Observe Chilling Tales of Barely Evil Riffraff: A Solo Marathon
Learn more about an upcoming themed solo board game marathon at Gameward Bound during October 2020.
The games I play often come down to random, personal choice. There was a time when I took part in challenges and had more of a structured schedule, yet I came dangerously close to feeling worn out. Now, I’m leaving a lot of board games to sit for far too long. The solution? A selection of themed games to play during an entire month! Scary? Only kind of…
A Little Play on Words
The title of this post has a slightly hidden meaning, though it’s not that exciting. Observe chilling tales of barely evil riffraff… Sounds about right at first glance, but I spent way too long thinking it through. See the following:
- Observe
- Chilling
- Tales
- Of
- Barely
- Evil
- Riffraff
My clever idea here spells out October! It’s also related to the selection of games I picked out. I dug through everything, which is a literal mess right now. Shelving is going in shortly, yet I don’t even want to go over how my board game boxes look right now. Now that’s a frightening sight! Ha ha! I still managed to pull out a bunch of interesting games.
Part I of the Games
Voila! This partial selection is more along the lines of the happier or tamer side of scary. I got creative in what would fit in, yet I wanted to make sure I wasn’t too limited.
There’s only a slim chance I’ll even get to most of these games. The idea is to have a nice selection that will encourage me to get some unplayed games to the table!
For some more fun, you might notice that the StoryWorld box near the bottom left isn’t actually a game. Huh?!
These giant cards depict fun or scary Halloween scenes. I’ll try to incorporate each one throughout the month!
A Solo Disney Villain
My husband and I recently picked up everything that’s currently available for Disney Villainous. These are more for our 2-player games that happen every week or so.
Yet a solo variant does exist, and I may get around to trying it out. Some of these games may not work solo, either, but I couldn’t leave them out of the photos!
I actually love this concept of playing the villain. It’s not all about being evil, though: It’s the other perspective.
Not to go off on a tangent, but some villains or usually bad characters take on a different persona when examined.
How is That Scary?
The October theme is all about games that might fit into the Halloween mood with fright and terror. But not all…
You might wonder why Mr. Cabbagehead’s Garden is here. Simple. VEGETABLE PEOPLE. Top that for horrifying. Ha! I love this game, though, and the artwork is perfect.
Marrying Mr. Darcy makes the cut from an expansion that introduces the undead. That should be unique!
Finally, Unfair was my the very first crowdfunded project I backed. It’s a bit of a stretch, but there are themes like aliens and vampires that should make it work.
Part II of the Games
I’m not done yet! Whereas the previous group consists of more lighthearted games, I also have plenty of others that might actually be considered very frightening!
Again, some of these either have unofficial solo variants or can’t truly be played solo. They may make it into rotation somehow, or simply sit off to the side. Menacingly. Ha!
Also in the mix are a couple of solo RPGs I hope to take for a spin. The Skeletons should be very intriguing.
Thousand Year Old Vampire was an enlightening journey when I played the unfinished version. I’m excited!
A Complete List of October Games
Feel free to look through the photos to try to find all of the games yourself! It makes for a fun activity… Maybe. Or, if you’re worn out from hunting down Stealthy Elephants, these are the games on my marathon list:
- AuZtralia
- Barkham Horror: The Card Game
- The Big Book of Madness
- Crypt
- Disney Villainous
- Fury of Dracula
- Gloom of Kilforth: A Fantasy Quest Game
- Horrified
- Journey: Wrath of Demons
- Lifeform
- Machina Arcana
- Marrying Mr. Darcy
- Mr. Cabbagehead’s Garden
- Mythos Tales
- Nightlight
- Onirim
- Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu
- Shadows of Kilforth: A Fantasy Quest Game
- The Skeletons
- A Study in Emerald
- Terrors of London
- Thousand Year Old Vampire
- Unfair
- Witches of the Revolution
That puts 24 games into the mix over 31 days. Realistically, I’ll likely get to maybe 10-15 of these games. That should still get some to the table for the first time, which I’m looking forward to. I scoured my collection multiple times, so if I missed anything, it will simply have to wait until next year. Ha ha! Or another themed month, if this goes well.
Into the Dark Depths
Although Cthulhu might seem to have a very strong presence in this selection of solo games, he’s not alone! There are plenty of other scary settings to visit.
Lifeform fell flat for me initially, yet it’s about time to give it another chance. The emptiness of space and the terrible fear of a lurking monster certainly create some chills.
The Kilforth setting might be another stretch, yet don’t tell me it doesn’t work! Plenty of monsters roam the land.
I’ll likely play a few games many times rather than learn a ton of new rules. But still. Lots of variety in this group!
Looking Ahead
October will be a busy month outside of board games, so please understand that I won’t be playing nonstop for 31 days. Although how nice would that be? Ha ha!
Anyone else is most welcome to use this idea or play along! This might actually help me play more games without feeling like I absolutely have to open everything.
The bottom line is that playing board games should be fun. I’m not holding myself to any overall expectations.
And if things go horribly wrong, I’ll simply have a haunted country estate and staff in Obsession!
Tempering the Fright
See? An official haunted house in the British countryside can be seen here. Ha! This photo actually turned out well… Inside the door is a hidden section of text. Yeah!
I tend to stick with very tame content that’s as appropriate for all ages as possible. Some of these games push that boundary a little bit, yet overly scary content is still out.
That’s also for me because I’m someone who gets scared easily! I tend to prefer silly-scary to disturbing-scary.
Just know that if you’re not someone who likes Halloween nor scary content, this marathon won’t go overboard.
Autumn Birds for Fun
To prove my point, these adorable birds stopped by to have a few laughs over some of the scarier games. I imagine they may have some things to chatter about!
The Calico Critters will also be a part of the marathon, thereby reducing the fright factor even further.
Scary isn’t exactly my scene. At the same time, though, this will give me a chance to try out games I keep pushing off. I’m happy with the selection I can choose from!
Here’s to hoping for a very interesting sort of October! I wonder what makes it to my table first…
Continue the Conversation
Have you ever tried out a similar concept with a themed month of games? I recommend checking out Roger’s SoloCons. I plan to play through previous months at some point, possibly using what I learn from this experience! Do you have any plans for October games, or is it business as usual? Whatever your plans (or not) have a great time with solo games!
Good luck with the game playing. I’ve really not played anything in so long.
Thanks! Sometimes, it’s hard to work in regular plays. You’ll know when it’s time to play, though. I’ve found that working in a few quick 5-minute games can help get back into the swing of things without much pressure. But life can be very busy and stressful, and board games seem like the last thing that will help.
Hopefully, this random marathon will bring some smiles! Maybe you’ll get to play vicariously, or just laugh at how bad I am at winning. Ha ha! Take care!