It seems that sometimes the toughest part of a game can be to get other people to play. In World of Warcraft of late there seems to be a boss you need 120 players(!) to be able to kill it. Haven't confirmed it, though, as I quit playing a while back.
Been having a drought here as well. This weekend was planned for a Mega Carcassonne game but it ended up going shopping at the mall yesterday and today it was a movie.
What I do sometimes is to play alone when I get an itch. I already know how my cousin and my sister play and try to mimic their playstyle. Trust me, I've lost quite a few times playing alone! You can also make up other personalities, sort of your very own A.I. It sounds more sad than actually is but I find it fun!