Midway Solitaire - Travel Edition
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FroGames — Moments You'll Remember
Four American aircraft carriers against the entire Imperial fleet. Invasion convoys race towards Midway. You decide when to launch the first attack — one turn too early and you're discovered, one too late and the island is lost. Ten minutes are all it takes for everything to change.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
June 1942: the turning point of the Pacific
Midway Solitaire puts you in command of American carrier task forces in June 1942, against an automated BOT representing the Imperial Japanese Navy. It’s a compact, lightning-fast solitaire wargame from Mike and Grant Wylie's Pacific solitaire series for Worthington Publishing, designed for real strategic choices in just 15-30 minutes.
Your objective: achieve mission milestones before Japanese invasion convoys reach their destinations — Midway, the Aleutian Islands, or Hawaii — and establish advanced bases that threaten American territory. You maneuver task forces to intercept, deploy Midway's reconnaissance aircraft, the BOT activates with the next Action Card. When forces clash, airstrikes are quick, lethal, and decisive: combat is resolved in two swift rounds. Your decisions — and your risks — determine whether Midway becomes a historic victory or a disaster.
FroGames' take
Ten minutes of reconnaissance, thirty seconds of airstrike, an entire war decided. Midway in a box that fits on your coffee table.
Midway Solitaire's secret in one line
You know how history ended. But you don't know where the enemy carriers are, and this time it's up to you to find them first.
From the game experience
Midway Solitaire
Designed as a solitaire experience: the Japanese BOT activates via Action Cards, simulating the Imperial Navy without the need for a human opponent. Additionally, an optional cooperative mode allows two players to share command (TF-16 on one side, TF-17 and Midway aircraft on the other). Alone or with two players, the experience is complete.
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews, and gameplay sessionsWhat's in the box
Components for the Battle of Midway
Central Pacific Map Board
The map showing the invasion convoy routes to Midway, the Aleutians, and Hawaii. Compact, readable, designed for fast play: every area counts in the race against time.
Force Counters
Tokens for American task forces and Japanese carriers and convoys, to be moved on the board. Few pieces, each decisive: losing a carrier changes the entire game.
Ship Status Boards
Ship status boards where you record damage with hit markers placed over the ships. See at a glance which carriers are still operational and which are sinking.
Action Cards and Game Cards
The cards that activate the Japanese BOT turn by turn and govern the engagements. This is where the Imperial Navy comes to life, without the need for a second player.
A surprise for the series
Also playable by two
Unlike other solitaires in the series, Midway Solitaire includes an optional cooperative mode: two players divide command of the American fleet and face the Japanese BOT together.
TF-16 Commander
One player takes control of Task Force 16 and its carriers. They decide when to approach, when to launch the attack, and when to retreat to safety.
TF-17 + Midway Commander
The other commands Task Force 17 and the aircraft based at Midway. Coordinating reconnaissance and attacks between the two commands is key to defeating the Imperial Navy.
In half an hour, you'll know if Midway is your historic victory or your disaster. And you'll immediately want to try again with a different objective.
A game in five acts
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
Choose your mission, launch your scouts
Before you even move, choose your objective: sink the convoys, eliminate the aircraft carriers, or the near-impossible task of destroying the entire operation. Then deploy planes from Midway. The sea is vast and you don't yet know where the enemy is.
The BOT moves, the convoys advance
Flip the next Action Card: the Imperial Navy activates, enemy aircraft carriers maneuver, invasion convoys head towards Midway, the Aleutians, Hawaii. With each passing turn, the enemy gets closer to their objective. You race to intercept.
Contact
Your task forces and a Japanese fleet end up in the same area. You found them. But they found you. Do you launch an airstrike now or wait a turn to hit harder? Every second of hesitation can cost you an aircraft carrier.
Two rounds, and everything changes
The attack unfolds in two rapid, lethal rounds. Dice fly, hit markers land on the ship boards. A Japanese aircraft carrier sinks — but one of yours is also in flames. The turning point of the Pacific, in thirty seconds at the table.
Historic victory or disaster
Check your mission objective: did you achieve it before the convoys landed? Midway is safe. Or the enemy established their advanced bases and the war takes a different turn. You count your losses and already think about the next, more difficult mission.
How to play
The flow of each turn
Few steps, tight timing: every turn is a weighty decision.
Move your aircraft carriers on the board to intercept the Japanese. You must guess where they will strike and position yourself without overexposing yourself: getting closer increases the chances of finding them, but also of being found first.
You launch scouts and base aircraft from the island. They expand your detection range and give you extra attack power, independent of the aircraft carriers. They are your eyes and your hammer in the central Pacific.
Flip the next Action Card: the Japanese AI moves fleets and convoys according to predefined tactical priorities, but never in the same order. There's no need for a human opponent — the Imperial Navy plays on its own, and well.
If forces clash, airstrikes begin: fast, lethal, decisive. Combat is resolved in two rapid rounds, you record damage with hit markers on the ship boards and keep the pace high. Then you check the mission conditions.
Why it's different from others
Six elements that make a difference
Japanese BOT with Action Cards
No human opponent: the Imperial Navy is guided by a deck of Action Cards that direct its maneuvers, attacks, and expansion. Consistent tactical logic, but always a different order. The enemy doesn't cheat, but is never predictable.
Lightning-fast airstrikes
When forces collide, airstrikes are rapid, lethal, and decisive: only two rounds of combat. No lengthy resolutions — the tension is all in deciding when to engage, not in rolling dice for half an hour.
Choice of mission objective
Before playing, choose what victory means: sink the invasion convoys, eliminate the aircraft carriers, or destroy the entire operation (a nearly impossible feat). Three levels of challenge, three completely different games in the same box.
The convoy race
Japanese convoys head towards Midway, the Aleutians, and Hawaii. If they arrive, they establish advanced bases that threaten American territory. You have an implicit time limit: every turn is a race against their advance.
Optional cooperative mode
More than just a solitaire game: two players can divide command — one to Task Force 16, the other to Task Force 17 plus Midway's aircraft. Coordinating reconnaissance and attacks together is a whole new challenge.
15-30 minutes, compact
A complete naval wargame that plays in 15-30 minutes and takes up very little space. Fast setup, tight pace, real decisions. Perfect for an evening game or three in a row to try all the objectives.
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
Victory depends on the mission objective you choose before starting. It's a race against the Japanese advance.
American Victory
- Achieve the chosen mission objective before the game ends
- Sink the invasion convoys, eliminate enemy aircraft carriers, or — the almost impossible feat — destroy the entire Japanese operation
- Do it before the convoys reach Midway, the Aleutians, or Hawaii
Defeat
- The invasion convoys reach their destinations and establish advanced bases
- You lose too many aircraft carriers to complete the mission
- Time runs out before you achieve the chosen objective
Midway Solitaire takes the battle that changed the Pacific and puts it in your hands in half an hour. Your decisions — and your risks — decide how history ends.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ about Midway Solitaire
We all know how Midway ended: does it make sense to play it?
Yes, because in the game you don't know the information that really mattered: where the enemy aircraft carriers are and when they will strike. You maneuver in the dark, choose when to risk confrontation, and the three mission objectives push you to play in different ways. You don't relive history — you face the same dilemmas as the admirals, with an outcome that is anything but certain.
Isn't 15-30 minutes too short for a real wargame?
It's short in duration, not in decisions. The brevity is intentional: airstrikes are resolved in two rounds to keep the pace, but the substance lies in blind positioning, objective selection, and attack timing. It's a compact wargame designed to provide meaningful choices quickly, not an encyclopedic simulation — and that's precisely its strength.
How does the cooperative mode work?
In a two-player game, you divide command of the American fleet: one player leads Task Force 16, the other leads Task Force 17 and the Midway-based aircraft. You face the same Japanese BOT together, coordinating reconnaissance and attacks. It's an optional mode: the game is primarily designed for solo play.
Is the Japanese BOT predictable after a few games?
No. The Action Cards follow consistent tactical logic (advance convoys, protect carriers, attack when discovered) but the order changes every game. You recognize behaviors, but you never know when the card that reveals you will appear. Combined with the objective choice, this ensures battles are always different.
Is it suitable for those who have never played a wargame?
Yes. It's compact, the rules are few, and the pace is fast: it's one of the most accessible ways to get into solo naval wargames. The decisions are intuitive (where do I go, when do I attack) and a game lasts as long as a long coffee break. An excellent starting point before more complex titles.
Is it available in Italian?
No, this edition is in English. Cards, boards, and rulebook are in English. Language dependency is contained: once the game flow is learned, you rely heavily on the map and icons, but a good understanding of written English is needed for setup and Action Cards.
Midway Solitaire is a solo naval wargame for 1 player (with optional cooperative mode for 2), 15-30 minutes per game, recommended age 14+. Part of Mike and Grant Wylie's Pacific solitaire series for Worthington Publishing, it puts you in command of American carrier task forces in June 1942 against an automated BOT representing the Imperial Japanese Navy. You must achieve your mission objective — sink invasion convoys, eliminate enemy aircraft carriers, or destroy the entire operation — before Japanese convoys reach Midway, the Aleutians, or Hawaii. Mechanics: card-driven with Action Card BOT, task force maneuvering, Midway reconnaissance, and airstrikes resolved in two rapid rounds. Components: game board, counters, ship status boards with hit markers, and game cards. Available on FroGames.it.
Midway Solitaire - Travel Edition
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