So, You’ve Decided to Play Solo

Solo Subbuteo is a very broad church, it is full of different methods, ideas, and is solely dependent upon an individual’s perceptions, aims, and goals. You can’t teach the solo game as such, or give out a definitive set of rules, you can only offer advice from one’s own experience and ideals.

I’ve even offered my own rules since I began this blog, to give an idea of my own thought process. They are in no way an authoritative set, and can be found on the downloads page of this blog. They are simply the set I use, and show how I go about my business, if you have a need, please feel free to use them in any way you see fit.

That’s one of the endearing things about the solo game, it can be whatever you want it to be, and as simple or as complex as you want to make it. We can only share with each other those ideas we have found to work, but it’s up to you whether you feel those ideas are relevant to you as an individual, or the narrative you set yourself.

Open-Ended Questions

I’ve been contacted by a few solo players over time, enquiring how to go about certain things, or the best way to overcome problems that can crop up from time-to-time.

I can only answer from a personal point of view, how I would; do tackle such problems. I can’t or don’t for that matter want to tell anyone what they should be doing. The best I can do is offer encouragement and possible solutions, based on my limited experience of the solo game.

As an example, I was asked what’s the best way to take a penalty in solo play. I just offered my own method of, ball on the spot, player on the shooting line and perpendicular to the spot and the goal line. I score between 8 or 9 out of 10, and I believe that’s probably a realistic conversion rate.

But it’s not the only way, some use dice to determine the position of the keeper, and where the attacker puts his spot kick. Some just use dice to actually determine the outcome of the spot kick. There are many other ways, possibly too numerous to mention here. There is no correct answer, and in equal measure there is no wrong answer either. If it feels right run with it

On The Subject of Dice

I’m not a great advocate of using dice in solo play, but I have one at the ready at all times, but only for one specific reason. If I genuinely cannot make a decision by logic or by normal means, I will roll a dice and abide by the result.

Let’s say I take a shot, and the ball is very close to a defender, the ball screams into the top corner, but the defender is also displaced by the attacker. Without the ability to see a replay of the shot, can I be 100% certain that the attacker played the ball first. Under such circumstances I’d just roll the dice, if it’s an even number the goal stands if odd it’s a free kick. For me it’s just a way to keep the game moving. In the same situation I could always err on the side of the defence, or even err on the side of the home team etc.

The point I’m making here, is as long as there’s a contingency in place it matters little what method we eventually decide upon, as long as we have something to refer to in the case of a discrepancy. I just prefer that the dice decides, because it’s 50-50 and entirely out of my hands, and I can remain as unbiased as possible.

Offside

Have you ever read the FISTF offside law? If you haven’t, make yourself a coffee, strap in, clear your mind, and prepare to be bemused. It’s possibly the most complicated yet most lifelike rendition of what is essentially a simple rule. I couldn’t apply the FISTF version to any solo game as written, for fear of ending up like the Led Zeppelin song “Dazed and Confused”.

With solo play I’ve always been a fan of keep it simple, or only as complex as it needs to be. I already have enough to contend with, playing the attack, moving defenders around as my rules allow, positioning the keeper, and trying to ref the darn match in my head, all at the same time. The last thing I want is an offside rule that is anything other than a simple check.

Obviously, your mileage may vary here, but the thing to keep in mind is however you incorporate any rule, it needs to be seamless, make sense, and give consistent easily achievable results, with the minimum of fuss.

Equipment

I occasionally get asked what equipment to use for solo play? There is no definitive answer to that, apart from whatever you like or prefer. I use heavyweights, not because they’re better in anyway, I just like them. They remind me of the time I started playing, to me they are Subbuteo and always will be. They allow me to play a combination of straight line, and swerve in just about the right quantities, and the modern offerings and choice with this type of player is big enough to whet my appetite from time to time to add to my small collection.

The playing figures are only part of the story, there’s a plethora of pitches, goals, balls, all of different designs and sizes. All viable to solo players the choice is vast It’s all down to taste, preference, room, and the affordability to the individual. You can literally apply the old adage of “You pay your money; You make your choice”.

Goalkeeping

This affects all solo players, what to put between “The Sticks” to make life difficult for a team to score. All one needs is some form of barrier to make shooting a challenge, and return whatever you consider acceptable score-lines.

I use, like many others, the BBB variety. They’re big enough to be challenging, yet small enough to give what I call realistic score-lines. But anything goes here, from experience as long as something is heavy enough to withstand the majority of shots when directly hit, and big enough to make it a challenge to score you’re probably on to a winner. In the past I’ve used batteries, but when struck the ball does tend to rebound a little too far my taste, you can hear the players shouting “Incoming!” after the battery keeper has blocked a shot, and sends the players diving for cover.

I find the BBB keepers a decent compromise. If you use them and require them a little sturdier “Blu Tack” a little extra weight to them. Or maybe even construct your own, just remember anything goes, the only thing stopping us at times is our imagination.

Control The Narrative

From time-to-time situations will arise in a solo game that will make you scratch your nether regions, and make you wonder now what do I do. Most of the time such situations seem to occur in the shooting area.

I was told of one such situation by a fellow solo player. After a shot and a save from the keeper, the player that shot ended up making contact with the ball again from the original flick and scoring. I was asked what was the correct decision on the situation? I simply answered with a question, and asked what he awarded? He answered a free kick is that correct? I replied, it’s correct if that what you deem it to be, but I would have given a goal, and would have expected the same award in a 2-player game. I then received a load of what ifs and buts. I politely stopped him there and added, it doesn’t matter, you decided on a free kick and if it happens again, you simply award a free kick.

No matter how detailed our rules are there will always be situations that occur we’d never have thought possible. But when they do, just go with what feels right, you won’t be judged, or fall foul of the “Solo Subbuteo Police”, even if it’s technically wrong. All you need to be is consistent, to keep things on an even keel.

Duration of Games

This is entirely discretionary, I play 10 mins each way, I get what I call realistic score-lines, plus the odd high scoring end to end affair, as well as totally dominant high scoring performances from a single team at times.

But you can use the duration to your advantage, if you feel you want to reduce the scores a little, adjust the duration first instead of thinking up convoluted ways to cut the goal tally, or even extend your duration if you feel you’re not scoring enough. You’ll eventually find a happy medium that you’ll find just works.

I adjust my rules to make it more challenging for myself, and the duration to keep the score-lines realistic. It works for me; it may or may not for you. There are many more factors to consider, pitch size, balls, players, even the amount of time you can devote to the hobby. It’s your solo world you can play for any length of time you see fit.

Finally

This post is probably aimed at new or maybe occasional solo players. Seasoned soloists would probably say “Been there, done that”, but the message remains the same, and is very simple, anything goes in solo land. You don’t have to conform to anyone or anything, it’s your chance to play and partake in a fascinating hobby, in your own way and in your own time.

You can be guided through the process if you prefer, maybe pick up some great tips from others along the way, but it’s up to you how you eventually run things. The community is diverse but we all enjoy hearing about each other’s efforts. Most of all we all just play the game to the best of our ability, and in our own individualistic ways.

Keep On Flicking

Ian