You have your rock stars, filling stadiums with tens of thousands of people, hanging at their lips while they blast their rock anthems; you have your sport players, known around the world, with the kids trying out new moves they saw on TV. And what do we, the board gaming crowd, have? We have designers. They are our rock stars!
Game designers make us giddy with excitement the same way renowned musicians and sportsmen do. When you are a fan of someone or something, you are excited for things your idol has achieved, will achieve, or could achieve.
I have comprised a list of 10 game designers I am keeping my eye on. Of some, I am a fan; others, not (yet). Fan or not, whenever anyone on this list announces a new game, I’m gonna check it out.
(The header image was used with the explicit consent of Ian O’Toole and Eagle Gryphon Games.)
Jamey Stegmaier (Stonemaier Games)
Scythe was the game that got me back into board gaming. I was drawn in with its unique artwork, lore, mechs, and gameplay that was not all about combat (which I’m not fond of). When I couldn’t get my friends back into boardgaming as well, I was pleased to find that Scythe offered me a way to play solo.
I dug in and dug in deep. I got the expansions, metal coins, realistic resources – even the artwork by Jakub Różalski! I joined the Facebook-group and was astonished by the way Jamey Stegmaier, Scythe‘s designer, keeps in touch with his player base. I like how Stegmaier always tries to fit in a solo mode and how all his games are of top notch production quality. Stegmaier was the first designer that made me look forward to new game announcements.
Games you might know them from: Scythe, Viticulture, Euphoria
The Automa Factory (Morten Monrad Pedersen)
Part of the Stegmaier-hype for me came from these guys: The Automa Factory, most notably Morten Monrad Pedersen. Their first project was to create a solo mode for Viticulture, Stonemaier Games’ first release. Needless to say, they succeeded – it was such a success that the solo mode, called Automa (the Italian word for automaton), became the accepted term for solo modes against a virtual opponent.
I love how they use just a small deck of cards to simulate a real opponent. I liked it in Scythe, I liked it in Viticulture, and I absolutely love it in Gaia Project. This may well be the best automa I have played against.
Games you might know them from: Scythe, Gaia Project, Wingspan
Friedemann Friese
While Scythe got me back into boardgames and got me started in solo gaming, Friday by Friedemann Friese was my first dedicated solo purchase. Back at the time I didn’t know this was a deckbuilding game, which is one of my favorite mechanics. Friedemann Friese uses various unique themes in his games: like aiding Robinson Crusoe, or getting through a work day using coffee and candy.
Friese has various games with a solo mode, or games like Friday and Finished!, which are solo only. I’m looking forward to the wider distribution of Fine Sand, since this looks like a fun game to solo: a deck deconstruction game about building sand castles.
Games you might know them from: Friday, Finished!, Futuropia
Shadi Torbey (the ‘Oniverse’ games)
Another game I quickly picked up while starting my solo career was Onirim, but I sold it a while later. Did I not like it? I did, but not as a physical game. I like Onirim much better as an app, with all the shuffling going on. It’s a great abstract little puzzle game.
Onirim, the first game in the Oniverse created by Shadi Torbey, is made specifically to play solo. Yes, you can play it cooperatively, but that’s not where the heart lies. The Oniverse-series has expanded significantly and I look forward to every new entry (like the upcoming Aerion, for example).
Games you might know them from: Onirim, Sylvion, Castellion
Ignacy Trzewiczek (Portal Games)
After Scythe, Robinson Crusoe was my next big board game love. I liked the merge of ameritrash and worker placement in such a tense and thematic game. To me, discovering board games is the same as discovering a new music group: initially you know them for a few things, but you like those so much you want to know more. This is why I keep a close eye on Portal Games, even though not all of their games have a solo mode out of the box. My next board game purchase will probably be a Portal one: Mystery Tales, the latest Robinson Crusoe expansion.
Games you might know them from: Robinson Crusoe, Imperial Settlers, First Martians
Uwe Rosenberg
This guy sure loves his worker placement, euro point salads! Uwe Rosenberg is renowned for sandboxy titles like A Feast for Odin, but I actually like him the most for another mechanic he is known for: polyominos. I really like games like Patchwork and the Cottage Garden trilogy to play with my girlfriend.
What’s great is that Rosenberg designs most of his games as a solo game and starts adding players until the game ‘breaks’. A fantastic approach! Come to think of it, maybe I should try Odin once, since it’s his heaviest game that also contains polyominos…
Games you might know them from: Agricola, Patchwork, A Feast for Odin
Vital Lacerda (with Ian O’Toole)
If board games are an art, these guys are churning out Mona Lisa’s like no man’s business. Every game Lacerda designs is an artwork in the intricate way mechanics are interwoven, and how they complement the amazing artwork by Ian O’Toole. These games are at the heavier end of the spectrum and have challenging solo modes to boot! Look for their latest creation, On Mars, to hit Kickstarter soon.
Games you might know them from: Vinhos, Lisboa, The Gallerist
Dávid Turczi
When Dávid Turczi is not designing board games, he’s designing solo modes for them. One of the biggest hits of last year, Teotihuacan, had Turczi’s Teotibot as an automa player; his solo mode for Anachrony is considered one of the best in the hobby. If there’s one thing you can’t accuse Turczi of, it’s complacency. He deems the Anachrony solo mode (called Chronobot) not very balanced, and he is striving to come up with not one, but two new solo modes when the first expansion (Fractures of Time) hits Kickstarter next week.
Games you might know them from: Anachrony, Teotihuacan, Days of Ire
Adam & Brady Sadler
I wasn’t familiar with the work of these twins, but my first introduction immediately stole my heart: Heroes of Terrinoth. When I finally got Space Hulk Death Angel, I was reminded of games I used to play a lot. Heroes of Terrinoth plays in the same vein, using action cards with some limitations, and expands the mechanism to a broader scope. Because these brothers produce mostly coop games, I will definitely keep an eye on their handiwork (not to mention expansions for Heroes of Terrinoth), both past and future.
Games you might know them from: Warhammer Quest Adventure Card Game, Heroes of Terrinoth, Street Masters
How about you?
Which game designers are you fond of? Do you have any auto-buys when it comes to the names on the box? Let me know your favorites and I might even learn a thing or two!
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Stidjen Plays Solo 
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