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Headlines from a Solo Player
Mid-heavy ramblings about (mainly) mid-heavy Euro board games.
"Complete, well-written, fair and balanced reviews, and my reference now to know what to buy (or not) in mid-heavy euro games."
Paul Devlin
Zhanguo: The First Empire
If I’m ever called to testify at the (thankfully fictional) Board Games Court in defence of ‘dry Euro games’ then Zhanguo: The First...
Paul Devlin
Amalfi: Renaissance
Amalfi Renaissance may never win the award for ‘most innovative theme’ but it absolutely deserves more than a second glance if you enjoy...
Paul Devlin
Barcelona
A love letter to the eponymous Catalonian city. Don’t be fooled however by its colourful, ornate beauty – Barcelona is a game full of...
Paul Devlin
Oak
Whisper it gently (and with the caveat that my answer could very well change depending on which day of the week you asked the question)...
Paul Devlin
Alubari: A Nice Cup of Tea
Cultivate and harvest tea, build a railway, keep an eye on the weather. Alubari is enjoyable enough as a solo game, but wow does this...
Paul Devlin
Great Western Trail (Argentina)
It’s GWT as you know it Jim, but with ships that periodically set sail, cities that your cattle will move around in, grain to feed your...
Paul Devlin
Sabika
Sometimes a game comes along that feels like it was made specifically just for you - ticking all of your mid-heavy Euro boxes and...
Paul Devlin
Lacrimosa
Be honest, the theme and artwork brought you here didn’t it? Don’t worry, the gameplay is pretty good too. Lacrimosa also gets a bonus...
Paul Devlin
Skymines
A retheming of Alexander Pfister’s Mombasa adds some space age aesthetics, new bells and whistles and an excellent solo mode. There is...
Paul Devlin
Woodcraft
A game with Vladimir Suchý’s name on the box is now pretty much guaranteed to make its way fairly swiftly into the Headlines from a Solo...
Paul Devlin
Scythe: Invaders from Afar
Admit it, you’ve played a few games of Scythe and pondered why there are seven faction spaces on the main board but only five factions in...
Paul Devlin
Scythe
Welcome to the latest edition of ‘Games I really enjoyed multiplayer, felt for some unknown reason quite intimated by the solo mode,...
Paul Devlin
Gùgōng: Pànjūn
I like Gùgōng. I like board game expansions. So naturally I am going to like the Gùgōng expansion? Well as it turns out, not as much as I...
Paul Devlin
Gùgōng
After a more than positive experience with the designer’s most recent game, Stroganov, I decide to work backwards and seek out his...
Paul Devlin
The Red Cathedral
Inner monologue: “Don’t say it. Don’t say it. Don’t say it. Don’t say it”. My actual voice: “This packs quite a lot of crunch into such a...
Paul Devlin
Golem
Twelve turns, four rounds, one Rabbi, Golems roaming the streets of Prague and students trying to keep them under control. Tracks, Big...
Paul Devlin
Bitoku
An eternal spirit and protector of the forest is reaching its final days - edging over four rounds towards its final ascension. Players...
Paul Devlin
Stroganov
Competing against a solo opponent called Ivan, players move through the wilds of Siberia collecting furs, building outposts, visiting...
Paul Devlin
Corrosion
Get stuff, use it before it rusts to get other stuff that doesn’t rust. Use the stuff that doesn’t rust to get more stuff that rusts to...
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