Our friend Gregory M. Smith is a solitaire genius and has done many of these solo, narrative driven wargames that we have all enjoyed for hours on end while we have been unable to find an opponent or just because we want to play a game on our timeline. But Greg also does a bang up job with 2-player games and is not just a one trick pony. We have interviewed him many, many time for the blog (I actually counted up the number of interviews we have done with him and it is 17!) and he has always been so very gracious with us. We have met him multiple times at the World Board Gaming Championships and hung out to discuss his myriad designs that he has in the cooker and also to play games and break some bread. Always a great time and he really is a great designer. The focus of this post is 3 games of Greg’s that I have most enjoyed and that I think are really good. So, without further delay, here are my Best 3 Games with…Designer Gregory M. Smith!

3. Silent Victory: U.S. Submarines in the Pacific, 1941-45 from GMT Games

One of my favorite movies of all time is Das Boot. I know that this is a movie about a German submarine and I am using it as the introduction to a post about American submarines but it is simply so good and really helped to give me an understanding of the absolute hell that those submariners endured in the depths in a slender metal tube being depth charged to death. I remember the scene where the Chief Machinist Johann loses it and has to be restrained. As we follow along on the patrol of the U-96, we grow to understand the difficulty with which those men had to deal as they did their job and took the punishment. As you know, the movie ends when they are in a sub base and are bombed by Allied planes and we see the Captain and most of the crew shot up and dying as they watch the U-96 slip under the water.

After playing Silent Victory, where the player takes the helm of an American submarine in the Pacific Ocean during World War II, I could understand (not physically or psychologically) emotionally how they felt, just a bit, as my boat was depth charged mercilessly and I simply could not get away from the Escort. Eventually, I did get away but not before I lost a few crew to injuries and basically nearly sank myself by deciding to go past test depth to escape.

Silent Victory: U.S. Submarines in the Pacific, 1941-45 is a window into the experience of a submariner during World War II. True, the game boils down to an exercise in chart flipping and dice rolling but it amazes me that all of that can generate a nail biting heart pounding tension filled experience all using nothing more than a few pieces of paper, a few counters and some dice. It is the only submarine game from Gregory M. Smith that I have fully played through and I really need to get the others off the shelf and get them on the table. Along the same lines of thought though this chart flipping and dice rolling can get to some people after a while and this one may not be for everyone. It’s strength is the building of the characters in your captain and crew and the narrative that it weaves all while using a pen, a pad and some dice and charts. There are limited choices, but they mostly have to do with how you attack or whether you attack, as your patrols are basically boxes along a track that you follow and roll dice looking for contact. But the tension is palpable and really kept me on the edge of my seat for several hours. The game can be played quickly as a patrol might take 30-45 minutes depending on what happens and you can then put it away and come back to it when you have another opportunity to go out on patrol again in trying to complete and survive your tour of duty. For that type of gamer with limited time and table space, this is a lifesaver. But this is a very fine solitaire game and Greg kind of created a whole genre of games from this humble beginning.

If you are interested in Silent Victory: U.S. Submarines in the Pacific, 1941-45, you can pre-order a 3rd Printing copy on the GMT Games website at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-968-silent-victory-3rd-printing.aspx

Or if you are impatient, you can find a copy on any number of retailers, including our friends at Noble Knight Games.

2. Nightfighter Ace: Air Defense Over Germany, 1943-1944 from Compass Games

I really enjoy games covering the air war in World War II and we have played and written about some of the best, including Bomber Command and Wing Leader: Supremacy from GMT Games, B-29 Superfortress from Legion Wargames and A Wing and a Prayer from Lock ‘n Load Publishing. But one of my favorite games on the subject is Nightfighter Ace: Air Defense Over Germany, 1943-1944 from Compass Games. In this one, players will have the solo experience of a tactical level game which places you in command of a German Nightfighter during World War II. Each turn consists of several days, during which a combat mission will be flown from one of many bases in Europe, attempting to intercept incoming British Bombers. Nightfighter Ace is based on the popular, action-packed Hunters System designed by Greg and really creates a very satisfying and strong narrative around the pilot as you look to increase your prestige, earn skills, and rise in rank through promotion and receive awards.

This game will be familiar to any who have played the likes of other games designed by Greg such as The Hunters or Silent Victory, as they generally use the same gaming system. The game system also lends itself very well to capturing the tense air defense over Germany. While Nightfighter Ace is designed as a solitaire gaming experience, additional options for play are provided for both multi-player cooperative and competitive gaming sessions. I really love this game and enjoy the press-your-luck style of play as you have the choice to continue your attack on the bombers, even though many of your systems are damaged and you are only one or two hits away from being shot down. When you have found your quarry, and let me tell you it can be hard to do depending on your weather, upgraded systems such as your radar or even the area you have to travel to in order to get into the action, you have to do damage while you can. Only the brave and brash will find success as a Nightfighter Ace!

I also very much enjoy the combat portion of the game and how it uses cards to determine hits and misses. Just a really well designed and fun game and I cannot recommend this one enough!

If you are interested in Nightfighter Ace: Air Defense Over Germany, 1943-1944, you can order a copy on the Compass Games website at the following link: https://www.compassgames.com/product/nightfighter-ace-air-defense-over-germany-1943-44/

1. Imperial Tide: The Great War, 1914-1918 from Compass Games

As I mentioned in the intro, Greg is more than just a solitaire game designer. He has a fantastic 2-plyaer series called the Tide Series and we have played several of the games and my favorite is Imperial Tide. We played Imperial Tide a few times in 2022 and had such a fantastic experience that I simply wanted to share my thoughts with you on this game as it was surprisingly good, not that his other 2-player games are not good but they didn’t grab me the same way that his solo games had…..until now with Imperial Tide.

The game uses cards as your currency and these cards are used to activate various stacks found on the board or used for events to bring additional units on the board, move units or gain specific benefits during combat. This strategic level game is very well put together and creates some interesting choices for players as to how they go about fighting the war, what cards they include in their decks by wisely spending their number of points to get the cards they need, and how they use those cards.

The combat is also fairly simple and uses a CRT where you consult the column that includes the number of units you are attacking with and then rolling 2d6 and the consulting the CRT to see the number of losses. Really quick combat resolution that keeps the game moving but most importantly represents the attritive nature of WWI combat and the focus on trenches which absorb the first hit. The game is just so solid and interesting and really was a surprise to both of us.

We posted an interview with Greg on the blog and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2020/05/11/interview-with-gregory-m-smith-designer-of-imperial-tide-the-great-war-1914-1918-from-compass-games/

Here also is a link to our video review:

If you are interested in Imperial Tide, you can purchase a copy from the Compass Games website at the following link: https://www.compassgames.com/product/imperial-tide-the-great-war-1914-1918/

Greg is also working on 2 new addition to the Tide Series including Rebel Tide (an American Civil War game) and Insurgent Tide (which focuses on the Iraq War).

There you have it. My Best 3 Games with Designer Gregory M. Smith! He has done so many good games it really is a challenge to distill that down into a list of just 3 but I had a great time with each of these games and look forward to continuing to play them as well as his several upcoming designs.

What are your favorite games from Gregory M. Smith?

-Grant