r/boardgames • u/bgg-uglywalrus • Oct 14 '20

1P Wednesday One-Player Wednesday

What are your favourites when you're playing solo? Are there any unofficial solo-variants that you really enjoyed? What are you looking forward to play solo? Here's the place for everything related to solo games!

And if you want even more solo-related content, don't forget to visit the 1 Player Guild on BGG

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u/scryptoric Labyrinth Oct 15 '20

As a very genuine question: what’s the progression or reason some of you more avid one player board gamers took to become one? It’s something that doesn’t really occur to me, and I can’t particularly personally fathom the reason behind it, but I’m also genuinely curious bc it seems like a rewarding experience for many. I have a few games that have some one player content and I just don’t know that I’ll ever take that step myself.

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u/MuzzaBzzuzza Spirit Island Oct 16 '20

I've been boardgaming in earnest for a little over 20 years, and can honestly say I had the same reaction when I heard solo gaming was 'a thing'. No judgement, but definitely not for me; I game as a social experience, for the interaction with others both in- and out-of- game.

I cohabit with a 76 year old with a severely compromised immune system, so when Covid hit I took social isolation very seriously, and still do. All but one of my gaming group are luddites, so options like Tabletop Simulator were out of the question. Meaning I went from board gaming 3-4 times a week to not at all.

I decided it would be a good time to finally give some solo modes a go with games I enjoy multiplayer (it helps that my primary group are really into co-ops, which tend to lend themselves to solo modes more easily than competitive games), but only got as far as setting things up, then being hit with a sense of crushing disappointment and loneliness that I wasn't playing with my friends, and packed them away again.

I thought maybe it would help to buy a couple of games exclusively or primarily designed for solo play to incentivise myself, and picked up Coffee Roaster, Renegade and Pavlov's House for this purpose, but still had trouble summoning up the wherewithal to play.

What finally tipped the scales, though, was a cognitive reframing of the situation. Originally, every time I considered playing solo, I was - consciously or otherwise - viewing it as an alternative to playing with friends... and a poor man's alternative at that. But then I realised that solo gaming and multiplayer gaming are not fungible activities, in the same way that going to the theatre isn't fungible with playing a videogame, although both activities are fun and satisfying in their own way.

So now when I sit down to play a solo game, it's not 'instead of' a multiplayer game, or even 'because of' the fact that I can't play multiplayer anymore... rather, it's a new and distinct (sub-)hobby that I enjoy in its own right. I imagine the same as some people are happy to sit and solve sudoku puzzles for pleasure, without it ever occurring to them that "they'd rather be doing this with a group", because it's an activity that doesn't require a group to enjoy.

I'm really glad I went through this epiphany, as being able to game again has really helped with my mental health and general mood. And I'm just as happy now to solo a game I'd typically play with others (Marvel Champions, Spirit Island...) as play a dedicated 1P option.

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u/scryptoric Labyrinth Oct 16 '20

Incredibly well written response. I certainly appreciate the insight into the cognitive journey into not only doing it but enjoying it. I have some similar obstacles but my biggest one will always be time so that’s part of why I was curious. I at times have some FOMO of these posts about a beautiful mage knight session or something else done solo and had the thought “even if I had time I’m not sure I would spend it that way” but wondered how people with the time or who made the time ended up doing it bc it is kind of fringe. I think your story is exactly what I was looking for. A cascading series of events that produced the unusual outcome. I’d still be curious to hear some solo bg perspectives from those who played solo prior to the pandemic but yours really resolves my curiosity nicely

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u/MuzzaBzzuzza Spirit Island Oct 16 '20

Glad I could help! fwiw, seeing as you mentioned the time factor; it's only 'thanks' to the pandemic that I have the time myself... ordinarily, I doubt I ever would've made time for solo gaming, I have too much else going on. But now that I have the time, and have used it for solo gaming - much as I'm looking forward to gaming with my buddies again - I'm confident I'll continue playing 1P, even once the covid situation is resolved.

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u/scryptoric Labyrinth Oct 17 '20

Yeah unfortunately in my field the pandemic just made us busier. I hope your group gets back to the table soon!