The Naval Struggle for Lake Ontario during the War of 1812
a solitaire game design by Gina Willis

A Glorious Chance is a solitaire, operational wargame that puts you in command of the U.S. or British naval squadron on Lake Ontario in 1813. You have four months to dominate the lake. But each patrol, each convoy mission, each amphibious landing you make to pursue victory risks full-scale battle with the enemy squadron – a battle that could leave you triumphant or shattered in a matter of hours. A dynamic card-driven AI opponent assigns British missions, refits and launches new ships, and plots raids on your supply routes and coastlines.

Description of the mechanics: A Glorious Chance has eight turns representing the period June-September 1813, and is playable in about four hours. Each turn, the human player assigns friendly ships or stacks to patrol, convoy escort, land-support, or interception missions in any of six lake zones. Card and chit draws determine which enemy ships may deploy to the lake or stay in the shipyard to acquire more potent weaponry. The player draws a row of Target Cards, face-down. Each card back shows a lake zone where the enemy may be active this turn. If a card’s zone matches a zone with a friendly mission, an encounter is possible. An encounter flips that Target Card to reveal the enemy mission type and an effort level, which help determine how many enemy ships appear. Lake combat is resolved on an odds-based table, modified by drawn/selected tactic chits, and can result in victory points for enemy ships destroyed or captured. Ships with a land-support mission increase the chance of their side’s success in a land attack, which also earns victory points. An administrative phase at the end of each turn establishes which side earns VPs for control of lake zones, whether a side’s home port is under blockade, and how arrived, delayed, or captured supply convoys affect the progress of each side’s supply track. A side that reaches certain supply levels can launch certain ships from a shipyard, or have army troops readied to attempt more ambitious land operations. A final victory level is assessed at the end of the eighth turn; depending on the VP level, the game result can be a draw, or either side can win a marginal victory, victory, or decisive victory.

Components:

Game Maps: two 22" x 34" paper maps (one British and one US)
Game Counters: 26 double-wide ship counters (1.2" x .6") 100+ markers (.6" x .6")
Cards (US poker size):
- 50 British Campaign Target Cards
- 54 U.S. Campaign Target Cards
- 38 Event Cards
- 10 Attacker Tactic Cards
- 10 Defender Tactic Cards
Rules Books: British Solo Campaign (44 pages) U.S. Solo Campaign (44 pages)
Player Aid Book (16 pages)
- Extended examples of play
- Designer notes
- Developer notes
- Playing tips
- Orders of battle
- Suggested reading list
Player Aids:
- Two single-sided Homeport Display Mats (11” x 8½”)
- Four double-sided Player Aids (11” x 8½”)

Map Scale: Area movement
Unit Size: 1 ship
Time Scale: 2 weeks

Players: 1
Complexity: Medium
Solitaire: High

Players: 1
Playing Time: 2-4 Hours
Difficulty: 6/10