The Mystical Solo Variant
I have many friends who I like to game with. I'm so popular! No, I actually say this to showcase the fact that despite all these tabletop friends, I love me some solo gaming. In fact, when choosing a game these days, it's extremely important for me that the game have some kind of solo element. Most of the time, I want this to be a built-in solo element. But at the very least, I want a solo variant.
So what's a solo variant? Well, that's when a gamer has created a variant that allows one to adapt a multiplayer game into a solo version. This is easiest when the game is a cooperative style, but can certainly be applied to games that are competitive.
See for yourself. Go ahead. Pull up Google, type your favorite game into the search bar, followed by "solo variant." Chances are you'll find a link to Board Game Geek, where a user has posted a carefully crafted way in which to play your favorite game all by your lonesome, and then posted it to share with the world, free of charge.
I have accepted the fact that seeking out ways in which to play games solo does sound somewhat sad. Who wants less socialization with board games? The simple fact is, I freakin love games, and I want to be able to play them when the mood hits...even when my gamer friends aren't available. And the only way to do that for many games is to seek out that mystical solo variant.
I've even taken a stab at writing my own solo variant for the beautifully designed game "Islebound" by Red Raven games. My solo variant was a stem off of someone else's variant. He spent a lot of hard work developing a fairly simple system. But when I tried using it, I found it to be a bit unbalanced. So I decided to take a stab at making my own.
First off, this takes an incredible amount of time. You are constantly play testing and tweaking the rules to make sure that the variant provides a challenge, but isn't impossible to beat. You also have to factor in the ADD of just wanting to play the game. Maybe that's just a me problem.
Of course, the time it takes to come up with a solo variant is nothing compared to the time a designer takes to actually develop a game. But keep in mind that these solo variants are created out of passion and love for the game. Nothing more. They are created so others can enjoy and share in their solo experiences. In other words, solo variants are purely a labor of love.
Having said that...it's also super fun. I had a blast fine tuning my ruleset, getting things more balanced, and creating a solo experience that I would want to play. Challenging, yet fulfilling. I feel like I accomplished that, which was extremely rewarding. Once I published it and shared it with the community over at BGG, I got incredibly nice feedback. One user wrote a whole playtest session using my variant. Another user even created a visual card that people could print out utilizing my solo rules. Pretty darn cool!
I highly encourage you to check and see if your favorite game has a solo variant. If so, download it. Take it for a spin. See if it provides a rewarding experience. And if not...write one that does!
So what's a solo variant? Well, that's when a gamer has created a variant that allows one to adapt a multiplayer game into a solo version. This is easiest when the game is a cooperative style, but can certainly be applied to games that are competitive.
See for yourself. Go ahead. Pull up Google, type your favorite game into the search bar, followed by "solo variant." Chances are you'll find a link to Board Game Geek, where a user has posted a carefully crafted way in which to play your favorite game all by your lonesome, and then posted it to share with the world, free of charge.
I have accepted the fact that seeking out ways in which to play games solo does sound somewhat sad. Who wants less socialization with board games? The simple fact is, I freakin love games, and I want to be able to play them when the mood hits...even when my gamer friends aren't available. And the only way to do that for many games is to seek out that mystical solo variant.
Ryan Laukat makes a darn pretty game.
I've even taken a stab at writing my own solo variant for the beautifully designed game "Islebound" by Red Raven games. My solo variant was a stem off of someone else's variant. He spent a lot of hard work developing a fairly simple system. But when I tried using it, I found it to be a bit unbalanced. So I decided to take a stab at making my own.
First off, this takes an incredible amount of time. You are constantly play testing and tweaking the rules to make sure that the variant provides a challenge, but isn't impossible to beat. You also have to factor in the ADD of just wanting to play the game. Maybe that's just a me problem.
Of course, the time it takes to come up with a solo variant is nothing compared to the time a designer takes to actually develop a game. But keep in mind that these solo variants are created out of passion and love for the game. Nothing more. They are created so others can enjoy and share in their solo experiences. In other words, solo variants are purely a labor of love.
Having said that...it's also super fun. I had a blast fine tuning my ruleset, getting things more balanced, and creating a solo experience that I would want to play. Challenging, yet fulfilling. I feel like I accomplished that, which was extremely rewarding. Once I published it and shared it with the community over at BGG, I got incredibly nice feedback. One user wrote a whole playtest session using my variant. Another user even created a visual card that people could print out utilizing my solo rules. Pretty darn cool!
I highly encourage you to check and see if your favorite game has a solo variant. If so, download it. Take it for a spin. See if it provides a rewarding experience. And if not...write one that does!
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