I kinda like that the Alien ripoff game is better than the official Alien games (at least in my opinion).
I played a game of Final Girl and lost miserably. I love the game concept and the art, but I just can't get into it (I've tried). The mechanics are too random and boring. I really want to like this game, but it's not happening, so I'm not going to back the Kickstarter.
I've also started playing Tainted Grail: Last Knight. I really liked the story in Fall off Avalon, so hopefully Last Knight is as good.
Besides physical games, I played a few async games online.
TI4 - Finished a game I've been playing for about a month. I didn't win, but I was close.
Dune - Playing as Emperor. Still pretty early in the game.
Gandhi - Playing as the Revolutionaries. Doing pretty well and it's close to the end of the game. This is probably my favorite COIN game.
This is a pretty good list that balances how fun the game is with complexity and popularity. I've played all the games except Star Wars and War of the Ring, and I liked them all (except maybe Gaia Project, because I like Terra Mystica more).
Of course there are a lot of war games that are more complicated, but I can't think of any war game that's more complicated, more popular, and more fun than the games on the list.
I don't know the author of the article, so, for all I know, they might have just searched for the top complicated games on BGG, but the result is a pretty good list.
Sony - When the ps3 came out it had the OtherOS feature that allowed users to install Linux. This was the main reason I bought a PS3 instead of other systems. From the beginning, it turned out that Sony crippled the OtherOS by restricting resources that were available to it.
After a few years, they removed the OtherOS feature, because someone hacked it, which could possibly lead to pirating ps3 games.
They sold me a PS3 based on a specific feature and then disabled that feature. I will never knowingly buy a Sony product again.
Same here. I had a bunch of their CDs and downloaded a few Metallica songs. Then I got kicked off of Napster after they sued, and haven't been able to listen to Metallica since then. I'm not boycotting them, and they're within their right to sue, but the whole incident just soured their songs in my mind.
Played Dune Imperium for the first time, solo. The game is a lot simpler (in terms of rules) than I expected it to be. I thought the game was just ok. The bot system was one of the lowest maintenance and easiest bot systems I've ever used. I'll probably play it again this week to see if I can get more into it.
It really depends on what kind of game you're looking for. There are a lot of very good single player games out there, and what's right for one person might not be right for another.
Here are some questions you should keep in mind for selecting a game (besides budget): Are you looking for something lightweight that doesn't take up a ton of room and can be played quickly? (Friday, Onirim)
Are you looking for something heavy where you have to spend time thinking about each action? (Mage Knight, Spirit Island)
Is this a game that will be sitting out on your table for weeks? (any campaign game)
Are you looking for something with a story/adventure? (Tainted Grail, 7th Continent, a lot of other Kickstarter games)
Do you want something that has a ton of expansions coming out all the time? (Arkham Horror LCG)
What genres are you into (sci-fi, grimdark fantasy, historical, etc...)?
As mentioned in another comment, the People's Choice top 200 by the BGG 1 Player Guild is a very good resource, but I wouldn't necessarily focus on just the top 10 (for example, I'm not a fan of Spirit Island or Marvel Champions, but I know other people are).
I really like Deep Space D6 for Android (it might be on IOS too). It's a quick and easy game, that I like playing on the phone when there's nothing else to do. The game is very basic without cool graphics, but that's what I like about it.
Such a cool looking game. Love the art and the components. I got it randomly, for really cheap a few years back, but haven't had a chance to play it yet. How does this game play with 3 players?
Trying to start playing Marvel Champions again after not playing it for half a year. I bought a bunch of content for it, because I love the game concept, but at this point, if I can't get myself to be excited about playing it, I'll cut my losses and sell it off.
Besides Marvel Champions, I mostly played games online this week.
Dune - In the middle of an asynchronous game of Dune. This is a great game, with a lot of history. It was originally released in 1979 by Avalon Hill, by the same team that made Cosmic Encounter, and has a large following who are into the game, books, and movies. Right now I'm waiting eagerly for the new expansion that's, hopefully, coming out in September.
Twilight Imperium 4 - I just got into this game, and it's awesome. Took a little time to get used to the player dynamic, which is a lot less combative then Dune tends to be, but I'm very excited to play this more.
Pax Pamir 2e - In the middle of a Pax Pamir 2e game on Vassal. Great and beautiful looking game. I'll probably play solo using the physical game this week.
6 nimmt! - I've gotten into the habit of playing a game of 6 nimmt! on BGA any time I have some free time. It's short, relaxing, and I don't have to think much while playing it.
I'm excited about it, but I'll probably wait and try it on VASSAL before deciding if I want to buy it.
I like learning about the history associated with the COIN games, so I'll have to see if a sci-fi COIN games is something I can get into.
I'm even more excited about the irregular conflicts series games coming out, which are based on the COIN system, especially Vijayanagara and Cross Bronx Expressway (not sure how I feel about the Robin Hood one yet).
That's what I was going to do originally before I saw the Kickstarter. The reason I went with the printed table is I didn't want to be locked into a specific table size. With the printed table I can resize it based on the game I'm playing, but having said that, a wood table would have better rigity and would probably be less expensive.
This took around 4 rolls at about $15 per roll + cost of the Kickstarter.
It took a long time. The table is expandable, and the one I made is 2 rows of 4 tiles. You can't see the tiles in the picture, but they provide structure for the table, and the fake wood tiles snap on to them.
I was printing this thing for weeks. From what I remember, this was the print time:
- 8 tiles x 8 hours each = 64 hours
- 12 long wood planks x 8 hours each = 96 hours
- 8 short wood planks x 4 hours each = 32 hours
- 12 rails (corners took the same time as sides) x 3 hours each = 36 hour
- Misc hardware and legs = 8 hours
Total was around 236 hours, printed completely in PLA.
My printer isn't very fast, but I know some of the people who have a Bambu Lab X1 printer got this printed a lot faster. Also, I decided to print the minimum to have a boardgame table I can use on a couch, but they have themed rails, dice towers, component cups, etc... that people are printing.
I'll probably print another row for larger games, and some components to help with storage, and then I'll be done.
I just finished 3d printing a small boardgame table from the StageTop Kickstarter. I wanted to have a portable surface I could use for playing boardgames on a couch, and can then move to a table, and so far it's working pretty well. It has a little bit of flex, but not enough to move any of the pieces.
Here's the link in case anyone is interested (I'm not affiliated with them, besides backing the Kickstarter):
https://www.myminifactory.com/campaigns/stagetop-the-3d-printed-gaming-table-1550
Twilight Imperium 4 and Too Many Bones. TI4 will only last so long on a damp island. After that I'll need something more durable.
Based on your list, I recommend an older HBO show called Carnivale. It's a grimdark show about a traveling carnival during the US dust bowl. Unfortunately it was cancelled after the second season.