Greeting Thomas,

I'm a solo player as well. There are a few solo systems available:
Dobbs has created a system and I'm sure he will chime in here.
Powder Monkey rules are fairly simple: https://herkybird.tynesidewargames.c...lsofglory.html
There's a really good tactical document at board game geek: https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/2...lory-game-info

My suggestions are to follow the rule book in learning the simple ruleset first. Then gradually add on what you want. This is part of what makes the game so great.

I'm still terrible at the game but I enjoy playing it very much.

Also, Harbor Freight has a nice laser for cheap that allows you to get angle measurements for the cannon shots easily: https://www.harborfreight.com/laser-marker-93242.html

Good luck and welcome aboard!