Background
I will almost certainly try any game in my collection in solitaire mode, if it advertises itself as playable that way. One of my latest acquisitions in Castles of Mad King Ludwigand despite it having a solo play mode, I was surprised no reviews on the Geek of its solitaire mode. Initially discouraged by the majority vote of "not recommended" as a 1-player experience on its page, I set out to give it a spin. After 15 or so solo games and half-a-dozen multi-player games (2-4 players), I feel ready to offer some thoughts.
Rules
The rules for the solo game are pretty much the same as for the multi-player game. For obvious reasons no favour cards are used (easy to be first when playing on your own) and you get two bonus cards to keep at the start. The room card count for three players (33) is used, each round three are turned over with the corresponding rooms - in order - sitting in the 2000, 4000 and 6000 Mark slots.
As in the game you take one room (or corridor/stair/money) per turn, paying the money to the bank, and then flush the entire room display. Normal room bonuses apply. You therefore have 11 rounds (or more with bedroom bonus) to amass the highest score possible. Apparently 50-70 fair, below 50 is a bit pathetic and over 70 is good. In fifteen games played, I have broken 70 once and failed to hit 50 once.
Overview of Solo Experience
Normally I don't go for high-score solitaire games. I prefer to win against something, even if it a dumb robot. For that reason, I don't enjoy soloing Suburbia. But I really enjoyed playing Castles of Mad King Ludwigsolo. There are two main reasons for this. First, the narrative for this game is so strong it is simply fun to admire your creation as it takes shape in front of you. Second, keeping track of actions is simple and the scoring almost as straightforward. Too many solitaire games become complex exercises in remembering to do what and when - particularly when there is no one there to remind you. Castles of Mad King Ludwigcouldn't be easier to play through. The complexity of the scoring was also a big turn-off for me in playing Suburbia solo. 366
I could never be certain I calculated it correctly. But I never experienced that same problem in Castles of Mad King Ludwig.
Differences from Multi-Player
The big difference in playing solo is the loss of the "I cut, you choose" mechanism. While this can be deliciously agonising in the multi-player game, it does also slow down the game a great deal (at least with the player I have played with). In particular, I have found non-gamers get quite almost paralysed over room valuation. Soloing Castles, this problem goes away. You simply get what the turn of the card gives run. A lot to be said for simplicity in this case, with a solo game playing out in 15-20minutes.
Another difference is the flushing of the room display every turn, making the game even more tactical. It simply becomes a case of making the best of the choices in front of you in any given turn. And the outcome even more dependant on the turn of a card (or room tile). While frustrating to see a couple of rooms you need turn up in the same round (and nary a food room ready to complete), I found this added to the challenge. In many ways it reminded me of the tableau building challenge of where the luck of the card draw does play a significant role. However, as in that game it is really down to the player how they best they ride that luck.
Dominant strategies in Solo Play
I am not an expert in this area, as I tend not to over analyse games.
Solo, its even more a card-driven game. There will be luck. If you get dealt compatible bonus cards at the outset (e.g. stairs and downstairs bonus cards) you are likely to get a better score than otherwise. The bedroom bonus, which in solo play allows you to snatch any room for 2000Marks next turn, also appears to be quite strong. Nevertheless after 15 games, the randomisation of the initial bonus cards and the way the room cards come out have invariably let me down many different routes. Indeed the limited choices each turn coupled with the flushing of the deck each round, probably limit the adoption of a dominant strategy.
Conclusions
While I still prefer to play with real people, I think there is a lot to recommend at least trying a solo outing with Castles of Mad King Ludwig. It is quick to play (although set up is a little tiresome), easy to bookkeep, and the narrative remains strong. 884