
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,518
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Castle Itter: The Strangest Battle of WWII
- 1 player
- 45–60 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2019

2016
Rules assistance for The Solo System
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 1 player

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Solo System is a board game released in 2016 for 1 player, 30–240 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Chad Mestdagh and its main mechanics are Simulation.
Requires: 1) the printed cards with the game. (63 cards) 2) a game that is multiplayer that you really want to play solitaire. Time to play the game: Really depends on what you want to play. Expect to double the normal time for gameplay when using the system for the first time. This will shorten substantially after playing it a few times. Concept: The Solo System is not a game per se, rather it is a Artificial Intelligence system that provides an unpredictable opponent for your multiplayer games. With a few adjustments, this can make a wide selection of games capable of being played solitaire. Short Description of the Mechanics: The Solo System is heavily influenced by role-playing systems such as Mythic and The Covetous Poet's Adventure Creator, but is much streamlined to be played with board games rather than role-playing games. It only uses a deck of 63 cards to accomplish its task. It works like this: You set up your game and play it the same way that you would a normal game. When it is your opponents turn, you use The Solo System to figure out how your opponent will play. You will first flip a card and determine what personality/strategy the AI is interested this round. There is a good chance that the system will keep the same strategy as the last round. Then you will look at the board and figure out if there is a move that would match this strategy or flip more cards to give a little more direction as to what he is interested in. At this point you will probably find several moves that the AI could take. Choose one and ask the game if it does take that move. Before you flip a card, determine what the probability of the AI is of taking that move: probably, probably not, or unsure. Then flip the card and determine the results. Cards have multiple pieces of information on them and are divided into four different decks. One deck has 14 cards, and the other two decks have 20 cards. There are mechanisms for movement on maps, targets and objectives for its armies, selection of resources such as coal or gold, and auctions. The system is not unlike playing a game two handed, but you are playing against an opponent. Plus using the card system gives you direction for how to play one of the players. This will assist when trying to play several opponents and keep track of their play style. The opponent may need handicaps to increase its challenge against you depending on how you want to play, and these rules will give you ideas as to how to implement these handicaps.
The Solo System supports 1 player according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for The Solo System is 30–240 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists The Solo System for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
The Solo System has a complexity rating of 2.5 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
The Solo System belongs to these categories: Print & Play and Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Simulation. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of The Solo System are: Chad Mestdagh. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists The Solo System as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.