December 14, 2024

Solo & Solitaire Wargaming & Historical Gaming Survey Results 2024

Brant Guillory, 18 September 2024

Last year, we partnered with Beyond Solitaire to launch a short survey about your solo wargaming preferences.  Our grandiose plan was to make this an annual event, which would allow us to look at the changes over time, as well as capture new games entering the marketplace.  It would also allow to see if those new games were a “flash in the pan” or had actual long-haul staying power.

If you’re interested in last year’s results, you can find them here.

How We Ran This Survey1

We use a Google Form to capture the results, and shared it across a wide variety of wargaming sources (BGG, CSW, our own sites & social media channels, groups on FB and Reddit, discussed on YouTube shows, and through targeted emails) to recruit participants.  Total number of valid2 entries we had was 222; last year was 256.

We asked respondents to give us their top 5 favorite solo / solitaire games, and to give us the URL to the specific entry on BoardGameGeek, so that we wouldn’t have to parse through which edition of the game, or separate which game in a series, or which typo’ed title of three similar games the respondent intended to give us.

Pasting in URLs from BGG is not the most elegant way to collect this information, but right now we don’t have a good way to connect to BoardGameGeek’s API to allow for the same sort of type-ahead feature they use on their site, and we need a good way to keep data consistent across varying editions of games, different publishers reusing the same game titles, typos in game titles, etc.

We asked a couple of optional questions about preferred type of content, frequency of play, and how long people had been playing.  A notable change from last year was asking specifically about their frequency of solo gameplay.

As noted last year,:

  • We intentionally chose to describe this as “solo/solitaire” as we wanted people to include any game they enjoy playing on their own, whether it was purpose-designed as a solo game, a broader game with a dedicated solitaire mode, or a truly multi-player game that you’re either playing multi-handed or have adapted to solo play.
  • We described this as a “wargaming and historical gaming” survey because we specifically wanted to avoid trying to screen certain games in/out based on some ever-arguable never-agreed-upon definition of “wargame”.  So Twilight Struggle and Gandhi are in, but maybe not Carcassonne or Ticket to Ride even with their historical themes.

Games were scored on a descending 5-4-3-2-1 scale, so if someone voted the game in first place, it got 5 points and second place got 4, and so on down.

For games with identical Sum scores, we then looked at the Average value of their votes.  In the event that the Average was also identical, we then sorted by Count, and finally, Title.  That level of sorting really only appears way at the end of the table where many, many games all earned an identical single vote in the same 1-thu-5 place.

 

Results

So here is this year’s list of games, all 446 of them

RankTitlecount sum AverageDiff / 23releaseddesigner
1D-Day at Omaha Beach30973.2302009John H. Butterfield
2Skies Above Britain25863.4432022Jeremy White
3RAF: The Battle of Britain 194020733.6552009John H. Butterfield
4Pax Pamir: Second Edition17684-22019Cole Wehrle
5Fields of Fire16563.5202008Ben Hull
6Halls of Hegra19562.95-22023Petter Schanke Olsen
7Mr. President: The American Presidency, 2001-202016513.19-12023Gene Billingsley
8B-17: Queen of the Skies15503.33181981Glen Frank
9John Company: Second Edition11423.8292022Cole Wehrle
10Fire in the Lake13423.23-12014Mark Herman
11Pavlov's House12413.42-82018David Thompson (I)
12Navajo Wars16402.512013Joel Toppen
13Vijayanagara: The Deccan Empires of Medieval India, 1290-139810363.6(new)2024Cory Graham
14Atlantic Chase: The Kriegsmarine Against the Home Fleet 1939-194212352.92(new)2021Jeremy White
15Ambush!10343.4-41983John H. Butterfield
16Enemy Action: Ardennes11333-102015John H. Butterfield
17D-Day at Tarawa10323.2-62014John H. Butterfield
18Pendragon: The Fall of Roman Britain10313.13052017Morgane Gouyon-Rety
19Stalingrad: Advance to the Volga, 194210313.11032023Michael Rinella
20Solitaire ASL12312.58-61995Charles Kibler
21I, Napoleon11292.64(new)2024Ted Raicer
22The Hunters: German U-Boats at War, 1939-4311292.64-122013Gregory M. Smith
23Skies Above the Reich8283.572018Mark Aasted
24Patton's Best9273161987Bruce Shelley
25Cuba Libre8263.2512013Jeff Grossman
26Mrs Thatcher's War: The Falklands, 19827253.57132017Ben Madison
27Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear! – Operation Barbarossa 1941 (Second Edition)6233.8372012Uwe Eickert
28Comanchería: The Rise and Fall of the Comanche Empire7233.29652016Joel Toppen
29Labyrinth: The War on Terror, 2001 – ?10232.3682010Volko Ruhnke
30Western Front Ace: The Great War in the Air, 1916-19185224.4(new)2023Gregory M. Smith
31Combat! Vol. 18222.75492019Ross Mortell
32B-17 Flying Fortress Leader5214.2692017Dean Brown
33RAF5214.2311986John H. Butterfield
34Liberty or Death: The American Insurrection7213-42016Harold Buchanan
35Cruel Necessity: The English Civil Wars 1640-16538212.6312013John Welch
36The White Tribe: Rhodesia's War 1966-19805204312018Ben Madison
37Enemy Action: Kharkov6203.331592022John H. Butterfield
38Phantom Leader: Deluxe Edition6203.33-182013Dan Verssen
39Salerno '437202.86692022Mark Simonitch
40Colonial Twilight: The French-Algerian War, 1954-628202.532017Brian Train
41Falling Sky: The Gallic Revolt Against Caesar5193.81302016Volko Ruhnke
42Pax Renaissance: 2nd Edition5193.8-172021Phil Eklund
43Undaunted: Normandy6193.173462019Trevor Benjamin
44Manila: The Savage Streets, 19456183(new)2024Michael Rinella
45The British Way: Counterinsurgency at the End of Empire61831102023Stephen Rangazas
46Undaunted: Reinforcements4174.25-292021Trevor Benjamin
47Global War: World War II Worldwide 1939-19456172.83(new)2023Wes Erni
48Twilight Struggle: Red Sea – Conflict in the Horn of Africa6172.83892022Jason Matthews
49Field Commander: Napoleon7172.4302011Dan Verssen
50Carrier: The Southwest Pacific Campaign – 1942-1943416431990Jon Southard
51Europa Universalis: The Price of Power4153.75-132023Eivind Vetlesen
52Bismarck Solitaire: Deluxe Edition5153-372023Sean Cooke
53Freedom: The Underground Railroad6152.5(new)2013Brian Mayer
54Resist!6152.5-262022Trevor Benjamin
55We Must Tell the Emperor4143.522010Steve Carey
56Peloponnesian War5142.8-242019Mark Herman
57Thunderbolt Apache Leader6142.33792012Dan Verssen
58N: The Napoleonic Wars3134.33(new)2017Ben Madison
59Silent War + IJN (Second Edition)3134.33-182023Brien J. Miller
60Advanced Squad Leader4133.25-141985Don Greenwood
61Lanzerath Ridge4133.25-392022David Thompson (I)
62Stilicho: Last of the Romans4133.25382020Robert DeLeskie
63Storm Above the Reich4133.25252021Mark Aasted
64The Mission: Early Christianity from the Crucifixion to the Crusades4133.25482020Ben Madison
65Tokyo Express: The Guadalcanal Naval Campaign – 19424133.25141988Jon Southard
66Warfighter: The Tactical Special Forces Card Game4133.25212014Dan Verssen
67Empire of the Sun: The Pacific War 1941-19455132.6(new)2005Mark Herman
68A Most Fearful Sacrifice: The Three Days of Gettysburg3124852022Hermann Luttmann
69Nemo's War (Second Edition)412312017Chris Taylor (I)
70Tarawa 19434123-422021Grant Wylie
71By Stealth and Sea3113.67322020Nicola Saggini
72In Magnificent Style: Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg3113.67342012Hermann Luttmann
73People Power: Insurgency in the Philippines, 1981-19863113.67472023Kenneth Tee
74Prime Minister3113.671202023Paul Hellyer
75Ottoman Sunset: The Great War in the Near East5112.2(new)2010Darin A. Leviloff
76Dutch Resistance: Orange Shall Overcome!2105912023Marcel Kšhler
77El Rey Planeta2105-252024Ivan Notario
78Men of Iron Battles Tri-Pack: Men of Iron, Infidel, Blood & Roses2105(new)2020Richard H. Berg
79Sharp Practice: Wargame Rules for Large Skirmishes in the Era of Black Powder, 1700 to 18652105(new)2008Richard Clarke (III)
80The Dark Valley2105(new)2013Ted Raicer
81World At War 85: Storming the Gap2105(new)2019Matt Lohse
82A Glorious Chance: The Naval Struggle for Lake Ontario in the War of 18123103.33-132023Gina Willis
83Hornet Leader: Carrier Air Operations4102.5(new)2010Dan Verssen
84Silent Victory: U.S. Submarines in the Pacific, 1941-454102.51172016Gregory M. Smith
85Soviet Dawn: The Russian Civil War, 1918-19214102.5412009Darin A. Leviloff
86Carrier Battle: Philippine Sea294.51502023Jon Southard
87Pericles: The Peloponnesian Wars294.5122017Mark Herman
88Sicily: The Race for Messina294.5(new)1981Dick Rustin
89The Hunted: Twilight of the U-Boats, 1943-45294.5-302020Gregory M. Smith
90The Lost Cause: The American Civil War, 1861-1865294.5-292010Hans von Stockhausen
91Castle Itter: The Strangest Battle of WWII3931182019David Thompson (I)
92Enemy Coast Ahead: The Doolittle Raid393382017Jeremy White
93Wing Leader: Victories 1940-1942 (Second Edition)3931022019Lee Brimmicombe-Wood
94Corsair Leader492.25(new)2005Dan Verssen
95Gandhi: The Decolonization of British India, 1917 – 1947492.25-472019Bruce Mansfield
96Picket Duty: Kamikaze Attacks against U.S. Destroyers – Okinawa, 1945492.253072013Steve Dixon
97D-Day at Peleliu284-552015John H. Butterfield
98Field Commander: Alexander284-822009Dan Verssen
99The Lost Valley: The Siege of Diên Biên Phù2842652020Jacques Rabier
100Conquest of Paradise382.67(new)2007Kevin McPartland
101Mosby's Raiders: Guerilla Warfare in the Civil War382.67-641985Eric Lee Smith
102The Wars of Marcus Aurelius382.67162018Robert DeLeskie
103Paths of Glory4822421999Ted Raicer
104Warfighter: The WWII Tactical Combat Card Game482(new)2016Dan Verssen
105Agricola, Master of Britain273.5-722016Amabel Holland
106Battle Above the Clouds273.5232010Ed Beach
107Don't Tread on Me: The American Revolution Solitaire Board Game (2014)273.5-842014Ben Madison
108Norman Conquests: Men of Iron Volume V273.5(new)2023Ralph Shelton
109Stonewall Jackson's Way II: Battles of Bull Run273.5(new)2013Joseph M. Balkoski
110The First Jihad: The Rise of Islam 632-750273.5(new)2020Wes Erni
111The Lamps are Going Out: World War I273.5(new)2016Kirk Uhlmann
112Banish the Snakes: A Game of St. Patrick in Ireland (2023)372.33-362023Kevin McPartland
113Downfall: Conquest of the Third Reich, 1942-1945372.33(new)2023John H. Butterfield
114Hearts and Minds: Vietnam 1965-1975 (Third Edition)372.33-32019John Poniske
115Kaiserkrieg! The Great War 1914-1918372.33-642022Ben Madison
116Leaving Earth372.331732015Joseph Fatula
117No Retreat! The Russian Front372.33-72011Carl Paradis
118Time of Crisis: The Roman Empire in Turmoil, 235-284 AD372.33(new)2017Wray Ferrell
119Beneath the Med: Regia Marina at Sea 1940-1943471.75-282020Gregory M. Smith
120Votes for Women471.75(new)2022Tory Brown
121Raid on St. Nazaire571.4(new)1987Robert G. Markham
122A Victory Lost: Crisis in Ukraine 1942-1943263252006Tetsuya Nakamura
123Andean Abyss263212012Volko Ruhnke
124Battles of Medieval Britain: A Solitaire Wargame263-292022Mike Lambo
125Cities of the Damned: Aachen and Cassino263(new)2024Michael Rinella
126Jeff Davis: The Confederacy at War2631092019Ben Madison
127Plantagenet: Cousins' War for England, 1459 - 14852631802023Francisco Gradaille
128Space Empires 4X263(new)2011Jim Krohn
129Tetrarchia263-52015Miguel MarquŽs
130The Plum Island Horror2632172023Hermann Luttmann
131Zulus on the Ramparts!: The Battle of Rorke's Drift – Second Edition263(new)2009Joseph Miranda
132The Shores of Tripoli461.5-502020Kevin Bertram
133A Week In Hell: The Battle of Hue155282010Laurent Guenette
134Arc of the Kaiser's Last Raider155-762019Joseph Miranda
135Archie's War: The Battle for Guadalcanal155132023Derek Croxton
136Austerlitz 1805: Rising Eagles155(new)2016Walter Vejdovsky
137Axis Empires: Totaler Krieg!155(new)2011Alan Emrich
138Band of Brothers: Texas Arrows155(new)2016Beresford Dickens
139Battles of Kursk: A Solitaire Wargame1553022024Mike Lambo
140Blue & Gray: Four American Civil War Battles155(new)1975Kip Allen
141Britannia155(new)1986Lewis Pulsipher
142Crossing the Line: Aachen 19441553052019Dirk Blennemann
143Crowbar! The Rangers at Pointe Du Hoc1551072019Hermann Luttmann
144Crusade and Revolution: The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939155(new)2013David G—mez Relloso
145Cuba Libre: Invierno Cubano – Castro's Counterinsurgency, 1959-1965155-110Adam Zahm
146Empires in America: The French and Indian War, 1754-1763 (Second Edition)1552462016Joseph Miranda
147Five Kilometers from Leipzig155-38
148Freedom!1552002020Vangelis Bagiartakis
149Here Come the Rebels155571993Joseph M. Balkoski
150Horse & Musket: Dawn of an Era155(new)2017Sean Chick
151Israeli Air Force Leader1552032017Dan Verssen
152Jutland1552721967Jim Dunnigan
153Lock 'n Load Tactical: Heroes of the Bitter Harvest155(new)2023Devin Heinle
154Mage Knight: Ultimate Edition155(new)2018Vlaada Chv‡til
155Memoir '44155(new)2004Richard Borg
156Nations155(new)2013Rustan HŒkansson
157Nightfighter Ace: Air Defense Over Germany, 1943-44155722018Gregory M. Smith
158Obsession155-452018Dan Hallagan
159Oil War: American Intervention in the Persian Gulf1552061975Jim Dunnigan
160Operation Grenade: The Battle for the Rhineland 23 Feb. - 5 Mar. '4515541981Joseph M. Balkoski
161Pacific War Naval Chess Game155762017Lou Coatney
162Panzer Leader: Game of Tactical Warfare on the Western Front155(new)1974Dave Clark (I)
163Red Star Rising: The War in Russia, 1941-19441552752007Adam Starkweather
164Rule the Waves, Britannia!155(new)2023Matthew Haywood
165Sicily: Triumph and Folly155(new)2000Dean Essig
166Silent War155(new)2005Brien J. Miller
167Smokejumpers155(new)1996Kerry Anderson
168Stalingrad '42: Southern Russia, June-December, 1942155-342019Mark Simonitch
169Stonewall's Sword: The Battle of Cedar Mountain155(new)2015Hermann Luttmann
170Tannenberg: The Introductory Game155(new)2015David Schroeder
171Target for Today155(new)2017Steve Dixon
172Target for Tonight: Britain's Strategic Air Campaign Over Europe, 1942-1945155-332020Steve Dixon
173The Coin Tribes' Revolt: Boudica's Rebellion Against Rome155(new)2018Laurie Phillips
174The Confederate Rebellion155-532014David Kershaw
175The Fate of All155-922024Fabrizio Vianello
176The Great Battles of Alexander: Macedonian Art of War155(new)2015Richard H. Berg
177The Russian Campaign155(new)1974John Edwards
178Tobruk: Tank Battles in North Africa 1942155(new)1975Harold E. Hock
179Undaunted: North Africa155(new)2020Trevor Benjamin
180Volley & Bayonet: Road to Glory155(new)2008Frank Chadwick
181World in Flames155(new)1985Greg Pinder
1821565: Siege of Malta252.5(new)2022Maurice Suckling
183Aces of Valor252.5-292022Erik von Rossing
184Advanced Squad Leader: Starter Kit #1252.5132004Ken Dunn
185Battles of Napoleonic Europe: A Solitaire Wargame252.5-812023Mike Lambo
186Chain of Command252.5(new)2013Richard Clarke (III)
187Fields of Despair: France 1914-1918252.5(new)2017Kurt Keckley
188Fleet Commander: Nimitz – The WWII Pacific Ocean Solitaire Strategy Game252.5-1222014Dan Verssen
189Hapsburg Eclipse: The Great War in Eastern Europe 1914-1916252.5-462014Darin A. Leviloff
190I Ain't Been Shot, Mum252.5(new)2002Richard Clarke (III)
191Imperium: Classics252.5762021Nigel Buckle
192Levee En Masse252.5(new)2010John Welch
193Lost Battles: Forty Battles & Campaigns of the Ancient World252.5(new)2011Philip Sabin
194Maquis252.5(new)2013Jake Staines
195Red Winter: The Soviet Attack at Tolvajärvi, Finland – 8-12 December 1939252.5(new)2012Mark Mokszycki
196The Dark Summer: Normandy 1944252.5(new)2021Ted Raicer
197Tiger Leader252.5(new)2015Rick Martin
198Unconditional Surrender! World War 2 in Europe252.51432014Salvatore Vasta
1991914: Serbien Muss Sterbien1442572015Michael Resch
200414 BC: Siege of Syracuse144-652022Dan Fournie
201Advanced Squad Leader: Starter Kit #2144(new)2005Ken Dunn
202Algeria: The War of Independence 1954-1962144(new)2000Brian Train
203American Tank Ace: 1944-1945144-1592022Gregory M. Smith
204Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East144302023Mark McLaughlin
205At the Gates of Loyang144-1072009Uwe Rosenberg
206Battle for Germany1441651975Michael Bennighof
207Battles of the English Civil War: A Solitaire Wargame144(new)2022Mike Lambo
208Birds of Prey: Air Combat in the Jet Age144(new)2008Philip A. Markgraf
209Cataclysm: A Second World War144(new)2018Scott Muldoon
210Clash of Monarchs: The Seven Years War in Europe 1756-176314472008Bob Kalinowski
211Close Action: The Age of Fighting Sail Vol. 1144(new)1997Mark A. Campbell
212D-Day Dice (Second Edition)144(new)2019Emmanuel Aquin
213Dawn's Early Light: The War of 1812144702020David McDonough
214Eastern Front Solitaire144(new)1986Don Alexander
215Endurance144(new)2023Amabel Holland
216Fall of Rome144-442018Matt Leacock
217Fighting Formations: Grossdeutschland Motorized Infantry Division14452011Chad Jensen
218Five Parsecs From Home: Solo Adventure Wargaming144(new)2021Ivan Sorensen
219Four Lost Battles (2nd Edition)144572022Kevin Zucker
220Freeman's Farm 1777144(new)2019Maurice Suckling
221Great Battles of Julius Caesar: Deluxe Edition144(new)2022Richard H. Berg
222Hero of Weehawken: The Aaron Burr Conspiracy 1805-1807144-732011Robert Leonhard
223Historia144(new)2014Marco Pranzo
224Keep'em Rolling: 1944 – Race to the Rhine144(new)2023Jaro Andruszkiewicz
225Lion Rampant: Medieval Wargaming Rules144-122014Daniel Mersey
226Napoleon at Leipzig (Fifth Edition)144(new)2013Kevin Zucker
227None But Heroes144(new)2011Dean Essig
228PONY SOLDIERS: A Solitaire Game of Soldiering during the Plains Indian Wars (1865-1890)144(new)2021Erik von Rossing
229Redvers' Reverse: The Battle of Colenso, 1899144(new)2016Geoff Noble
230Sammu-ramat144(new)2024Besime Uyanik
231Sedgwick Attacks: Salem Church (May 3, 1863)144-1292024Claude Whalen
232Set Sails for Glory: A Solitaire Game of Naval Adventure during the Age of Nelson144(new)2016Erik von Rossing
233Sicily II144(new)2016Dean Essig
234Spearhead144(new)1995Arty Conliffe
235Star Wars: Imperial Assault144(new)2014Justin Kemppainen
236Stonewall Uprising144-1042022Taylor Shuss
237The Day Was Ours: First Bull Run (July 21, 1861)144(new)2021Matt Ward (II)
238The Desert Fox: Rommel's Campaign for North Africa April 1941-December 1942144(new)1981Richard H. Berg
239The Great Game: Rival Empires in Central Asia 1837-1886144(new)2018John Gorkowski
240The Royal Navy144(new)1984Jack Greene
241The Western Front: 1914 to 1918144(new)2004David Schroeder
242Twilight Struggle144(new)2005Ananda Gupta
243Valley of Tears: The Yom Kippur War, 1973144(new)2023Carl Fung
244War at Sea (Second Edition)144(new)1976John Edwards
245War in the Pacific (Second Edition)144(new)2006Kevin Kiff
246Waterloo Solitaire144(new)2021Sean Cooke
247We Are Coming, Nineveh144(new)2023Harrison Brewer
248World War Africa: The Congo 1998-2001144(new)2021Javier Romero
2491944: D-Day to the Rhine2421482022Dan Fournie
250Aces of Valor: A Solitaire Game of World War I Aerial Combat242(new)2014Erik von Rossing
251Charlemagne, Master of Europe242(new)2017Amabel Holland
252Churchill242(new)2015Mark Herman
253Conflict of Heroes: Eastern Front – Solo Expansion242(new)2015John H. Butterfield
254Enemy Coast Ahead: Operation Chastise – The Dambuster Raid242(new)2014Jeremy White
255Gato Leader242(new)2016Dave Schueler
256Lock 'n Load Tactical: Heroes of the Nam242(new)2015Jeff Lewis
257Nemesis: Burma 19442421512018Kim Kanger
258Pax Porfiriana2421532012Matt Eklund
259Phantom Fury242(new)2011Laurent Closier
260Plains Indian Wars242(new)2022John Poniske
261Warfighter: The WWII Pacific Combat Card Game242(new)2019Dan Verssen
262Wooden Ships & Iron Men242(new)1974S. Craig Taylor
263Normandy '44341.331532010Mark Simonitch
264Red Flag Over Paris341.33(new)2021Fred Serval
2651914: Nach Paris133-2152022Bertrand Munier
2661918/1919: Storm in the West133-2062020Ted Raicer
2672 Minutes to Midnight133-1172022Stuart Tonge
2687th Fleet: Modern Naval Combat in the Far East133(new)1987Joseph M. Balkoski
269A Wing and a Prayer: Bombing the Reich133-82016Erik von Rossing
270Alhambra133-1892003Dirk Henn
271All Bridges Burning: Red Revolt and White Guard in Finland, 1917-1918133-1442020VPJ Arponen
272Ardennes '44: The Battle of the Bulge133(new)2003Tony Curtis
273Ardennes II133-1452023Dean Essig
274Aurelian: Restorer of the World133(new)2020Amabel Holland
275B-29 Superfortress133102008Steve Dixon
276Beyond Valor: ASL Module 1133(new)1985Don Greenwood
277Celles: The Ardennes, December 23-27, 1944133-652012Roger Miller
278Chancellorsville 1863133-1162020Maurice Suckling
279Codeword Cromwell: The German Invasion of England, 8 June 1940133(new)2014Daniel Hodges (I)
280Commands & Colors: Napoleonics133-1962010Richard Borg
281Conquistador: The Age of Exploration – 1495-1600133741976Richard H. Berg
282Devil Boats: PT Boats in the Solomons133-1042021Joe Carter
283Fifth Corps: The Soviet Breakthrough at Fulda133-1871980Jim Dunnigan
284Flashpoint: South China Sea133(new)2022Harold Buchanan
285Gettysburg (125th Anniversary Edition)133(new)1988S. Craig Taylor
286Great Campaigns of the American Civil War (Avalon Hill/MMP)133-201
287Hellenica: Story of Greece133(new)2019Scott DeMers
288Henry: The Agincourt Campaign, 141513381Joe Schmidt
289Heroes of Normandie133(new)2014Yann and Clem
290Heroes of Telemark: Commando Raids in Norway, 1942-43133-122019Joseph Miranda
291Imperial Tide: The Great War 1914-1918133-1072022Gregory M. Smith
292Infamy, Infamy!133(new)2020Richard Clarke (III)
293Kido Butai: Japan's Carriers at Midway133(new)2016Benjamin Richter
294Königsberg: The Soviet Attack on East Prussia, 1945133(new)2018Stefan Ekstršm
295Lock 'n Load Tactical: Solo133(new)2017Sean Druelinger
296Modern Spearhead133(new)2000Arty Conliffe
297Mosaic: A Story of Civilization133(new)2022Glenn Drover
298Mound Builders133(new)2014Wes Erni
299Musket & Pike Dual Pack133812022Ben Hull
300Pacific War: The Struggle Against Japan, 1941-1945 (Second Edition)133(new)2022Mark Herman
301Panzer: The Game of Small Unit Actions and Combined Arms Operations on the Eastern Front 1943-45133(new)2012James M. Day
302Poland Defiant: The German Invasion, September 1939133(new)2019Stefan Ekstršm
303Prague: The Empty Triumph133(new)2014Paul Dangel
304Ranger133-1971984Bill Gibbs
305Red Storm: The Air War Over Central Germany, 1987133(new)2019Lee Brimmicombe-Wood
306Roads to Gettysburg133(new)1993Joseph M. Balkoski
307Russia Besieged: Deluxe Edition133(new)2018Art Lupinacci
308Soldiers of Glory: An Epic Game of Swashbuckling Adventure during the 1600s. (2014)133(new)2014Erik von Rossing
309Squad Leader133(new)1977John Hill (I)
310Stuka Leader133(new)2023Chuck Seegert
311Target For Tonight133(new)
312Task Force: Carrier Battles in the Pacific133(new)2023Ginichiro Suzuki
313The Barbarossa Campaign133(new)2010Alan Emrich
314The Barracks Emperors133(new)2023Wray Ferrell
315The Civil War 1861-1865133-2001983Eric Lee Smith
316The Eastern Front: 1914-1917133-2602012David Schroeder
317The Hardest Days133(new)2011John H. Butterfield
318This War of Mine: The Board Game (2017)133(new)2017Micha_ Oracz
319Tide of Iron133-1192007John Goodenough
320Walnut Grove133(new)2011Paul Laane
321Wilderness War13372001Volko Ruhnke
322Winter War: The Russo-Finnish Conflict133(new)1972James F. Goff
323Almoravid: Reconquista and Riposte in Spain 1085-1086231.5(new)2022Volko Ruhnke
324Dien Bien Phu: The Final Gamble231.5852014Kim Kanger
325Islands of the Damned: Wake Island and Peleliu231.5(new)2015Steven Cunliffe
326ONUS! Traianus231.5(new)2023Luis çlvaro Hern‡ndez
327Pax Emancipation231.5-1692018Phil Eklund
328The U.S. Civil War231.5122015Mark Simonitch
3291066, Tears to Many Mothers: The Battle of Hastings122982014Tristan Hall
3301775: Rebellion122-2852013Beau Beckett
331A Gest of Robin Hood122182024Fred Serval
332A Spoiled Victory: Dunkirk 1940122(new)2014Paul Fish
333Advanced Squad Leader: Starter Kit #3122(new)2007Ken Dunn
334Ancients I122(new)1992William L. Banks
335Arquebus: Men of Iron Volume IV – The Battles for Northern Italy 1495-1544122-492017Richard H. Berg
336Bag the Hun122(new)2003Richard Clarke (III)
337Battles in the East 2: Uman Pocket and Guderian's Final Blitzkrieg122-1142023Antony Birkett
338Belisarius's War: The Roman Reconquest of Africa, AD 533-534122(new)2012Joseph Miranda
339Bios: Genesis122(new)2016Phil Eklund
340Black Orchestra122(new)2016Philip duBarry
341Chickamauga: The Last Victory, 20 September 1863122(new)1975Irad B. Hardy
342Commissioned122-2372016Patrick Lysaght
343Conflict of Heroes: Storms of Steel! – Kursk 1943122(new)2009Uwe Eickert
344Dark Ages: Heritage of Charlemagne122(new)2021Adam Kwapi_ski
345Dark Blue Defection (fan expansion for Red Storm)122(new)2021Howard Rigg
346Death Valley: Battles for the Shenandoah122-502019Richard H. Berg
347Death of an Army: Ypres 1914122(new)2022Kerry Anderson
348Die Festung Hamburg122-712022Fabrizio Vianello
349EastFront: The War in Russia, 1941-45122-1671991Craig Besinque
350Expedition: Northwest Passage – HMS Terror Edition122(new)2013Yves Tourigny
351Fortes fortuna iuvat: Plinius adversus Vesuvium122(new)2022Marc Figueras
352Here I Stand122(new)2006Ed Beach
353Imperial Struggle122(new)2020Ananda Gupta
354Israeli Independence: The First Arab-Israeli War122(new)2008Darin A. Leviloff
355La Bataille de Mont Saint Jean122(new)1993Ed Wimble
356Lewis & Clark: The Expedition122-2052013CŽdrick Chaboussit
357Malta Besieged: 1940-1942122(new)2011Steve Carey
358Midway Solitaire122(new)2017Eric R. Harvey
359Napoleon's Last Gamble: Battles of the Hundred Days122-2912016Kevin Zucker
360Naval Thunder: Battleship Row122(new)2009Harry Pratt
361Pacific Subs122(new)2018Chris Perello
362Panzergruppe Guderian122(new)1976Jim Dunnigan
363Panzers Last Stand: Battles for Budapest, 1945122(new)2021Dean Essig
364Prelude to Vicksburg: Chickasaw Bayou, December 26-29, 1862122242024Stephen Oliver
365Quatre Batailles en Espagne122-1052015Didier Rouy
366River Rats: PBRs and PCFs in Vietnam122(new)2022Joe Carter
367SPQR (Deluxe Edition)122(new)2008Richard H. Berg
368Scream, Aim, Fire!122(new)2021Jay Kirkpatrick
369Sherman Leader122-2002017Rick Martin
370Steel Wolves: Germany's Submarine Campaign Against British & Allied Shipping – Vol 1 1939-43122(new)2010Stephen C. Jackson
371Target! Bearing 093 degrees!122-2792011Felbrigg Herriot
372The Fall of Rome122(new)1973John Young
373The Library of Napoleonic Battles (OSG)122(new)
374The Peloponnesian War, 431-404 BC122-1561991Mark Herman
375Undaunted: Battle of Britain122(new)2023Trevor Benjamin
376Warriors of God: The Wars of England & France, 1135-1453122-1572008Makoto Nakajima
377Wolfpack: Submarine Warfare in the North Atlantic, 1942-44122(new)1974Jim Dunnigan
378World War II: European Theater of Operations122-411985Douglas Niles
379Band of Brothers: Ghost Panzer221-1692013Jim Krohn
380Commands & Colors: Ancients221(new)2006Richard Borg
3811989: Dawn of Freedom111(new)2012Jason Matthews
382278th Squadron "The Same 4 Cats": SM79 Damned Hunchback111(new)2018Marco Campari
3838th Air Force111(new)2020Robert Phaneuf
384Advanced Squad Leader: Starter Kit #4 – Pacific Theater of Operations111-322019Ken Dunn
385Air Force111(new)1976S. Craig Taylor
386Arracourt111-3152022Dean Essig
387Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of Venice111(new)2021Thibaud de la Touanne
388Assault on Vimy Ridge: A Solitaire Wargame111(new)2022Mike Lambo
389Battles of Normandy: A Solitaire Wargame111(new)2022Mike Lambo
390Beaches for the Brave: A Solitaire Wargame111(new)2022Mike Lambo
391Blue vs. Gray111(new)1999Evan Jones
392Brothers at War: 1862111(new)2022Christopher Moeller
393Caesar: Rome vs. Gaul111-492020Mark Simonitch
394Canadian Crucible: Brigade Fortress at Norrey111(new)2013Larry Brien
395Case Blue111-3222007Dean Essig
396Cedar Mountain: Prelude to Bull Run, August 9, 1862111(new)1981David Bush
397Chariots of Fire: Warfare in the Bronze Age, 2300-1200 B.C.111(new)2010Richard H. Berg
398Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear! – Russia 1941-42111-352008Uwe Eickert
399Cradle of Civilization111(new)2021Sean Chick
400Cross of Iron: A Squad Leader Gamette111(new)1978John Hill (I)
401De Bellis Antiquitatis: Quick Play Wargame Rules with Army Lists for Ancient and Medieval Battles111-1041990Philip C. Barker
402Dead of Winter: The Battle of Stones River (Second Edition)111-342009Richard H. Berg
403Death in the Trenches: The Great War 1914-1918 (Second Edition)111(new)2022Wes Erni
404Disaster on K2111(new)2011Tom Decker
405Field Commander: Rommel111-2862008Dan Verssen
406Four Battles in North Africa111361976Howard Barasch
407Great Battles of History (GMT Games) 111(new)
408Hadrian's Wall111-3222021Bobby Hill
409Hell Hath No Fury111(new)1985Robert Hulston
410Hornet Leader111(new)Dan Verssen
411Imperium: Legends111(new)2021Nigel Buckle
412Invaders from Dimension X!111(new)2015Hermann Luttmann
413Iskra111(new)2023Stefan Ekstršm
414Keep Up The Fire!: The Boxer Rebellion111-2232011John Welch
415Lisboa111-2632017Vital Lacerda
416London's Burning111-1611995Ben Knight
417MBT (Second Edition)111-352016James M. Day
418Nemo's War: The Ultimate Edition111(new)2022Chris Taylor (I)
419Norway 1940111(new)2018Jose Antonio Luengo
420O'Group: Wargames Rules for Battalion Size Actions in WWII111(new)2021David Brown (I)
421On to Richmond II: The Union Strikes South111382023Joseph M. Balkoski
422Operation Dauntless: The Battles for Fontenay and Rauray, France, June 1944111-1062016Mark Mokszycki
423Operation Olympic: The Invasion of Japan 1 November 1945111-1431974Jim Dunnigan
424Pax Pamir111(new)2015Phil Eklund
425Pax Viking111(new)2021Jon Manker
426Rebel Fury111(new)2024Mark Herman
427Root: The Clockwork Expansion111(new)2020Benjamin Schmauss
428SAS: Rogue Regiment111(new)2024Robert Butler
429The Battle of Wakefield: Yorkshire, England 30 December 1460111(new)2017Richard H. Berg
430The Blitzkrieg Legend: The Battle for France, 1940111(new)2012Dean Essig
431The Chosin Few111(new)2016Nathan Hansen
432The Lost Expedition111(new)2017Peer Sylvester
433The MOG: Mogadishu 1993111-3172023David Kershaw
434The Punic Wars: Rome vs Carthage, 264-146 B.C.111(new)1975Irad B. Hardy
435Thunder At Dawn: The Battle of Wilson's Creek (August 10, 1861)111-1052021Claude Whalen
436Tinners' Trail111(new)2021Martin Wallace
437Typhon sur le Pacifique111(new)2001Luc Olivier
438U-Boat Leader111-1062011Dave Schueler
439Unhappy King Charles!111382008Charles Vasey
440Versailles 1919111-2832020Geoff Engelstein
441Victory in the Pacific111(new)1977Richard Hamblen
442W1815111-3642015Hannu Uusitalo
443War of 1812: Solitaire Travel Game111(new)2024Mike Wylie
444Washington's War111(new)2010Mark Herman
445Wilson's Creek: The West's First Fight, August 10, 1861111(new)1980Richard Wright
446World War I: 1914-1918111(new)1975Jim Dunnigan

Column Headers:

  • Rank:  where the game placed in the overall list; note that we did not manually enter identical numbers for games with identical placement
  • Count: total number of votes for that game
  • Sum:  total value of the votes for that game (see below)
  • Average:  Sum divided by Count – the average value of the votes received for that game
  • Diff / ’23:  The difference between the game’s ranking this year, and in 2023, either +/- or “new”3

We’re providing you both the aggregate score for the games once we’ve added all scores together, as well as the average score for each game4.  We’ve also included the total count of the number of times each game was mentioned anywhere in the survey.  This is a long table that’s paginated across multiple screens, but it is sortable by clicking on the headers.


Descriptive Stats

We did ask some basic information about our respondents.  Note that while we had 222 total respondents to the survey, these were optional questions, so the total numbers of replies may not equal 222.

Last year, we noted that “more than 25 years” was insufficient, and we really needed a higher category.  25 years really just gets us back to the late 90s, and doesn’t sufficiently separate out the gamers that started in the 70s/80s (or earlier), especially since most of them started before digital wargaming was commonplace.

 

Surveys with wider distribution tend to attract respondents with more diverse gaming backgrounds, so we were curious how far beyond wargaming our respondents ventured, if at all.  Over 1/3 of the sample are playing wargames at least 75% of the time, and over 40% of the sample are playing wargames less than half of the time.

 

Digital tools are not as common for our sample. Over 75% of the respondents are eschewing virtual game tables for the real thing most/all of the time.

 

We’re always interested in where the audience learns about the survey.  Echoing what James Buckley found in his survey about wargaming news sources, BGG ran away with this.  The low counts on references from Facebook could be primarily due to a couple of overzealous group moderators that killed our posts announcing the survey and recruiting participants.  Apparently one must spend their daily lives in those Facebook groups for the moderators to accept that you might have content of interest to their audiences.  You don’t even want to know about the hostility of the community moderators over at Reddit.

5News separatorLine

Our upcoming articles will also include a deeper data dive into how the ranking change based on how long you’ve been playing, and also by how much you’re playing wargames vs other games, as well as some more detailed looks at the list itself.

If you’d like to do your own deep dive into the data, please reach out to Brant or Liz and we can get you the necessary info for you to play with the stats on your own.


The results of our 2024 survey can be found here:


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Feel free to talk back to us either in our discussion forum, or in the comments below.

Footnotes

  1. For those of you with a social science research background, think of this as the “methods” section of the paper
  2. we had a few entries we removed because they put the exact same game in all 5 spots
  3. this does not necessarily mean it is a newly released game, but rather a new appearance on the rankings
  4. note that these are heavily-skewed toward games that only received a single first-place vote and we recommend only analyzing games with at least 3 votes when looking at averages

Brant G

Editor-in-chief at Armchair Dragoons

View all posts by Brant G →

3 thoughts on “Solo & Solitaire Wargaming & Historical Gaming Survey Results 2024

  1. I voted and enjoyed the survey result video, but I really think you need to drop the BGG URL requirement next year. It was such a pain I believe it’s costing you a lot of votes.

    1. We would LOVE to drop that necessity!

      Do you happen to know anyone that can hook into the BGG API to create a type-ahead list in a Google form so we can keep all the inputs consistent?!

      1. I might be able to help you next year. I have a website where I put the results of BGG people’s choice solo games survey as well as my own calculated rankings; for both, I’ve added autocomplete search based on BGG’s database: https://solosleuth.com/bgg-rankings

        I found it easier it just pull their whole database including the metadata like weights, mechanics, etc rather than hooking into their API. I’m not sure if either would be possible with a Google Form, but making something custom shouldn’t be too hard. Feel free to reach out (BittersweetDance on BGG)

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