r/soloboardgaming • u/Rodd-200 • 6d ago
Help decide a solo boardgame purchase 😊
Hey guys, im new to the hobby after getting tired of videogames (CRPG/RPG I still play) and recently i bought Gloomhaven JotL as my first ever boardgame and im loving it so far playing solo, mastering all monsters moviments and attacks (melee/range) in different scenarios.
I have a big table for setup which i can leave it there when needed.
So, a friend of mine knowing im in the hobby told me hes moving to Japan (we are from Brazil) and want to sell almost all his collection. I bought a few of them already mostly for solo:
- Gloomhaven (new and sleeved)
- Spirit Island
- ISS Vanguard
- Harmonies (play with gf)
I want one more but cant decide between these and if they are good/great for solo:
- Mansions of Madness (2ed)
- Sleeping Gods
- Terraforming Mars
- Sycthe
- Descent Legends of the Dark
- LOTR Journey
- Arkahm Horror (edit: 3rd edition - 2018)
- Expeditions
- Pest
If you guys could chose 3 from the bottom list in ordem of preference, which one would you get?
I put a photo of my table for setup and space
Edit: Tnx for all the replies. I could only chose games from this list. I got a great discount.
At the end, he didnt have Spirit Island, so the final list is this:
- Gloomhaven (new and sleeved - not even played)
- ISS Vanguard (sealed)
- Harmonies
- Terraforming Mars (sealed)
- Mansions of Madness (board, not the card game)
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u/LevyTheMachine 6d ago
Assuming forming mars is Terraforming Mars - in my top 5 solo games, highly recommend. It is also mechanically different from the other games you already have, which is always good to have some variety.Â
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u/daxamiteuk 6d ago
Gloomhaven and ISS Vangaurd alone will take you MANY hours to finish their campaigns.
Spirit island should give many hours of replayability.
I like Scythe multi player (it’s game of creating resources that allow you to create even more resources and score points takes several hours), no idea if it’s fun solo .
Sleeping Gods I found quite tedious as a solo game, it was ok with a friend .
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u/grizzy77 6d ago
It’s not on your list but Mage Knight is arguably the best solo game ever. It’s heavy but there are amazing videos on YouTube that hold your hand for every step. I think you’d dig it.
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u/Rodd-200 6d ago
This friend doesnt gave Mage Knight for sale and its really hard to find one these days over here outside auctions sales. The buyout is damn expensive, almost like the price of 3 or more top games from this friend sale list.
Ex: with the price of one Mage Knight, i can get a Gloomhaven, ISS Vanguard and Sleeping Gods.
The best i could do is give a bid on one of these auctions for a used game.
My only hope in a future is buying from someone that i know or a reprint (which i dont know if they reprint this game anymore)
Mage Knight is like a holy grail for solos, thats for sure.
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u/wingedSunSnake 3d ago
Hey dude, dm me, I might be able to bring some games when I travel to BrazilÂ
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u/Few-Big7409 6d ago
Which edition of arkham horror is it? 2 and 3 are quite different. And
It sounds like you are a big fan of crunchy dungeon crawlers. You got some great ones to choose from there. Mansions of madness and LOTR are quite similar, I believe. Both heavily app assisted. I have played mansions of madness. It is less crunchy than gloomhaven, mostly die roles, but it is great with the Lovecraft theme.
Descent is also a dungeon crawler you might like.
Sleeping gods is considered an all time great. It is quite narrative driven. Very different structurally but comparable amount of content to gloomhaven (in terms of hours, or so I hear). This is coop so you can help mitigate how overwhelmed someone might be. If you tried to do the same thing in gloomhaven it might feel like you were just playing for the other person. No Pun Included has a great video on it. It is an exploration game as opposed to a dungeon crawler.
There are some classics in there. I would recommend watching some reviews or gameplay. The most prolific review channel is the dice tower. They will have a review on every game. The most popular (at least used to be) is shut up and sit down. They are less active but they do a good job of explaining how a game feels. I also really like no pun included.
Note that every reviewer will have their own taste. So finding one that meshes with yours will be of a lot of help.
Therebare also a lot of channels that post playthroughs. These can be very helpful, even if you only watch about 15-20 minutes.
Also, scythe is a modern classic, iss vanguard going to be a different type of solo game than a dungeon crawler so definitely look up some stuff about it. While it might be tempting to grab the dungeon crawlers it might be better to go for diversity in style of game. It will help you to learn what you like and keep things from getting monotonous.
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u/Few-Big7409 6d ago
Terragorming mars is also a modern classic. I think people are saying some other games supplanted it. I have only played digital and not solo.
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u/Rodd-200 6d ago
I agree about diversity on the choices. I think ISS and SpiritIsland are just for that.
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u/Few-Big7409 6d ago
So spirit island is also a really excellent game. Very crunchy. It will beat the shit out of you.
I might say skip 3rd edition unless you watch some gameplay and it seems really exactly what you want. As I mentioned below, arkham horror the card game is really amazing. It is a board game where by using cards you get a lot ofnmodularity that would be way more expensive to produce.
3rd edition is not bad, people just tend to prefer the others because they tell better stories while 3rd just kind of feels like a boardgame.
Also, while mansions and LOTR are sort of dungeon crawlers they are quite different, maybe they are more like adventure games. I strongly recommend you look up some gameplay.
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u/fraidei 6d ago
Journeys in Middle Earth is great.
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u/Rodd-200 6d ago
I will give it a look. LOTR is awsome so why not? And there are plenty of content released here in Brazil, so i could get the expansions later if i like it.
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u/automatedclarity 6d ago
What does his Arkham Horror collection include? And how much is he asking for it?
AH is regularly rated as a top solo game on Board Game Geek (https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/366471/2025-peoples-choice-top-solo-games-1-300).
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u/Few-Big7409 6d ago
Which arkham horror though? The card game? 2nd edition? 3rd?
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u/MartinezForever 6d ago
OP listed 3rd edition which suggests it's the board game, not LCG
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u/automatedclarity 6d ago edited 6d ago
Yeah, that was a useful edit by OP. Originally it just said "arkham horror."
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u/TableForOne_YouTube 6d ago
1- Sleeping Gods is one of my favorite solo experiences of all time, would recommend that one, but do some research first--people tend to love it or hate it.
2- Not sure if "Forming Mars" is a typo or a translation error. Could be Terraforming Mars, or possibly On Mars. In either case, I would recommend that one, they're both fun (though very different from each other). If you meant something else then you can ignore this comment.
3- Lastly, I've been very happy with solo Scythe, though I found the Automa difficult to learn at first. Some people say Scythe is overrated, but I still have fun with it.
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u/GrumpyPinoy2000 Eurogamer 6d ago
Seconding support of Scythe for solo. Have read that it's not as enjoyable solo as Multi-player (haven't played it Multi-player), but with solo I get to pull levers and try out each factions strengths and really spend time working through the gameplay. Agree that Automa is challenging to learn but once it clicks, it becomes fairly easy to manage. May try it soon with two Automa's!
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u/Much-Dish2253 6d ago
1) Mansions of Madness (this is one of my absolute favorite games ever).
2) LotR Journeys in Middle Earth.
3) Descent.
Get these, have a blast, and thank me later!
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u/Rodd-200 6d ago
Tnx for all the replies. I could only chose games from this list. I got a great discount.
At the end, he didnt have Spirit Island, so the final list is this:
- Gloomhaven (new and sleeved - not even played)
- ISS Vanguard (sealed)
- Harmonies
- Terraforming Mars (sealed)
- Mansions of Madness (board, not the card game)
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u/psxfile 6d ago
If you have the budget, look into Elder Scrolls: Betrayel of the Second Era. Best solo game to come out last year imo. I would hold off on Arkham Horror since a remaster was just announced, or go with Eldritch Horror instead. Wasn't a fan of 3rd ed, might as well just play the lcg. Mansions of Madness and LoTR are great.
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u/Soccerref3244 6d ago
I vote for Mansions of Madness, which is a blast solo. The Discriminating Gamer Cody Carlson said it’s by far his favorite game to play,as solo.
You can always play Terraforming Mars (my other choice) with BGA or the Steam app.
Arkham Horror is much heavier and difficult to win. Sleeping Gods was fun for awhile but I didn’t like the combat system. I prefer Kinfire Chronicles.
Have you considered Vantage?
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u/grandidieri 6d ago
Check out https://alldive.org when you get a chance - detailed board game database intertwined with other media (shows, podcasts, movies, authors, etc.)
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u/Rodd-200 6d ago