Stats:
No. of players: 1
Amount of time to play: 30-60 min
Age requirements: 10+
Set-up time: 10 minutes

Conflict of Heroes is a war game, the Eastern Front expansion lets you play it solo. It changes the flow of the game and adds a formidable AI opponent.

Conflict of Heroes Solo Rules Description:

The Eastern Front expansion keeps most of the same rules from the original Conflict of Heroes Awakening the Bear. If you are not familiar with the basics of the Conflict of Heroes series, you can read my review of Awakening the Bear or Storms of Steel. This post is going to focus on the solo rules found in the Eastern Front.

I mentioned the flow of the game being different. And that is probably the biggest change. On your turn after you activate a unit you flip an Order Card. If the Action you took costs the same or more APs than the number on the bottom of the card, your unit is spent.

When the AI takes a turn it draws an Order Card to determine which unit will activate. Once will determine the active AI unit there is a list or actions it will take based on the current board state. After you resolve the AI’s action you draw another Order Card and compare the number at the bottom of the card with the number of APs they spent. If the number is equal to or greater than the number of APs spent, the AI unit is spent.

The solo system still uses CAPs and the amount you have is set by the scenario. You can spend them to lower the cost of an action, take an action with any unit or modify any dice roll. Before you take an action you may spend CAPs to lower is AP cost on a one-for-one basis. This can help your unit stay fresh. Spending CAPs to activate a unit lets you activate spent units or activate a fresh unit and not have to check if it is spent. You can also spend up to two CAPs to modify a roll positively or negatively on a one-to-one cost. Some Order Cards have a blue heading and when used to activate an AI unit don’t trigger a spent check.

The Mission Track has events on it. When the Mission Track token advances if it lands on an event it is immediately resolved. These events can remove your CAPs, activate an enemy unit or add Rumored Enemy units to the map. Rumored Enemy units are revealed when they take an action, move in open terrain or are fired at. Sometimes they are AI units and sometimes they are rumors. Order Cards with a green heading may have conditions that will advance the Mission Track token. If the token ever gets to the end of the Track, the game ends.

You (or the AI) gain VP for eliminating units or meeting other mission-specific objectives. If you score more VPs than the SI you win.

A Quick Review of Conflict of Heroes the Eastern Front:

Conflict of Heroes is a fun series and having the ability to play it solitaire is great. The solo game is a tense and exciting experience just like the original. But you need to adjust your tactics to win.

The components for the Eastern Front expansion are on par with those from the base game. The chits are thick, durable and easy to read. And the cards are too. The rules are well written and have a few pages dedicated to examples. There is even a an excellent two-sided player aid.

I like the way the solo game keeps the spirit of the original. Though the game flow is different the terminology and mechanics are basically the same. This makes it easier for Conflict of Heroes players to learn how to play solitaire.

There is also a good deal of replay value for a solitaire, mission-based game. Not only can you play missions as both sides, the Mission Track Events and Order Cards keep each play unique.

Some solo play games can feel stale or make it easy to game the AI. The Eastern Front has a tough AI that keeps you on your toes. And you need to learn to adjust on the fly with the uncertainty of both your units’ and the AI units’ state.

There is a learning curve to figuring out which AI unit to activate and what action they take. But after a few games you get the hang on it.

If you own Conflict of Heroes – Awakening the Bear, I think the Eastern Front expansion is a must buy. It lets you play this game anytime you like. If you do not own the base game, you should give it a try. You might even want to pick up both if you play a lot of solo war games.

Score and synopsis: (Click here for an explanation of these review categories.)
Strategy 4 out of 6
Luck 4 out of 6
Player Interaction 5 out of 6
Replay Value 5 out of 6
Complexity 5 out of 6
Fun 5 out of 6
Overall 5 out of 6