Solo Boardgaming

I do not like video games. I do not like apps. Yet this latest piece of news from GMT Games’ monthly newsletter (Nov. 2025) is probably worth sharing: If you play COIN games solo, GET THESE! They are Free Solo Apps for Several of our COIN Games!  I want to make you all aware of some free apps, created by Prabha Pillay, that you can download to your phone or tablet. These excellent solo apps (for both iOS and Android): - implement the game's flowchart bots, greatly reducing the workload for a solo player, - present only valid choices, reducing the time the player needs to compose their move You can get more info about these Apps from Prabha's posts on BGG, linked below. Xiandi for  China's War Gia Long for  Fire in the Lake Gandiva for  Gandhi Skycrane for  Red Dust Rebellion If you like what you see, you can download the apps directly from either the Apple or Android store.  I hope these apps add value and enjoyment to your solo plays of our...

The year is 2020. Because of the lockdown, I have played quite a few solo games of GMT Games’  excellent series of COIN wargames. And since Liberty or Death: The American Insurrection  by Harold Buchanan is my favourite COIN game (or at least one of my favourite ones), I have played a lot of solo LoD games. And since “British Return to New York” is my favourite scenario set-up, I have played it a lot. Twelve times, actually. Which I think warrants an analysis of the results. With four Winter Quarters cards and French preparations at 9, “British Return to New York” guarantees that the French are in the war at the end of the first campaign or at the beginning of the second one, meaning the game is going to be meaty soon enough. The length of the game also makes sure that many if not all Brilliant Stroke cards will be played (something I haven’t seen in the sorter scenarios). Here are the statistics from the twelve games I’ve played; four as the British player, three as the Pa...