Playing solo is trendy, especially during the pandemic. But single-player games had already been on the rise in previous years and were no longer neglected by developers. Whether with or without artificial intelligence as a game opponent: in most cases, the single-player mechanics are in no way inferior to those of the multiplayer version. It is all the more pleasing that, according to announcements, there will be a concentrated amount of solo games throughout 2021 Kickstarter waiting to be crowd-funded. You can find a selection of exciting board game titles for the first months of the year in this article!
There are many reasons for playing board games by yourself. Right at the forefront is the Covid pandemic and the associated risk of infecting yourself and your fellow players with the virus. But everyday reasons can also make playing solo a practical alternative. Be it an irregular duty roster that makes it difficult to plan game meetings or the distance to possible game partners.
Single player games adapt to every situation in life
A solo game on the board means above all being able to concentrate fully on your own wishes. The theme of the game, the mechanics, the time of day of the session, all of this no longer needs to be coordinated with other players. Even interruptions do not disturb the flow of the game so much, because the game can simply be continued at any time. The advantages of a board game with a single player variant are obvious and convince even skeptics.
The only downer: The social component is completely missing, because even an artificial intelligence as an opponent does not allow the typical flair of a game meeting with nice fellow players. The great thing about most board games is that the solo and multiplayer variants are not mutually exclusive and are usually even integrated into a board game.
Solo games in the first quarter of 2021 on Kickstarter
Darwin's Journey, by the publisher Thundergryph Games and the developers Simone Luciani and Nestore Mangone, is a board game for one to four players.
In the worker placement and euro game, the player relives the memories of Darwin's trip to the Galapagos Islands and helps develop the theory of evolution. to Darwin's Journey we have already reported in a more detailed post, you can easily reach it via the inserted link.
Start day on Kickstarter: January 6th
Tinners' Trail, by the publisher Alley Cat Games and the designer Martin Wallace, is a game for one to five players. The new edition of the popular title from 2008 has been completely redesigned.
The euro game is set in Cornwall in the 19th century and the player slips into the role of a mining conglomerate at the height of tin and copper mining. Here you have to manage your own capital and purchase land in auctions, which then have to be examined for tin and copper deposits.
Start day at Kickstarter: 11th January
Pingyao: First Chinese Banks, by the publisher Nithrania and the designer Wu Shuang, is a board game for one to four players. In the dice and worker placement game with a business theme, the player slips into the role of a Jin trader in the Qing Dynasty.
As the game progresses, profits must be made by allowing agencies to expand across China and providing services to key business people. The goal of Pingyao: nothing less than wealth.
Start day on Kickstarter: January 12th
Fall Land: Descendants, by the publisher Fallen Dominion Studios and the designers Jon Lonngren and Sean Cahill, is a board game for one to six players.
In the expansion to "Fallen Land: A Post Apocalyptic Board Game" the player fights for supremacy over the wasteland. This is where leadership, management and survival count. The expansion comes up with a new city technology, new game chips, cards and game variants.
Start day on Kickstarter: January 12th
Primal: The Awakening, by the publisher Reggie Games and the designers Tommaso Mondadori and Alberto Parisi, is a game for one to four players. The campaign game, with a monster hunt theme and miniatures as characters, takes place in a fantasy world in which the player fights for survival in the harsh wilderness. To do this, he slips into the role of a hunter who has to compete against so many dangerous creatures. With the goal in mind: to uncover the secrets of its origins.
Start day on Kickstarter: January 19th
Maeshowe: to Orkney Saga, from the publisher Dragon Dawn Productions and from the pen of the designer Lee Broderick and Nikolas Lundström Patrakka, is a board game for one or two players.
The story of Maeshowe is based on the true stories of the Vikings Earl Rognvald, Kali Kolsson and Earl Harald Maddadson. They broke into the grave of Maeshowe on Orkney in the 12th century when they were on a treasure hunt. In the role of these men, one or two players try to free themselves from the grave before they fall victim to hunger or threaten to freak out.
Start day on Kickstarter: Probably January 21st
Core Worlds: Empires, by the publisher Quixotic Games and the designers Christopher Guild and Andrew Parks, is a board game for one to five players.
The worker placement takes place in the vastness of the galaxy. Their six variable kingdoms must be visited by the player, as leader of ambassadors (workers), in order to bring one under his control. With the aim of the game: to become the strongest rule in the cosmos. During the course of the game there is a lot of conflict.
Start day on Kickstarter: February 1st
Eternal Palace, from publisher Alley Cat Games and designer Steven Aramini, known for popular titles such as Sprawlopolis, is a game for one to five players.
The euro dice and resource collection game lets the player slip into the role of an artist who is supposed to help his emperor rebuild his palace, which was destroyed by a terrible earthquake. The task here is to collect resources, rebuild monuments and create works of art for the emperor. With the aim: To gain the favor of the emperor.
Start day on Kickstarter: Probably in the first quarter
Long Shot: The Dice Game, by the publisher Perplext and the designer Chris Handy, is a push-your-luck and strategy game for one to eight players. In Long Shot, the player finds himself in a horse race.
His tasks: buy horses, place bets, influence the race and use special skills. The roll of the die determines which horses are allowed to move and which options are available. The aim of the game is: To have as much money as possible.
Start day at Kickstarter: Probably in the first quarter
Paper Company, by the publisher Flannel Games and the designer Brent Keath, is a dice game for one to six players. Here the player runs his own paper business. In the course of the game he has to keep an eye on the economy, hire employees and ensure a good work ethic.
The principle that counts here is: the higher the die value, the better the economic situation of the company and the actions it has carried out (morality, accounting, purchasing, sales and recruiting). Paper Company contains six different paper companies and 40 different employees, so that the fun of the game should be maintained over a longer period of time.
Start day on Kickstarter: Probably in the first quarter
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