One Player Board Games

Board games have a rich history spanning thousands of years. Ranging from chess to monopoly, these games have always entertained us, irrespective of whether we played in a group or alone. Yes! Alone indeed, for when you don't have any companion to play with, these one player games come to your rescue. Let's have a look at some of the top board games for single players, that were introduced over the last few decades.

Ambush Ambush, developed by Avalon Hill in 1983, made a huge impact when it was released. It became the first single player war board game, which was an achievement, at the time when most of the war games required 2 or more players. It also won the Origins Award for Best 20th Century Boardgame in the very first year of its release. Cameo Cameo is played on a 8x8 grid which is divided into four parts and the player has to move the rectangular cubes of same color to matching area, demarcated on the game objective card, such that at the end, each area contains cubes matching that particular area. Carrier Carrier depicts the World War II fighting between the Allied forces and the Japanese in the Solomon Islands, with the player commanding the Allied Forces in the World War II. Catch 21 Catch 21 launched by HI-Q as a popular educational game was an instant hit among the adults and kids alike. The objective of this game is to fit in 21 pieces on a pegged board, on the basis of logical reasoning. Code X In Code X the player has to make connections between the wooden rods of different lengths on dowels in movable wooden bases. The player has to connect all the wooden rods to win the game. Der Kessel Der Kessel is a solitaire game based on the Battle of Stalingrad fought in 1942-43, wherein the player portrays Der Kessel as surrounded by 4 Germans, who were trying to escape from the Soviet army. Indochine 2000 Indochine 2000 is an upgraded version of standard solitaire. The game featured several changes, which made it one best strategic board games of all time. It is played on wooden boards, which resembles the wooden board used in Mah-jongg. Pandemic Pandemic depicts CDC/Atlanta as a city in times of a virulent disease break out world wide. The player represents the team with a mission to prevent the spread of pandemic and find a cure for the plague before it worsens into a major calamity. Solitaire Solitaire, also referred to as Peg Solitaire, involves a board with several pegs arranged in such a manner that only one peg is missing in the center. As the player, you are supposed to empty the entire board by making valid moves to eliminate each peg. Star Smuggler Star Smuggler is a single player board game based on adventure in the future, wherein the pre-programmed series of encounters change every time you play a new game. The objective of the player must be to make the maximum profits for each event.

Owing to the advent of computer gaming over the last decade, board games seem to have lost their significance among the masses. Only a few people today own vintage board games, and feel proud about owning them. If the legacy of these games is to continue, we will have to take a look back at the times wherein they flourished. May be then we can understand the amount of enjoyment we can derive from these simple board games.