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I'm new to AToE and thought I'd give it a try solo because I couldn't wait to get it to the table with friends (have since done this and loved it). My first game was with three heroes and I found it hard to manage and not very fun. A lot of that can be blamed on not knowing the rules very well and just being the first play through so I gave it another try with two heroes the other day. It was a little better but still got handily defeated and had some trouble managing the game. One of the issues was neither of my heroes had good combat skill and I had hoped to boost it using their abilities, but it just didn't work out and I kept being beaten up trying to get items/enhancements for their combat. Both games were Base board + Echo Lake board.

Any suggestions for your favorite way to play solo or tips for getting more enjoyment? One hero only (but does that increase difficulty due to more mystery phases?)? Base board only until I understand the game better? Suggestions of 2-3 balanced hero combinations for a new player? I just have base + something wicked now but getting the coast and hero packs (caught the bug bad) as well and will have access to those heroes/villians soon.

I really love the theme/story of the game but it's hard to get friends over more than once a month to play, and we try to play a range of different games as well.

Thanks in advance!
There is a learning curve to get up to full enjoyment. That is once you get rules questions out of the way. Obviously, it's not much fun having to turn to the rulebook repeatedly.

Was there any one or two areas you were struggling with?

That said, the chosen villain can make a difference especially for a beginner. Some of them are just brutal. It's hard to recommend which are "easiest" but I would try Spectral Horseman, Vampire or maybe the Gargoyle to use to get up to speed.

When I play solo I usually use 4 heroes but that is as a well experienced player. I would recommend 2 or maybe 3 as a beginner dpending on your gaming experience.

Much of the learniing curve of the game is becoming familiar with the villains and location decks. Learning what to pick up where is key. Don't feel bad just perusing the location decks before the game to become familiar. It would be helpful to chose your heroes openly after you select the villain.

You might want to play the villain in beginner (non-advanced mode) at first. It will be less of a challenge but it will help you focus on the rules.

Which mystery phase chart were you using?
I definitely chalk a lot of it up to not understanding the rules very well, even though I had watched a few hours of play through videos before picking the game up and read the rulebook through. It is kind of difficult for me to learn new games without them being explained by an experienced player, so not that out of the ordinary.

One of the problems I had was managing things that happen when other things happen, like a town elder that has come onto the board with a secret effect that moves them to a random location when the shadow track crosses, would forget to do that. I'd also have problems remembering hero abilities, and later realizing I could have used more dice for a situation. The town elder secrets also tripped me up a little, like I look at one at a time and apply the effects? Four were evil in one game, the other two one couldn't join hunting party until red shadow track and the other got killed! Unlucky happenings there, ha.

Another problem was just general organization, searching for minion and different tokens when they came up. The second game was a little better, made sure to have the appropriate minions out ready to go.

First solo game (not very fun): Basic minion, advanced coop , three heroes, gargoyle.
First coop game (extremely fun): Basic minion, basic coop, four players/heroes, scarecrow.
Second solo game (still kinda "meh" but better): Basic minion, basic coop, two heroes, scarecrow.
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