So I
was looking at the Strategy & Tactics Magazine website because I
remembered that they had recently released a game on the chase of the SMS
Goeben in 1914. After listening to the
audio book, Kaiser’s Pirates, my interested was peaked on the subject of the
German raiders and was hoping that it was a solitaire
game so I could play it when I am out of town working. With luck, it is a solitaire game. But was I also found that S&T had recently
and will be release quite a few solitaire games through all three of their
magazine titles (Strategy & Tactics, Modern War, & World
at War). A large number of them have
perked my interest for topics. It really
is nice to see more games coming out for solo gamers or gamers like me that
can’t be around my usual gaming friends most of the time.
So I
will be putting an order out for several of them now and plan to buy some more
later as they are release. Below is a
list of the various solitaire games and a brief description that I “cut &
paste” right from the S&T website. I
hope this listing will be really useful for some.
Already Available Games:
 |
| From Ra'anana Gamer (link) |
Strategy & Tactics #287 – Goeben
“Goeben, 1914 puts you in command of the
SMS Goeben, the German battlecruiser that made a historically epic voyage
through the Mediterranean during the opening days of World War One. This is a
solitaire game in which the player must accomplish a specific “objective” to
win the game, which will be generated at random at the start of the scenario.
The player must manage the various outfittings and functions of the SMS Goeben
and its escorting light cruiser, the SMS Breslau. As you fight your way through
the Mediterranean, you will encounter various Allied warships, merchantmen for
raiding, and unexpected opportunities and objectives. These are represented by
“Incident” chits.”
Modern
War
#10 - Target Iran
“Target Iran is a solitaire simulation
of a hypothetical US-Coalition-Israeli attack on Iran to destroy weapons of
mass destruction (WMD) and other critical targets. The game begins with a
"strategic" phase wherein the player conducts reconnaissance, cyberwar
and mobilization (the purchasing of assets) for the actual attack, and then an
"operational" stage, which is when your attack is actually executed.”
Modern War #14 - Carrier Battlegroup
“Carrier Battlegroup puts
you in command of a US Navy carrier task force operating against the Soviet
fleet in the North Atlantic in the 1980’s. This is a solitaire game, played in
scenarios. The player must accomplish the scenario’s Objective, which will be generated at random at
the start of the scenario. You,
the player, must manage your carrier, its air group, and your escorts. As you
operate your battlegroup, you will encounter various Soviet warships, aircraft,
missiles, and unexpected opportunities and objectives. These are represented by
Incident chits.”
World at War #10 - Coral Sea Solitaire
“A purpose-designed one-player wargame covering the aero-naval battle
that took place between the US and Imperial Japanese Navies in May 1942. It was
the first of the Pacific War. CSS is
based on the game system used in World at War number three Solomons Campaign;
however, there are significant differences owing to the smaller scale of this
operation and the systemic necessitates inherent in a solitaire design.”
World at War #37 - Bloody Ridge: Decision on
Guadalcanal, 13 September 1942
“A purpose-designed solitaire wargame of low complexity simulating the
climactic Japanese night attack of that date. The attacked was aimed at nothing
less than the capture of Henderson Field and the annihilation of the entire US
ground force on the island. You are on
the offensive, commanding the Japanese attack force that’s attempting to break
through the US Marine defense.”
World at War #38 - Ghost Division
Ghost Division is a solitaire game in
which you, the player, takes command of General Erwin Rommel’s 7th Panzer
Division during the drive across Belgium and France in those heady days of May
and June of 1940 (there are four German formations in the game that drive the
events of play: The 7th Panzer Division, a regiment of the 5th Panzer Division,
a regiment of SS-Totenkopf Division, and the 15th Motorized Corps’
non-divisional units, also representing OKW non-divisional units).
World at War #40 - Rampage & Stalingrad Cauldron
“Rampage is purpose-designed solitaire wargame
that covers the fighting in northwest Europe from the time of the
Argentan-Falaise encirclement in mid-August 1944 through the end of September.
You actively command the Allied forces, while the rules system directs you in
the handling of German forces. You win by accumulating victory points via
seizure of key areas on the map.”
“Stalingrad Cauldron (SC) is
purpose-designed solitaire wargame that covers the fighting in the areas of
German Army Groups A and D on from the time of Sixth Army’s encirclement late
in November 1942 through to its destruction at the end of January 1943. The
single player actively commands the Soviet forces, while the rules system
directs the player in the deployment of the Axis (German, Italian and
Hungarian) forces. The player wins by accumulating victory points by achieving
the destruction of Sixth Army’s component corps and the seizure of key areas
around the map.”
Future Releases:
Modern
War
#17 - Dien Bien Phu
“Dien Bien Phu (Solitaire) is a wargame
covering the decisive battle of the First Indochina War in which elite French
Expeditionary Force units defended an air-land base against the communist Viet
Minh. The game covers the critical period of Viet Minh assaults and French
counterattacks of March to May, 1954. Historically, the Viet Minh won the
battle, overrunning the base. This led to the collapse of the French position
in Indochina and eventual US involvement in Vietnam.”
Modern
War
#18 - Green Beret: Vietnam
“Green Beret: Vietnam (Solitaire) gives
you command of a Green Beret team in the Central Highlands before and during
the Vietnam War. Your duty is to lead your men on a variety of randomly
generated missions (representing orders direct from high command), choose
weapons and equipment that are best suited for the mission, decide on how to
posture your team, plan your approach, and a method of extraction.”
Modern
War
#20 – Drive on Baghdad: 2003
“Drive on Baghdad: 2003 is a solitaire
game in which the player takes command of Central Command Forces during
Operation Iraqi Freedom. Your goal is to defeat Saddam Hussein’s forces in such
a manner as to prevent a post-campaign insurgency from breaking out.”
Modern
War
#21 – Kandahar: Special Forces in Afghanistan
“Kandahar: Special Forces in Afghanistan
(Solitaire) gives you command of a Special Forces team in Afghanistan from 2003
to 2013. Your lead your men on a variety of randomly generated missions; you
choose your weapons and equipment, decide on how to posture your team, and plan
your approach and method of extraction.”
World at War #43 – Patton’s Third Army
“Patton’s Third Army is a solitaire game system where the player takes
command of General George Patton’s Third Army during the campaign across France
in 1944. The game begins immediately following the Falaise Battle and continues
through to 15 December, at which point Third Army was sent to fight In the
Battle of the Bulge. Your goal as a player is to surpass Patton’s original
record, thereby possibly forestalling Germany’s Ardennes Offensive and thereby
gaining glory as a great general.”
World at War #44 – Night Fight: Solitaire
East Front Tactics
“Night Fight: Solitaire East Front Tactics is a solitaire wargame in
which you command a Kampfgruppe group of German panzers infiltrating and
attacking Soviet forces at night while the system runs the Soviet forces. The
first scenario is based on an actual night action from the Battle of Kursk
during elements of 6th Panzer Division infiltrated behind Soviet lines. There
are also several other scenarios representing other night fights on the eastern
front in 1943.”
World at War #45 – Panzers East Solitaire
“Panzers East Solitaire (PES) is simulation that covers the advance of
Germany’s Army Group Center, starting
on the first day of Operation Barbarossa and potentially extending to the last
day of August later that same summer. The design supports both strict
historical and alternative history explorations. That is, at the end of July,
when the AGC offensive was historically shut down in favor of supporting
extended drives by the flanking army groups, it’s possible that, if you’ve done
better up to then than your historical counterpart, Hitler may authorize a
continued and immediate advance on Moscow. You command the German forces while
the system directs the handling of Soviet forces. You win or lose based on the
timely seizure of key areas on the map.”
Be seeing you
Sapper
