Patton's Best
Encyclopedia
Patton's Best is a World War II
solitaire wargame
. It was designed by Bruce Shelley
and published by Avalon Hill
in 1987.
The game puts the player in command of an M4 Sherman
tank belonging to George Patton's
4th Armoured Division in Northern Europe.
The game is played on an abstract map which portraits hypotethical territory in Normandy, several
tables and a depiction of the tank, on which the player puts cardboard counters to indicate the
actions performed by each member of the crew, the kind of ammunition currently loaded in the main
gun, the current state of hatches, turret and gun orientation, and other information.
A game is played in turns, each one corresponding to 15 minutes of real time: when random die rolls indicate that combat occurs the action switches to combat rounds, during which the player directs
the actions of each crew member (driver, assistant driver, gunner, loader and commander himself)
moving the tank and firing its weapons, while the randomly determined enemy reacts with actions
determined by random die rolls influenced by what the player does.
The player wins by earning victory points by knocking out enemy units and capturing enemy
territory, and preventing the enemy doing so. After a game is over the player has a chance to
improve his tank, switching to a later or improved model, and to improve the skills of his crew.
The game is quite detailed in terms of single-tank warfare simulation, including rules for
machine guns, smoke deployment, target acquisition, enemy spotting, crew casualties.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
solitaire wargame
Wargaming
A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...
. It was designed by Bruce Shelley
Bruce Shelley
Bruce Campbell Shelley is a computer game designer who helped design Sid Meier's Civilization and Railroad Tycoon with MicroProse and the 1997 hit real-time strategy game Age of Empires with Ensemble Studios. He is currently working with Zynga, best known for Farmville, and had helped develop...
and published by Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill was a game company that specialized in wargames and strategic board games. Its logo contained its initials "AH", and it was often referred to by this abbreviation. It also published the occasional miniature wargaming rules, role-playing game, and had a popular line of sports simulations...
in 1987.
The game puts the player in command of an M4 Sherman
M4 Sherman
The M4 Sherman, formally Medium Tank, M4, was the primary tank used by the United States during World War II. Thousands were also distributed to the Allies, including the British Commonwealth and Soviet armies, via lend-lease...
tank belonging to George Patton's
4th Armoured Division in Northern Europe.
The game is played on an abstract map which portraits hypotethical territory in Normandy, several
tables and a depiction of the tank, on which the player puts cardboard counters to indicate the
actions performed by each member of the crew, the kind of ammunition currently loaded in the main
gun, the current state of hatches, turret and gun orientation, and other information.
A game is played in turns, each one corresponding to 15 minutes of real time: when random die rolls indicate that combat occurs the action switches to combat rounds, during which the player directs
the actions of each crew member (driver, assistant driver, gunner, loader and commander himself)
moving the tank and firing its weapons, while the randomly determined enemy reacts with actions
determined by random die rolls influenced by what the player does.
The player wins by earning victory points by knocking out enemy units and capturing enemy
territory, and preventing the enemy doing so. After a game is over the player has a chance to
improve his tank, switching to a later or improved model, and to improve the skills of his crew.
The game is quite detailed in terms of single-tank warfare simulation, including rules for
machine guns, smoke deployment, target acquisition, enemy spotting, crew casualties.