Headlines from a Solo Player

If I’m ever called to testify at the (thankfully fictional) Board Games Court in defence of ‘dry Euro games’ then Zhanguo: The First Empire will certainly be my Exhibit A. The real crime for any Euro player would be for this splendid game not to be in your collection. Zhanguo: The First Empire Designer: Marco Canetta , Stefania Niccolini Publisher: Sorry We Are French 2023 How to Play: An updating of the 2014 title ‘ Zhanguo ’ with some new bells and whistles, Zhanguo: The Fi

On the Origin of Special.

Amalfi Renaissance may never win the award for ‘most innovative theme’ but it absolutely deserves more than a second glance if you enjoy thoroughly charming, accessible and strategic medium weight Euro games. Amalfi Renaissance Designer: Takeo Yamada Publisher: Sylex 2023 How to Play: An updating of the 2020 title ‘ Amalfi ’ designed by Takeo Yamada, Amalfi: Renaissance published by Sylex Games sees players taking on the role of “a merchant in the Italian port town of Amalfi

A love letter to the eponymous Catalonian city. Don’t be fooled however by its colourful, ornate beauty – Barcelona is a game full of...

Whisper it gently (and with the caveat that my answer could very well change depending on which day of the week you asked the question)...

Cultivate and harvest tea, build a railway, keep an eye on the weather. Alubari is enjoyable enough as a solo game, but wow does this...

It’s GWT as you know it Jim, but with ships that periodically set sail, cities that your cattle will move around in, grain to feed your...

Sometimes a game comes along that feels like it was made specifically just for you - ticking all of your mid-heavy Euro boxes and...

Be honest, the theme and artwork brought you here didn’t it? Don’t worry, the gameplay is pretty good too. Lacrimosa also gets a bonus...

A retheming of Alexander Pfister’s Mombasa adds some space age aesthetics, new bells and whistles and an excellent solo mode. There is...

A game with Vladimir Suchý’s name on the box is now pretty much guaranteed to make its way fairly swiftly into the Headlines from a Solo...

Admit it, you’ve played a few games of Scythe and pondered why there are seven faction spaces on the main board but only five factions in...

Welcome to the latest edition of ‘Games I really enjoyed multiplayer, felt for some unknown reason quite intimated by the solo mode,...

I like Gùgōng. I like board game expansions. So naturally I am going to like the Gùgōng expansion? Well as it turns out, not as much as I...

After a more than positive experience with the designer’s most recent game, Stroganov, I decide to work backwards and seek out his...

Inner monologue: “Don’t say it. Don’t say it. Don’t say it. Don’t say it”. My actual voice: “This packs quite a lot of crunch into such a...

Twelve turns, four rounds, one Rabbi, Golems roaming the streets of Prague and students trying to keep them under control. Tracks, Big...

An eternal spirit and protector of the forest is reaching its final days - edging over four rounds towards its final ascension. Players...

Competing against a solo opponent called Ivan, players move through the wilds of Siberia collecting furs, building outposts, visiting...

Get stuff, use it before it rusts to get other stuff that doesn’t rust. Use the stuff that doesn’t rust to get more stuff that rusts to...