1 Player Podcast

This week Julius is out of town.  Instead, I have a conversation with José Ruiz, a.k.a. Stuka Joe.  Stuka Joe has a YouTube channel with many, many playthrough videos of wargames. It you are interested in wargames it's worth checking out his solo playthroughs of multiplayer and solo games.

He's also the designer of the CDG Solo System which allows a person to play Card Drive Games solo by helping you manage the fog of war created by having a hand of cards.  Don't be confused like I was.  You will still be playing both sides, like playing Monopoly against yourself.  The CDG Solo System helps you manage the cards in a way that will still give you interesting choices and a fog of war.

The solo system is available as a PnP, but GMT is also going to produce a professionally printed edition via their P500, including tweak sheets for some of their CDG games, with more tweak sheets to come.  Not only that, as it is a community driven product, they will be offering their edition as a PnP, including the rules, playsheets and all the files you'll need, with very minimal printing.

I really enjoyed talking to Jose.  Listen in and see if this is something for you.  Even if you aren't a wargamer, this system is something you can probably use in many card driven games.

• CDG Solo System print and play edition (BGG)
• CDG Solo System (GMT Games)
• CDG Solo System playthrough video (BGG)
• Stuka Joe's video channel (YouTube)

Welcome to the 200th episode of the 1 Player Podcast.  Today, Julius and I talk about the game Canvas.  This is a really nice looking game about combining components of art into a single cohesive work of great beauty and lotsa points.  This game uses transparent plastic cards to achieve the goal and unlock your creative point-ential 🙄.  Unfortunately, it is currently unavailable... aaah!

• Canvas (BGG, Road To Infamy)

Episode 199 is about a sneaky little PnP game not found on BGG.. not exactly anyway.  This is a legacy version of the game Ada Lovelace: Consulting Mathematician (which is on BGG).  Julius found out about this game and goes through the legacy experience.  Note, there is every the slightest spoiler in this, but this game doesn't have a lot to spoil.  Check it out.. it sounds interesting!

• Ada Lovelace: Legacy of the Analytical Engine (Designer's site, payhip, itchio)
• Ada Lovelace: Consulting Mathematician (BGG)

In this episode, my voice can actually be heard as Julius and I talk about the roll-and-write game, Railroad Ink.  this is a cute little dice-chucking (for one person) dry erase drawing game of railroad empires.  Hop aboard and listen!  🙄

• Railroad Ink: Deep Blue (BGG, Horrible Guild)
• Railroad Ink: Blazing Red (BGG, Horrible Guild)
• The entire Railroad Ink family (BGG, Horrible Guild)

Welcome back to another episode.  This time around, Julius interviews Gabe Barrett, designer of the Hunted Series of games and host of the Board Game Design Lab.

• Hunted: Kobayashi Tower (BGG, BestWIth1)
• Hunted: Mining Colony 415 (BGG, BestWith1)
• Hunted: Wode Ridge (BGG, KS)
• Hunted: Santa's Workshop pnp (BestWith1)
• Board Game Design Lab (BGDL)

Today Julius and I talk about a pretty darned new game, The Lost Ruins of Arnak.  You are an archeologist exploring what you are pretty sure is the fabled island of Arnak.  At least, that's what you think the uncharted isle you found is.  You will explore the island and uncover ruins, still guarded by mythical beasts and study the resources you find to help you uncover hidden secrets and most especially... victory points!  Listen in and see what I think of this game.

• Lost Ruins of Arnark (BGG, CGE)

Julius and I revisit a classic!  We talk about Nations: The Dice Game again.  A game we first covered back in 2015 on episode 85.  This is a great dice game with lots of luck and strategy and a really good, really simple solo variant in the box.  Come see (hear) what we think about it.  Are we still playing it?  Some more than others.

• Nations: The Dice Game (BGG)
• Episode 85 (1 Player Podcast)

Today Julius and I spend some time talking about the pretty darned new solo game Under Falling Skies published by Czech Games Edition and designed by Tomáš Uhlíř.  In this game you are defending earth from a line of invading aliens as they drop closer and closer to your bases one row at a time.  My gosh... in the episode I compared it to Missle Command but's more of a Space Invaders isn't it?  Whoops.  Anyway, it's a neat game with a ton of options!

Oh wow!  I only just realized this was originally a 9 card PnP game!  How cool is that!?

• Under Falling Skies (BGG)

This week Julius and I discuss solo gaming and controlling more than one player while playing solo.  This refers to playing multiple characters in a co-op, such as Pandemic but also playing opposing sides in a multiplayer game.  There is so much more we could have said but we kept it short at just 35-ish minutes!  We mentioned a bunch of games.  I'll have to be honest though.  I didn't think to write them down so I will list the ones I remembered.

• Pandemic (BGG)
• Pandemic: Iberia (BGG)
• Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu (BGG)
• Pandemic: The Cure (BGG)
• Pandemic: Rapid Response (BGG)

you seeing a thread here?

• Flash Point: Fire Rescue (BGG)
• Elder Sign (BGG)
• Arkham Horror: The Card Game (BGG)
• Proving Grounds (BGG)
• Flatline (BGG)
• Fuse (BGG)
• Sentinels of the Multiverse (BGG)
• Men of Iron (BGG)
• Combat Commander (BGG)

This isn't podcast about dealing with upkeep when playing M:TG.  This episode is about the family game Upkeep in which your goal is to upkeep your yard by raking all the leaves.  It's a light family game that can be played cooperatively or solo.

• Upkeep (BGG)

Another special episode.  I welcome back Lee Broderick, designer of Maeshowe, the grim game of escaping an ancient cairn after accidentally falling through the roof.  The game is based on a historical event as chronicled in the Orkneyinga Saga.

Lee tells us all about the history of Maeshowe and then we discuss the game.  Oh, it's currently on Kickstarter!  Check it out.

• Meashowe (BGG, KS)
• Dwarf (BGG)
• Hallertau (BGG)
• Nusfjord Salmon Deck (BGG)
• More Games Than Time (website, RSS)

This week Julius teaches us about the dungeon crawler, Dungeon Alliance.  It sounds like quite a fun puzzle of a game.. think Mage Knight but in half the time and in a dungeon!

• Dungeon Alliance (BGG)

In this episode, Julius and I discuss the solo bag-building game Warp's Edge from Renegade Game Studio and designed by Mr. Scott Almes.  This is an excellent game with some, um, interesting production choices.  Listen in and get the details.

• Warp's Edge (BGG, Renegade Games)
• Warp's Edge: Viren Invasion (BGG, Renegade Games)

Buckle up folks for this long mindtrip of a show.  Julius teaches about the game Cerebria.  It's a great looking game with some nice artwork.  Definitely worth looking into it.

• Cerebria (BGG)

In this excellentest of holiday episodes Travis Hill joins us to talk about journaling RPGs, including a few of his design.  Come enjoy a chat with one of the hosts of the former Lower Player Count podcast.

• Presspot Games (itch.io, Gumroad.com)
• Delve map-making RPG (Kickstarter complete)