games is a great way to wind down before bed for me.
The first solo games I tried were Scythe, Underwater Cities, Wingspan, the Isle of Cats, The Gaia Project, and A Feast for Odin. I must say, all of those are great solo games. A Feast for Odin and Underwater Cities remain solo games I still play now and again. I had such a good experience with my first choices that I decided to explore them further.
On Mars remains one of my favorite board games but I found both its official and fanmade solo modes to be too fiddly for me. I also tried Campaign Trail solo mode and that was easily the fiddliest experience I’ve had in board gaming. I actually packed it up before the last few turns were played. Not all solo games are for all players, just like all games are not for all players.
The next type of solo game I dove into was compact games that I could carry along with me on a train or plane. In that vein, Koi Garden and Micro Dojo served their purpose quite well. At that point, I was quite comfortable with “soloing” and began looking for other opportunities, not because I didn’t have anyone to play with, but because I realized it wasn’t much different from the “solo” video games billions of people play.
I went “all-in” on Final Girl Seasons 1–2 as I had seen constant positive reviews and posts about Final Girl and really loved the theme. That was a purchase I’m still not sure I’m comfortable with but the amount of content is incredible and I even painted some of the minis which I had never done in a board game before.
I’ve played Final Girl so many times at this point and am still eager to dive back in and try new combinations of villains, locations, and final girls. Trying to finish the scenarios and checking off the completion of various goals in the Scenario & Lore books is also a nice push to keep going.
Why do Gamers Play Solo?
- As mentioned above, time considerations. It’s hard to match up time, game, and location with people you want to play with.
- The relaxed timeless aspect of solo. After you set up a solo game at home you can take as much time as you need. You can walk away for a phone call, eat dinner, or leave it set up overnight if you feel like calling it a night. AP-prone players don’t have to worry about being rushed by others and can look down the continuation tree to figure out which move will be best for them.
- There are different goals in Solo. Some solo games are merely “beat your own score”, and others have scoring tiers to strive to reach. Some games pit you against a variable “Automa” opponent (sometimes several of them!), these simulated opponents appeal more to solo gamers than the static tiers and beat your own score variants.
- Solo Gaming allows you to play the game you want. It’s often the case that players have games in their collection that they would love to play more but no one they know enjoys the game as much as they do. That situation can be incredibly frustrating as the game is just sitting there on the shelf waiting to be played. Solo can often provide a solution to this dilemma.
- For many, Solo was the trick that got them away from flat computers and phone screens. Many of us use less and less of our 3-d vision capabilities, instead spending more and more time looking at a flat screen. Boardgames allow us to use 3-dimensional sight to navigate through a game instead of simulated 3-d as appears on the flat screens we so often stare at these days.
- Social Anxiety — While it’s true that one of the best ways to cure your social anxiety is to engage in social activity. Board games are not always the best answer for all people. It’s certainly possible to deal with social anxiety in a healthy way and play solo board games.
Where is Solo Board Gaming Headed?
As you’ve likely noticed, solo modes are becoming the norm and not merely an occasional addition to board games. In the past, it felt like many solo modes were pasted on to try to cater to the demands of solo gamers during crowd-funding campaigns. Now, it’s part of the plan from day one. Failing to explore solo mode options for your board game is often a missed opportunity for board game designers today and represents the potential loss of a substantial amount of funding.
I expect there to be many innovations in solo modes in the coming years and I expect the player base of solo board gamers to increase yearly for some time. I welcome those of you who are solo curious. = )
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Thanks again and until next time!
BoardGameNerd
