I knew i would like these as our tastes in games align so much but i must admit your number 1 had escaped my attention somehow so am heading to get a look at it now.
It’s just a fun and fantastic game to play! I played it last night along with Weather Machine in the morning and certainly stand by those as my number 1 and 2 picks for 2022.
Love your vids. Really appreciate your positive tone and approach. Happy new year. I gotta bear down and get some of these played. I've had Twilight Inscription set up a couple of times and just didn't get it played before having to clear the table. Tiletum still in shrink.
Thank you! I certainly can understand wanting to get something to the table but not having done so yet. Lots of time I have to just push against my exhaustion and make it happen. Good luck getting those to your table!
Great list John! Our tastes are very much aligned, and I would love to play some of the games you mentioned but they're not readily available down these parts (yet). Thanks for the content you produced this year, and wishing you all the best for 2023.
Hi John, great list. Now I'm playing Tiletum (and I love it), I haven't tried Wayfares because it's not released in Italy yet (but I'm waiting for it). I like watching your videos so I brush up on my bad English. Congratulations on your TH-cam channel. Ciao from Italy
Enjoyed this really helpful summary of 2022. My highlight has been Tiletum. Your comments are persuading me to look at buying Carnegie. I have been interested in this game because Carnegie was born in my home town of Dunfermline , Scotland and his Foundation continues to invest in the City. Thanks for all your work in 2022. Have a great 2023 or " Lang may yer Lum reek" as Carnegie would have said in his formative years as a poor weaver's son in early Victorian Scotland !!
@Father Paolo, O.Pa. Carnegie left Scotland just before his 13th birthday and had close ties with his homeland. He certainly spoke Scottish. His first library was built in Dunfermline and the local theatre is The Carnegie Hall! He gifted Pittencrieff Park to the town and his foundation even funded the annual gala day for schoolchildren doing so even when I was at school in the 1960's. From the early 1900s until 1919 he lived at Skibo castle in Scotland .
@Father Paolo, O.Pa. Sorry for the delay in responding.Not sure if you appreciate that " Scottish" or more accurately "Scots" is a dialect of English. Carnegie attended the Free School in Dunfermline and would have been taught English, particularly for written work.However at home the language spoken would have been "Scots" with its own words and everyday expressions. If you want to learn more about his life I recommend the biography by Peter Krass.
My top pick was without a doubt John Company 2E. Such an engaging solo opponent in what you would expect to be a poor simulation of a negotiation game. Absolutely brilliant to barter with the Crown and so fun to witness the emerging narratives of the East India Company.
Oh wow! I had written this one off from a solo standpoint due to comments from others. Can you elaborate a little bit on how you barter with the Crown?
@@JohnLaRuffa There are 12 'favor cubes' which serve as a mini closed economy for interacting with the Crown. Throughout every phase, these cubes dominate your decision space, as nearly every action you could take is tied to them in some way. You'll be gaining them for helping out the Crown, or gifted them when it's being selfish. And similarly you'll lose them when you're the one enriching yourself (which might leave you without leverage at a pivotal moment later on). The Crown has "climates" which dictate how it behaves and interacts with you. Every climate offers the AI boons while simultaneously revealing weak spots. Each Crown office runs on a priority table matching it's current climate, informing how it will behave for the turn. You need to be ready for all (most) eventualities and ready to pounce on Crown mistakes. Rather than wordsmithing a clever deal with a table-mate, you're cold hard calculating how you can abuse the cube economy and "out-wit" the Crown -- the deals are fixed, but the value of the parts of said deal are in constant flux. The Crown is built to simulate multiple players, so it starts with a lot of cash, strong board presence, and strong voting power through enterprises. Most of your clever cube generation over the rounds will eventually be given back to the Crown for the purchase of enterprises, which allows you to threaten for Prime Minister and the endgame Power Award.
Thanks for making this list. As Twilight Inscription is your number one, maybe I should try it. Any thoughts for Resist! ? Not a long game, but a lot of replayability and a fun puzzle.
@@JohnLaRuffa What do I like about Encyclopedia? I like the art, the board, the player boards, the theme. The cards in the expert and animal drafting areas are reset each round so they stay 'fresh' which I like in a set collection game. Also, Encyclopedia has dice placement but it is relatively easy to mitigate the dice color and/or value. There is always something you can do, so I never feel that I have wasted turns. You mentioned Ark Nova. One of the aspects I don't like about Ark Nova is - the cards in the drafting area can become 'stale' and not very useful. I don't find that to be the case in Encyclopedia. Also, sometimes with Ark Nova I would have 'wasted turns'. You probably play it better than me and don't have that happen. Currently, I enjoy Encyclopedia more than Ark Nova. Interesting, both games have you collecting sets of animals. In Encyclopedia you put small cubes on cards in specific areas. That is a bit fiddly, but is okay as long as you don't hit the cards. I don't have a better idea of how that mechanism could have been implemented.
Hello again! Great list, and I’m happy to share good thoughts about Carnegie and Tiletum, as well as three or four others I’m sorry to say I own but haven’t gotten to play yet. I was in the same boat about Oak, as I was pretty unhappy after the Stroganov and Hippocrates kickstarters and wouldn’t back it. I’ve not read anything much about it solo on BGG outside of a few people saying it’s a little too easy. Has that been your experience as well? Do you think it needs house rules at all?
I did feel like the AI was not too hard to beat, but I think you could fix that by just spotting him some points. I really enjoy Oak to be honest as there is a LOT to consider with generally not too many actions in the game. It is very well interlinked to these 3 resource wheels that fund most of your actions. Additionally, there are just a lot of good strategic choices that you can make which have very solid consequences. The AI foils your plans and makes you think, even if it may not seem to score a ton of points.
Good list, Ark Nova and Tiletum would be my picks for 2022. It seems you liked almost every big euro that came out last year. Were there any 2022 games you didn't like in particular?
Great video some interesting games for sure. The only one I have on the list is Tiletum which I just opened the box to ensure all components are accounted for. I see there are two rulebooks. Since solo plays so different should I learn the just the solo rules or do you require learning both? I won't get into reading the rules until next week. My top 2022 games is Dune: Imperium with Rise of Ix. This just added so much more to already great game (my opinion). Flashpoint: South China Sea and Plain Indian Wars were also great games. Did not get many 2022 games. Tiletum, Lord of the Rings Core Set and Twilight Struggle Red Sea Conflict in Horns of Africa are 2022 games I have yet to play but will do so in 2023. I also have other older games that I have yet to play as well. One 2022 game I plan on purchasing is Heat Pedal to the Metal. Know it not a heavy game but from what I heard has a lot of content to change things up and come with four tracks. Most likely will create my own racing leagues with it. This would be my first racing game and I think it will fit the bill for me. With inflation majorly increasing board game prices, I'm going to pump the breaks on purchases this coming year. Most likely will refresh my collection with trades or purchase towards year end with the huge holiday sales. P.S. Hope all is well in Michigan I heard you guys received a lot of snow. Where I'm at we lost electric for 12 hours at night when it was -15 degrees and my pipes froze. All is well though... Have a great day!
For Tiletum, you have to learn both rule sets. The solo rules won’t make too much sense until you learn the main game, so I would start with that. I have been tempted by Heat, Pedal to the Metal, but I have sold all the racing games I have ever owned, so I am resisting for now. I’m very sorry to hear that your pipes froze, but glad and relieved to hear that all is well. We got hit pretty hard but did not lose power so no real issues. Have a very Happy New Year in 2023!
Im a 99% euro gamer mostly uwe rosenberg games. I tried sentinels of the multiverse as my forst thematic game. And it turned out my most played game of 2022. Still I place my euto games above SotM but it sort of cleanses the palate so to speak of really dry games that I really enjoy. Looking forward to more of your content sir this coming year of 2023! Thank you for posting these videos, keep it up!
So weird.... I agreed so strongly with basically every game on your list, but did not agree with #1. Not only did I disagree, but of the four-hundred+ games I've owned and played over the last 25 years, Twilight Inscription is the only game I've ever learned, played several times and then put physically in the garbage. I even had the neoprene mat and hoped to love the game, but it was so frkn bad that every component of the game, including the neoprene mats, went in the trash can. It was easily the worst game I've ever played. I absolutely hated it in every way. Give me Hadrian's Wall instead, or really any other game.
I did enjoy Stellarion, but there were some other interesting things released this year that weren’t completely Euro. What about Vengeance: Roll and Fight? That was a good release this year. Regardless, I hope you have more luck in 2023 on games that fit your bill!
Excellent video to learn new games I didn't know until now! Happy new year!!!
Glad to be of service!
I knew i would like these as our tastes in games align so much but i must admit your number 1 had escaped my attention somehow
so am heading to get a look at it now.
It’s just a fun and fantastic game to play! I played it last night along with Weather Machine in the morning and certainly stand by those as my number 1 and 2 picks for 2022.
Love your vids. Really appreciate your positive tone and approach. Happy new year. I gotta bear down and get some of these played. I've had Twilight Inscription set up a couple of times and just didn't get it played before having to clear the table. Tiletum still in shrink.
Thank you! I certainly can understand wanting to get something to the table but not having done so yet. Lots of time I have to just push against my exhaustion and make it happen. Good luck getting those to your table!
Great list John! Our tastes are very much aligned, and I would love to play some of the games you mentioned but they're not readily available down these parts (yet). Thanks for the content you produced this year, and wishing you all the best for 2023.
You as well! Happy New Year!
Hi John, great list. Now I'm playing Tiletum (and I love it), I haven't tried Wayfares because it's not released in Italy yet (but I'm waiting for it). I like watching your videos so I brush up on my bad English. Congratulations on your TH-cam channel. Ciao from Italy
Thank you so much for watching! Tiletum is so much fun! I have that as one of my 10x10 games for a 2023 challenge.
Enjoyed this really helpful summary of 2022. My highlight has been Tiletum. Your comments are persuading me to look at buying Carnegie. I have been interested in this game because Carnegie was born in my home town of Dunfermline , Scotland and his Foundation continues to invest in the City. Thanks for all your work in 2022. Have a great 2023 or " Lang may yer Lum reek" as Carnegie would have said in his formative years as a poor weaver's son in early Victorian Scotland !!
It is a great game and has a ton of replayabitliy! Carnegie is also very challenging solo opponent as well.
@Father Paolo, O.Pa. Carnegie left Scotland just before his 13th birthday and had close ties with his homeland. He certainly spoke Scottish. His first library was built in Dunfermline and the local theatre is The Carnegie Hall! He gifted Pittencrieff Park to the town and his foundation even funded the annual gala day for schoolchildren doing so even when I was at school in the 1960's. From the early 1900s until 1919 he lived at Skibo castle in Scotland .
@Father Paolo, O.Pa. Sorry for the delay in responding.Not sure if you appreciate that " Scottish" or more accurately "Scots" is a dialect of English. Carnegie attended the Free School in Dunfermline and would have been taught English, particularly for written work.However at home the language spoken would have been "Scots" with its own words and everyday expressions. If you want to learn more about his life I recommend the biography by Peter Krass.
My top pick was without a doubt John Company 2E. Such an engaging solo opponent in what you would expect to be a poor simulation of a negotiation game. Absolutely brilliant to barter with the Crown and so fun to witness the emerging narratives of the East India Company.
Oh wow! I had written this one off from a solo standpoint due to comments from others. Can you elaborate a little bit on how you barter with the Crown?
@@JohnLaRuffa There are 12 'favor cubes' which serve as a mini closed economy for interacting with the Crown. Throughout every phase, these cubes dominate your decision space, as nearly every action you could take is tied to them in some way. You'll be gaining them for helping out the Crown, or gifted them when it's being selfish. And similarly you'll lose them when you're the one enriching yourself (which might leave you without leverage at a pivotal moment later on).
The Crown has "climates" which dictate how it behaves and interacts with you. Every climate offers the AI boons while simultaneously revealing weak spots. Each Crown office runs on a priority table matching it's current climate, informing how it will behave for the turn. You need to be ready for all (most) eventualities and ready to pounce on Crown mistakes.
Rather than wordsmithing a clever deal with a table-mate, you're cold hard calculating how you can abuse the cube economy and "out-wit" the Crown -- the deals are fixed, but the value of the parts of said deal are in constant flux.
The Crown is built to simulate multiple players, so it starts with a lot of cash, strong board presence, and strong voting power through enterprises. Most of your clever cube generation over the rounds will eventually be given back to the Crown for the purchase of enterprises, which allows you to threaten for Prime Minister and the endgame Power Award.
@@dereksimmons5877 thanks so much for the detail here. Looks like I might peer down the rabbit hole!
Thanks for making this list. As Twilight Inscription is your number one, maybe I should try it. Any thoughts for Resist! ? Not a long game, but a lot of replayability and a fun puzzle.
I have never played Resist. I will need to check it out!
Great list. Thanks for sharing. Oathsworn is #1 for me. I enjoy Wayfarers. Have you played Encyclopedia? I enjoy it solo.
I have looked at Encyclopedia but have not pulled the trigger. What did you like about it?
@@JohnLaRuffa What do I like about Encyclopedia? I like the art, the board, the player boards, the theme. The cards in the expert and animal drafting areas are reset each round so they stay 'fresh' which I like in a set collection game. Also, Encyclopedia has dice placement but it is relatively easy to mitigate the dice color and/or value. There is always something you can do, so I never feel that I have wasted turns. You mentioned Ark Nova. One of the aspects I don't like about Ark Nova is - the cards in the drafting area can become 'stale' and not very useful. I don't find that to be the case in Encyclopedia. Also, sometimes with Ark Nova I would have 'wasted turns'. You probably play it better than me and don't have that happen. Currently, I enjoy Encyclopedia more than Ark Nova. Interesting, both games have you collecting sets of animals. In Encyclopedia you put small cubes on cards in specific areas. That is a bit fiddly, but is okay as long as you don't hit the cards. I don't have a better idea of how that mechanism could have been implemented.
Well, now I have to look more closely at it :).
@@JohnLaRuffa if you do, would appreciate your opinion and feedback if you remember.
You can count on it if I pull the trigger.
Good video, glad to see Wayfarers get some solo love as I'm hearing folks not liking the AI.
I think it is probably my favorite Shem game to be honest.
Hello again! Great list, and I’m happy to share good thoughts about Carnegie and Tiletum, as well as three or four others I’m sorry to say I own but haven’t gotten to play yet.
I was in the same boat about Oak, as I was pretty unhappy after the Stroganov and Hippocrates kickstarters and wouldn’t back it. I’ve not read anything much about it solo on BGG outside of a few people saying it’s a little too easy. Has that been your experience as well? Do you think it needs house rules at all?
I did feel like the AI was not too hard to beat, but I think you could fix that by just spotting him some points. I really enjoy Oak to be honest as there is a LOT to consider with generally not too many actions in the game. It is very well interlinked to these 3 resource wheels that fund most of your actions. Additionally, there are just a lot of good strategic choices that you can make which have very solid consequences. The AI foils your plans and makes you think, even if it may not seem to score a ton of points.
Good list, Ark Nova and Tiletum would be my picks for 2022. It seems you liked almost every big euro that came out last year. Were there any 2022 games you didn't like in particular?
Gutenberg was in 2022, right? I didn’t like that one.
Great video some interesting games for sure. The only one I have on the list is Tiletum which I just opened the box to ensure all components are accounted for. I see there are two rulebooks. Since solo plays so different should I learn the just the solo rules or do you require learning both? I won't get into reading the rules until next week.
My top 2022 games is Dune: Imperium with Rise of Ix. This just added so much more to already great game (my opinion). Flashpoint: South China Sea and Plain Indian Wars were also great games. Did not get many 2022 games.
Tiletum, Lord of the Rings Core Set and Twilight Struggle Red Sea Conflict in Horns of Africa are 2022 games I have yet to play but will do so in 2023. I also have other older games that I have yet to play as well. One 2022 game I plan on purchasing is Heat Pedal to the Metal. Know it not a heavy game but from what I heard has a lot of content to change things up and come with four tracks. Most likely will create my own racing leagues with it. This would be my first racing game and I think it will fit the bill for me.
With inflation majorly increasing board game prices, I'm going to pump the breaks on purchases this coming year. Most likely will refresh my collection with trades or purchase towards year end with the huge holiday sales. P.S. Hope all is well in Michigan I heard you guys received a lot of snow. Where I'm at we lost electric for 12 hours at night when it was -15 degrees and my pipes froze. All is well though... Have a great day!
For Tiletum, you have to learn both rule sets. The solo rules won’t make too much sense until you learn the main game, so I would start with that. I have been tempted by Heat, Pedal to the Metal, but I have sold all the racing games I have ever owned, so I am resisting for now. I’m very sorry to hear that your pipes froze, but glad and relieved to hear that all is well. We got hit pretty hard but did not lose power so no real issues. Have a very Happy New Year in 2023!
@@JohnLaRuffa Thanks for the feedback and Happy New Year!🎉
any chance you can replay Weather Machine now that you’re more familiar with it?
I have highly considered it. Next time I get some time, I will try and give it a whirl! My first play through was an embarrassment of errors.
Great to hear. It was early days and most people had a handful with it.
Do you think one of those games could be in your essential solo list? If yes, which position? Thhanks!!
I would probably make room for Twilight Inscription, but the position is tough to tell. Somewhere 6-10 I think.
Im a 99% euro gamer mostly uwe rosenberg games. I tried sentinels of the multiverse as my forst thematic game. And it turned out my most played game of 2022. Still I place my euto games above SotM but it sort of cleanses the palate so to speak of really dry games that I really enjoy. Looking forward to more of your content sir this coming year of 2023! Thank you for posting these videos, keep it up!
Thank you! I will keep pushing the videos out!
So weird.... I agreed so strongly with basically every game on your list, but did not agree with #1. Not only did I disagree, but of the four-hundred+ games I've owned and played over the last 25 years, Twilight Inscription is the only game I've ever learned, played several times and then put physically in the garbage. I even had the neoprene mat and hoped to love the game, but it was so frkn bad that every component of the game, including the neoprene mats, went in the trash can. It was easily the worst game I've ever played. I absolutely hated it in every way. Give me Hadrian's Wall instead, or really any other game.
Sorry to hear you hated it so much. To each their own for sure. I hope you don’t have another trashing experience anytime soon!
Meh it's all euro this year hated this year for the solo community...
The only solo game I bought this year was stellarion
I did enjoy Stellarion, but there were some other interesting things released this year that weren’t completely Euro. What about Vengeance: Roll and Fight? That was a good release this year. Regardless, I hope you have more luck in 2023 on games that fit your bill!
@@JohnLaRuffa umm less care about roll and write games 😅
Hope 2023 will be better sure