Upcoming Fun for Solo Gamers

A lot of exciting stuff is happening for solo board gamers in the next few months! Expansions for old games, reprints of hard-to-find games, and some new adventures await us all. 

More murder! How exciting!

Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Expansion

Originally printed in the 1980s, Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective has been in need of an English-language expansion for years. I myself have longed for an expansion on this very blog! But now fans of the game are going to get their wish: Ten new cases, in English. Four of them are thematically linked and allow you to chase Jack the Ripper and solve one of the greatest murder mysteries of all time. I truly cannot wait. I had been kind of dragging my feet on the last two cases from Consulting Detective because I wasn't ready for the game to end. Now I can really sink my teeth into them because they'll be an appetizer for more cases to come! 

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Triplock looks like it might be a lot of fun!

New Releases from Chip Theory Games 

Chip Theory Games is a game company run by two brothers who produce beautiful, high-quality games. They recently had a successful Kickstarter for a dice builder called Too Many Bones. I'm not sure about that one yet (at $125, it's an investment), but their most recent newsletter contained some other very exciting news. 

First, there are going to be two Hoplomachus expansions that introduce the cities of Carthage and Machu Picchu. If you haven't played Hoplomachus yet, you are missing out. It's a fun gladiatorial combat game that can be played solo, vs., or co-op, and it's enjoyable no matter how you play it. Adding more cities to the mix means more interesting mechanics to toy with. Also, I can finally play out my Rome vs. Carthage fantasies on a neoprene hex mat.

In addition to expansions for Hoplomachus, Chip Theory Games is introducing a smaller solo or vs. game about lockpicking. It's called Triplock, and while there isn't too much information about it yet, it's visually very enticing. After all of the time I've spent picking locks in Skyrim and other video games, cackling all the while, I know that the lockpicking theme is totally going to do it for me. Plus, it'll be in a lower price range than most Chip Theory Games. Sign me up for this one. 


Terraforming Mars Reprint

I'm sure I'm not the only one who didn't manage to get a copy of Terraforming Mars the first time around. The game sold like hotcakes, and based on the reviews, that's no surprise because it's excellent. As Stronghold Games has said both online and in podcast interviews, however, the second printing will be available at the end of January or in early February. Soon, new competitors will be able to join the terraforming fun! ​

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So far, 2017 is shaping up to be an exciting year in gaming for me. And this is even before any big new games are out—sometimes all you need for a good time is a well-timed expansion. With so many other stressful things happening in the world right now, I'm glad to have some good stuff to look forward to.