Solo Wargaming

I often see questions on social media and various forums about solo wargaming and the best way to practice this aspect of the hobby. This is my take on solo wargaming based on experiences over the past 50 years.

Hopefully it will give wargamers who are considering this style of gaming, through either necessity or choice, some ideas and possibly encouragement. Many wargamers regard social interaction as an important part of the hobby and I have even heard one or two over the years imply that solo wargaming is somehow anti-social! As you will see from my wargaming history I have belonged to clubs and played in tournaments so fully understand the pleasure gained from having an opponent which have lead to many an exciting game. However, I now play almost entirely solo mainly through choice. I am not anti-social, merely that I find this is where I gain maximum enjoyment from the hobby. I will explain:

Even as a child when I acquired my first Airfix figures I was just as happy playing solo as with my friends. I would either be rolling marbles at them in the home or lobbing stones at soldiers hiding among the garden rockery imagining all manner of story lines quite often based on war films or westerns I had seen.

Throughout my wargaming life I have been just as happy playing solo or against an opponent. 



An early inspiration in the 1970's was a book by Don Featherstone, 'Solo-Wargaming'. It mainly covers the Colonial period and fired my imagination. Colonial itself is of course ideal for solo play with the hoards of Zulus/Pathans/Dervishers etc throwing themselves at your small regular contingent.

I am currently starting a new project covering the Zulu War using 6mm figures.








My own solo games rarely use an AI opponent, preferring to play both sides. I also do not get hung up on trying to find rules that cater for solo play. If I like the rules and they suit my style of gaming then I will use them. 

Using imagination is the key. When deploying on the tabletop, I mentally blank off the enemy forces and deploy as appropriate for the terrain, the objective and the forces available. I will then do the same for the opposite side. You can never escape the fact that it will be as unpredictable as having an opponent but for me that is not a problem.

Playing a game is like watching a story unfold with dice rolls and command and control systems providing for unexpected events and outcomes. For springing ambushes or hiding troops, I move the opposing forces as you would expect them to move not knowing what awaits them. If they deploy scouts then it is a simple process of introducing dice rolls to determine if the hidden troops have been seen. Games can be just as exciting and thrilling as those with an opponent.

The overwhelming majority of my games are either campaign based or scenarios (mainly historical). Again for the campaigns I do not concern myself too much with the fact that I will know exactly who is deployed where on the map for both sides. Imagining what an aggressive Napoleon, a rash Ney or a Wellington would do and then translating that to the map. 

For historical scenarios, the initial dispositions are normally specified for you. You can then choose to either replay as happened historically or try and rewrite history. With solo play you have total control and do not have to worry about whether an opponent agrees with you.





Another purchase which provides for a good number of scenarios suitable for solo wargaming with an AI opponent is 'Programmed Wargames Scenarios' by Charles Grant. A couple of campaign systems are also included.

I have played a few of the scenarios over the years using Napoleonics and they proved to be very enjoyable. If you prefer an AI opponent then I would recommend this book if you can get hold of a copy. I have seen it occasionally on ebay.






Some of the advantages of solo wargaming really come into their own if you have a dedicated wargames room, or at least a place where you are able to leave your tabletop set up for prolonged play. You may have seen through my blog that many of my games last several days, weeks or even, in the case of Waterloo, 2 months. It may be my age but I find after an hour or two of playing I feel I need a break which keeps the game fresh. That break maybe anything from a brief tea break to leaving the game for a day or two.

It also allows for very large games, perhaps using rules designed for a smaller level such as 'General de Brigade' for my Waterloo game using over 10,000 6mm figures, all based on small bases to allow for formation changes and casualties. That would never be practicable with an opponent unless multi-player in a much larger room. It makes the game that much more epic rather than using rules designed to complete such a game in 2-3 hours where the battalion, brigade or even division are mounted on single bases.

Another advantage of solo play is not being constrained with having to arrange a time to play. On occasions, if I have a spare half hour I will pop into the wargames room and complete a move, or even just one or two phases of a move. I make a simple note of where in the move I have arrived at to continue on my next visit.

Solo wargaming is actually quite liberating. You have complete freedom to chose whatever period, scale or rules to play, and if like me, you like tinkering introducing your own house rules to a particular set, the only person to become frustrated if you get it wrong is yourself.

There are of course disadvantages. The obvious being the lack of social interaction with other gamers (other than the internet) and you will need to collect and paint both sides.

So there you have it, my take on solo wargaming. Feel free to ask any questions you have on any of the blog posts where you will find plenty of battle reports. 

HEARING DIFFICULTIES

This is an addition to the above and something I should have covered. 10 years ago I was diagnosed with minor hearing loss and required hearing aids for the first time. My hearing has continued to worsen in the intervening period. Despite purchasing top of the range and expensive hearing aids, conversation when there is background noise is all but impossible. 

Attending club nights would not only be a waste of time it would be embarrassing for me and extremely frustrating for any wargame opponent. The point of mentioning this being that there must be many wargamers in a similar situation, especially as we get older. My message is that if you have never tried solo wargaming and tempted to give up the hobby because of your disability, give it a try. You may be surprised.

And my final message is to that very small minority who have derided solo-gamers as anti-social. Engage brain before making such comments as the reasons for solo-wargaming can be many and varied. 

 

30 comments:

  1. Hi Jon
    I see the Programmed Wargames Scenarios book is available on Amazon for £60 and £80 respectively seems a lot to pay, any thoughts?

    Regards

    Peter

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    1. Hi Peter. Personally I would be reluctant to pay that amount for it. £30 - £40 seems more reasonable but I am guessing demand has driven the price up. Difficult to advise as it depends on your personal finances and how much you would like the book.

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    2. After a wait I have managed to pick a good condition copy up for a smidge under twenty pounds. Glad I waited and took the advice.

      Regards

      Peter

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    3. Excellent news Peter. That's rather more like it. Really useful resource for solo-wargaming.

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  2. Hi Jon,
    I'm enjoying browsing your site and found your comments on solo gaming helpful. I have now gone solo for some of the reasons you mention but also, perhaps primarily, because I found the competitive aspect of ftf rather wearing. I've had some pleasant, interesting and knowledgeable opponents but the desire to "win" would emerge in both army selection (trawling Army Lists for most effective troop types) and in "gaming" the rules.
    Cheers,
    Kevin

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    1. Many thanks for your comment Kevin. Your experience is not dissimilar to mine. I am sure you will find Solo gaming very enjoyable.
      All the best
      Jon

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  3. Hi Jon,

    Very interesting to read this and to know I'm not barmy for wanting to solo game myself :) I've been compiling solo rules for Bolt Action for about 18 months now and manage to have quite a bit of fun with them. Still a work in progress, but that's also part of the fun. I also hear you on the wanting to break away after a couple of hours. Its led me to smaller points games but maybe I should consider more campaign linked scenarios. Cheers anyway!

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    1. Thanks for your comment and pleased you are enjoying having a go at solo wargaming. Definitely not barmy and can be very rewarding.

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  4. Hi Jon, I am a mostly solo gamer although did have a neighbour who was a wargamer for 10 or so years so (must to our mutual surprise and much eyebrow lifting by our better halves). I'm not a fan of using AI and really enjoy the challenge of sitting down and playing each side to its best advantage each turn. When i have had a dedicated wargaming space it has led to some epic games that I think back on often. I must get a copy of Featherstone - as I grow older I look back with greater interest on these foundational works. Thanks for a great blog. I'm particularly enjoying following your 2mm napoleonic work - here and on facebook - 2mm is the only scale I've ever considered playing Naps, and am just venturing into it now. Cheers Alan

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    1. Hi Alan. Great to hear from another solo gamer and also that you are enjoying the blog. Spookily enough I have just finished laying the table for my first 2mm game. It is just a fictional tester at this stage and will have an AAR up on the blog in the next few days.
      All the best
      Jon

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  5. Hello Jon,
    I enjoy solo wargaming in 3 eras - ancients, Napoleonic, and ACW. Right now I am in my "Napoleonic" phase and after roaming around the internet I came across your blog. I will be spending a lot of time here I hope because I so appreciate your solo philosophy, and enjoy reading the comments of others who are also so inclined. I am retired and only within the last 2 years did I come across the hobby of miniature wargaming. Boyhood memories of toy soldiers came back. I solo'd as a boy, and do so now. I think it has a lot of advantages over competitive play. It depends on what you enjoy I guess. The solo environment is very friendly :) My battle table is a gridded board 2 x 2 (feet), and I use markers to represent units. Some day I will advance but it is enjoyable even at this level. I love to see the scenic, glorious battlefields that so many have created and made available on the internet. I am poring over yours right now and drooling. I imagine them as I move my markers on the gridded board (I do put terrain around so it's not totally bland).

    I have a couple of newbie questions:
    1. I've seen reference to 15mm games, and yours for a 2mm game. Do these refer to the size of the figures used? I would need a magnifying glass to see them.
    2. Other than searching randomly, is there a good source that shows layouts of battlefields for the Napoleonic era? Not actual historic, but rather what gamers use? My individual imagination only goes so far and I need some more inspiration.

    Thanks for listening and I'll be back soon.

    Dale

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    1. Hi Dale. Many thanks for your comment and welcome to the blog. You may have seen on recent postings that I am currently away until 17th March with an iffy internet connection, so apologise for delay in responding. In answer to your Q's:

      1. Yes this refers to figure height taken from top of base to eye level. You will find though that different manufacturers have differing interpretations of scale. So 15mm can be anything from 15mm to 18mm, and 6mm from 5mm to 8mm! I have trialled 2mm as you will see and are really blocks of figures allowing for the largest battles to be fought. Mine are currently on the back burner while I concentrate on 6mm which is now pretty much the only scale I game in. I use Baccus for the periods you are interested in whose figures are closer to 8mm.

      2. You will find many fictional Napoleonic battlefield layouts on my blog created by my Napoleonic campaign. Off the top of my head I cannot think of any particular sources online for non-historical but you will see a book referenced in my blog by Charles Grant "Programmed Wargame Scenarios" which is ideal for solo Napoleonic games. Sadly it is long out of print but does occasionally appear on eBay. Be careful though as sometimes they are for ridiculous amounts.

      Hopefully this answers your query and best of look in starting your new hobby. A great way to spend your time when retired.

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  6. I'm with you Jon, it's fun to have the camaraderie, banter and friendly 'contest' of wargaming with others (provided that it is friendly—wargaming with someone who plays as though it actually matters is tedious), but I too like 'slow wargaming'; taking time to play out a game over a number of sessions as and when available (and motivated). It is also easier to adapt or adjust rules and not need to be a 'slave' to a set as you only need one person to agree (and can then throw out changes that did not work)!
    Systems designed for solo wargaming can be interesting, but similarly to you I do not see the need to have them as one simply plays to win for both sides. You always end up out-witting yourself, or making a stupid mistake and get beaten!

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    1. Completely agree with your sentiments here James.

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  7. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  8. I'm currently in my "Napoleonic" phase of wargaming. I have found that playing wargames solo is totally enjoyable. It's the way I used to play with soldiers as a boy, but then I totally controlled the battle and "my guys" always won. It was fun then. As an adult, I need more mental challenge. So adding "fog of war" or randomness gives me that. It can be as detailed as accounting for the daily weather, randomly occurring hazardous events (low ammo, low supplies, sickness in the regiment, etc.), determining the mood swings of the CinC, etc. etc. Or it can be as simple as something like the PIP method used in DBA rules for ancient battles. It is simple, but elegant at the same time, and totally unpredictable. The more I play at this, the more I favor the simple vs. the complicated. I also like to play the battles within the structure of a campaign. I make up my own. Sure I can read lots of books with lots of proposed scenarios, and they are useful to get some ideas, but usually I don't find them necessary. I choose a basic idea (e.g. one side attacks the other defends, or 2 or 3 "powers" vying for total domination). Then, with randomization of strategy using William Sylvester's SCMR rules, I watch the campaign unfold. Of course I am the "man in charge" of each side, but I cannot control everything and must deal with unforeseen circumstances. Randomization in campaigns and battles makes solo play so much more fun.

    I would be interested in hearing more about how others approach solo wargaming. Thanks for listening.

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    1. Many thanks for your comment Dale. Interesting to see your experience of solo wargaming which is not dissimilar to mine.

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  9. Programmed Wargame Scenarios is now available from Caliver Books at 29.50 (pounds).

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    1. A good price when you consider what they were selling for on ebay.

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  10. Hi Jon - I have solo gamed a lot mostly due to lack of opponents / time etc.. I've been away from the hobby for a couple of years and only now have the space & time to take it up again - and in the locked down UK. I found Platoon Forward on Two Fat Lardies and I'm setting up a Bolt Action 'campaign' based around that.
    As a side project, I've also taken the 'random' board generator described in PF and transcribed it into a (very amateur!) website. It is here if anyone's interested:
    http://www.pretronix.co.uk/Wargame/TerGen.php
    There's no subscription, no ads, no 'hook', it's just my own playground site. If anyone wants to know how to use it, just ask!
    I'm currently gathering and constructing terrain like a loony and building out my small stash of armies - hoping to actually get the game going soon.
    Liking the site and fondly remembering a childhood of reading Donald F's books on Airborne Ops (my personal favourite genre) and solo gaming.

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    1. Great to hear you are fully back into the hobby and your campaign sounds interesting. The random board generator on your website is a great idea. Many thanks for your contribution to the blog and from another solo wargamer. Excellent stuff.

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    2. To Sim Card: I noticed you mentioned you were developing a campaign based on Bolt Action rules. Not too long ago I tried Bolt Action for the first time and was hooked. I also picked up Blitzkrieg Commander rules, but having too much fun with Bolt Action. I tried to cobble a simple campaign of one "army" attacking another "army" (these were misc. battlegroups, nothing specific) at various points (towns, bridge crossings, etc.) in hopes of forcing the enemy out of those areas. It was a bit clunky, and needs more work. So I'm interested in hearing about your progress with the campaign ideas, and am always more than willing to share any ideas I have.

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  11. Hi Jon sorry to hear of the hearing problem, I am now going for a test as I cannot pick a voice up if the radio is on in the background it sounds jumbled. Since I reached my mid sixties things seem to be deteriorating but life is still good. Lets keep on Solo Wargaming !!!

    Regards Peter

    Regards Peter

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    1. Not being able to hear properly is a real pain in the **** but as you say Peter, life can still be good. Solo wargaming really is a boon if you suffer from such problems and hopefully, I can demonstrate it is still a great way to enjoy the hobby.
      I wish you all the best on your hearing test.
      Kind regards, Jon

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    2. Jon, sorry to hear about your hearing problems. My wife is always yelling at me "Get your hearing checked!!". I don't need it checked, I KNOW it's bad. But it doesn't stop me from enjoying this hobby and especially your entertaining campaigns and battles. And that terrain ... oh man.

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    3. Many thanks for that Dale. Yes hearing is a pain but as you say you can still enjoy the hobby.

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  12. Hello Jon,
    Just recently visited your blog, entranced by your WW2 campaign. I am drifting towards solo as my regular opponents get older and I join he ranks of those with some hearing loss. The frustration of background noise is understood. I will no doubt be back to read more of the back entries. I saw you mentioned Warplan 5x5, what fun! I and several friends from college have used the set extensively.
    Joe

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    1. Hi Joe. Yes hearing loss is a real pain but solo wargaming, although different, is still good fun. Great to see somebody else having used Warplan 5/5.
      Regards
      Jon

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  13. Hi Jon,
    Like you, I've found a lot of enjoyment from solo wargaming. Mainly napoleonic, I started documenting all my solo battles over the last few years on a blog as a record of each battle. I've now got 15 battles documented, each with around 3 photos per turn, so some of them are pretty long. It's like having an old book on the bookshelf which occasionally pick up and read.
    regards
    Andrew

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    1. Thanks for your comment Andrew. It is undoubtedly a motivation for doing my blog recording for posterity my games. One of the reasons why I enjoy the campaigns, particularly my Napoleonic saga, looking back how the story unfolds.
      All the best
      Jon

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