Phantom Fury

About this board game

Phantom Fury is a solitaire tactical combat game for one player, designed to take about 240 minutes, simulating US forces fighting to secure Fallujah’s Jolan District in November 2004.

You command a reinforced company of USMC squads while the game system controls the insurgents. The map divides part of the district into 61 zones, each containing locations such as open ground, courtyards, building floors, and rooftops. Movement and combat unfold across this dense urban terrain at a scale of approximately 50 by 50 meters per zone.

Insurgent forces remain hidden until US troops fire on or assault suspect markers. Each marker may reveal a dummy, guerrilla, martyr, IED, or sniper. Guerrillas can withdraw instead of being destroyed, while immobile martyr units defend fortified positions and are eliminated after a single step loss.

Every turn begins with a variable support cycle. You may call on limited-use reconnaissance by UAV, helicopter close air support, or aerial bombardment, although missions can be delayed or cancelled, giving the insurgents opportunities to reinforce, withdraw, or counter-attack. Reinforcements can also enter the map, but at a cost in victory points.

• Command Marine squads, with reduced sides representing combat losses.
• Use two M1A2 Abrams tanks and attach CAAT teams for additional firepower.
• Conduct movement, direct fire, and three distinct assault types: top-down, bottom-up, and normal.
• Coordinate with Iraqi Intervention Force soldiers assigned to capture the mosque.
• Resolve random events that can influence assaults and manage insurgent infiltration.

The game lasts up to 16 turns, each representing roughly 15 minutes. To win, USMC forces must control every zone; victory points then determine whether the result is major, minor, or bitter. With its concealed threats, urban movement, limited support missions, and demanding victory condition, Phantom Fury focuses on the difficult tactical choices of fighting through a city.