GMT GamesCDG Solo System #2
By reintroducing many of the best parts of wargaming that fall apart in standard two-handed play, namely, as Stuka Joe mentioned above, the narrative flow and the fog of war.
The CDG Solo System includes two Card Displays that are used to manage each side’s hand of strategy cards. At the beginning of each Side's turn, you will roll a Fate Die to determine which of the cards in one or more of the slots are available for play. Typically 2 or 3 cards are available at a time, but the final decision is ultimately yours. After a card is played, the marker on the Cards Remaining track slides one spot to the left, and then it’s time to roll the die for the other side’s turn.
Because the turn to turn maintenance level is so low, the rhythm of play quickly becomes second nature and allows for the game to shine. The combination play between the roll of the Fate Die and the layout of the Card Displays provides many great benefits for Solitaire CDG players. First, the singular die roll provides a nearly instantaneous result that limits the player’s options so a decision can be made quickly for each side.
Second, because cards are only turned face-up when their lettered slot is rolled, the player doesn’t know all of the cards that will be available for each side. This combined with the Fate Die dictating which slots are available each turn effectively reinstates a reasonable degree of uncertainty and allows the player to focus on the options for the active side, instead of falling victim to the mental strain of trying to take every card into consideration while also pretending to not know what the other side is planning to do.
Finally, the system allows for an element of surprise. Every once in a while, the perfect strategy hangs in the balance of the die roll. Whether things look grim (until the die roll flips the perfect card) or everything feels like it's falling perfectly in line (until the card slot you need isn't rolled), the CDG Solo System reintroduces the fog of war to solitaire CDG wargaming. The moments that don't go as planned make for the best stories.
Contents:
- 2 Card Displays
- 1 Six-Sided Custom Die
- 4 Markers for the Cards Remaining Track
- 1 Rules Summary
- 6 Playsheets (1960: The Making of the President, Commands & Colors: Napoleonics, Commands & Colors: Medieval, WWII: Barbarossa to Berlin, Pursuit of Glory, Wilderness War)