Solo is a very important part of the design process for me. I want to create a solo game that is easy to setup and play, has depth and replayability, and doesn’t require a lot of upkeep. Even if you only play the game solo, you should get your money’s worth with the game.
What does this mean? Usually there’s either more than one AI (Stellar Leap, Dreams of Tomorrow) or there’s multiple ways to play the game solo (Fire in the Library).
The quotes below are only about the solo designs and overall development of games.
Stellar Leap
- “I am really impressed with the solo modes (yes, plural!) for Stellar Leap. It is very obvious that Carla Kopp put a lot of thought into making her game a strong experience for solo players, and it definitely pays off.” – Liz, Beyond Solitaire
- “As a solo game, this is a fantastic experience. It can be set up, played, and torn down in under an hour for sure and usually closer to 30-40 minutes. It offers some meaningful decisions, and it has several difficulties to adjust your preferences. Had it been just the three AI challenges themselves, it might have been a pass on getting this as a game only to be played solo. But the ability to play against more than one in a single session makes this into a really challenging puzzle that is definitely worth the price tag. Even moreso if you plan to play it with other player counts.” – David, Cardboard Clash
Fire in the Library
- “The solitaire gameplay is challenging and addictive. It takes elements from the multiplayer game and applies more pressure to your choices.” – Jeremy, Jambalaya Plays Games
- “The AI system for the game is simple, yet vital. There isn’t much difference between the AI used in a 1-player and the 2-player game, and both are extremely easy to operate. Which is exactly what you want when operating a non-player portion of a game. The best thing it can do is be user-friendly and fast.” – David, Cardboard Clash
Dreams of Tomorrow
- “There is just so much to appreciate about this game, from the rondel mechanic at its heart to the extremely well-thought-out robot opponents that make Dreams of Tomorrow such a pleasing solo experience. I wish that all publishers put so much thought into their games.”
and
“The level of thought that went into this game makes me feel appreciated and catered to as a solo player, and the result of that careful thought is a truly fun and quick-playing solo game.” – Liz, Beyond Solitaire - “You can get a rich solo experience playing this game.” – Draft Mechanic
- “The solo mode is challenging and fun to play. I’m not the most efficient gamer on the planet and even the easy level gave me a tough challenge. I thought having what seemed like a generous number of rounds would allow me to ease my way to victory, but that didn’t happen at all.” – Jeremy, Jambalaya Plays Games
Big Easy Busking
- “Carla’s solo bots have yet to disappoint me, and are a great experience for solo players who want a challenge. If you want a quick solo game that you can also easily teach your family or game group, a game from Weird Giraffe is always a solid bet.” – Liz, Beyond Solitaire (written)
- “I have not really enjoyed a ton of area control games in my gaming history. So this came as a little bit of a shock as I truly loved playing this game. Even the solo rules are engaging and DIFFICULT to win. I came close though – within $1.” – Purple Phoenix Games
Tumble Town
- “I appreciate that Carla Kopp from Weird Giraffe games always includes one or more solo modes in the games she publishes. I have yet to beat the AI so I’m not sure if it’s really hard, I’m missing something, I’m stupid, or some combination of these. In full disclosure, I also lost to a five-year-old for what that’s worth in helping you decide.” – James Wolff, Board Game Quest
- “The Tumble Town solo worked great and is a lot of fun!” – Rahdo, Rahdo Runs Through
Studies in Sorcery
- “The Studies in Sorcery Solo does an excellent job of imitating the experience of playing multiplayer without much overhead. It’s simple, elegant, and allows you to feel like you’re getting the full experience and not playing some compromised version of the game.” – The Cardboard Herald
- “What’s more enticing is the mission mode, something that Weird Giraffe has been incorporating with their newer games. Missions offer a mini-campaign where each level sets a specific goal and players try to meet that goal independently. Meet that goal and you move on; miss it and you stay on that same goal the next time you play.” – Meeple Mountain
Roar and Write
- “Roar and Write is so fast and so engaging, that I really didn’t have time to worry about other players, nor did I really care what they were doing. In the end, it’s all about the points, and that’s what makes this a great game – I can play it with any group size, and I have been pleasantly surprised at how happy I was to play it solo as well.” – Purple Phoenix Games
Overall Solo
- “Weird Giraffe Games has a good track record of building good solo modes into their games.” – Jeremy, Jambalaya Plays Games
- “I’m here to say that Carla from Weird Giraffe Games is designing some underrated solo experiences, and if you play solo games at all you NEED to pick up one of these games.” – David, Cardboard Clash
- “I believe in Carla, Weird Giraffe Games, and in their production of fun and engaging games with solid solitaire modes.” and
- “I firmly stand by the fact that Carla is one of the best young designers in the industry and her solitaire modes are solid and challenging and fun.” – David Wiley
Overall Design and Development
- “Dreams of Tomorrow succeeds on a number of levels. The art itself is dramatic and visually appealing. The rondel manipulation is novel and provides a tactical richness that draws me back to the table, and the final package is stitched together with the development chops that Carla Kopp is quickly becoming known for.” – Raf, Geek and Sundry
- “Dreams of Tomorrow is a whole lot of game in a small box; but that is how Weird Giraffe Games does it. They have an uncanny knack of making smaller games, that have a complexity, elegance and yet explain it a way that it is simple to teach, learn and play.” – Derek, Goto.Game
- “I’m a huge advocate for Weird Giraffe Games, and have really enjoyed titles like Stellar Leap and Fire in the Library, and even the unusual game Dreams of Tomorrow had some really good qualities that I could get excited about.” – David Wiley