THREE GREAT SOLO DECKBUILDING GAMES

AEON’S END

The now long running series of boss battle games offers one of the most thrilling solo deck building experiences. Take a couple of breach mages and attempt to take down the big baddie of each scenario. Players will be balancing chipping away the boss, managing the minions they summon, and powering themselves up to try and turn the tide.

There’s a story that threads throughout the whole series, so it’s one of the few games where we’d recommend starting at the beginning of each season at least. Equally, the legacy features introduced in later instalments of the game add a real air of mystery to what kind of monster you’ll be approaching next, or even, who you’ll have on your side.

DARK SOULS: THE CARD GAME

Set in the world of the third Dark Souls videogame, this card based adaptation leans into the riskreward at the centre of the series. Players explore various encounter cards and then duel using a simple set of positioning rules. Dig through the deck for the cards you need to chip away at the enemy, but not too much – the deck is also your health. Between encounters players can return to the bonfire to rest and deposit their inventory, swapping cards in and out of their deck, leaving them with something a little more powerful. Or they could push on and attempt to bring more home. Players can only rest for five bonfire cards worth, making for tactical choices and interesting deck construction between conflicts.

DC DECK BUILDING GAME: REBIRTH

Created in part by Matt Hyra, the designer of the excellent

Vampire the Masquerade:

Rivals card game (best played at four, so not for this column), the DC Deck Building Game:

Rebirth uses a rushing-aboutto-locations-before-the-badguys get there mechanic as its central pull. Build a team as you go and weigh up your options. Signature superpowers come in to play quickly after the first scenario, letting you level up your deck quicker. Supervillains themselves pose a huge problem for players, able to whittle down locations or even attack the heroes directly. In the solo mode, managing your sidekick to take a kicking for you is the name of the game. Often players will have to make a choice about getting to a key card they want to buy at a location, or stopping a villain. How much time can you spend retreated to the bat cave before you have to face down the terrors tearing down your town?