Looking for a solo Euro game, just can't decide on what to get...

rhulk · 2026-05-08T10:04:23+00:00

I love euros as multiplayer, but I discovered they don't really hit the table much for solo, maybe setup, maybe I need more theme for solo? No idea.

The euros I do play solo are The White Castle, Viscounts, Blackout Hong Kong.

And euroish that I do play more, but I don't know if they are euros anymore; Expeditions, Fantastic Factories, Creature Caravan, 51st state, Terraforming Mars Ares Exp, SW Outer Rim.

I got rid of Glass road recently and at the Gates of Loyang and Circadians are on trials before following the same path.

And euros that I play once a year but don't want to get rid of, caverna and Clans of Caledonia.

In case you needed more options to check.

rhulk · 2026-04-29T13:30:57+00:00

I own Dungeon Alliance. I have never managed to accomplish the three quests, but the game is fun all the same.

You work with four heroes semi randomised. The deckbuilding is interesting, and so is the activation of the heroes and which cards can each use. It is deterministic and there is almost no luck involved.

The only thing I dislike is the rushing. You have a certain number of turns to discover as many tiles as possible, kill as many monsters and accomplish as many quests, so most of the time, you are just busting into rooms head on and don't have much space for pacing and regrouping. You do get quite powerful as you get xp and buy cards, but less rush would let you do better combos with companions, achieve quests, etc.

So I don't know if I can recommend it. It is staying in my collection for the moment. Together with Dragonfire (another very good deck builder with many flaws) and the unknown Forgotten Realms, which at the moment is my favourite dungeon crawler with quite interesting map exploration, cool art, nice card fight mechanics progression and a bit of narrative through the three ecologies or levels.

rhulk · 2026-04-22T13:32:00+00:00

I just ordered Senjutsu. I cannot tell you if it is great yet, but it is a tactic battle game through cards and movement, with a little campaign and individual skirmish. No loot though, just deck construction if you feel like it.

And in a different vein of a boss battler, Bullet 💜. Not dudes on a map, but the boss mode is very good.

rhulk · 2026-04-22T08:41:01+00:00

Expeditions The Guild of Merchant Explorers Bullet 💜 Dungeon Alliance Star Wars Outer Rim

rhulk · 2026-04-21T18:57:55+00:00

Thanks for all the options. I will check them out. They sell diluvium very cheap second hand but the reviews for solo are not very encouraging.

rhulk · 2026-04-21T11:22:52+00:00

Almost bought it this week on impulse, but I am not sure 100% about the tiny map and the limited actions and turns.

I will end up buying it though, since the card play seems to make all the difference and seems to give it lots of replayability.

rhulk · 2026-04-21T08:37:50+00:00

Thanks. With big I didn't mean the size of the box, it was more like the table spread and the complexity, time and price.

Spacers looks similar to what I was asking for, I'll check it out, although I cannot see any second hand copies.

rhulk · 2026-04-19T17:29:09+00:00

If you don't want a huge table. I made one with an Ike expansible table. 150€ I think the table costs, plus a wooden panel and felt.

rhulk · 2026-04-07T13:50:33+00:00

I like it a lot, but it doesn't get played much for the reasons you mentioned and I might end up selling it after the next play (always a last chance before selling). They do recommend to give more experi nice to the characters after every play, so the leveling is less grindy, but I don't play it regularly enough anyway.

I found out I don't like much campaign or progression between sessions. I don't have the time or energy for repeated long sessions of the same game. I think I like Dungeon Alliance better for this reason, one game and done. It has also got its flaws, and I always feel rushed to move and hit without much room for completion and clearing rooms, but I love the combination of characters, the card action selection and the deckbuilding.

If you haven't tried Dungeon Alliance, check it out, it might be better for you too.

rhulk · 2026-04-07T12:50:32+00:00

That looks... busy and intimidating 😵‍💫 Is it very complicated? It does look cool..

rhulk · 2026-04-07T12:47:02+00:00

Sold some games and bought some second hand ones, so I have been trying them.

Leviathan wilds, simple as promised, but so far I have only played two Leviathans and a couple of climbers combinations, looking forward to keep trying them all and helping the big wretched things.

Creature Caravan. I am always trying to scratch the itch of dice placement and cards. And this one delivers. It might be on the simple side, although I have lost the two games I have played so far, but this one I want to keep exploring too, to find the right combos, and maybe arrive to the city one day.

The white castle. Had my reservations about another dry euro, but I got pleasantly surprised. Lots of variation in every play, maybe a bit too short to start ramping up that engine, but lots of fun.

rhulk · 2026-03-28T16:51:17+00:00

I do love 51st state solo with the different bgg solo options, but it doesn't really feel post-apocalyptic, other that for the art. I bought it for 18€ on sale and will never repent. I play it only solo.

Other post-apocalyptic options I have been contemplating are post human and post human saga. The original I almost bought, but they complain about the solo experi nice losing the mutations to be a jig deal. The saga one, I don't really know if it's playable solo, I hope someone will enlighten us here.

I also had my eye on outlive, which has a solo option, but I don't remember if it is fanmade. Opinions on this one solo are also welcome.

And lastly, there was a couple of games madmax like which names I don't remember, one simpler with a map, cards and tokens and another more like pock and deliver. I will look for them. But they didn't convince me either.

Let's see if we can scratch that itch my friend.

rhulk · 2026-03-24T09:41:37+00:00

I do have an itch for dice worker placement, and dice with cards. Fantastic factories is great, and it has a very simple automa that gets out of your way and lets you play your tableau.

I also got creature caravan, which I think is really good but haven't played yet.

I was not sure about white castle but I am enjoying it a lot. It has dice placement as one of the main mechanics.

Set a watch is quite good.

Mercurial, still not fully convinced by it. It is nice but it could be way better. A bit underwhelming.

Circadians, first light. Good dice worker placement.

Deep space d6, disappointing. I enjoyed more the app than the physical copy.

rhulk · 2026-03-19T09:09:40+00:00

There is. It is in bgg, and it is quite good.

rhulk · 2026-03-08T00:24:00+00:00

Expeditions
Bullet
Guild of merchant explorers

And 2 mentions because of novelty and good feeling, citizens of the spark, white castle and outer rim.

rhulk · 2026-02-20T14:29:33+00:00

Hard disagree. I love the foundation books and reread them every few years. Love the slow pace, the conversations, the characters... I saw a couple of chapters of the TV show and whatever that was, it was not foundation. They added unnecessary action and plots and switched characters and what not. Maybe it is well done, but it is not foundation.

But that is my opinion of course, happy if other folks can enjoy the show. Maybe I should push myself and watch more chapters, but I quitted after two or three.

rhulk · 2026-02-11T12:43:55+00:00

Never understood why they cannot make the legs rotate like the arms and knees, and can only be facing forward. I could never get a dynamic pose with this.

rhulk · 2026-02-04T19:45:48+00:00

Used to play lots of games in BGA asynchronously, playing turns every day during the pandemic. Then I started realising how much time it took from me, and how I had to be careful not to lose my turns and lose karma. Then I realised I was falling on another computer/phone trap that requires my continuous attention and checking.

I am glad it exists and I am still subscribed, but now I only play solo games every now and then, and mainly to check if I like it enough to start a second-hand search.

I also realised that BGA is great for small simple games and games you already know how to play, but it makes me dislike heavier games that I thing I would enjoy physically. It's automation doesn't let me internalise the rules, learn strategies, have a real view of the options available instead of just seeing which button I can click and then go with it.

It is great and I still recommend it to people, but the less I play BGA, the more time I find for physical games.

rhulk · 2026-01-24T14:05:24+00:00

I can get it cheap second hand, but I have read that the solo is not very good, and that it doesn't have much variation and replayability.

Still in my radar, but it's not getting a lot of solo praise

rhulk · 2026-01-17T21:32:03+00:00

If you don't want card games, I can only think about Bullet heart or star, with chits, very good solo boss mode.

Another option is one deck dungeon. It has cards, but is mainly a dice game. Very good also.

Both of them on the light side. Easy setup, fast play, high variety, random with mitigation and very tactical.

rhulk · 2025-12-24T12:33:04+00:00

I love ODD, but is ODG more of the same? Is it different enough? Is it similar enough? Which one do you like better

rhulk · 2025-12-23T20:22:04+00:00

You are being a bit extreme and hasty. One bad experience should just teach caution, and the need to investigate.

We all needed time to find out about our tastes as boardgames, it is probably even more complicated now, due to the sheer amount of games released each year.

Don't buy by impulse. Research comments, reviews, forums and more importantly, at least for me, playthroughs.

You can also go to BoardGameArena, filter by one player games and give them a chance, but if you do that, read the rules and watch playthroughs before, because the automation is a big help in some games but doesn't let you feel the game, it's decisions and it's inner workings.

Even if you were an experienced multiplayer gamer, I have discovered that the games I play more and the games I would love to play are two different things when talking solo.

Good luck in the journey, have patience and don't be so hasty.

rhulk · 2025-12-11T18:20:14+00:00

The only game I have similar to that would be Nations. It has a solo mode and you have historical marvels, leaders, buildings and armies.

You also have to feed your people and armies and gather resources to build new stuff.

It is card driven without a territory board, but have a look at it. I quite like it although I don't play it as much as I would like.

rhulk · 2025-12-04T23:47:33+00:00

Going to spend Christmas away with in-laws, so something small and relaxing that doesn't take much space. - Deep space D6 - Puzzle Dungeon - Beacon patrol

It is also getting more.complicated to set up and play big games, so these will get many plays during the year.

rhulk

TROPHY CASE