Objective Havana: The US Invasion of Cuba, 1962 (OPLAN 316-62)

Light-to-moderate complexity, solitaire, operational level simulation. 16 page rules and charts section. There is also a multi-player scenario with each commanding a different service: Air Force, Navy, Marines, Army, and the CIA.

The central game mechanism is the Escalation Index which rises and falls due to game events. For example, attacking certain Soviet units can cause it to go up, while knocking out nuclear weapon depots causes it to go down. If it goes too high, it triggers a nuclear war between the superpowers, (and you loose the game). This forces you into a balancing act. Charge in to destroy as much as possible and you may start World War 3. Proceed carefully to take out critical targets with surgical strikes, and you may run out of time.

John F. Kennedy was a big believer in special operations, so you also get several SOF units: 7th Special Forces Group, Navy Seal's, and Air Commandos. PSYWAR, reflecting propaganda and deception operations, can defuse the situation, or at least keep Moscow in the dark, to forestall any pushing of the nuclear buttons.

You can initiate "Operation Mongoose", bringing in a CIA contingent, SOF units, a B-26 squadron, plus a randomly generated number of anti-Castro guerrillas, but it pushes up the escalation index.

Summary: One of Decision's better solitaire games, thank you Joe.

Too easy to win.

Fun little solo alt-hist game on the US invasion of Cuba. The US has a mass of firepower to bring to bear on the tiny island as it seeks to grab airfields, bring in heavy units, and hunt down Cuban leaders and Soviet bases. Random events both throw Communist offensives in your way, and can also throw other spanners in the works (loss of supply being the worst). There is the entire panoply of US assets in play, including Operation Mongoose, extensive air power and naval gunfire. This is no pushover, although the eventual 'result' is not in doubt - it is how you clear the island, while balancing losses and managing two indices - Communist Reaction, and the WWIII index which can end the game. The game looks good and plays fairly smoothly, and is a good game on a fairly important topic.