"Q: Are solitary games popular and would you play one?"
https://www.bgdf.com/poll/are-solitary-games-popular-and-would-you-play-one
Many thanks to everyone who submits their response/vote. The poll is set to be active for 2-weeks so for our regular members ... Vote as early as you possibly can...
Cheers all!
I thought that designing a Solitary game would make the "Programming" Mechanics much easier to handle and make the direct relation between the "Active Timelines" and "Completed Quests" in the Treasury more intuitive. 1-Player game may make sense for the design, but I'm not sure if Solitary games are popular or not TBH...
When I say "Programming", I mean just that:
So say you have a "Nobility" card. This card allows you to TRAIN a certain amount and type of Heroes. For example "2R + 1G > 3Y" which means one (1) Level 2 Fighter and ABOVE PLUS one (1) Level 1 Wizard and ABOVE can be trained into one (1) Level 3 Thief. This relationship preserves the count 3 Heroes become 3 other class Heroes (this is not always true).
This is the "Programming" aspect of the game. Each Fragment you play may affect your party of Heroes. And different Fragments have different "Actions" and implication (On how to resolve any given action).
Also some Fragment have specific "pre-requisites" to "Complete" the Fragment.
Here is the listing of the Programming Actions and their descriptions:
https://www.bgdf.com/blog/quest-adventure-cardstm-%E2%80%94-2nd-edition-...
If you scroll to the TOP of that comment (the OP) you will see all SIX (6) Hero Classes. Those are the definite classes. I have been working piece-meal on this design for a LONG TIME (Since 2020) ... But I've been on-it, off-it as a design gets BLOCKED or not sure how to move the design forwards.
The "Programming" and "Classes" are done. The "Game Layout" is 90% done ... Just a minor correction if it is going to be a Solitary game... TBH.
The only drawback of solitaire game is that many of them feels puzzle-ish especially if there is little randomness. Take a look at solo only games, there is a new breed of solitaire euro games that I have seen recently, it`s all from the same company:
Legacy of yu (Strictly one player)
Hadrian's Wall
Architects of the West Kingdom
Ezra and Nehemiah
Paladins of the West Kingdom
Viscounts of the West Kingdom
Raiders of Scythia
There are also war games like:
Thunderbolt apache leader
The "Field commander" and "Fleet commander" series.
From my collection, they are coop games/modes:
Elder sign
Robinson Crusoe
Rune Age
Finding solo only games on BGG should be fairly easy with the advanced search. Solo gaming is not for everybody, and many people in the mass market audience have no clue that solo board games could possibly exists. It`s a genre in it self, I am myself learning more about it.
My issue with solo games (especially the solo only ones), is that there is no try before you buy unless you can borrow the game from somebody else.
My take would be, if you want a bigger target audience, make sure it can be both played solo and multiplayer (at least 2). Solo only games are indeed less popular and only target a niche audience.
Why did solo board game did not exist when I was a kid, that would have made things so much easier. I had some games I could never play due to the lack of players.
And like you said it's a Euro Solitary game. It doesn't "excite" me in any way, shape or form. Firstly I'm not so interested in Euro Games... I'm more into Ameritrash and ergo the stories in TradeWorlds. More culture and lore in those games than Euros.
I find Euros a bit boring TBH!
Like I get "Worker Placement" which is a Typical Euro Mechanic but... I can also see a Tactical Layer in which Ameritrash games use this Mechanic too. I personally have used "Worker Placement" in "Crystal Heroes" (CH) and in CH the players control their Lord/Lady and move them around the board which is made up of Game Tiles and grows with each turn.
The purpose of "Worker Placement" in CH is to collect "Crystals" (Duh!) and complete sequences to score Victory Points (VPs).
There is no Levelling, Adding Workers, Different Types of Workers, etc. Only one for each player and a corresponding availability of Actions that may be taken per turn.
My point is that the "Worker Placement" Mechanic is a bit BASIC compared to a Euro Game where there is more going on. But like I said, it's more like Ameritrash than a Euro even if there is a Tactical version of it in CH. In addition CH features a STRONG "Area Control" Mechanic when it comes to placing Game Tiles. It's has a bit like an opening in Chess and then trading of pieces next (Game Tiles) and a wrap up towards the end which results in a Victory in the last few Rounds. So 1 to 4 opening, 5 to 8 trading tiles, 9 to 12 Victory.
Again I just wanted to focus on the point that I'm not really into Euros. But I do own Ticket-To-Ride and that's a light Euro... So I do have some experience with Euros ... But I would never buy or play Lorenzo Il Magnifico which is a Heavy Euro. Those kind of games don't appeal to me TBH.
Cheers!
Just wanted to see if anyone else might have the opportunity and time to answer this 1-Question Poll with 4 Choices. It will take you more time to login than to read and answer the Poll. Please if you have a minute to spare, let me know your thoughts as they pertain to this Poll.
Many thanks to any and all who cast the Vote!
My issue with solo games (especially the solo only ones), is that there is no try before you buy unless you can borrow the game from somebody else...
My take would be, if you want a bigger target audience, make sure it can be both played solo and multiplayer (at least 2). Solo only games are indeed less popular and only target a niche audience.
Why did solo board game did not exist when I was a kid, that would have made things so much easier. I had some games I could never play due to the lack of players.
I think that there is another category of "Card Games" which are the very FAMOUS and WELL-KNOWN "Solitaire", "Spider" and "Free Cell" which most people know of because they've been on many Windows Operating Systems. Now I know those are "SPECIFICALLY" Card Games... But I don't know if an "Adventure" Card Game could compete in terms of viability as an SOLO Game???
So there are ALREADY very popular games... It's a matter of making a SOLO game and seeing if it can be remotely popular also...
I know those are "CARD GAMES" with standard Poker Decks... But I don't see the issue with a MODERN DAY "Card Game" other than the point of WHERE to FIND it and BUY it.
"Tour de Jeux" closed in Fairview Mall in Pointe Claire which was a BIG blow to the popularity of Board Games. I think most people are involved in SOCIAL MEDIA such as Facebook, TikTok, Twitter (X) ... People are using their phones more and more. That's why I THOUGHT(?) and App that complements a GAME could be of real VALUR. You get the GAME and you need to use your phone to follow along. IDK. The closing of the store makes me wonder what people are doing and I guess "Video Games" (Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, XBox, etc.)
IDK TBH...
Things are not going well economically even if the provincial government say the opposite. In Montreal, it's worst. So if people have a choice between board games over food, they will chose food.
Video games could be cheaper, especially casual games. Most of the video games I purchase are under 10$. For board games, unless you want something fluff, there is nothing under 50$.
So yes, as I predicted, board games are a rich men hobby. Now for the platform to be used Mobile VS PC VS console, I imagine it depends on your target audience.
Well we know that our Neighbors to the SOUTH (USA) are not doing so well economically and yes that has a direct reflection on our own economy. Especially produce and meat. A lot of fruit is made in the USA be it California, Florida, Georgia, etc. Of course eating is a priority to games.
Well the reality is things are costing more and more to make. So $50 bucks is not unreasonable when the wholesale price is $25 and the distributors buys at $20 and it costs $10 to make (with economies of scale). That means that the Publishers only make $10 per game... And this amount is lower when self-publishing too!
IDK about Rich Men Hobby... Could be Families, Millennials, 20+, etc. The people who play video games but want a more social setting. I know Video Games allow for people from all around the world to play and learn. But I find there are a LOT of "Jerks" in those games... Much like "BGG" and their community of disrespectful people.
In any event, with things going UP in price, it's natural for Board and Card Games to go up too! At what cost, that IDK!? Meaning does that mean that the industry will have less "players" (publishers and designers) or will it still seem like an industry "for profit".
That's what I feel people perceive it to be: design a game and you will become Rich! And I find that most people lose a lot of money on their KS campaigns especially the first time. Many don't return because they are not designers per se... Just had one Game Idea and went with it...
The industry is much more complicated than that TBH.
Or you can try to find a publishers and make $2 per game (4% off of Retail) or LESS... The realities are very brutal when it comes to making any type of money in this industry. But anyhow... With the price of everything going UP, Board and Card Games are surely to follow too!
Anyhow... It is what it is... "Tour de Jeux" was a nice store and it could have been a store that I could sell to. But no longer on the West Island... Only downtown (and I wonder if that store is still open too???)
Cheers all!
The market/world is indeed changing. In the 80ies, you could freelance board games and RPG. Now this is a thing of the past.
Trying to design games for profit seems very complicated. Either you need a lot of resources, needs to be famous or lucky. But my problem, is that I cannot prevent myself from thinking about game design. Even with all my personal problems I need to manage, I cannot prevent myself from getting new ideas (it's a curse).
So I needed a strategy to share/publish those ideas, with little effort, for a cheap price that people are willing to pay, since they are broke. This is why I came up with that strategy video game approach.
I currently don't have the time to work on it. So it's just frustrating. I try not to think about it, but it's not always easy.
Best to make a multiplayer game. That has an option for solitary.
In that case, when buying it. It doesn't look like you plan to play with yourself.
Solitaire is becoming very popular amongst wargamers. You can learn some history without needing an opponent. Unfortunately, solo games tend to be puzzles, in the long run, and suggest that history is inevitable, which it very definitely is NOT.
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Again, I wanted to add that some comments were made on the POLL Link... If you want to read or participate in the discussion, feel free to click on the link above and lead you to the POLL's Thread.
Many thanks.