1P 405 - Popular Mechanics: Tile Laying

This week Julius and I tackle tile placement as a game mechanic, each bringing three favorites from what turned out to be a surprisingly deep category. Julius had a list of more than thirty solo-friendly tile games to choose from and still had enough left over for a long honorable mentions run at the end. Show Notes: 04:55 A Feast for Odin (BGG) 10:25 Steam (BGG) 14:19 Habitats (BGG) 18:30 Limes (BGG) 21:16 Fit to Print (BGG) 26:21 Castellion (BGG)   The honorable mentions Clip Cut Parks Cities (2024) Overboss Nmbr 9 Mechanica Machi Master Caverna: Cave vs Cave Luna Capitol Oros Power Plants Stamp Swap Harmonies Cascadia Honeybuzz In the Hall of the Mountain King

This week I tell Julius about Shred of Redemption, a 15-minute solo bag-builder from Best With 1 Games and part of their Solo Game of the Month series. You play as a corrupt feudal lord racing to redeem yourself before death, spending virtue tokens across three phases to align dice on a play area and clear regret tokens before a final reckoning. Shred of Redemption (BGG)

This week Julius tells us about Creature Comforts, a dice worker placement game from Kids Table Board Gaming where anthropomorphic animals collect resources to craft cozy household items for points.  What's different about this game is that you commit the workers to spaces on the board before you know which actions will be available to you.  It's because you are rolling dice to determine that. If they don't cooperate, your worker just goes home with a cute bandage token. Julius loves the relaxed feel even in competitive play, and Albert is now kicking himself for passing on it at game consignment.   Creature Comforts (BGG, KTBG)

This week I tell Julius all about Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond Turtle Team-Up, a cooperative M:tG game where up to four players each control one of four Ninja Turtle-themed decks against random boss enemies and event cards. Defeat the first boss and two more jump in; beat those and you face all three at once. I've been enjoying it two-handed solo, even if it has very limited appearl. Show Notes: Turtle Team-Up (BGG, Wizards): 

This week Julius tells us about The Peak Team Rangers, a fully cooperative game from Scott Almes and Matagot where players are park rangers completing missions across a wildlife reserve before the park closes for the weekend. It has a limited communication/drafting mechanic: rather than keeping your supply cards, you assign them to other players, so everyone has to figure out what everyone else needs. Solo requires difficulty level four, which means working through all four preceding levels first. Julius loved it. I thought the mechanics sounded great but had no interest in that rulebook.  It's a big pass for me. The Peak Team (BGG, Matagot)

This week Julius and I celebrate episode 400 and 15 years of the 1 Player Podcast with a Popular Mechanics episode on food-themed games. Finding solo-friendly food games turned out to be harder than expected, but we managed to cook up a few good ones, especially master chef Julius. 05:25 Food Chain Island (BGG, Button Shy) 08:25 Wild Gardens (BGG, Rose Gauntlet) 11:15 Elevenses for One (BGG) 14:50 Kitchen Rush (BGG) 17:53 Conservas (BGG) 21:45 Maki Master (BGG) 27:50 Crumbs (BGG) 30:10 A Nice Cuppa' (BGG) 31:10 Waffles for Esther (RPGGeek) 31:35 My Mother's Kitchen (itch.io) 32:25: Recipe on Kmidysh Paper (itch.io)

This week Julius introduces us to Cozy Stickerville, a cooperative sticker legacy game about building out a village over a 10-year campaign. You draw cards, make decisions, and place stickers on a mounted board, with the whole experience being mostly about narrative and atmosphere over challenge or strategy. Julius loved it (as a family experience), comparing it to a physical version of Stardew Valley. I played the demo with my son, and we were bored by the end of it. Cozy Stickerville (BGG), Unexpected Games)

This week I take a trip into the hedgerows of Normandy with Fields of Fire, the solitaire tactical wargame by Ben Hull, published by GMT Games. This is a strictly solo experience where you command a US Army company across campaigns set in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.  Instead of a traditional map, it uses a grid of terrain cards.  Command and control mechanics do a great job of simulating fog of war. Fields of Fire (BGG, GMT Games Series)

This week we talk about Nations, the board game.  Really though, this is a tale of two nations.  We are focusing on the board game but use that to discuss and compare Nations the board game with nations the dice game. Nations (BGG) Nations: the Dice Game (BGG)

This week Julius introduces us to a trick taking game for one or more players. In Power Vacuum you take on the roll of an appliance trying to fill the roll of the now deceased Vacuum.  This is a game with a trick taking element in the game play but trick taking is not the only mechanic. Power Vacuum (BGG, Keen Bean Studio)