From A to Z: A Second Unplayed Solo Games Challenge
Find out which solo games rated the highest and earned some awards in an A to Z challenge across 26 unplayed games.
I did it! After completing my alphabetical unplayed solo games challenge once earlier in the year, I turned right back around and went from A to Z with 26 additional games. At last, after around 4 months, this exciting moment came to an end. As with my first challenge, it’s time to take a look back and hand out some awards to the best of the bunch!
Important Reminders
My unplayed games rarely end, courtesy of plenty of new crowdfunded campaigns and arrivals! I used the great tool, geekgroup.app, to help choose new titles by letter.
I began on June 10th and ended on October 18th, playing a total of 26 games. The alphabetical aspect was loosely followed, mainly for some of the more uncommon letters!
Looking at the overall spread of ratings is always fun. Those above 70% are games I enjoyed in some ways.
My ratings change over time, so we’ll see how some of these hold up in the future! For now… A rainbow of colors!
- Obsession (Plus Upstairs, Downstairs) 100%
- Dune: Imperium (Plus Rise of Ix) 90%
- Oltréé 89%
- Keystone: North America 88%
- Grove: A 9 Card Solitaire Game 86%
- Aquamarine 85%
- Cartographers Heroes 84%
- Sanssouci 84%
- Vengeance: Roll and Fight 84%
- Fort 83%
- Pandemic: Rising Tide 83%
- Marvel Champions: The Card Game 81%
- Tenpenny Parks 80%
- HEXplore It: The Domain of Mirza Noctis 79%
- Above and Below 77%
- Canopy 75%
- Sherlock Holmes: The Shadow of Jack the Ripper 74%
- Koi-Koi 72%
- Blackbrim: 1876 70%
- In Too Deep 66%
- Legendary: Buffy the Vampire Slayer 64%
- Mazescape: Ariadne 63%
- Dead Reckoning 57%
- Empires of the Void II 56%
- Wild Space 51%
- So, You’ve Been Eaten 38%
A Brief Analysis of the Ratings Breakdown
It’s typically rare for me to buy solo games that aren’t likely to work for me. This is why my average rating skews pretty high, often falling somewhere around 75%. Just looking at the scores above gives me enough information to know what I liked and what will probably move onto new homes. No problems there! Playing games is a learning process.
As many know, I take no pleasure in giving out low ratings. It’s all honest opinions, but I still feel a little sad when something doesn’t work for me. There might be some frustration and disappointment mixed in, too, yet for anything I didn’t enjoy, I still hope there’s someone out there who will get some enjoyment. Because… It’s not going to be me.
High ratings are also important, although possibly not all that surprising. Some hidden gems and unexpected surprises usually fall somewhere around 75% to 85%, and this holds true. Many of those games provided some amazing memories, and although they might not have been the best in every way, I had a wonderful time with them!
Major Awards… Again!
Last time through the alphabet, I created a series of awards across all sorts of categories. Rather than reinvent the wheel, so to speak, I stuck with the same ones.
I was surprised by a few of the nominees and winners! As always, the numerical value of a rating isn’t the only consideration when it comes to finding my favorites.
This gave me a chance to remember some great moments during this 4-month challenge. There were many!
Awards also make it fun to think about the next time… Because it may not be just yet, but it will happen again!
ACTION-PACKED SCENE
The game with the most exciting gaming moment.
NOMINEES
- HEXplore It: The Domain of Mirza Noctis
- Oltréé
- Vengeance: Roll and Fight
WINNER
Vengeance: Roll and Fight
Fast-paced sequences mirrored the excitement of a movie scene with quick thinking and non-stop action.
BACK FOR MORE
The game with the ability to call for just one more play.
NOMINEES
- Aquamarine
- Obsession (Plus Upstairs, Downstairs)
- Sanssouci
WINNER
Sanssouci
A simple puzzle coupled with relaxing art made it difficult to not want to walk through the gardens again and again.
CALICO CRITTERS TWIN
The game with the cutest animals or other creatures.
NOMINEES
- Canopy
- Keystone: North America
- Tenpenny Parks
WINNER
Keystone: North America
So many adorable animals! Each was too cute, particularly the babies and rarer species sprinkled throughout.
FRESHLY HATCHED BOX
The game with the most recent release and great experience.
NOMINEES
- HEXplore It: The Domain of Mirza Noctis
- Keystone: North America
- Vengeance: Roll and Fight
WINNER
HEXplore It: The Domain of Mirza Noctis
The stories came through with little effort as my duo traversed a perilous land ruled by a nefarious vampire.
FROM THE ASHES
The game with the oldest release that went unplayed too long.
NOMINEES
- Above and Below
- Pandemic: Rising Tide
- Sanssouci
WINNER
Pandemic: Rising Tide
This was a surprising twist on the system that featured a new puzzle and very engaging sort of gameplay.
INSPIRED BY NATURE
The game with the closest ties to realistic nature principles.
NOMINEES
- Canopy
- Keystone: North America
- Pandemic: Rising Tide
WINNER
Canopy
Trees, sunlight, water, and animals all contributed to a very natural feeling that mirrored a rainforest’s ecology.
IT’S A TRAP!
The game with the most additional content to want to play.
NOMINEES
- Cartographers Heroes
- HEXplore It: The Domain of Mirza Noctis
- Marvel Champions: The Card Game
WINNER
Marvel Champions: The Card Game
Even the base game offered nearly endless possibilities with various heroes and deck construction options.
NEXT GALLERY EXHIBIT
The game with the most beautiful artwork to admire.
NOMINEES
- Keystone: North America
- Oltréé
- Tenpenny Parks
WINNER
Oltréé
Stunning artwork brought the characters to life across all of the different chronicles and events in the satrapy.
ROSES ARE RED
The game with the most unique and colorful components.
NOMINEES
- Obsession (Plus Upstairs, Downstairs)
- Oltréé
- Tenpenny Parks
WINNER
Tenpenny Parks
A moving carousel?! Everything about the tiles and cards was entirely thematic with a wonderful table presence.
SURPRISE PARTY TIME
The game with the most unexpectedly positive experience.
NOMINEES
- Aquamarine
- Fort
- Sanssouci
WINNER
Aquamarine
A simple roll-and-write offered so much more beneath the surface! I even added color to my final dives for fun.
THE GOLD CHEESECAKE
The game with the coziest and most relaxing atmosphere.
NOMINEES
- Grove: A 9 Card Solitaire Game
- Keystone: North America
- Sanssouci
WINNER
Sanssouci
Low pressure tile placement made for a thoroughly relaxing time exploring these lovely, royal gardens.
THE JEWELED CROWN
The game with the fanciest and highest-quality components.
NOMINEES
- Keystone: North America
- Oltréé
- Tenpenny Parks
WINNER
Oltréé
Not only were the wooden resource tokens amazing, but I fell in love with all 8 unique rangers on their horses!
UH-OH, HOT DOG!
The game with the most disastrous turns to work through.
NOMINEES
- Dune: Imperium (Plus Rise of Ix)
- HEXplore It: The Domain of Mirza Noctis
- Pandemic: Rising Tide
WINNER
Pandemic: Rising Tide
Not another water cube! A poorly planned path led to uncontrolled flooding that was difficult to slow down.
WINNER OF ALL
The game with the best elements and most enjoyment.
NOMINEES
- Dune: Imperium (Plus Rise of Ix)
- Keystone: North America
- Obsession (Plus Upstairs, Downstairs)
WINNER
Obsession (Plus Upstairs, Downstairs)
New staff added additional strategic layers to a solo game that was already amazing and made me love it even more!
Land of the Solo Games
After all this, my list of unplayed solo games is still quite enormous! But that’s fine. When I have the time, playing through them is possible without any pressure.
Honestly, it’s kind of nice to miss the bandwagon on a lot of new releases. Excellent solo games wait on my shelves, and I know there are a lot more to explore in time.
For anyone curious about this challenge, please ask! It was the perfect blend of structure and choice for me.
Try it out yourself, or modify it… I was clever with some of these letters, and “close enough” sounded good!
What Comes Next?
The whole reason for this back-to-back challenge was to help me play more games without feeling overwhelmed.
Now, it’s about time to return to some of my old favorites that haven’t been played in roughly a year! I’m looking forward to returning to some familiar rules and themes.
Yet I’ll likely continue to repeat this challenge in some ways. It’s been a wonderful learning experience!
Interestingly, despite all of the hidden gems and fun times, playing through my unplayed games has helped me curb my desire to keep buying more and more. Hurray!
Continue the Conversation
What kinds of board game challenges have you participated in? Do you have any advice or recommendations for those looking to set goals and complete them? Finding a method to play more solo games can be a great experience, and apparently, alphabetical works for me! I’m excited to keep discovering what else my collection is hiding on the shelves!
My interests are small games, hardly any components, solo or multiplayer co-op, multiplayer, between 1 and 2 on BGG, less than 30 min to play. Less thinking, more laughs.
Great criteria for fun gaming! I enjoy the laughs, too. Although there’s a time for the more complex and serious games, anything that I find funny gets to the table more often. This might also explain why I use my Calico Critters and the popcorn tricycle in a lot of board game photography… Guaranteed to bring a smile even to some of the drier board game themese out there!
Hope you continue to have a great time playing games that make you laugh!
Uh oh I see you enjoyed Aquamarine quite a bit. I’ll be printing it then, since I backed the game on the basis I enjoyed Voyages and … who needs a reason anyway?
Ha! It was a very fun experience, and I enjoyed doing a little bit of coloring on the black-and-white printouts. Very interesting with lots of decisions to make. I hope you have a great time with it!