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For those of us who love to play a mix of sci-fi skirmish games, during the Covid-19 crisis, I though it would be good to create a list of viable solo games and maybe create some short reviews and battle reports to give people an idea of how each one plays and what you need.

Full disclosure, I've just published one and it'll be first on my list, but even I like to play more than one game. So post your suggestions and I'll put them in the list with a link to where folks can buy them.

Horizon Wars: Zero Dark - 10-15 minis - hard sf - solo/co-op - pvp
Blood in Space - 4-10 minis - pulp sf - solo/co-op
Hardwired - 1-6 minis - cyberpunk - solo/co-op
Grimdark Future - Mass battles - grimdark sf - solo/co-op - pvp
Grimdark Future Firefight - skirmish - grimdark sf - solo/co-op - pvp
Five Parsecs - skirmish - pulp sf - solo/co-op
Chain Reaction 2020 - skirmish - ultramodern - solo/co-op

Games that are not scifi but which might be of interest to anyone who also enjoys the above:

Blood on the Blade - 2nd Edition - skirmish - fantasy - solo/co-op
Combat! Starring Vic Morrow! - skirmish - ww2 - solo/co-op

EDIT - I'm only adding games that most wargamers would be able to download and play easily at home with the miniatures and tokens they have at hand, and with scenery made from boxes and pots from the recycling etc. Feel free to remind people that there are some great big box games out there with playable solo modes, but I don't think now is the right time to be buying new games and, if you already own them, you shouldn't need reminding.

Good idea.

Blood in Space is the sci-fi adaptation of Blood on the Blade, a fantasy skirmish solo game.
I've written some considerations/not-review of Blood on the Blade on my blog. They share the core rules, so maybe you'll want to check the post?
https://gabbigames.wordpress.com/2018/09/01/blood-on-the-blade/

Hardwired is a cyberpunk/spec-ops solo skirmish.
I've purchased this one, too, but still have to play it.

They look awesome, particularly Hardwired. Is Blood on the Blade still available anywhere? It'd be good to put some solo fantasy or historical games on the list, too.

 precinctomega wrote:
Is Blood on the Blade still available anywhere?

Sure, on WargameVault: Blood on the Blade.

If you buy it, don't forget to get the two Aghamon Gazette: Issue 1 and Issue 2 (I think most of their content has been included in 2nd edition, but they're free: it's worth taking a look anyway). But especially the Blood in Dungeon supplement that converts the game into a solo dungeon crawl. And it's FREE too!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also two (not)40K one-page-rules games have additional rules for solo play. You can download main rules, solo rules, army lists and more for free from their respective pages:

Grimdark Future (full sized armies)
Grimdark Future Firefight (skirmish)

How "big" of models can HW:ZD handle for human controlled units? For example, Infinity TAGs, Star Wars Speeder Bikes (possibly with sidecar), and 40k Sentinels.

Zero Dark is pitched at Special Forces units, so in the core rules anything bigger than a human in heavy armour is pretty much excluded. The bad guys get a mech (for which, insert anything large enough to need a 60mm base).

I have experimental rules for motorcycles and (very) small vehicles. But they will need some playtesting before they see the light of day

Operation Last Train for some campaign style gratification?

http://therenaissancetroll.blogspot.com/2019/03/operation-last-train-charity-wargame_8.html?m=1

Model agnostic so use whatever you have to hand.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also for those willing to part with cash at this uncertain time, Blackstone Fortress is great fun.

 precinctomega wrote:
Zero Dark is pitched at Special Forces units, so in the core rules anything bigger than a human in heavy armour is pretty much excluded. The bad guys get a mech (for which, insert anything large enough to need a 60mm base).

Is this a stand alone game? Not a supplement?

 precinctomega wrote:
Zero Dark is pitched at Special Forces units, so in the core rules anything bigger than a human in heavy armour is pretty much excluded. The bad guys get a mech (for which, insert anything large enough to need a 60mm base).

I have experimental rules for motorcycles and (very) small vehicles. But they will need some playtesting before they see the light of day

Okay, tbh not what I was hoping but I’ll think I’ll get it anyway. I’ll just hope the light vehicle expansion gets released sooner rather than later!

The Five Parsecs from Home series. Five Parsecs from Home is the core rules and is intended for the solo gamer, and you can add supplements to taste, such as Bug Hunt or Gang warfare. It is meant for campaign style gaming, as you take your crew (gang, platoon, whatever) into one scrape after another, and you can set the difficulty as you like, from cinematic (where your team gets a set number of "byes" to ignore bad results) to true grit (no resets ... just suck it up).

Recently, the author started a Post-Collapse game called Five Klicks from the Zone, and he also has a fantasy version of Five Parsecs called Five Leagues from the Borderlands. The latter is what I'm starting, as while I bought both Five Parsecs and Five Leagues, I've more fantasy figures painted than Sci-Fi. (And Blood Angels and Necrons don't feel right for Five Parsecs. It feels more like Firefly, so I need to paint more Imperial Guard and Hive Gangers first. Also, recently I got a cyberpunk board game with suitable figures, both protagonists and "spear carriers" that would make great crews.)

Wargame Vault Publisher link:
Nordic Weasel Games

Ooh. I'd been looking at 5 parsecs. Is it any good?

 Flinty wrote:
Ooh. I'd been looking at 5 parsecs. Is it any good?

The game seems nifty from just a read through, but I cannot speak definitely, as I have not played it (or Five Leagues). The rules are simple, so it shouldn't get confusing with about two dozen figures on the table.

Five Parsecs does lack a defined end point, though. One keeps playing until the crew dies, the crew is too powerful and so the challenge is gone, or you are bored. In that a Five Leagues campaign has a goal: saving a random number of villages (2-4) from three different types of threats. Bring the threat ratings in each village to zero and you've "won": this small part of the world is safe, and your heroes can ride off into the sunset (or a new campaign).

Urban Manhunt is essentially The Running Man: you play a hunter who kills criminals for sport. Cards control all the crims, and players compete against each other for high score (no direct conflict), or you can play solo to try to beat a previous high score.

I'm intrigued enough I may try out 5 Leagues from the Borderlands.

 Gabbi wrote:

 precinctomega wrote:
Zero Dark is pitched at Special Forces units, so in the core rules anything bigger than a human in heavy armour is pretty much excluded. The bad guys get a mech (for which, insert anything large enough to need a 60mm base).

Is this a stand alone game? Not a supplement?

Yes, it's a completely standalone game. It's got the Horizon Wars brand because it's set in the same timeline and is built on the same principle mechanics as Horizon Wars but, as I like say, turned up to 11.

It's technically the second in what I hope will be a trilogy of standalone games based in the HW timeline and using the same core mechanics but each distinctly different.

R.

This isn't Sci-fi per se, but below is a game based on the old TV Show Combat! that has a solo-play or group play. It is WWII on TV skirmish wargaming.

It is free, since Combat! is copyrighted to NBC.

https://app.box.com/s/thqwlz2djqyfwbrbt58v

DeadZone is also playable solo, thanks to Nexus Psi supplement.
Both rulebook 2.0 and Nexus Psi are free to download from Mantic website: https://www.manticgames.com/games/deadzone/books/

Also, pretty much every game by 2Hour Wargames is playable solo (I think it's one of the first publisher that have offered this opportunity).
A couple of them are free: Swordplay (fantasy) and Chain Reaction (modern/near sci-fi).

Fallout from Mophidius Games has a solo option
Advanced Heroquest as well if you can find a copy

Well, it seems Mr. McCullough and Osprey decided to make Frostgrave and Dark Alchemy (a solo campaign) free to "help out with all of the people who are currently stuck at home".
How cool is that? I already purchased the main rulebook in PDF format a few years ago, but I'm really impressed nonetheless. To everyone that did not yet: enjoy the game!

http://therenaissancetroll.blogspot.com/2020/03/frostgrave-is-free.html

Fantastic. I wonder how many MM-clearance WoK warbands I can make...

Which of these games do you feel would best emulate a dungeon crawler board game...without the board?

On a related note, specifically, is there a rule set that best handles a Legend of Zelda or Castlevania type of one (or two) dude(s) fighting through a fortress, sometimes picking up loot or solving puzzles? Is there a sci fi version that can emulate Contra?

Blood on the Blade is the more versatile, I think, allowing you to pick scenarios and enemy type to fight independently. It is normally played with a party of 4 characters.

For Contra, I wouldn't know... Star Breach has a solo module released recently, but I haven't read it yet, let alone tried a game.
Also, I think Contra is a game harder to "translate" in miniature, being the tactical approach lesser dominant than the manual ability, quick of reaction etc.

Thanks. Fortunately, I think I have Star Breach coming to me soonish. I'll have to look up Blood on the Blade. Who is the writer or publisher?

It's available on WargameVault
In case you purchase it, don't forget to get the free supplement Blood in the Dungeon, that transforms the game into a solo dungeon crawl

There's also a sci-fi spin-off: Blood in Space

Future War Commander (as well as the WW2 Blitzkrieg Commander and moderns Cold War Commander ) work well solo. Each base usually represents a squad or platoon but future war commander has rules for each model to represent one guy.

I have been looking at Zone Alfa (a Stalker inspired set of rules), yet to buy but it has rules for soloplay https://ospreypublishing.com/blog/solo_coop_rules_free_download/

Has anyone done a set of rules where individuals have action points in an X-Com style? Rather than a set of rules where each model can either move or shoot, or perhaps act twice from a range of actions, instead I want something where a model would have perhaps ten movement point and each space moved would reduce the accuracy of firing? Basically, something with significant tactical options and choices over how to spend action points.

The systems you're describing (action points usable either to move or perform other actions) was used in first edition of WarZone. Vor (Fasa) used a similar system, with few improvements.

None of them supported solo play, as far as I remember...