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Tuesday 26 June 2012

Memoir '44 solo

I had hoped to playtest the extended version of the MEMOIR '44 rules this week, but circumstances seem to be conspiring to prevent this from happening.

One thing that I need to address is the problem of using MEMOIR '44 as a solo game. I have looked at several alternatives, and in the end I have come up with the following solution. It is not perfect, and is probably too random for most wargamers ... but it has the benefit of being simple and it makes use of the Command Cards that come with the game.

My solution uses two D6 dice and a simple playing aid that fits onto a piece of A4 paper or card.


The deck of Command Cards is shuffled and a single card is dealt onto each of the three spaces on the playing aid thus:


Side A rolls two D6 dice ...


... and the score determines which of the three Command Cards is turned over.


Once the player has completed the actions on the Command Card, that Command Card is discarded and another Command Card is dealt onto the vacant space.


Side B then rolls two D6 dice ... and the process is repeated.

6 comments:

  1. Bob, I think I have missed something about this method. How is it different from just drawing the next card from the deck?

    Apart from being more work that is.

    It seems to me that removing all choice from the card game loses a vital element, as does knowing your opponents hand. If I had a copy of the game (I've been playing with Ron who has one) I think I would draw 3 cards, choose 1 to play and the discard them and draw 3 for the other side. There would be no building of a hand but no foreknowledge of the other side either and there would be a player choice involved, albeit a limited one.

    Just my current pondering on it.

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  2. Hmm, I like that you are using the cards but I guess I see Ross's point. David had an interesting method but doesn't use the cards. I thought that Dale Hurtt over at http://daleswargames.blogspot.com/ had talked about handling card hands in solo play, but I couldn't find the reference. Sorry it was here http://solo-battles.blogspot.com/search/label/hand%20management on his other blog.

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  3. Ross Mac,

    Thinking about it, there is not difference between the method I have outlined and just taking the first card off the top of the pack of Command Cards ...

    ... But if I were to deal the Command Cards face up, changed the dice scores to make the central location the most likely to be 'chosen' by the dice, and sort the Command Cards so that the most favourable was in the central location, it would introduce an element of judgement as well as randomness into the system.

    Something for me to work on.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  4. Sean,

    Ross Mac has pointed out a very basic problem with my proposed system, but I have now re-thought the idea to introduce an element of judgement and randomness into the system.

    I seem to remember reading about Dale's solo card system somewhere and I will follow up the link you have given me.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  5. Bob, I've played a lot of solo Memoir, and C&C, and the "hand size" is too big a part of the game to factor out. What I have done is start with the scenario hand size, played the first armies card, drawn the replacement card face down, the proceeded to the other side. That way there is always one card for the enemy that is "unknown". It has worked well for me for the last seven years!

    Steve

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  6. Steven Page,

    Thanks for your feedback and ideas. I want to use the Command Cards and I am willing to look at all possible methods.

    All the best,

    Bob

    ReplyDelete

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