What othe 1 player board game choices do I have?

Avi_dreader said:

I haven't tried yet. But in Arkham statistics report there is someone who won game by seals with 1 investigator (?), lol

Sigismond said:

I've won by seals with one investigator, twice.  I can only do it with the base game only though.

Greetings!

Friends in Philadelphia introduced this game to me a little over a year ago.  As a long-time role-player (D&D, Traveller, Top Secret, etc.), I had restricted my board gaming to Risk, Axis and Allies, and Monopoly (of course, Chess, but it's really in a class by itself).  When my friends had discussed AH, I couldn't get my head around the concept.  First, because I had absolutely no knowledge of Lovecraft's work.  Second, it seemed as though they were talking about two (or more) completely different games, due the locations, streets, Other world areas, etc. 

From the moment I laid eyes on the board, pieces, and Investigators, I loved the game.  Not surprisingly, I picked-up one of Lovecraft's compilations and finished that-off in about two weeks.   The game has so much theme, re-play value, and complexity that while I may lack other players, the fact that one can enjoy the game as a solo enterprise proves quite rewarding.  While my wife is a huge Stephen King fan, she doesn't find the game all that fun.  By contrast, my 10-year old daughter who quite enjoys Nancy Drew novels loves the game . . . especially Kate and Amanda ~ big surprise.

In the last year, I may have played about two dozen games, and I won't consider the first half-dozen played with any real finesse.  Since then, I've kept track of my wins using Tibs' spreadsheet (Outstanding Product!), and have purchased both The King in Yellow small box expansion, and Dunwich Horror.  Over the next two months or so, I'm attempting to play through each of the 12 GOOs with 4-Investigators per game.  My selection process is as follows:

- Randomly pick two Investigators, one (repeat three additional times

- Select GOO

- Play adventure (game)

- Record Win or Loss on Spreadsheet

- Investigators and GOO eliminated for selection in the next game

So far two wins and one loss with the following combinations:

Game 1 Win (6 Seals) ~ GOO: Nyarlahotepp; Investigators: Jim Culver, Mandy Thompson, Diana Stanley, and Bob Jenkins

Game 2 Loss (Defeat in final Battle) ~ GOO: Tsathoggua; Investigators: Monterey Jack, Jacqueline Fine, Wilson Richards, and Mark Harrigan

Game 3 Win (6 Seals) ~ GOO: Glaaki; Investigators: Sister Mary, Carolyn Fern, Michael McGlen, and Dexter Drake

Game 4 Set-up Phase ~ GOO:

Game 4 Set-up  GOO: Shub-NIggurath; Investigators: Joe Diamond, Leo Anderson, Harvey Walters, and Vincent Lee

More to come . . .

The Professor

I just posted the result on the stats thread...but here's an interesting set of circumstances which Joe encountered.  As I don't really fancy myself a fiction writer, I'll just lay out the facts, instread of writing "Joe, having defeated the Mummy in the streets, now faced a more deadly terror from the skies..."  Seriously, I'll save that for another time.  Here's what Joe encountered while in the streets...having just defeated a Mummy

GOO:  Shub-Nigurrath (Monster Toughness +1)

Mythos Card:  Strength of the Earth  Environment (Mystic)  All monsters with a moon dimensional symbol have their toughness, combat damage (if any), and horror damage (if any) increased by 1.

Sky (and descending on Joe): 2 Wraiths Undead/Physical Immunity/Nightmarish 1/Overwhelming 1

Armed with the Gladius of Carcosa, and a handful of Clue Tokens, and fortunately still Blessed, Joe fought the 2 Wraiths.  His Skill slider provided him with a 3 Fight/2 Will.  I thought to myself, "Okay, when will he go to the Asylum or Hospital, or which shall I pick-up...a Madness or Injury card/

Round 1:  Joe manages to make his Horror check with a roll of two dice (Nightmarish cost him 1 Sanity);  With his fight of 3 and the sword +5, along with the Wraiths -2 Combat Rating, Joe had to roll 5 successes (Wraiths: 3 (Monster Toughness) +1 (Mythos Card) +1 Shub-Nigurrath's slumber Ability) on 6 dice.  Along with 2 Clue Tokens he manages to kill the first Wraith (-1 Stamina due to Overwhelming 1)

Round 2:  Joe doesn't manage to make his Horror check (losing 2 Sanity; Wraith 1 + 1 from the Mythos Card).  Combat, too, doesn't go as well, as he expends the last of his Clue Tokens (2) and out of 12 rolls, doesn't yield the necessary 5 successes, and Joe suffers a loss of 3 Stamina (Wraith: 2 +1 from the Mythos Card). 

Round 3:  This round, without the aid of Clue Tokens, Joe manages to roll four success out of the needed five ~ while he would take another 3 points of Stamina, driving him to the Hospital, Leo intervenes with his special ability, and Joe hangs-on with 1 Stamina.

Round 4:  Being Blessed finally pays off, as Joe manages to roll 5 successes on 6 dice.  The other Wraith slumps to the cobblestone street and Joe exhausted from the ordeal (1 Sanity/1 Stamina), limps toward St Mary's Hospital.

The next game featured the following cast:

Investigators:  Darrell Simmons, Jenny Barnes, Marie Lambeau, and Kate Winthrop

GOO:  Shudde M'ell

     [Turns 1-8, Frightening Activity in Dunwich]  Everyone started with decent equipment, save Kate who managed to go through most of the game with no weapons whatsoever.  During the first three rounds, the Investigators witnessed a gate opening at Wizard's Hill, followed by two additional Mythos cards aimed at Wizard's Hill.  Thus, two 'quakes to accompany the Monster Surges, and Gardners' Place choked on three (later four Clue Tokens).  While Jeny did head north to Dunwich to clear the streets, the others quickly around the town, picking-up clues, and having fairly worthwhile encounters.

     [Turns 9-16, Hope for New Day, turns to Utter Despair]  The Investigtors managed to make their way through several of the Gates, close some and seal others.  In one turn, Marie Lambeau ripped a Doom Token off of the track, using her special ability, while Jenny Barnes exited and sealed one Gate after having endured an Other World, while Darrell managed to successfully cast Find Gate, return to Arkham, and sel the portal.  At this point, the Investigators had sealed five Gates, and now the race was on to scramble for the last few clues on the board and make our way to Dunwich (the only location with viable Gates.  Unfortunately, things went badly for the next few rounds, as a Gate Burst at the Unnamable brought our focus back to the city of Arkham.  Meanwhile, several Allies abandoned us in our time of need as the Terror Track inched upward.  The Dean Blight caused another seal loss, and the effects of the Rumor Riots caused no end of disruption, especially after failing to control it.   

     [Turns 17-25, Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures]  At the time, Darrell successfully closed a Gate at Independence Square, while Marie attempted to complete a Task (Mineralogy Report), Jenny completed a Mission (The Light of Reason), and Kate looked for clues in both the Unnameable and the The Unvisited Isle.  As Kate moved forward to assist Darrell who slogged his way to the train station, a Wraith swooped down upon the unsuspecting Kate.  In the end, the one who proved surprised was not the young lady wielding the spell Bind Monster.  The two ladies (Marie and Jenny) quickly departed the Science Building, and in two truns managed to make it to the Northside Streets, in time to pass a Map of Arkham and a Find Gate Spell to Darrell as he dashed to catch the last train for Dunwich.  Awaiting his arrival, several creatures and cultists attempted to stop his advance.  With a pistol and a Flamethrower at his disposal, he dispatched the sentries, and with a bit of luck jumped past the Dark Young atop the Gate at Cold Spring Glen.  As the Doom Track inched its way forward, reaching 11, Darrell had managed to successfully any nasty encounters, cast Find Gate, return to Arkham, and seal the sixth Gate.  The ladies waited for him along the Train Station's platform.  Returning to Arkham with 1 sanity and 2 Stamina meant he would need a lot of tender, loving care . . .

frostling1 said:

Horror: When Darkness Comes (has single player scenarios & lots of expansions), Sci Fi: Race For The Galaxy (it's a card game but expansions add a one player option), Fantasy: Lord of The Rings (can be played solitaire as with many coop board games).... more ideas on Board Game Geek

Try FFG's great silver game "Red November"

The most recent game featured the following cast:

Investigators: Gloria Goldberg, Amanda Sharpe, “Ashcan” Pete, and Rita Young

GOO: Hastur

[Turns 1-4, Trepidation] While not everyone started with weapons, everyone had a job to do, and they set out to do the best they could with what they had available to them. Gloria headed straight for the Bank of Arkham to unearth the secrets hidden within with the pair of Safety Deposit Keys which fell into her possession. Amanda, spending all of her money, travelled to Dunwich in order to investigate the strange happenings there, gaining additional clues due to her Press Pass. While there, she accepted an offer ~ adding two Doom Tokens to the Track, for both an Ally (Richard Upton Pickman) and a Skill (Grapple). Meanwhile, Pete and Rita had made short work of the few monsters roaming Arkham, and entered the Gates appearing at The Witch House and Independence Square.

[Turns 5-8, Other Worlds to Explore] As the Investigators made their way around the town, they discovered more and more about the evils of Hastur, and feared that they would never discover the clues necessary to seal the Gates, securing their future and that of the towns of Arkham and Dunwich. Pete and Gloria both possessed copies of the spell, Find Gate, which they used well to quicken their pace through the Other Worlds, R’lyeh, Yuggoth, and the Plateau of Leng. With her retainer, Rita headed to the Curiositie Shoppe. Later, she met Pete at the Shoppe, and together they made several outstanding purchases including the Enchanted Blade and the Sword of Glory.

[Turns 9-13, The End is Nigh] Gloria raced to the South Church, lit candles, and prayed for their valiant effort against the Great Old One, who would appear at any time. Her prayers answered, both she and Pete continued across the town, Blessed from above. Despite their attempts to close as many of the Gates, as possible, Hastur would soon make his appearance and they would need to prepare for battle against him. Fortunately, they kept the monster count very low, never filling the Outskirts . . . and never increasing the Terror Track, until…

The Next Act Begins! With the next Mythos card displayed and the Act I card revealed, the Investigators added the last two Doom Tokens to the Track . . . awaking Hastur!

Battle Ready! The Investigators waged a battle against Hastur which proved successful ~ here’s what they had at their disposal:

Gloria: 7 Clue Tokens, a Blessing, and the Lamp of Alhazred

Amanda: 5 Clue Tokens, Ally (Richard Upton Pickman; Attacks not affected by Physical Resistance), Skills (Grapple and Marksman), Dynamite, Molotov Cocktail, Gladius of Carcosa, and Carbine Rifle

Pete: 5 Clue Tokens, a Blessing, Holy Water, Petrifying Solution, an Enchanted Blade, and an Enchanted Knife

Rita: 2 Clue Tokens, Alien Device, and Sword of Glory

First round: Removed 5 Doom Tokens, with two additional ‘hits’ / All Investigators passed the Luck check
Second Round: Removed 6 Doom Tokens (includes the one having endured two ‘hits’ from the First round) / All Investigators passed the Luck check
Third round: Hastur destroyed . . .peace returned to Arkham . . . for now . . .
 

It's always a pleasure reading your reports, Professor! Thanx for sharing  and well done!

Thank you, Julia! [Tip my hat]

     Now that I've used all 24 Invstigators from the Basic Game and Dunwich, I'll shuffle them for the next 6 games against Abhoth, Azathoth, Cthulhu, Ithaqua, Yig, andYog-Sothoth.  Arkham's never safe for long! 

The Professor

Now I would reall like to try Arkham Horror only by myself for once, but my problem is the time: it takes so much time to set up all pieces from the basic game and the Dunwich Horror Expansion when you do it all by yourself! ;)

12 minutes, start-to-finish; ready to play!

Or you can just leave it set up on your dining room table. Simples.