I don't really do solo games. But I do sometimes simulate a 2-3 player game to try and learn it so that it is easier to teach to others. The official Solo versions like you said have different rules and whatnot so it doesn't necessarily help as a teaching tool and I don't find it that fun to really do it often. This is just something I do to learn a bigger game before trying to teach it.
When I get a new game I always solo play it to get a handle on the game and how it plays, if I know how it plays it's easier to teach. That being said yes there are games I am happy to play solo too, Return To Dark Tower and Omega Virus being exceptionally good because the villain for those games works the same in solo mode, there's still the feel of having an opponent. Heroquest with it's app can act as a DM so it's entirely possible to play that game solo too
I do solitaire wargaming, but only games made for solo/coop . Not versus games with special rules for solitaire. There is multiple channels about wargaming with top list solitaire games. The Players Aid is one.
I mainly solo, If the game does not have solo rules I play as 2 players, if it has solo rules I use the rules to a point, if it looks like the AI player is doing something not good I modify it, I learned this in Star Wars Outer Rim where the AI got stuck in a loop due to how the cards were being pulled. One of the good things about soloing a game as 2 players is that you really get to see how a game was designed, when you play against another person it is more for the social aspect, which is the main point of boardgames, but you are not really looking into how the game was designed.
Good topic and so many thoughts. First off, I won’t include playthroughs (where I play as multiple players) because that’s to learn it. I know a guy that won’t buy anything unless it HAS a solo mode. But most solo modes are just no good. They don’t capture the true spirit of the game and some even change the game entirely (see Friedmann Friese’s “Free Ride”). And like you said, they are confusing a lot of times and tough to track. I had one where the solo rulebook was bigger than the regular rulebook! Overall, not a fan. If I never had a chance to play with others, I would get out of board gaming and find a different hobby. 😂
Much like a few have said… I do it with every game to learn how to play and teach it to players. I also love playing 2 games in specific Solo which is Return to Dark Tower and Room 25 (The movie Cube the board game). That being said… don’t you technically play Strat-O-Matic Baseball solo? Haha
