Introductory Solitaire Wargames Examples and Advice

Introductory Solitaire Wargames Examples and Advice - The Players' Aid

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7 жыл бұрын

www.theplayersaid.com
Here's some advice on some introductory solo wargames, and what to look out for when purchasing war games for solo

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@phd_angel4192 3 ай бұрын

You are a great teacher. Most times when people explain a game they start with secondary details, instead of explaining the context, goals and style. Thanks much, I learned a lot about solo games here.

@rotorhead6396 5 жыл бұрын

I know this is a rather old video, but I very much enjoyed it. I am a wargamer that started playing AH Luftwaffe and Third Reich in the 1970s, but as the decades passed, my boardgaming buddies went to the four winds. Just now getting back into the hobby, but I know little about solitaire games on the market. You gave me a lot of good information and some good leads on games. Very much enjoy your channel! Russ

@dr3putt62 4 жыл бұрын

Rotorhead63 same here

@charleslatora5750 4 жыл бұрын

On Facebook there is a solitaire gamers page. Lots of info.

@robertchmielecki2580 3 жыл бұрын

I am looking for something opposite to dice-fests and tbh I have problems finding such games. A wargame with maximum decision making and minimum randomness. If I sit with a game - solo or multiplayer - I want to play (solve problems, make decisions) not be a dice-chucking, manual-checking bot for the game. Ane recommendations?

@robmarcjon 3 жыл бұрын

I’m with you guys I still have about 40 ah games

@Chumpchamp03 4 жыл бұрын

Games look really interesting. Also appreciate you opening the boxes up, and showing us the components.

@miguelsalgueiro7429 4 жыл бұрын

I'm new at wargames and I find this video amazing for starters. Thank you!

@GeekGamers01 6 жыл бұрын

All the wargames I present on my channel are solo designs, and most of them would serve as introductory yet there is no overlap between what you have presented and what I do. That just demonstrates the richness of the wargame genre for solo players. Great video and I am glad I just discovered it.

@robertchmielecki2580 3 жыл бұрын

@Mr.Bassman 3 жыл бұрын

This was exactly what I was looking for to get into the hobby, thanks for the video!

@ThePlayersAid 3 жыл бұрын

If you have any other questions feel free to ask!

@Mr.Bassman 3 жыл бұрын

@@ThePlayersAid Hey, thank you! Ive just ordered both Silent Victory and Phantom Leader. The only question i would ask is has there been any major releases applicable to this list since the video was made you'd recommend looking into?

@ThePlayersAid 3 жыл бұрын

@@Mr.Bassman Are you looking for things that are more tactically complicated or narrative story driven RPG style games?

@Seven8001 6 жыл бұрын

Very interesting vid. I did buy Battle for Moscow by Victory Games a month ago. Its very solo friendly. I will look for the market garden game, it looks like a great solo game. Thanks for vid!!

@brentg2947 Жыл бұрын

Exactly what I was looking for, thank you. Enjoying your other content also. experienced gamer, but rookie wargamer trying to learn as much as I can and your channel’s helping out a lot!!

@ThePlayersAid Жыл бұрын

This video is also a bit on the older side, so if you have any other questions please ask!

@j_atkinson 11 ай бұрын

@@ThePlayersAid Time for an updated video: Introductory Solitaire Wargames 2.0! Especially since Victory Point Games is no more.

@jimsmith7445 4 жыл бұрын

Alexander...I realized I haven't checked in with this video for a good long time. I AM a solo player... DUH! and had forgotten which games you reviewed. I LOVE Flying Pig games and really like Armageddon War. I've thought about "65" for awhile, but after watching this review, am warming up to it a lot more. Your review also gave me some second thoughts about Victory Point games... I was impressed with "Keep up the Fire" (Boxer Rebellion), but will look into Zulu and Ottoman as well. In terms of DVG... LOVE all their games! I guess I can't use the excuse that "The Hunters" is out-of-print anymore, and it did come highly recommended. AGAIN... thanks for the info... HERE"S A THOUGHT.... I'd love to see this video updated in 2020...

@ThePlayersAid 4 жыл бұрын

At some point I'll probably do an update to this, I've got a couple of titles that need playing (crowbar, Navajo wars etc) then might give it a crack.

@fehner27 6 жыл бұрын

Received my first wargame for Christmas from a friend. War at Sea by Avalon Hill (1976). Excited to try it!

@ThePlayersAid 6 жыл бұрын

fehner27 it's a classic!

@gkspain1 5 жыл бұрын

Really nice video, all the best Garry

@polyfission2776 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video. Now I really want to get my hands on Silent Victory

@wojnanaplanszy5058 7 жыл бұрын

Cool stuff. Summer Lightning: The Invasion of Poland has solo rules as well for the combat. And Advanced Squad Leader got fandmade yet popular solo bot.

@SunSailandSand 5 жыл бұрын

31:32 The look of "Once I am done, their asses are mine"...lol

@marksiahaya 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for this. Some really good info.

@ALimbOfGreatTree 7 жыл бұрын

Great video, hope it entices some new people into the hobby. Just wanted to mention that if you're playing more as a history buff rather than a gamer, some CDG's can really be excellent for the narrative they provide. A solitaire capable example would be Labyrinth or even Barbarossa to Berlin. Maybe you can do a follow up with mid level rather than intro solo experiences. Cheers!

@robertchmielecki2580 3 жыл бұрын

@derMikester 6 жыл бұрын

IF you haven't played / looked at Dan Versen Games: Warfighter WWII I highly recommend it. I bought the Kickstarted and got all the options. Great game; fun!!!; ESPECIALLY for solitaire play. I've played thru it about 3-4 times now. That is after all what it's specifically designed for. Interestingly enough, it offers some options to play with cooperatively with a partner. Note: My background is an old time board game GROG back in 1970's thru mid 80s. Squad Leader, Midway, Africa Korps, Third Reich etc. In past 5 years or so started getting back into the hobby and loving it with advances that have been made in WWII and other military conflict board gaming.

@WayneHansen 7 жыл бұрын

A solitaire introductory hex and counter wargame I heartily recommend is Invaders from Dimension X! It's a Hermann Luttmann design, and he has made many great solitaire games. Another great one from him is In Magnificent Style.

@ThePlayersAid 7 жыл бұрын

Wayne Hansen Luttman's designs are great. He's putting out a new one through Legion Wargames about Dunkerque that I'm excited for.

@WayneHansen 7 жыл бұрын

The Players Aid I saw that! It looks very interesting. I love the map art work too. But that's what I expect from Tim Allen.

@freddieyu 6 жыл бұрын

Nice video! I have RAF 1940 but have not yet played it. I am enjoying Thunderbolt Apache Leader very much which is a step up from Phantom Leader methinks. I think the Field Commander series can also be a good intro solo wargame. I will find out since I am waiting for my copy of Field Commander Napoleon to arrive.

@ThePlayersAid 6 жыл бұрын

Yeah, Phantom Leader is great in it's simplicity, very quick mission resolution - ideal for new players. But I think Thunder/Bolt Apache leader is a more rewarding and deeper tactical experience.

@miketait8254 5 жыл бұрын

Im home alone listening to this in the middle of the night and when i heard the voice in the background at 5:02 come through my headset i thought my house was haunted for sure.

@romain2725 7 жыл бұрын

I think an important factor to take into consideration when discussing solitaire games is whether they offer meaningful decisions or if they are mainly story generators. I think the first game series presented in this video (States of Siege) or something like B-17 are most certainly in the second category. All the solitaire games that I am aware of that really offer some depth in terms of gameplay are super uber complex beasts like Carrier or Fields of Fire. Because of that I almost always find playing both sides of a two-player game much more rewarding.

@derMikester 6 жыл бұрын

I would agree here. Been a Grog since my early teens in 1970's cutting teeth on squad leader, etc. i played SL a lot solitaire; oddly that vs. today's card driven and other mechanisms you almost couldn't pay me to play. I love SL/ASL, but it's simply too complex. Too many rules. but with that said the point here as Romain mentions is DEPTH. if you have a game with good depth, and some imagination to play it solitaire, then it really doesn't matter if it was really designed to be played solitaire or not.

@grumblesa10 6 жыл бұрын

Yes, but these are introductory, which to my mind means his intended audience is players new to board wargaming. If so, they may not have the frame of reference to alter a complex 2+ player game for solitaire.

@tozmom615 6 жыл бұрын

GianPaolo DiCocco I don’t play many games really as life has a habit of sucking up my time elsewhere. I find playing two sides exceptionally helpful to learn rules... but then I become paralysed by my own attempts to avoid bias vs not caring if I am biased. E.g. I intuitively (strangely enough) am delighted that the axis powers did not win WWII... so I have an almost paralysing internal dialogue about why I’m choosing one option of the available decisions available vs another. But that’s driven by my neuroses.

@rockhopper01 5 жыл бұрын

GianPaolo DiCocco if you ONLY play for the competitive aspect, you are right. But that is not the ONLY way to play wargames. I happen to enjoy seeing how games play out, and form narratives that I find interesting and compelling. I like to solo games like Great Battles of History so I can explore how different ancient weapon systems interacted. I do enjoy the Musket and Pike series so I can explore the difficulties of command and control on the early modern battlefield. I also like to play the Men of Iron series, some scenarios are so unbalanced (as in real life) that it wouldn’t be nearly as fun playing opposed. There are certainly many ways to enjoy wargaming, beyond the simple and simplistic playing to win only.

@stephenlyons604 7 жыл бұрын

Great video - thanks! Highly recommend Butterfield's latest solo masterpiece, Enemy Action Ardennes. The next title in the EA line will be focused on Kharkov '43. Also, check out B-17 reincarnation, Target for Today, as well as the complex but genius Carrier by Victory Games. Enemy Coast Ahead is great, if you're into the dambuster raids. And Finally, don't forget Patton's Best and Ambush!

@ThePlayersAid 7 жыл бұрын

Appreciate the response, thanks for watching! I'm planning to do a video for more intermediate-advanced solo games which will include many of these.

@stephenlyons604 7 жыл бұрын

Brilliant. Looking forward to more...

@farpointgamingdirect 6 жыл бұрын

DVG games are awesome! The Commander series is just as good as the Leader series! And '65 from Flying Pig is great!

@Beery1962 3 жыл бұрын

The only issue I have with the video is that the word "introductory" suggests that these are games you would try before going on to "real" or "serious" solitaire war games. However, games like "The Hunters" and the similar "Raiders of the Deep" (which came out after this video was made) are study-level simulations. They are as realistic as you can get. They're only "introductory" in the sense that they're easy to learn and quick to play.

@turks1966 7 жыл бұрын

If you can find them the old Avalon Hill B-17 Queen of the Skies is very easy to play but can be pricey, a new version is coming from Legion Wargames called Target for Today. Another great older solitaire war game is the Avalon Hill game Raid on St. Nazarine and Patton's Best are not to bad for older games but again can be a bit pricey but if you can find they are worth it. Thanks for the video it offers the solitaire player a lot of good options, thanks again. :)

@ThePlayersAid 7 жыл бұрын

Sadly some of those classics are very pricey like you said. I'm very excited for TFT from Legion Wargames. Their B-29 game was okay, but was more navigator sim than anything else. I'm hoping TFT tells richer more nail biting stories.

@derMikester 6 жыл бұрын

Steve Dixon et al just put out Target for Today. THE supposed remake/update of the vaunted classic B17 Queen of the Skies. I bought it; haven't hardly had but the time to open and peruse it to date. :( www.stevenkdixon.com/tft.htm

@charleslatora5750 4 жыл бұрын

Not sure where I got the internet site from but I did a PNP for B-17 QOTS.

@Nnomadd 7 жыл бұрын

good video, thanks.

@SlotraceDK 4 жыл бұрын

Could you make alist of all the games you talk about here?

@RaiderVicent 6 жыл бұрын

thanks for your video, its very interesting to see such a different wargames to start, but for me most of them seems to be so simply and in 2-3 weeks, I hope to start my wargames series with DDAOB, I need something a little complicate, and I think I'm able to do it. PD: Children are still alive? Best regards

@pitac8340 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks

@MrMadmanUSA 3 жыл бұрын

Shout out to Castle Itter and Pavlov's house by DVG, great solo war games.

@matthelion 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you

@johnsy4306 7 жыл бұрын

On the very complex end of the solitaire spectrum, there is Enemy Action: Ardennes and the long out of print Carrier from Victory Games.

@ThePlayersAid 7 жыл бұрын

EA:A is actually one I'm looking at currently, would you recommend it?

@griefjunkie 7 жыл бұрын

I'm halfway through a solo play, and it's fantastic. Yes, it's a step up rules and complexity wise, but once you've played a couple of turns it's pretty intuitive, and like all the best games, you get so caught up in the action that the complexity takes care of itself.

@johnsy4306 7 жыл бұрын

There is a video of someone playing it on KZfaq. Maybe look in there to get your own opinion

@memorarenz 5 жыл бұрын

Awesome

@SH3Bstanko6 4 жыл бұрын

i have The Hunters... damn good game!

@jwealleans1 5 жыл бұрын

15:27 Sounds like my love life

@dukesantos4013 3 жыл бұрын

Alexander, do you know if the expansions for '65 are compatible with the solo gaming system--meaning Hue City, USMC/ANZAC and the Action Card expansions?

@stanleyblazeraznik6047 5 жыл бұрын

Solid.

@Dextergec413 4 жыл бұрын

Just about to watch this. hopefully it's not just a list of "you'll never be able to find these in a store unless you pay $300+ on ebay" games XD

@ThePlayersAid 4 жыл бұрын

Shouldn't be, at least when I made this two years ago

@fconicella1979 2 жыл бұрын

Any chance for an updated version of this video??

@jimsmith7445 4 жыл бұрын

OH... didn't realize you were a zip-lock bag guy! I use them in smaller games, but I guess I'm a Plano box guy... a bit more expensive but much easier for game set up.

@ThePlayersAid 4 жыл бұрын

It really depends on the game and the level or organization needed. I like plano boxes or GMT trays where I can but some games just don't need or can't accommodate them.

@MrSuperphil 5 жыл бұрын

Iterested in getting some of the chit-pull activation mechanic games. Can you suggest a few good ones for me. Cheers.

@ThePlayersAid 5 жыл бұрын

How complex a wargame are we talking about? Look at games in the 'Blind Swords" system, those are a riot, but can be a bit on the heavy side. Games from the Nations at War series from LnL are good platoon level games that aren't complex, but give a great feel.

@MrSuperphil 5 жыл бұрын

The Players Aid cheers. I like complex games. Have all the coin series of games. Wonderful games them.

@thegamesninja3119 Жыл бұрын

Liked and subscribed. I am trying to design tools to help people play solitaire and nullitaire (game plays itself using bots).

@t9t967 5 жыл бұрын

I'm quite surprised that the classical wargame editors didn't publish app-enhanced games for solo gaming. Looks like the obvious solution to me for solo wargaming.

@ThePlayersAid 5 жыл бұрын

Playdeck have a deal with GMT making their games, but not sure about any others.

@charleslatora5750 4 жыл бұрын

Apps? what are you going to do in 10-20 years when the app ain't up-to-date or it's not there anymore. you're going to have a dead game you can't play. No games with apps for me.

@derMikester 6 жыл бұрын

Alexander: So near end of video you seem to pooh pooh CDGs a bit. Hey, I get your logic. But with that said I think there are exceptions. Certainly GMT series Combat Commander games series; esp. given fact that the random events pop up and how they "flavor" the game outcomes is one of the more intriguing systems I've come across in the past 10 years. And while it's NOT rated notionally "high" as a solitaire game, I've certainly enjoyed playing it as such. 2 player tho; it's an awesome CDG WWII system.

@ThePlayersAid 6 жыл бұрын

I agree with your comments, I just think that CDGs make some of the very best two-player games. They can be good solitaire games. Typically though I wouldn't recommend them for introductory solitaire games because they require a bit more book keeping and suspension of disbelief than other styles of games.

@paschalisantoniou974 5 жыл бұрын

Hi I was looking at Waterloo 200. On their website it states that it can be played solo but i do not see how....Since i am going to play both armies on my own...So i will just be both player A and player B? ......how can this work out?????

@ThePlayersAid 5 жыл бұрын

I don't know that one specifically, but when a game says solitaire suitability it might well be that you just play both sides to the best of your ability. If there's no hidden information then it's just like chess. If there's hidden counters or cards it's much less satisfying to do so.

@paschalisantoniou974 5 жыл бұрын

@@ThePlayersAid so its like playing chess by myself???more or less?

@charleslatora5750 4 жыл бұрын

@@paschalisantoniou974 yes. You just need to be honest with yourself and try not to favor one side or the other. The games usually have victory conditionsthat will help guide you and what you do with both armies.

@paschalisantoniou974 4 жыл бұрын

@@charleslatora5750 thnx for your reply!

@charleslatora5750 4 жыл бұрын

@@paschalisantoniou974 if you're on Facebook look for the solitaire wargamers site. Lots of good people with lots of good ideas about lots of different games.

@ryangarritty9761 6 жыл бұрын

How much replayability is there in 65 ?

@ThePlayersAid 6 жыл бұрын

solo module has something like 8 scenarios in it. But each scenario uses a mixture of enemies in a cup, from which you will only draw a few during the scenario (if an when). So there's actually a good amount. I enjoy it very much.

@ryangarritty9761 6 жыл бұрын

I've got Combat Commander on order, so I'm hoping that will play ok solo.

@penubly 2 жыл бұрын

Love to get any of the States of Siege games but they are hard to find

@ThePlayersAid 2 жыл бұрын

Watch out for the KS reprints from Worthington.

@penubly 2 жыл бұрын

@@ThePlayersAid Sorry? What does KS stand for?

@ThePlayersAid 2 жыл бұрын

@@penubly apologies, it stands for Kickstarter

@kethali Жыл бұрын

I was lucky to pick up Ottoman Sunset when I did! When I was looking for another States of Siege game to buy a short while later, they weren't available anymore :(

@michaelbrandt5416 3 жыл бұрын

RAF Battle of Britain is definitely not for beginners. I ended up giving my copy away. In my opinion, all DVG solitary games totally sucks. I play solo on games that are not intended for solo play and works fine.

@RPMZ11 Жыл бұрын

What happened?

@ScipioAfricanusI 3 жыл бұрын

If.you.like.chit.pulling.how.can.you.leave.off.Across.five.Aprils,by,Victory.games...Also.my.favorite.solitare-designed.game.isTokyo.Express:the.Guadalcanal.Naval.Campaign-1942.also.by.Victory.Games...Also.I.am.pretty.new.to.the.channel...It.seems.you.tend.to.cover.fewer.naval.games...Is.that.just,a,metter.of.preferences?..PS>I.write.naval.history-toally.biased!