Top 10 Solo Board Games of 2023

Thumbnail image is from the cover of the board game Voidfall by artist Ian O'Toole.

#totallytabled #boardgames #tabletop #solo #top10

[TotallyTabled]

Timestamps have been fixed! Turns out when you prepare a video at 1am, you might make mistakes like forgetting to put in the correct timestamps. And by you I mean me. Hope everyone enjoys the video!

[Mark-jagger]

I almost jumped for Earthborne Rangers. Had it in a cart and everything.
A copy of Voidfall has been staring at me at my FLGS all year. I keep picking it up and putting it back.
Then I see my favourite solo playthrough guy has them as his No 1 and 2 solo games of the year. AND he has a playthrough of Voidfall coming. Oh boy, am I in trouble now!

Love your channel. Great list too.

[chalex]

Yesss a new video!! You’ve been my go to channel since I discovered it a couple months ago! Love the content- keep it up!

[Boardgametherapist]

Great list! My top 3 of 2023: Voidfall, Halls of Hegra, Heat.

I found learning Voidfall much easier than learning Mage Knight. Icons are intuitive and there’s a flow guide you follow from turn to turn that makes sense. Yes, still a heavy learn… but I’m one of those people that thinks “it wasn’t that bad” haha

[morgaknightgames]

I also don't typically go for real world war themed anything, so the fact that your playthrough of Halls of Hegra inspired me to jump on the reprint was unexpected. You're right, in that it gives a very Robinson Crusoe feel.

My favorites for 2023 are Legacy of Yu, Marvel Zombies, The White Castle (with some house rules for the ai), Mercurial, and Darwin's Journey. But I've got another 7 or so games that delivered in the last few months that I haven't had time to get through, including Resident Evil, Nova Aetus, and Witchcraft!. So much gaming to do this year!

[RedMountain]

Great list! Your tastes match mine. I think my top game would be Oranienburger Kanal by a mile. I just love the endlessly replayable and variable puzzle. I think it was one of my top played solo games last year.

[MattHarropActor]

Voidfall is so tempting as a solo board gamer but my favourite solo game of the year was Legacy of Yu BECAUSE it’s so east to get to the table!

[adurham]

So enjoy your channel! I started getting into board games a few years ago and have been more and more getting into solo games for the past year and some. Your channel far and away is the best specifically in the solo gaming space. Your play throughs always help me determine interest and help me learn games I do have interest in. Always look forward to these top 10 lists to see your thoughts. Keep up the great work!

[ben]

100% agreed on Voidfall. Biggest surprise for me these past 3 years, excellent game, very heavy but extremely satisfying. I'm glad I spent a whole weekend understanding the rule without playing, just setting up, playing few rounds only, etc... I'm so glad to have the galactic box, I can't wait to play my next game because you never know what to expect, the asymetrical factions are so well done !

[asavi]

Hit the nail on the head with your description for Voidfall. It lived on my table for over 2 months after arriving, and despite 25 plays since then (most solo), I struggle internally while picking a game to pull out, always wondering if it’s time to get voidfall back out 😂. There is a solo app available now on the BGG forums, it’ll help you get a solo Voidfall fix if you don’t have the time to fully table it yourself!

[tonybowers]

Thanks for sharing. Great list.
I guessed your #1, especially after reading your recent post. Your comments about it, I've heard again and again from several solo players. Looking forward to your play through. I'm sure it will help me a lot, because I've now found a copy and ordered it. Given the ruleset it may be awhile before I get to it, but hopefully I'll table it this year.
Oh, a couple of my favs for last year are Kinfire Chronicles and The White Castle.
And, I agree about CoB. I have the KS version and it is awesome.

[stormburns]

Can't wait for the voidfall video!

[tracieperez]

Hey Shaggy! Love your list!! These look like great games to try out. Of course you had me at "Oniverse" and then you said robots and I REALLY got excited, lol. I need to watch your play-thru on this one, I must have missed it. I'd love to see you do a ranking of the Oniverse family, not sure if this is the last in the series. Tamashi, sounds very interesting. Again, lots of great choices on your list I don't envy you trying to make your top 10😅

[DumahAtreides]

Absolutely shared with Voidfall and Frostpunk as top games. I did get a competitive game of Voidfall in with people who already knew the game after I had a bunch of solo time in. It was still great.

[laurencesingh]

Yesss I knew Voidfall was going to be a hit for you. Great list! There's a bit of crossover but you've also put some new ones on my radar. What would you say are some of your biggest blindspots from this past year - any games you haven't had a chance to play yet but think will rank highly with you?

My top ten solo for 2023 would be:

10. Micro Cosmos
9. Darwin's Journey
8. Amritsar: The Golden Temple
7. Expeditions
6. Barcelona
5. 3 Ring Circus
4. Scholars of the South Tigris
3. The White Castle
2. Nucleum
1. Voidfall

And I'd say my biggest blindspot is Zhanguo: The First Empire. I plan on getting it soon and I think I will love it.

[TheLivingTed]

Your videos are always so well produced and look amazing. Do you have a video that talks about your setup and the equiptment you use? Just Curious.

[mikehall]

Another great video! You gave me a couple more ideas of games I would like to try. Thank you!

[SpeedyNic]

I've been waiting for this video before I buy a new game! Thanks for making this list

[EliasTrollkarln]

Earthborn Rangers second print goes up on Gamefund in a few hours, and I think it might be the first game I back!

Saw your play through and the vibes of a laid back Sleeping Gods with characters that have a personality seems perfect! We have our second campaign of Sleeping Gods on the table right now and really loving it. So Distant Skies and Earthborn Rangers are definitely games that should enter our home in the future!

[waadeland]

Oh boy, Voidfall keeps popping up on my radar, but long setup times isn’t exactly a match made in heaven with family life. At least it has solo, unlike my TI4 dust gatherer.