"Do you play Co-op/solo tabletop miniature games or RPGs?" Topic

There seems to be growing interest in Co-op/solo tabletop miniature games and RPGs, moving past pre-packaged boardgames like Eldritch Horror, Descent, Gloomhaven, etc.

These games have with RPG and warband-level skirmish miniatures elements and include Song of Heroes and Blades, Two Hour Wargames' Talomir Nights and 5150 games, etc.

Do you play Co-op/solo tabletop miniature games or RPGs?

1. No, I'm not familiar with this type of game – I (do/do not) want to learn more

2. No, I don't play co-op or solo games – I prefer group games with a GM, or head to head games like Frostgrave

3. No, I only play co-op or solo boardgames (Descent, etc.)

4. Yes, I play (please list)

4. First, you left off Pandemic, the best coop board game, IMHO.

I'm not sure what is not a coop game in an RPG. We tend to play them mostly with a GM because it creates a more robust experience, but we occasionally play one "against the game". Right now Dragon Age is the main system, but I really want to dust off Paranoia and Gamma World.

Likewise, most of our coop tabletop games are coop against a GM. Richer experience and all that. We also play a lot of multiplayer, two-side games where all the players on one side do not have the same victory conditions; I would count those as coop games. Rarely do we play a team "against the game" in a tabletop wargame – the most frequent example would be the QILS Haywire scenario where a team of security agents is fighting to regain control of a space ship from a malfunctioning crew of robots.

Yes.

We use most of my rules to play co-op, and this includes my solo systems for Wings/Sails of Glory, and X-Wing link

4: 2e BattleSystem Skirmish. This is a miniatures game, with a veneer of RPG, based on 2e AD&D. It is long OOP, but a great game, by itself. It was offered as a PDF, on RPGNow.com, around 10 years ago, but it is currently not offered. Too bad. Cheers!

Descent isn't playable solo, last I heard, and so isn't truly a co-op game. It's a group of co-op players vs. a GM, with the GM actually playing "to win."
Dungeon Saga is also the same, but offers an "Invisible Overlord" option that creates a co-op "against the game" system.
I might also ask what's the difference between a co-op RPG/tabletop dungeon crawl vs. a co-op dungeon crawl board game like Descent, Dungeon Saga, or even D&D: CR, WoA, LoD, ToEE?
You have miniatures for your characters and monsters, play in a fixed dungeon environment (may be randomly generated as you go, or already laid out), and are under tactical combat rules, so the only apparent distinction I can see is level of effort in creating/acquiring the dungeon elements and painting up the same. Otherwise, play is essentially identical in concept, if not in the details. So I think your example in 3 is not a valid one for that response and thus confuses the issue. Pandemic, yes. Descent, no.

Also:

5. I play head-to-head games solo, taking turns as each player.
6. I play head-to-head games solo, creating a system for the opponent.

Which brings up a way to vote for multiple options, or all that apply.

So my answer is:
4.
5.
6.

Or a general "yes."

Listing for 4 would be Dungeon Saga (which I consider a miniatures game).
5. Ogre, Warmaster, Space Hulk
6. Ogre, Wings of War/Glory

I'm not sure what is not a coop game in an RPG. We tend to play them mostly with a GM because it creates a more robust experience, but we occasionally play one "against the game".

- etotheipi-

A co-op game is one in which you don't need to have a GM moderate the game, and allows for more "against the game" type play. Co-op & sole games can have a paper & pencil campaign/encounter system that means a GM isn't necessarily needed to create a campaign or adventure, so the players can just decide on where they will go, or general actions, and the system develops the next adventure for them.

Rarely do we play a team "against the game" in a tabletop wargame – the most frequent example would be the QILS Haywire scenario where a team of security agents is fighting to regain control of a space ship from a malfunctioning crew of robots.

- etotheipi-

Good to know, love to develop a broader list of these types of games.

I might also ask what's the difference between a co-op RPG/tabletop dungeon crawl vs. a co-op dungeon crawl board game like Descent, Dungeon Saga, or even D&D: CR, WoA, LoD, ToEE?

-Parzival-

Good question. A co-op/solo RPG/tabletop dungeon crawl game can be part of an open sandbox environment with more choices than a structured boardgame. Dungeon Saga, or even Pandemic, is always the same thing – it is co-op gaming in just a Dungeon crawl, or just to stop the outbreak, or just to stop Cthulhuean horrors, etc. Fun games, and each game may be different but always within the same structured environment and setting. Make sense?

Great comments so far!

Yes, Cross of Iron.

Actually both Descent and Imperial Assault by Fantasy Flight Games can be played solo or completely cooperatively. They have released an app that runs the overlord / imperial player. It's pretty well done.

My answer is, no I have not played, though I do own several Two Hour Wargame rule books and the idea of being able to play historical games with a bit of unknown random rules generated events is appealing to me.

If I'm playing solo, it's usually a hex-map-and-counters game. I haven't done that in a few years.

I often run miniatures games as if they were role-playing games, the players cooperating with each other, and the referee running the opposition and environmental effects.

Twohourwargames' many titles for me have the sweet spot between solo minis game and rpg. Light book keeping, and the rules system controls the antagonists.

All Things Zombie and 5150 both filled summer-long solo campaigns for me.

Yes. A great many of the games I play are TwoHourWargames rules and they are designed with this style of play in mind.

Aside from Two Hour Wargames, what are the other co-op/solo friendly tabletop RPG/minis games that come to mind?

Nordic Weasel's Starport Scun, and … and whatever the dungeon version have some options for all against the game but, as many have said, what's difference between a dungeon crawl, all against the GM, or a dungeon crawl all against the game mechanic 2HW or Scum with the bolt on additions ($2 -3)?

what's difference between a dungeon crawl, all against the GM, or a dungeon crawl all against the game mechanic 2HW or Scum with the bolt on additions ($2 -3)?

Well, nobody has to be the GM and do all the prep work, planning so on and then manage the group adventure, so the GM can play too.

My favorite co-op games are all of the boardgame with miniatures style:

Miles better than Pandemic = Thunderbirds.

Flash Point Fire Recue.

Last Night On Earth.

Semi-coöperative one that I enjoy playing in more 3D setttings when I can = Zombies!!!

In my waiting for Kickstarter fulfillment supply chain = The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Yes, but not lately. I used to play solo all the time when I didn't have a regular group. I don't have much energy to do that nowadays.

My friends and I sometimes play cooperative games like Pandemic or Legendary.

"The Republic of Rome" by Avalon Hill

4. Zombicide.

Frostgrave expansions have some cooperative/solo adventures and you may create your own easily.

Arkeo Obscura is a horror skirmish game with an even more robust AI script for controlling non-player figures. I have not played it, but solo/coop play seems to be the intent.

Many other mini skirmish games are designed for playing adventure scenarios, usually with a GM, rather than head-to-head competition. You can play these games tournament style if you really want, but they aren't balanced well for that. Games like Pulp Alley, Chaos in Carpathia, Savage Worlds Showdown, and all those skirmish games by Ganesha Games fall into this category.

I'm currently creating a miniature adventure campaign, which I will GM, using two of Ganesha's titles: Fear and Faith and Flashing Steel. Players will be contending with witches, sorcerers, and vampires in 17th century Europe.

My "Sellswords and Spellslingers" miniature rules were written with this intent. You run 2-4 characters, you can play solo or coop (if coop, each player controls his/her characters) and a deck of event cards runs the enemies. There are simple rules for downtime activities. Most mechanics revolve around a simple d20 roll modified by character's traits (if any), versus a static target numbers. Monsters never roll dice -- it's either you attacking them or you rolling to defend against their attacks. Monsters are summarized on cards. The cards can be printed at home (the core cards are included in the download) or be purchased on drivethrucards.
link

Pulp Alley is a table top miniatures game with a Solo version, and lots--though not all--of the scenarios can be played co-op. It's pretty much genre agnostic, though most of the fluff is pulp era.

Yes, THW's Dungeon crawl game. Nordic Weasel's game is on the list to be played soon too. In other genres, I play Nuts!, might get some of the other THW titles at some point too.