Desert Tide is a two-player, operational-level game which places you in command of either the Axis Powers (Germany and Italy) or the Allied Powers (Britain and her Commonwealth allies) during the North African campaign of World War 2. Starting with “O’Connor’s Offensive” in 1940, the Allies try to run the Italians out of Libya in 1940, forcing the Axis to bring in Romme and the German army that will become the Afrika Korps.
Each turn, or ‘Block’ is about 6 months long, during which multiple card plays occur. These give the players movement, combats, fortified boxes, supply, and other actions. At the end of each Block, players must make critical decisions on which cards to re-buy in an attempt to win the game. Desert Tide is based on the popular, action-packed “Tide” system of card-driven games (Pacific Tide, Imperial Tide, Rebel Tide), with many combat and strategic decisions to challenge players in just a single evening’s game.
The core of the game is the unique card re-buy system, in which players take each Block’s Build allowance and decide which cards they need for the upcoming Block. Cards not only provide for reinforcements, but allow for movement, combat, supply, and fortification. Which cards to re-buy is without question one of the key decisions the player must make to prepare for the next Block’s operations. Besides the focus on card play, the game also features a small footprint (one standard map) and also is designed to be played in just a single evening.
The game is highly accessible to those familiar with the “Tide” series from Compass Games. The card-driven system ensures that there is very little “down time” for each player as card play or Resource expenditure happens quickly. While Desert Tide is designed as a 2-player experience, an additional option for solitaire play is provided by the inclusion of a Solitaire Bot.
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