Comet

In this solitaire game from Brad Smith (That Others May Live), you help allied airmen shot down in World War II escape from occupied Europe. There were several escape lines – networks of safehouses, forgers, and civilian guides – but the most famous of these was the Comet Line, running from Belgium through France and Spain to British Gibraltar. The real people – many of them teenaged girls – are represented in the game, as well as the real challenges they faced. Given the nature of the work, infiltration by the Gestapo was unavoidable, and the threat of capture was omnipresent. More than eight hundred members of the Comet Line were arrested; about three hundred were executed, or died in concentration camps.

Smith’s game acknowledges this grim reality while celebrating the courage and victories of these brave civilians who risked so much in resistance to fascism. With a limited number of actions available to you each turn, you will need to satisfy competing demands: finding new guides and safehouses, rooting out infiltration, and dealing with the impact of world events beyond your control. At the end of each turn, you’ll plan and execute movement of the men under your protection, risking their capture and your exposure. Losing your only guide for a route can bring the whole thing to a standstill. Through clever card play and careful use of your stretched resources, you’ll have to rebuild and move forward – ever-optimistic in the face of incredible odds.

—description from the publisher