Did you know that you can play tabletop games all by yourself? It’s true! There is actually a growing segment of games out there that are dedicated to solo play. While it’s true that just about every cooperative game can be played with only one player, a handful of games actually are ONLY for one player. One may be the loneliest number, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t have fun.

Hostage Negotiator

Our newest Game of the Week drops you in the middle of a crisis that only you can disarm. In Hostage Negotiator, a madman has taken…you guessed it…hostages and you need to talk him down. In this hand management and card drafting game the burden falls squarely on your shoulders to free the hostages and save the day.

What is the Game?

In Hostage Negotiator, each round represents a conversation between you and the hostage taker. You’ll be playing cards and rolling dice, all with the goal of decreasing the threat level and freeing hostages.

Hostage Negotiator also puts its own spin on the deck building genre as cards you buy go directly into your hand to be used next round, not into your discard pile. This adds a nice layer of strategy to the game as you can prepare for the next round, without solely being reliant on the luck of the draw.

What Should You Play It?

I’ll admit, I’m not a huge solo gamer. Most of the time, I’d rather just sit down on the couch and play a video game. Yet Hostage Negotiator is one of those rare games that can break me out of that trend. Part of the reason is that it’s built from the ground up to be a solo game. Many cooperative games also play solo, but lose something in the process. Not so with Hostage Negotiator. The burden is all on you to win and it feels that way.

I also like the challenge in Hostage Negotiator. It’s not an easy game to win, but the game also never feels like it cheats. And the clever drafting mechanics really put you in charge of your own fate, allowing multiple paths to victory. It’s unique theme, engaging game play, and clever mechanics all help to make Hostage Negotiator our Game of the Week. If you are looking for a great game to play when you don’t have any other gamers around, look no further than Hostage Negotiator.

1 PLAYER • AGES 13+ • 20 MINUTES • $20