Battles of Normandy: A Solitaire Wargame

About this board game

Battles of Normandy: A Solitaire Wargame is a one-player, approximately 60-minute hex-and-counter wargame set during the D-Day landings in Normandy in 1944.

As the British 6th Airborne Division takes part in Operation Tonga, you command whatever British units happen to be available. Your task is to take strategic positions across the map while dealing with the difficult conditions that scattered units and left them fighting in smaller, weakened forces.

The setting centers on the Orne River and Caen Canal, where several bridges had to be captured or destroyed and important villages secured. Although German resistance was inefficient on this occasion, German forces still put up a fight, creating a manageable opponent for a solo player to operate.

• Solitaire play: Command the British side against German forces.
• Traditional wargame feel: Play on a hex map with counters and straightforward rules.
• Accessible design: Learn a manageable system aimed at players new to wargaming or those with limited time.

Bad weather and challenging landing conditions shape the situation from the start, giving the British commander an assortment of available forces rather than a perfectly organized army. The resulting challenge is to make effective use of what reaches the battlefield.

Building on the designer’s earlier book-based game, The Fields of Normandy, Battles of Normandy uses different rules and is not a sequel. Its goal is a fairly traditional wargaming experience that does not demand too much time or effort from the player, especially after the basic system has been grasped.