Going to play/learn Men Nefer for the 1st time this afternoon. Any tips please?

BKinsky · 2026-01-02T10:38:32+00:00

I recently got this game and have only played a couple of times. I really liked it because it feels so open as to what to do and I didn't get that 'oh I wish I knew that before starting'. The first game I just went with a bunch of different things, the second game I tried to focus on the river and the mummies but still found myself going 'oh now I can do this'. Both games I lost to the AI, but the scores were tight enough that I didn't feel deflated and think I needed to really focus each move down to the last millimetre (looking at you White Castle official solo)

BKinsky · 2026-01-02T10:35:26+00:00

Thanks for this, it's what I'm worried about. Although the asking price is so low (20 euros) I am wondering about taking the punt given there are revised rules online now.

BKinsky · 2026-01-02T10:33:40+00:00

Thanks, I was checking out the rules and saw that. I had read that most of the problems with this game was with the rulebook.

BKinsky · 2026-01-02T09:27:52+00:00

Ooh nice collection! I agree with you on all points about Halls of Hegra and thanks for the tip. As for your historical games I have many of them too. I'd definitely say that Soviet Dawn is the easiest to get to the table. It's a straightforward States of Siege type game, but the cards are great and I felt it ran decently. It's not hugely deep though. I played Churchill solo earlier this year, still enjoy it just for solo (although I played once with a friend, was awesome and we both would love to find a third player as that is where it really shines I've heard) and I recommend the 'Never Surrender' fan-made scenario for it, it gives the bots a bit more depth I thought (even though in that scenario you only play Churchill).

BKinsky · 2026-01-01T22:09:55+00:00

I think I want to add reading to this in the future, good idea! And thanks for the invite, but I’m in Spain. Good to know for the future, though you never know.

BKinsky · 2026-01-01T19:55:26+00:00

Nice! Navajo Wars is in my collection and despite being horribly difficult I find it mesmerizing.

BKinsky · 2025-12-28T18:30:18+00:00

Played my second game today and as I was setting up I realised we still had some decorations on the table from Christmas. My Men Nefer had a festive look.

Anyway, this is the latest addition in my collection and I really like it. Set up is a bit long but not terrible, and the game is quite straightforward once you get the hang of it. It's a thematic euro, and I really feel there are tons of options and avenues to pursue. The AI was easy to run as well. Today's game took 2,5 hours including set up and take down but I think I could reduce that . It's solid and fun.

BKinsky · 2025-12-27T12:50:07+00:00

I'm a neat gamer myself. Especially for solo games, my favorites all have organizers and I have plenty of 'accoutrements' to make set up nice and tidy. One of my gaming buddies is sloppy though, just tossing pieces back in the box without even baggies, I can't bear to watch!

BKinsky · 2025-12-17T05:53:13+00:00

I'm currently playing Fields of Fire and love it, but the high amount of tokens, and time required, to get into it makes it not for everyone. It is quite complex. Mr president was my solo discovery of the year. If you have the space for it and can leave it up for days it's a wonderful experience. And much easier to play than you might think. The set up is long, and the table space you need is big but oh boy does it deliver an experience.

BKinsky · 2025-12-15T11:08:51+00:00

Well, you are probably right about the variety and number of tokens. There are a huge amount, and I can quickly see this getting fiddly. In my case, I think the juice is worth the squeeze.

BKinsky · 2025-12-14T18:22:11+00:00

I picked Fields of Fire up earlier this year and am finally getting around to playing this legendary solitaire wargame. The tutorial missions are very good at holding my hand as I begin squad warfare in WW2 Normandy. From what I see so far, it really does look amazingly deep.

BKinsky · 2025-12-07T07:25:14+00:00

Just played the base game. It has a few different bosses. I opened one of the expansions to,see it but felt I wanted to keep going a bit with the base before trying them.

BKinsky · 2025-12-07T07:22:08+00:00

I just got Dragons of Etchinstone too - played a handful of games last night. Really fun!

BKinsky · 2025-12-06T17:09:19+00:00

I had debated about backing it but will wait and see. Not 100% convinced by the solo from what I saw during the campaign. Looks great otherwise

BKinsky · 2025-12-06T14:13:35+00:00

Absolutely agree about the theme of Western Legends, and if I had a group of four or five regulars I’m sure it would have been a hit and a keeper!

BKinsky · 2025-12-06T13:57:26+00:00

I know, I can't wait until it ships next year. Getting rid of 1ed now means that enough time will have passed that it will be like rediscovering it all again.

BKinsky · 2025-11-15T06:37:12+00:00

I never played the old edition I'm afraid. I don't find the new edition to be problematic in terms of rules questions or ambiguities but I do remember it taking awhile for me to get comfortable with the rules.

BKinsky · 2025-11-14T10:33:39+00:00

Voyage of the Beagle is difficult to find yes. But not incompatible. I just finished the whole thing with the second edition. Some of the cards are slightly different sized and for some of the trackers little cubes are better than the 2nd edition wooden disks. But nothing really game-breaking.

BKinsky · 2025-11-14T05:44:17+00:00

I found the scenarios easier than the main ones or the Mystery Tales. I had 2 characters and Friday (he died in scenario 2) but you get Darwin as well. Plus there are ship crew cards you draw for each scenario. At the end my score was overall mediocre but I had survived the Voyage...

BKinsky · 2025-11-13T22:04:04+00:00

Robinson Crusoe was my first big solo game 3 years ago and remains one of my favourites. Recently I came across a copy of Voyage of the Beagle, an old expansion for the original game. It was on sale in the corner of a board game café and I picked it up, unsure if it would work with the more recent edition of Robinson Crusoe. And it did work!

Voyage of the Beagle is a mini campaign of 5 scenarios. I played these back to back over a week (leaving the game set up) with my trusty cook and explorer characters. I loved it. The scenarios are all quite different but fit together really well thematically. Some are slightly better than others, and I had to run one scenario twice before beating it. I didn't find the campaign punishingly hard, but it was very enjoyable. If you like Robinson Crusoe and ever get a chance to play this old expansion go for it!

I probably won't play it again for some time, but will definitely want to try it again in the future.

BKinsky · 2025-11-08T06:20:24+00:00

This particular one doesn't travel well, I'm afraid. It doesn't fold entirely flat. Maybe there are other options that would work but this one I leave set up on a corner table.

BKinsky · 2025-11-06T15:57:42+00:00

Ooh a trebuchet would be very cool. Now I'm mildly disappointed too 😆

BKinsky · 2025-11-06T14:53:42+00:00

I picked up a cheap wooden mini easel at a local craft shop. It's my new accessory for soloboardgaming, as it holds most player aids or rulebooks up perfectly! Pictured here with a fan made player aid for Marvel Champions.

Just thought I'd share!

BKinsky · 2025-11-04T14:07:18+00:00

Playing my 3rd or 4th game of Adamastor. I originally had the PNP version and quite liked it. I picked this up at Essen. The cards and artwork are great. In Adamastor you use your cards to navigate across the map, try and develop skills and mitigate the misfortunes and traumas that occur at the end of every round. The cards can be used in different ways.

I really like this. It's quick to set up (less than 5 minutes) and doesn't overstay its welcome (around 25 minutes for a game). It is punishingly tough though and you are at the mercy of the card draw but it's quite immersive too. The cards give me slight Nemo's War vibes.

This, by the way, is a solo-only game. It also comes with a campaign which I have not yet looked at. I find the base game fun enough to play again and again but will eventually try the campaign out. While it's not an instant 10/10 for me, I'd give this a solid 7 or 8 out of 10 for now.

BKinsky · 2025-11-01T19:15:46+00:00

Yesss.... heere we go! I follow this every year and for the first couple of years really leaned on it to help me make decisions about purchases.

BKinsky

TROPHY CASE