If you’re relatively new to wargaming or the old grizzled Grognard, at some point you’re likely to be playing a solo game. Wargames are mostly played solo, maybe more than other forms of board games. There are several explanations why. It’s rare for many to meet people that are interested in an activity. There’s also the time needed to play and finish certain wargames because they can’t be played in a single night also sometimes you like to play alone, just as you’d want to play solitaire card games or do a jigsaw puzzle. Still, you can play most wargames alone regardless of the intention. But sometimes finding the best solo war board games become tough to find as there are a lot of options available online.
In this guide, you will find the best solo war board games with a useful buyers guide, some frequently asked questions answer, how to choose it and many more. Your finding for the best solo war board games came to an end. Just stick with us to the bottom of the article; we assured you would get the right one from us.
Table of Contents
What Is a Solo War Board Game?
The name suggests the meaning itself; a solo war board game is simply a war board game that you can play all by yourself. You do not need anyone to accompany you, and you don’t need to fit in someone’s schedule to play these games. You are totally in control and can play whenever you want, and wherever you want to so if you are a person who enjoys their own company the best, then these are the games you would like to play!
Upfront, I have to confess that I’m a solo gamer at heart. People like the characteristics of solo gaming, but often the social contact that comes with playing games with a group of friends is always lacking. Humans like friendly banter, discussion of rules, as well as hearing other opinions on the game as it is played. You are just playing against yourself when you play a game alone, or if the game has a solo AI, against the machine and this can be a lonely feeling but, with all this being said, I enjoy an excellent game of solitaire.
What are the Benefits of Solo War Board Games?
Board games, historically, are designed for many players. There will be days, though, that playing with your family and friends is not a choice. The happy news is that multiple board games can be discovered that allow you solo gameplay.
Your sense of freedom and autonomy is created by playing solo. One way to remind yourself that you will be comfortable and fulfilled on your own is to play alone. To keep you amused and busy, it tells you not to rely on others. As a consequence, it gives you a feeling of social liberation and encourages you to feel at home no matter where you are.
It boosts your creativity and innovation. Board games are born out of the imaginations of their creators. And they also stretch your imagination and draw out the ingenuity inside you when you play them. The ability of your thoughts and resourcefulness will also take a lot of flexibility and solo time to tap into it. There are no other persons to advise you what to do, so you are expected to consider and discover innovative yet productive solutions to problems.
How to choose the Best Solo War Board Games?
Currently, board games have been popular for decades. It has been practised in nearly every part of the globe, in most communities and cultures. It is understood that the oldest board game in existence, Senet, lived in 3500 BC and was found in Egypt’s predynastic burials.
The period from the 1870s to the 1930s was considered to be the age of gaming. Especially in the United States, but this started to have a decline in the first half of the 20th Century. There was a significant development in the growth of the hobby in the latter part of the 1990s. In 2010, as board games were being sold to an increasing audience worldwide, board gaming was said to have a new Golden Age, but the question is, how to pick the best solo war board game and what features should be present?
Easy to Learn
It should be quick to learn the perfect board game for you. If your age is more suitable, allocate board games with complicated sets of rules for the future. Settle for the moment for a board game with a basic set of rules that is not difficult to remember. The directions should be concise and straightforward.
Often, to get the game ultimately, it takes a few plays. When you are playing a solo war board game, you will quickly get used to the rules and regulations of the game. Without any interruptions from any nearby players hence you won’t be missing out any small details and would have a greater understanding of the game itself.
Simple to Set Up
We can clearly say that the best solo war board game would be the one that is simpler and easier to set up. An ideal warboard game should not take more than a few minutes to set up and if it does, it can be discouraging and might end up in avoiding the game because you are not willing to spend hours on just setting up the board. Some of the best board games for one player encourage you to discover their world always. The joys of playing are not done in just one game, but with the time you will come back and find more of the universe, you have fallen into headfirst.
Easy to Clean It Up
One that is simple to clean up, apart from being quick to set up, is a good board game to play by yourself. It should bring a small amount of props to its package so that sweeping it up should not be stressful. A board game can only be enjoyed if it can be cleaned up in a few minutes if not seconds and can be maintained without any hassle. A fun board game is one which is easy to store and one that is easy to maintain. It should be quick to keep track of all the pieces of the board game package that should be available. Once one or two pieces are missing, board games with one too many pieces can end up pointless.
The purpose of playing a solo war board game is to enjoy ourselves as much as we can and by having the chance to play a game without any disturbance would mean endless joy with you and only you.
Comparison Table of the Best Solo War Board Games
Detail Product Review of the 6 Best Solo War Board Games
01- Battleship Classic Board Game
This Battleship board game is a classic naval fighting game which brings rivalry, strategy, and excitement together! Two players hunt for the enemy’s fleet of ships in head-to-head combat and kill them one by one. The Battleship game places you right in the middle of the action with compact handheld battle cases and authentic-looking naval crafts. The players, in our case you, control a strong fleet that comprises an aircraft carrier, a cruiser, a submarine, a patrol boat, and a battleship.
Features and Specifications
- Classic Battleship Game
- Ages 7 and Up Can Play
- Naval Combat
- Options for Advanced Play
- Salvo Feature
- Multiple Attacks
- Sink opponent’s ships for the win
- Track down enemy ships on the target grid
- Call a shot and fire.
- Destroying 5 Enemy Ships Grants You the Victory
Sink Opponent’s Ships for the Win
Feel the genuine excitement of fighting as the war in the Battleship game is fought on the high seas. To beat the enemy, take care and command a fleet. The Battleship game places you right in the middle of the action with compact handheld battle cases and authentic-looking naval crafts.
Hunt, Hit, Sink, Win
A player’s mission in the Battleship game is to find their enemy’s fleet, kill each craft and alert the artillery fire. Command a strong fleet consisting of an aircraft carrier, a cruiser, a submarine, a battleship, and a patrol boat.
Play Anywhere with Portable Battle Cases
Are you looking to play on a trip? Bring the handy combat cases out and set up a game anytime and at anyplace. The ships with the pegs that mark hits and misses are kept in each case: all required for calm and measured combat.
02- Gloomhaven Warboard Game
Players will take on the part of an explorer roaming around with a unique collection of abilities and their motivations to come to this dark corner of the world. To clean out menacing dungeons and abandoned ruins, players must work together out of need. In the meantime, with experience and loot, they can improve their skills, find new places to conquer and plunder.
Features and Specifications
- Ideally played over many game sessions.
- Role of a wandering adventurer
- You have a unique set of skills.
- Clear out menacing dungeons and forgotten ruins
- Enhance your abilities with experience and loot
- Discover new locations to explore and plunder
- Expand an ever-branching story
- Very similar to a “Choose Your Own Adventure” book
- Fight against automated monsters.
- Innovative card system
Persistent World of Shifting Motive
A game that is best played over several game sessions, with a constant and evolving environment. Players will make choices about what to do after a situation, which will decide how the game progresses, such as a “choose your own adventure” novel.
Combating Automated Monsters
Playing in a scenario is a cooperative affair in which players use an imaginative card scheme to combat automated monsters to decide the order of play and what a player does on their turn.
Attacks by Card
Each card also has higher and lower power, and when it is a player’s turn in the order of initiative, they decide whether to use one card’s maximum power and the other’s bottom power, or vice versa.
03- Terraforming Mars Board Game
Humankind began to terraform the planet Mars in the 2400S. Giant companies are launching massive initiatives to increase the temperature, oxygen level and ocean coverage before the atmosphere is habitable, funded by the global government on earth. You play one of those companies in Terraforming Mars and work together in the terraforming process, but compete to do the best job, with victory points given not just for your contribution to Terraforming, but also for the development of human infrastructure.
Features and Specifications
- Compete for Different Milestones
- 5 Player Boards
- Keep Track of Production and Money
- Over 400 markers!
- 200 Player Markers
- 200 Resource Markers
- 3 Game Board Markers
- Over 230 cards
- Cards represent different corporations and projects
- Eighty tiles to portray a land, water etc.
Gameplay Quality
The players earn unique project cards, representing everything from the introduction of plant life or wildlife, the tossing of asteroids on the surface, the development of towns, and the establishment of greenhouse gas factories to heat the environment. You’re vying for your city tiles, ocean tiles and greenery tiles in the right areas. The Player Organization with the most victory points wins until the terraforming process is complete.
An Accurate Map of Mars
The game board is a precise map of Mars’ Tharsis area, including Valles Marineris, 3 of the four significant volcanoes, and the Viking site where the first human-made lander touched down.
Boards and Labels of Teams
5 Player Boards where you keep track of money and development. 400 markers in abundance! 200 Player Markers (transparent plastic cubes), 200 (metallic plastic cubes) Resource Markers, and 3 (white plastic cubes) Game Board Markers.
04- Dark Souls: The Board Game
A multiplayer dungeon-crawl board game for 1-4 players is Dark Souls: The Board Game. To win the game, before eventually meeting the boss, players must work together tactically to learn how to kill opponents. Players can find clear attack patterns and weaknesses of opponents, so they will have to be careful. The game does not stop if a player’s character dies, but starting over comes at a cost. The entire group needs to regroup at the bonfire every time a player fails in battle, and all enemies are reset. Sparingly use your money, learn fast, and plan to die.
Features and Specifications
- It is based in a world where a curse has unleashed upon humanity.
- You are the chosen undead and bearers of the curse and fate of the world rests upon you.
- Massive Replayability
- Multiple difficulty modes
- Darkroot Expansion
- Asylum Demon Expansion
- Character Expansion
- Iron Keep Tile Set
- Experience a new danger as you explore
- Different Chapters to Play
Darkroot Expansion
The Darkroot is a region of Dark Souls that is green yet foreboding. Scarecrows, giant warriors of stone, and the very plants of the forest stand sentinel to discourage any foolish heroes from braving this world.
Asylum Demon Expansion
It can be found as a lonely and quiet place, moribund and uninviting as you pace the halls and corridors of the Undead Asylum.
Expansion of Characters
With six new characters for Dark Souls: The Board Game, Brave the Dangers of the Dark Souls Universe.
05- LOTR – Journeys In Middle-Earth
Descend on your travels with The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-earth, a fully competitive, app-supported strategy game for one to five players in J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic universe! As part of an exciting campaign that takes you through Middle-earth’s storied hills and dales, you can battle villainous enemies, make brave decisions, and strike a blow against the darkness that threatens the ground. It is an individual Middle-earth travel game that is a single adventure in a more extensive campaign.
Features and Specifications
- Cooperative Board Game
- Set in Tolkien’s iconic middle earth
- Become heroes of people living in Middle Earth
- Prepare your skills
- Tests your might and wisdom
- Combat against the dark forces in your land
- Immersive companion app guides you through.
- Tracks your progress through entire campaigns
- Increase your power by practicing
- Customize your skills throughout your adventures
Companion App
For each quest and an entire war, a free companion app leads you, freeing you and your comrades to stand together as a single Fellowship and conquer the night. The game loads your adventure with material from a host of options, guaranteeing the time you invest would be in a new experience and encourage you to leave your mark on Middle-earth.
Various Heroes
Create your Fellowship with six brave heroes, including Aragorn, Gimli, and Bilbo, and use their unique abilities and skills to conquer challenges
Diverse Story lines
There’s no telling you from Gondor to the Grey Mountains where your adventures could lead you.
06- Mage Knight Board Game
Mage Knight is a complicated solo board game consisting of deck building and RPG elements that make every shift a maze full of challenges, requiring purposeful and creative thinking. Although the game is mainly solo; however, it can accommodate up to four players, which provides more diversity and competitive options. Each player will represent one of the titular Mage Knights, who will face various hurdles in the form of missions laid out by the eleven different scenarios in the game.
Features and Specifications
- Immense Complexity
- Robust Character Occupancy
- Attractive Design
- High Quality
- Multitude of Options
- Confronting gameplay
- Steep Learning Curve
- Lengthy Setup Composition
- Elongated Play Time
- Extensive downtime
Well-designed Game Play
Features like the mana system as well as the Day and Night cycle contribute to better gameplay. Within the mana system, there is a pool of mana in which every contestant rolls the mana dices. A player can repower their cards by utilizing their mana tokens, mana crystals. Black Mana is dead during the day whereas the gold mana is sleeping during the night; this trait of mana plays a pivotal role in selecting the appropriate card for improvement as the mana might not be available during the next turn.
Immense Complexity
The steep learning Curve of Mage Knight makes it incredibly complex and mind-wobbling; the game itself is provided with the highly informative walkthrough and instruction manuals. However, a player should not expect to thoroughly understand the working principles of the game within the first try. It would take at least three to four practice games to ensure the complete possession of the game. The game is suggested to regular board game players and is not introduced to someone new to the field of solo board games or GMT war games.
Review
Mage knight is a thrilling board game for single players and multiplayer as well. Features like character up-gradation, the replay value all add up to the competitive nature of the game. If you are someone who likes to be challenged or who likes to play creatively planned games, then Mage Knight is indeed the best available choice for you.
Buyers Guide of the Best Solo War Board Games
Wide Array of Options
Features like Card Management and Card play have made the game very interesting. The game allows a player to expand their fleet of cards by moving, attacking, and influencing. Each player within the game has sixteen cards in total with a hand total hand limit of five cards. A player can use or discard as many unused cards as they desire. However, a player can declare that the round is over if they have an empty deck of cards at the beginning of the turn, which leads to the relinquishment of the player’s turn and grants other players an extra turn. This gameplay helps in creating extremely competitive and high-pressure environments.
Creative Character Development
A player can develop various characters with the progression of the game. The development process demands players to undergo fights with monsters with the exploration of the scattered lands. The puzzling nature of the combat in Mage Knight might be challenging to absorb and understand, relative to the four stages of the war, which are provided with monsters having different capabilities. Furthermore, creative and adequate planning is essential to capture things like a mage tower or a dungeon. Nonetheless, a player can use the wound cards if their characters are damaged due to a lack of thinking.
Replay Value
Supplied with a humongous fleet of maps, characters, scenarios, variants, game types, and the number of cards, the Mage Knight offers good replay value to its users.
How to Play Solo War Board Games?
People often find the assembling process of board games a very stressful and tedious task, and it isn’t easy to involve a group of people who are busy in their daily schedules in a board game. Playing board games alone or in isolation is not a challenge in itself, but it is also a way of living. There exists a whole world within solo board gaming, which on hand is captivating and, on the other hand, produces a competitive environment.
Their mazy nature makes a person think, and their tactical planning and operations help to sharpen the player’s mind. One of the most significant advantages of a solo board game is that they decrease the screen time of a person on their respective electronic devices, replacing it with a much calmer and collected environment, which will lead to better focusing. A person enjoys the tactile feeling of the world with the joys of gaming, a combination that can’t be denied.
Tips to Improve your Solo War Board Games
There are various times of war games available in the market today, which are launched by a huge array of publishers with each game having different mechanics of operation. A newbie should instead start his journey of solo war games by selecting the appropriate type which is generally divided into three categories that are hex and counter, block, and miniatures. Hex and counter wargames primarily contain cardboard counters which are also called chits. On the contrary, Block and Miniature war games use wooden blocks as cardboard counters.
To learn the game, a user should divide the components with the help of a rule book which elaborates the components like units, markers, maps, player aids. Readout and understand the order in which the events are taking place within the game; this would give you a little know-how regarding the game. Furthermore, scan the rules of the game and absorb the major concept of it.
How do you Play Mini Wargaming?
One of the common mistakes done by most people is that they start buying too many minis at the beginning of the game, which is not necessary at any cost. It is vital to learn about the game as your tactics, strategies, and interest are likely to be changed as the game progresses. Therefore, a player should always start small with only a handful of minis and should upgrade their collection as the game progresses. It is essential to use the right tools when you are putting different miniatures together, which might involve their cutting and slathering.
To build plastic miniatures, similar to the ones present in various Game Workshops, you will need a sprue nipper that somewhat looks like a wire cutter. On the painting side, all you need is a decent set of brushes. However, you should stay away from thick bristled and disposable brushes that are present with the children’s painting kit.
Frequently Asked Questions on the Best Solo War Board Games
Is Gloomhaven an excellent solo game?
Gloohaven is one of the best Solo War Board Games which includes tactical combat with monster battles. The player’s abilities enhance as they gain more and more experience of the game with the discovery of new locations, exploration of new elements, and the expansion of a complicated story.
What is the most complicated board game?
Go is a Chinese board game as one of the oldest and the most complicated board games in the world of solo board games. The game primarily involves two players who are aiming to invade more territory to surround their opponent.
How long does it take to play Gloomhaven?
There are 95 dungeons in GloomHaven, and each dungeon takes about 2 to 5 hours to complete depending upon its complexity. Therefore, Gloomhaven, in total, takes about 100 to 150 hours to complete.
Is Gloomhaven suitable for two players?
Gloomhaven is indeed one of the best board games in terms of two players as it offers longer playability to both players, making the game more intense and complex.
Are war games real?
War games are the informal personification of Military simulations which primarily include theories regarding warfare with tactical and strategically possible solutions.
What board games can you play by yourself?
Mage Knight
- For 1-4 Players
- Over 2 hours to play
- 240 cards, 8 intricately painted miniatures, 196 tokens, 20 map tiles, 54 mana crystals and 7 mana dice
- Also included are 2 game mats, 2 rule books
- Combines elements of RPGs, deckbuilding and traditional board games
LOTR – Journeys in Middle-Earth
- EPIC ADVENTURE GAME: Form your Fellowship and set out on your own adventures in this fully-cooperative, app-supported board game set in the fantastical land of Middle-earth! As the dark forces gather, players band together to unravel mysteries, make courageous choices, and fight against the evil that threatens the land.
- STRATEGY GAME: You and your friends become heroes of the Free Peoples of Middle-earth, preparing your skills and testing your might and wisdom in combat against the encroaching darkness. Each of the iconic characters you can choose to embody have their own special abilities to contribute to your Fellowship, giving each one a distinct identity for your campaign.
- COOPERATIVE GAME: Throughout Journeys in Middle-earth, you must work together with the rest of your party to survive a series of perilous adventures that sees you battling powerful foes, discovering lost treasures, uncovering forgotten lore and more.
- HIGHLY VARIABLE: No matter how many times you play a particular adventure, no two experiences will be the same. The Journeys in Middle-earth app procedurally generates a portion of each scenario from the very beginning, including the size and layout of the map, the enemies and allies that are encountered, side quests you may encounter, and the events that plague your heroes.
- NUMBER OF PLAYERS AND AVERAGE PLAYTIME: This epic adventure board game for adults and teens is made for 1 to 5 players and is suitable for ages 14 and older. Average playtime is approximately one hour.
Dark Souls: The Board Game
- Enter The Dark Souls Universe: Take On A Tabletop Reimagining Of One Of The Most Challenging Video Games Ever Made. The Gripping Battles And Brutal Difficulty Of The Acclaimed Dark Souls Video Games Come To Your Tabletop In An Action-Packed Cooperative Dungeon Crawl Roleplaying Board Game
- Challenges Ahead: Dark Souls: The Board Game Is About Fast Setup And Long Reveal. True To The Video Game, You'Ll Need To Be Strategic And Cleverly Manage Your Stamina To Survive. Learn When To Be Bold And When To Hold Back. And Prepare To Die
- Play As Iconic Characters: Take On A Role As A Knight, Warrior, Assassin, Or Herald And Figure Out How To Defeat The Undead Legions Before Confronting The Final Boss—Or Bosses. Prepare For A Fully Immersive Rpg
- What’S Included: 27 Finely Detailed World-Class Miniatures (Including Enemies, Mini Bosses And Main Bosses), 47 Tiles & Terrain, 75 Tokens & Dials, 250 Cards. This Game Delivers An Experience That Captures The Very Essence Of The Original Video Games
- English (Publication Language)
What are the Top 10 board games of all time?
- Chess
- Stratego
- Monopoly
- Risk
- The Settlers of Catan
- Scrabble
- Battleship
- Clue
- Dominion
- Ticket to Ride
What are the most popular tabletop war games?
Guild Ball
- Allied with the vicious Butcher's Guild, the Cook's ability to whip up a buffet of blood puts these two Guilds in perfect synchronisation.
- The Cook's Guild focus on intimidating their opponent with insults only a head chef could dish out! Making their Attack actions all the more impactful!
- If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen! The Cook's Guild excel at layering buffs on their players and positioning them for maximum effect.
- The Cook's Guild are an ideal team for any Coach that enjoys a combat orientated playstyle, or a Coach that wants to lay out Ramsey-style one liners to their opponent.
WarLord Judge Dredd Arch Villains
- The year is 2080 and in Mega-City there are 400 million people, and every one of them a potential criminal – welcome to the world of Mega-City One and Judge Dredd – he is the law! Build a force and take to the streets, playing as the Justice Department or one of their many enemies…
- Recreate the classic small skirmish scenarios that play out in the Judge Dredd comics. On a table top space of at least 36” x 36” using no more than a dozen figures per side for fast paced dynamic game play.
- To Play: Suggested 2-4 players, a playing surface (exp. Table or unobstructed floor space), a selection of Judge Dredd Models, a tape measure or ruler no less than 12 inches in length, assorted markers (pinned markers, stunned markers, injury markers, overwatch markers and moving fast markers), a variable number of action and star chips, combat dice (at least 6) and at least one six-sided dye.
- Judge Dredd is played with individual models representing each fighter on the battlefield. Most models act independently during a fight, but some types of models may be grouped into Packs to make them more effective. The action markers show the current status of each model’s movements. Sporting either their vulnerability or strength and whether it is best to initiate combat.
- Featuring character cards with stats, skill points and special rules. Armory cards are used as an extra dimension to each skirmish. Big Megs cards create an event to add more variety and action. These are optional cards and game play can be as straight forward or as action filled as you want! Paint and play! The painting of the models and watching them come to life are just as much fun as the game itself!
What is the most boring board game?
Yahtzee, Chutes and Ladders, Monopoly, Candyland are the most boring board games as they lack action and intensity.
What are the best family board games of all time?
Candy land, Monopoly, and scrabble is the best family board games.
What is the longest board game?
There are many board games which take a long time for completion including Twilight Imperium (4–8 hours), Advanced Civilization (also 6–8 hours), Manifest Destiny (16–20 hours), Europa Universalis (80–100 hours).
What are the most popular miniature WarGames?
The most renowned miniature war game is Flames of War: “Fury” Starter Set followed by the Dust 1947 – Rulebook, War hammer 40K: First Strike Starter Set, War hammer 40K Dark Imperium Boxed Set, War hammer 40k Kill Team, War hammer: Age of Sigmar Starter Box and Necromunda: Underhive.
Our Recommendation on the Best Solo War Board Games
Although video games have their audience and it is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world, however, people should take a break from their digital bubble and should spend more and more time with family, friends and loved ones. In these scenarios, strategy-based board games are holding a dominant position. The reason for this domination is the upgrade in the modern designs of board games, which makes the game more intense, strategic, and competitive. We believe that it is high time now to enjoy the luxury of video games before it’s too late. Our recommendation is the Mage Knight Board Game.
- For 1-4 Players
- Over 2 hours to play
- 240 cards, 8 intricately painted miniatures, 196 tokens, 20 map tiles, 54 mana crystals and 7 mana dice
- Also included are 2 game mats, 2 rule books
- Combines elements of RPGs, deckbuilding and traditional board games
Last Words
We firmly believe that people should now take a break from the internet and video games and should spend time making memories rather than making records at video games. These memories can be created by none other than solo board games. We hope this article was of use to you, and after reading our guide on the best war board games, you are more confident in buying a board game for yourself! Happy shopping!
Veronica is a Green Bay-based freelance writer and editor with extensive experience with board games. When not busy scribbling her thoughts, you might find her in her garden, hiking out in the woods, or exploring new food joints.
Veronica is a die-hard board game and chess hobbyist by night. She likes to try out new games and is always on the lookout to recruit new players for her game night (so beware!). When not playing board games or throwing darts, she is usually busy painting miniatures (or doing other nerdy stuff).
She is the CEO & Content Writer of Indoor Games Zone. She shares her expertise from years of playing chess, board games, and darts.
Last update on 2022-05-12 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
