Solitaire Rules for Combat Patrol™: WWII

By Mike Wilson & Buck Surdu

© 2020 Mike Wilson & Buck Surdu

Introduction:
Gaming is usually a hobby pursued with friends, but the reality is that many people might be
isolated for periods of time – alone on a desert island, stuck in an elevator, on a spacecraft
heading to Mars, or even trapped in their own houses by a viral epidemic (unlikely as that
may seem). This rules expansion is aimed at making Combat Patrol™: WWII accessible to
those people! In designing it, I’ve tried to keep the simplicity and fun that makes Combat
Patrol such a great game, while introducing a set of mechanisms to make the opposition
unpredictable and realistic. To that end, while this is specifically aimed at Combat Patrol™,
there’s no reason why you couldn’t adapt the mechanisms to any other skirmish wargame.

The Combat Patrol™ mechanics assume a great deal of responsibility for what happens to
the unit in combat while enabling players to make interesting choices during the game. The
combat sequence already involves card draws that randomly decide things like hits, damage,
and morale. This supplement adds mechanics determining the posture and decisions that
your opponent would normally provide. You can use the procedure and tables to simulate
the opponent’s decision making, providing a more challenging experience for the solitaire
player.

Requirements:
To use these rules, you will need:

• A copy of the rules for Combat Patrol.

• A selection of WWII miniatures
• A Combat Patrol™ Action Deck for each side you’re planning to play
• A Combat Patrol™ Activation Deck
• Model scenery
• The usual gaming accessories – six-sided dice, rulers etc.

The basic rules and some play aids are all available for download from the Sally 4th website,
but for the best experience, we recommend buying the full versions.

Posture:
This supplement adds the concept of ‘posture’ to Combat Patrol™ that represents the
opponent’s attitude toward the game. Gameplay influences posture, and posture is
reflected in the actions that units and individual soldiers take. An aggressive opponent will
have soldiers who shoot and move more than a defensive opponent. Real militaries are
often assessed in terms of ‘force posture’ – which usually refers to their preparedness for
combat in terms of training levels, funding, military capability and so forth. That is a
strategic assessment, where this is much more tactical.

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Posture is a numerical value that is evaluated every time the “reshuffle” card is drawn from
the Activation Deck. There are a range of postures, chosen to reflect the confidence of the
opponent. More confident opponents are more likely to be active, advancing and probing.
Less confident opponents are more likely to be reactive, defending objectives and returning
fire. Normal opponents use a blended approach. The opponent’s posture is affected by
three things:

1. Winning,
2. Force Morale, and
3. Troop Losses.

All these factors can be reduced to a number and calculated to derive an overall force
posture. Posture in turn influences the actions of the opponent.

Winning:
People who think they are winning often play more aggressively and take greater risks than
might otherwise be prudent. In contrast, people who think they are losing naturally react by
playing more cautiously. But most of the time, you don’t really know how well you’re doing
until the end of the game. The sense of winning is a visceral thing, and because of that it’s
hard to abstract in game terms.

To calculate the feeling of winning or losing, some book-keeping is required using the table
provided on the last page. You can copy this and reuse it as much as you like, and you
need to keep track of data on each played turn.

Capturing that Winning Feeling:

The first thing to do is to make a tally mark in Row A every time the
opponent:

• misses a shot,
• flubs a grenade throw,
• chokes in a hand to hand attack,
• fails to wound on a successful hit (e.g., the target was protected
by cover), or
• fails an attempt to React.

At the same time, make a tally in row B whenever you fail to do things.

At the end of the turn, subtract the number in row B from the number in
row A and record it in row X. If the number is positive, the enemy thinks
that are doing better than you, and vice versa.

Force Morale:
Force morale is a critical influence on the posture of an army. If soldiers
think they are losing, it makes the commander’s life harder.

Force Morale: Figure 1. Worksheet section -

showing the columns used for
In row D, make a tally mark in the table provided for every morale and tallying.
stun marker accrued by the enemy during the turn. Make three tally
marks for every pinned unit.

Do the same for yourself in row E.

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At the end of the turn, subtract the number in row E from the number in row D and record it
in row Y. If the number is positive, that heightens the enemy’s mood, and vice versa.

Troop Losses
Finally, count the number of soldiers that the opponent has lost due to kill or incapacitation.
Record it in row F, and record your losses in row G. At the end of the turn, subtract the
number in row G from the number in row F and record it in row Z. You can probably see
where this is going. If the enemy has killed more soldiers then you, they feel better about
everything.

Scoring
Add the three results together, then add the result to the result of the previous turn (if any.)
Apply the result to the Posture Table.

Result Posture Description

31 and Overconfident Emboldened by success, the opponent is playing fast and
above loose, going in for the kill.
16 to 30 Aggressive Your opponent has a good feeling about the game and might
take a few risks in pursuit of the win.
-15 to 15 Normal Your opponent is playing a balanced game
-16 to -30 Defensive Your opponent is a bit worried about progress and will play
to reduce risk.
-31 and Hopeless The stench of failure is in the air, and your opponent is
below trying to cut their losses.

Due to the nature of the activation card system, posture can change quickly. For example,
a short turn or defensive play tends to negate the effects of the ‘winning’ and morale axes.
A long, successful turn for the opponent can overcome the results of successive failures to
change their mood in an instant.

Optional Rule: If the opponent's posture reaches "Hopeless" and stays there for two
consecutive terms, their force breaks and leaves the table.

Optional Rule: If the opponent’s posture reaches "Overconfident" and stays there for two
consecutive turns, your force breaks and will leave the table.

Effects of Posture on Activation:

When an opponent’s unit activates, before conducting any actions, draw a card from the
opponent’s Action Deck and consult the d10 icon.

Use the number to determine the action based on the table below that matches the
opponent’s posture.

For example: The opponent is “Overconfident” and the d10 indicates a five. Consulting
Table 1 we can see that the team being activated will fire at the nearest enemy if in range.
If no enemy is in range, it will do nothing.

Interpreting the results

Doing nothing
In all cases, when the result is “do nothing,” figures within the unit may still recover from
stun or reload their weapons as in the Combat Patrol™ rules.

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Who is the nearest enemy?
Often results indicate that the unit should fire at the nearest enemy. This should be
interpreted as the nearest appropriate enemy. For instance, a unit with no anti-tank
weapons would not fire at a tank, if it was the closest enemy, it would fire at the closest
infantry unit. The result to move to go into Melee should again be toward an appropriate
unit. The unit may decide to Sprint to make contact, but like in the normal rules, this
decision must be made before drawing cards for movement.

Activating off board units

There is a result to activate an off-board unit. If there are no off-board units, this action
can be used by the unit to call for indirect fire from either off-board or on-board systems.
Machine guns do not count as support weapons in this context.

Table 1: Opposition Action -- Overconfident

d10 Unit Action

1-3 “Let them have it, men!” Fire at the nearest enemy unit if in range. If not
in range, move toward nearest enemy unit, and fire if it has weapons
capable of moving fire. If there are no visible enemy units, move toward
the objective. The unit may Sprint.
4-5 “Fire at will.” Fire at nearest enemy unit, if in range; otherwise, do nothing.
Figures in the unit can React to enemy movement.
6-8 “Advance!” Move toward nearest enemy unit to engage in Melee. The unit
may Sprint to make contact.
8 “Call for support.” Activate and deploy one, off-board unit. If no off-board
units are available, do nothing.
9 “Move out.” Move directly toward the objective. The unit may sprint to get
across open ground.
0 “Take cover, men.” Unit does nothing this activation but may React to your
actions.

Table 2: Opposition Action -- Aggressive

d10 Unit Action

1-2 “Take Cover!” Move toward nearest enemy unit and take cover. The unit
may Sprint to reach cover.
3-4 “Advance.” Move toward nearest enemy unit, and fire if it has weapons
capable of moving fire.
5 “Let them have it, men!” Fire at the nearest enemy unit if in range. If not
in range, move toward nearest enemy unit, and fire if it has weapons
capable of moving fire. If there are no visible enemy units, move toward
the objective. The unit may Sprint.
6-8 “Attack!” Move toward nearest enemy unit to engage in Melee. The unit
may Sprint to make contact.
9 “Call for support.” Activate and deploy one, off-board unit. If no off-board
units are available, do nothing. Off-board artillery can be called.
0 “Take cover, men.” Unit does nothing this activation but may React to your
actions.

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Table 3: Opposition Action -- Normal

d10 Unit Action

1 “Take cover, men.” Unit does nothing this activation but may React to your
actions.
2 “Advance.” Move toward nearest enemy unit and take cover. The unit may
Sprint to reach cover.
3-4 “Advance!” Move toward nearest enemy unit, and fire if it has weapons
capable of moving fire.
5 “Let them have it, men!” Fire at the nearest enemy unit if in range. If not
in range, move toward nearest enemy unit, and fire if it has weapons
capable of moving fire. If there are no visible enemy units, move toward
the objective. The unit may not Sprint.
6-7 “Attack!” Move toward nearest enemy unit to engage in Melee. The unit
may Sprint to make contact.
8 “Call for support.” Activate and deploy one, off-board unit. If no off-board
units are available, do nothing. Off-board artillery can be called.
9 “Regroup!” Move directly away from nearest armed critter, toward cover if
available.
0 “Take cover, men.” Unit does nothing this activation but may React to your
actions.

Table 4: Opposition Action -- Defensive

d10 Unit Action

1 “Take cover, men.” Unit does nothing this activation but may React to your
actions.
2-3 “Advance.” Move toward nearest enemy unit and take cover. The unit may
Sprint to reach cover.
4-6 “Let them have it, men!” Fire at the nearest enemy unit if in range. If not
in range, move toward nearest enemy unit, and fire if it has weapons
capable of moving fire. If there are no visible enemy units, move toward
the objective. The unit may not Sprint.
7-8 “Call for support.” Activate and deploy one, off-board unit. If no off-board
units are available, do nothing. Off-board artillery can be called.
9 “Regroup!” Move directly away from nearest armed critter, toward cover if
available.
0 “Take cover, men.” Unit does nothing this activation but may React to your
actions.

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Table 5: Opposition Action -- Hopeless

d10 Unit Action

1-3 “Take cover, men.” Unit does nothing this activation but may React to your
actions.
4-6 “Fire at will.” Fire at nearest enemy unit, if in range; otherwise, do nothing.
Figures in the unit can React to enemy movement.
7-8 “Call for support.” Activate and deploy one, off-board unit. If no off-board
units are available, do nothing. Off-board artillery can be called.
9 “Regroup!” Move directly away from nearest armed critter, toward cover if
available.
0 “Take cover, men.” Unit does nothing this activation but may React to your
actions.

Setting up the game

Another essential part of the opponent experience in gaming is the argument about what to
play and how to set up the terrain. These mechanisms are intended to allow a useful table
setup while avoiding your natural tendency to set up the board to favour your own force. (A
side benefit of this approach is that it reduces the risk of arguing with yourself and
attracting unwanted attention.)

Method 1. Use a prepared scenario.

There are many WWII scenarios (or scenarios for other periods that can be easily
adapted for WWII) online, in gaming magazines, and in published scenario books. Choose
one you like, set upt the terrain, and start playing. There is a free Combat Patrol™
supplement for converting the excellent Skirmish Campaigns scenarios for Combat Patrol™.

Method 2. Random scenario.

The basic premise of any wargame is that two opposing sides meet and fight. This
section provides two ways of generating simple ‘pick up’ games. This section can be used
for pickup games between two real opponents or to generate a scenario for a solo player.

Choosing Forces
The player should select two sides that really fought each other in WWII, the theatre,
and the time period. It doesn’t make much sense to pit a 1940 French infantry platoon
against a 1944 US infantry platoon. The player should also decide which side he will take in
the upcoming battle.

Setting up the basic table

Players are constrained by what scenery they own. Choose your playing surface – you can
play a satisfying small game in a single building, but for anything above one squad per side,
a space of at least 2 square feet is recommended. Then generate the basic terrain for the
table, rolling two six-sided dice as indicated below. If you do not have the correct terrain
pieces, then reroll.

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First Second
Die Die Roll
Roll
1 Dense woodland area 1 There is a small, fordable stream crosses the
table.
2 There is a large stream that can only be crossed
by vehicles at a single bridge or ford.
3 A road runs across the table.
4 The area is dominated by a large hill in the
center of the table.
5 The area is dominated by two large clearings
toward the center of the table.
6 There is one abandoned shack near the center
of the table.
2 Farmland 1-3 The area is divided into fields by low walls or
fences. The crops are low and do not block line
of sight.
4 The area is divided into fields by dense hedges
or high brick walls. The crops are low and do
not block line of sight.
5 The area is divided into fields by low walls or
fences. The crops are high and block line of
sight.
6 The area is divided into fields by dense hedges
or high brick walls. The crops are high and
block line of sight.
3 Small village or 1-3 There is a road intersection in the middle of the
hamlet (2-3 buildings) village.
4-5 A road runs across the table through the village.
6 There is a large steam that can only be crossed
by vehicles at a single bridge or ford. The
bridge is in the center of the table, surrounded
by the buildings of the village.
4 Large village with an 1-3 There is a road intersection in the middle of the
important crossroads village.
(4 -8 buildings with 4-5 A road runs across the table through the village.
low brick walls, 6 There is a large steam that can only be crossed
fences, garages, etc.) by vehicles at a single bridge or ford. The
bridge is in the center of the table, surrounded
by the buildings of the village.
5 Chateau or large 1-4 All edges of the table are wooded, but the
manor house center of the table is largely open, rolling
terrain.
5-6 The area is surrounded by dense woods outside
a high wall with just two gates through the wall.
6 Factory (should have 1-4 The factory is in the center of a dense wooded
at least four rooms area.
and at least two 5 The factor is on the outskirts of a small town.
floors. 6 All edges of the table are wooded, but the
center of the table is largely open, rolling
terrain. The factory is in the center of the table.

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Types of Scenario
For purposes of these rules, we divide missions into three basic types: meeting
engagements, attack/defense, or raid. The most common military action is a meeting
engagement, usually at the intersection of four map sheets. A meeting engagement
happens when forces from two sides meet unexpectedly and battle ensues. An
attack/defense scenario involves one side defending an objective (usually a location) while
the other side attacks them to take control. In a raid, a small force conducts a surprise
attack against an objective held by a larger force in order to accomplish a specific objective,
such as destroying something or capturing something. There are two main differences
between an attack and a raid. In an attack, the attacker generally outnumbers the defender
and intends to retain the ground after the attack. In a raid, the attacking force is usually
much smaller than the defending force, relying on superior training and surprise to win the
day. Also, in a raid, the attacking force does not intend to retain the ground captured but
intends to depart as soon as the mission is accomplished. To determine the type of
scenario, roll a six-sided die and consult Table 6.

Table 6: Random Determination of Scenario Missions

Roll Scenario Description

1 Prepared Draw a card from the Action Deck and consult the ten-sided die icon.
Defense If the “roll” is even, the human is the defender; otherwise, the human
is the attacker.

The defender has a reinforced rifle squad. The reinforcement can be

a heavy weapon that exists at the platoon or company level as
depicted in the order of battle information presented on the Combat
Patrol™ rules’ Web page or the Sally 4th site.

The attacker has a rifle company. This is a “pure” rifle company as

depicted in the order of battle information presented on the Combat
Patrol™ rules’ Web page or the Sally 4th site. The attacking side gets
THREE extra cards in the Activation Deck as described in the Combat
Patrol™ rules.

The defender selects the board edge he will defend and then places
his forces within the third of the board closest to that edge. The
defender may elect to defend either a narrow or long edge, at his
discretion. The defender may add up to six inches of prepared
positions that provide foxhole level of cover.

The attackers then deploy their forces on the third of the board
farthest and directly opposite the edge chose by the defender.

Each incapacitated defending figure is worth 1 point. Each

incapacitated attacking figure is worth ½ a point. The side with the
most points wins.

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2 Hasty Draw a card from the Action Deck and consult the ten-sided die icon.
Defense If the “roll” is even, the human is the defender; otherwise, the human
is the attacker.

The defender has a reinforced rifle squad. The reinforcement can be

a heavy weapon that exists at the platoon or company level as
depicted in the order of battle information presented on the Combat
Patrol™ rules’ Web page or the Sally 4th site.

The attacker has a rifle company. This is a “pure” rifle company as

depicted in the order of battle information presented on the Combat
Patrol™ rules’ Web page or the Sally 4th site. The attacking side gets
TWO extra cards in the Activation Deck as described in the Combat
Patrol™ rules.

The defender selects the board edge he will defend and then places
his forces within the third of the board closest to that edge. The
defender may elect to defend either a narrow or long edge, at his
discretion.

The attackers then deploy their forces on the third of the board
farthest and directly opposite the edge chose by the defender.

Each incapacitated defending figure is worth 1 point. Each

incapacitated attacking figure is worth ½ a point. The side with the
most points wins.

3–4 Meeting Draw a card from the Action Deck and consult the ten-sided die icon.
Engagement If the “roll” is even, the human deploys first; otherwise, the human
deploys second.

Both sides have an “equal” force, such as a squad or platoon.

The side that deploys first selects the edge of the table on which they
will deploy. The other side will deploy on the opposite edge of the
table.

The first side has five minutes to deploy its forces. Use a timer set for
five minutes. The second side also have five minutes. Any figures
not placed within the time limit are considered to have become lost.
They will enter after the third turn from the centre of the side’s board
edge.

Each incapacitated figure is worth a point. The side with the most
points wins.

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5–6 Raid Draw a card from the Action Deck and consult the ten-sided die icon. If
the “roll” is even, the human is the raider first; otherwise, the human is
the defender. This scenario works best with the human as the raider.

The terrain for the raid should feature a number of structures near the
center of the table. This scenario can be made more or less difficult for
the human based on the amount of terrain placed on the table that
provides the raiders cover and concealment.

The raiding force should be about half the strength of the defending
forces.

The raid is a special type of mission, in which the attacker’s aim is to

meet victory conditions and then exit the board with as much of their
force intact as possible.

The defender deploys his forces anywhere on the table and designates
one terrain feature to be the unit headquarters. All defending figures
are stunned at the start of the game to reflect the surprise of the raid.

The raiding force gets two extra cards in the Activation deck for the first
three turns of the game.

The raider then secretly determines his objective by rolling a six-sided

die.
1. Capture two prisoners and return them to the start point alive. To
become a prisoner, a figure must be incapacitated in hand-to-hand
combat. In this case the figure is not killed by rendered incapable of
defense. When dragging a prisoner away, the figure doing so moves
at half speed.
2. Kill the enemy commander.
3. Capture information. At least two raiders must occupy the defender’s
headquarters for two activations. At that point, they are considered
to have the required information. To win, the raider must get that
information off the table. If the raider carrying the information is
Incapacitated, place a marker on the table so that either side may
recover the information.
4. Demolish a building or structure. This is a randomly selected
structure near the centre of the table.
5. Destroy a key piece of equipment. A key piece of equipment like a
communications device or sensor array is located near the centre of
the table. The raiders must get to it, spend two actions planning an
explosive, move away one action, and detonate the explosives to
destroy the equipment.
6. Incapacitate 25% of the defenders’ figures.

It is recommended that raid scenarios take place at night, using the night
fighting rules and that the spotting rules are employed.

If the raiders accomplish their mission, they win. Otherwise the

defenders win.

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 Turn
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Winning A. Their Failures

B. Your Failures

X = B-A

D. Their Morale
Force Morale

E. Your Morale

Y = E-D

F. Enemy Losses

G. Your Losses
Losses

Z = G-F

Posture Result
(X+Y+Z)
+ previous
turn
Results: More than 31: “Overconfident”, 16 to 30: “Aggressive”, -15 to 15: “Normal”, -16 to -30: “Defensive”, Less than -31: ”Hopeless”.

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