As promised at the end of my last blog post, today we are diving into the way that the maps and components in Solitaire TacOps: Ortona impact the game play.  As discussed in the second part of this series, the system builds off of the ideas from classic hex and counter games, but it does not fit directly in the “traditional” line, instead adapting those ideas in ways that better convey the dynamics it intends to model.

A Scaled Relationship

In previous articles, we explained the importance of having the player go between scales as they play different parts of the campaign. This starts at the top with a Campaign Map that shows the locations of formations across the area. Ortona only makes up a small corner of this map with the rest representing the surrounding regional area. As the campaign progresses, the player will attempt to use their Canadian formations to push the Germans back until their final defensive stance in Ortona.

Some of the engagements will be decided off map, but as players arrive at the scenario engagements, they will use the main set of Engagement maps. These engagement maps operate at different scales distinguished as Regional maps outside of Ortona, and Urban maps once they get into the town. When playing on Regional maps, turns involve roughly 15-20 minutes of activity, while urban turns are roughly 2-5 minutes of activity. 

To facilitate the changes in scale, Solitaire TacOps uses a flexible counter structure. Units have between 2 – 8 silhouettes of soldiers, weapons, and or vehicles on them that represent their effective strength. As discussed in the first article, effectiveness is a core concept in the game that comes up throughout the design. Here it is meant to represent a count of military effectiveness. 

Silhouettes represent different concentrations of forces between the scales. Scenarios explain what each silhouette represents. A Platoon equal to approximately 40 effectives, on a 4x regional map could be represented by 1 unit with 8 silhouettes (1 x 8 x 4 = 32) and 1 unit with 2 silhouettes (1 x 2 x 4 = 8). On a 1x urban map that same Platoon could be represented by 10 units with 4 silhouettes (10 x 4 x 1 = 40).  The scenarios never blend scale so it is always clear what units represent at any time. Scenarios provide effective points, counted by silhouettes and grouped into formations. Depending on the scenario, these points can be used for infantry, armor, air, or artillery support. 

Deployment involves selecting the units for the scenario formations, based on their availability near the engagement location. These operational choices are key to building effectiveness before units are placed on the map. Many scenarios will include historic formations for players not wanting to make these choices themselves.

Measures of Effectiveness

Counters for on-map units all share the same stats which are used to modify die rolls when resolving combat. On the left is the Awareness stat which is about the unit’s heads-up awareness of its surroundings. The top left number is the Ranged Combat Effectiveness. It contains a superscript number which represents the effectiveness Range. On the top right is the Close Combat Effectiveness. This value is used for any combat happening in adjacent hexes. The last number on the right is the Work value, which is the unit’s heads-down capability, used for focused localized tasks.

All of these stats are measures of effectiveness, and as the player builds formations and breaks them down into smaller stacks, it becomes a question of deciding where the effective focus will be. Working with a limited action economy requires optimizing deployment choices to complete the required tasks. The opposition challenges formation effectiveness by causing casualties. The first hit that any stack takes adds a casualty marker to the stack, decreasing the effectiveness of all units in a hex. As long as that casualty is in the stack the first hit on any attack they suffer, incurs a step loss. Taking casualties greatly decreases effectiveness.

Once the player has built their formations, they must do the same for the opposition. Scenarios will give the opposition effective points as well but rules dictate how these are spent based on where in the campaign the engagement is happening. Opposition formations are split amongst their scenario objectives. Different game states will cause the opposition to change objectives, adding the formations associated with the new objective to the available pool.

Fog of War

Each objective also contains a set of Potential Contact Markers which are added to the Contact pool. These markers drive the opposition behavior and are the core fog of war mechanics. The composition of the pool is curated by the scenario to align with history while challenging the player. The backs of Contact markers are unknown question marks. Players will have to work to clear them or they may reveal on their own complicating the player’s situation. 

Potential Contact markers are placed in the center of megahexes face down. They never occupy the hexes themselves. When revealed, Contact markers give the opposition a chance to react. These reactions can place opposition units, provide air or artillery support, spring hidden traps, subject units to sniper fire or even an ambush, but sometimes they are blank. Clearing areas of Potential Contact is required to gain and maintain control of areas, and as such a lot of game time will be invested doing the work to clear them.

Maneuver to Contact

In Solitaire TacOps, control is territorially tied to the map rather than the units, using megahexes.  A megahex is a central hex and its 6 surrounding hexes. Players gain Control of a megahex if there are no Opposition units or Potential Contact markers in the megahex and every hex in the megahex is adjacent to a Player unit. Control is important because Potential Contact markers are only placed by the opposition in uncontrolled megahexes (markers can move into controlled megahexes, and failed player actions can lead to markers being placed in controlled megahexes). Controlling territory drives the majority of scenario objectives.

To gain control of territory and complete objectives players must have to manage the action economy of their deployed forces. Each turn players receive between 1 and 5 activations. For each activation the player chooses a stack of their own units in a single hex, to activate for one of three commands – Maneuver, Attack, or Work. A die roll will resolve the activation with success, mixed or failed results. Failed results prevent the units from taking the action and allow an immediate opposition reaction. Mixed results allow the player to partially complete the action, but may also include an opposition reaction. Success results give the units the most flexibility to complete their action.

Because maneuver is such a critical part of what the system is modeling, when hexes are activated for the Maneuver action, they are given the most flexibility. The Maneuver action gives each of the units a number of Movement Points which they must first spend to move at least one hex. If they have Movement Points remaining, they can be spent to continue moving or take one of the other two actions. With sufficient Movement Points, players can do moving sweeps in single activations, and chain activations between units to perform more complex tactical maneuvers. 

Coordinating effective maneuvers through the fog of war drives the tactical tension of the experience. In any given scenario it is quite easy to commit to the action that might lead to tactical successes even at a high risk. The game however evaluates not just your current effectiveness but also your future effectiveness. One begins to understand that tactical victories at an operational loss are not actually victories after all.

For the next part of this series, we will look at the actions and how they change the game state to model historial dynamics. Until the next time, you can watch an actual play from the campaign, on December 6, 2023, the 80th anniversary of the Canadian First Infantry Division’s first engagement at Villa Rogatti. Link below:

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Previous Articles:

How Scale, Effectiveness, and Maneuver Inform Solitaire TacOps 

Solitaire TacOps: From Double Blind to Solitaire