I am told that, in board gaming today, the rage is “solo play.”
I say “I am told” this, because when it comes to current trends, my finger is not exactly on the pulse. Indeed, it’s about as far from the pulse as you can get.
And yet, as purchases began rolling in, players asked me: What about solo play? Do any of the games work for one player?
Well, here is the long-delayed answer: yes!
There is a fine line between a puzzle and a solo game. As a rule of thumb, a puzzle is one-and-done. Solve it, and you’ve solved it forever. Sure, you could erase your answers to a sudoku and play it again, but only if you’re sufficiently forgetful (or sufficiently desperate).
By contrast, a game reincarnates. Win or lose, you may always play again, always with a possibility of success, and never with a guarantee.
Then again, the line can blur. For example, what is a Rubik’s cube—puzzle or game? Each arrangement of the cube is a puzzle. But the cube itself generates virtually infinite puzzles. Does that make it a game? A puzzle-game? A game-puzzle? Just a neat toy?
Anyway, this companion text collects a mix of puzzles, games, and riddles. I tried not to sweat the philosophical distinctions. The aim is to provide you with fun experiences for the solo gameplayer. A few stand on their own, but most are inspired by the games in the book Math with Bad Drawings, and may require a quick perusal of the rules in the original text.
I hope these pages offer some pleasing diversions. Enjoy your solo flights.
Math with Bad Drawings 
Hooray! I’m at the beach for two weeks and have time to explore these!
Thanks, Ben.
Debby
Ben, exciting. Congratulations. Marcie
I’m also at the beach a few days, and am thoroughly enjoying this! Thanks Ben! 🙂 Jeanne
MATHS
I’ve just discovered your blog and spent some time perusing the digital versions of the games. I’m very excited to spend some more time with these and try them out with my students!
I plan on buying a copy of your book as well!
hey, i found an error on your book – on pg.248, how did the blue get 10? it was “abandoned”. the scoreboard doesn’t match the gameboard.
Hello
What’s the difference between your yellow book and blue book? I teach 5th grade math. Do I need to buy both? If not, which one should I purchase? Thanks in advance.
Thanks for asking — the subtitles capture it pretty well!
Blue begins with a section titled “how to think like a mathematician,” and then has a bunch of chapters exploring different mathematical aspects of our world (lottery tickets, triangles in architecture, why giants can’t exist, etc.)
Yellow is a collection of pencil-and-paper games, each with a chapter connecting it to mathematical ideas. For a 5th grade teacher, I recommend that one!
Isn’t the Fish already symmetric? Also, “an” instead of “and” on the third Tic-Tac-Toe board.
The player has to constantly adjust to the ever-changing layout of the “ Cluster Rush road,” relying on quick thinking and fast fingers to make it through.