I bought my copy while in college in 1980. Some dorm mates and I had some huge battles that lasted many hours.
After that, it was hard to find someone to play with because the thick rule book was too intimidating. So, like you, I played solo. I need to blow the dust off of it and give it another go. It’s such a great game.
My thing is that the table in the galley is small. I can set up small actions with no problems there.
I have a number of other games that also fit on the table.