So, you are planning or even starting your dream vacations? Time to rest, recharge batteries and disconnect a bit from everyday issues? But the bag has it limits, and it is almost full. On the other hand, you do not want to part with your beloved hobby – boardgames. How would you survive all those hours during long flight or what would you do to diversify the free time which you will have?
Don’t be afraid! With the vacations just starting here, in the Northern Hemisphere, I am presenting the newest edition of my flagship article – namely, guide to Top Travel-Friendly Wargames. We talk here about titles which you can easily take for your summer trips.
Now, let us talk a bit what does “easy to take on a trip” mean? For me, we can look at this in two dimensions:
- first and foremost, important factor: space needed to carry and then set-up the game – they cannot be too large in box size nor take too much table area; you anyhow are travelling so do not want to burden your luggage with too much additional stuff!
- second key consideration: time needed to play the game – in general, that would be fast to set-up and play titles, some of which can be even brought on a bike trip! You are having a vacation; you want to get your precious wargames with you but not necessarily spend whole time with them 🙂
Of course, sometimes you travel alone thus solitaire positions will of course be presented here too. So, without further delay, let us jump to the selection – please use the comments section as I count on your ideas too!
Other articles in the series:
1. Battle Line by GMT Games
A small card game created many years ago by board game veteran Reiner Knizia remains a staple in my travel set. Two players compete across a ‘battle line,’ aiming to win by capturing 5 out of 9 flags or 3 adjacent flags. The game is simple, elegant, and fast.
In 2017, the game was re-implemented with a new theme centered around Medieval warfare. This updated version of Battle Line is a two-player strategy card game featuring 60 beautifully illustrated cards by Roland MacDonald and 10 full-color tactics ‘wildcards’ that provide players with extra flexibility and choices, making each battle uniquely different from the last.
This is the perfect travel wargame. It is very easy to pack, requires minimal space (leave the box behind, put the cards in a Ziplock or Cube4Me Card Tray), and takes no more than 30 minutes to play. Despite its simplicity, it offers very engaging gameplay that requires careful planning to win. As a fan of the title, I couldn’t resist the temptation and got both versions – the Ancient one and the Medieval one. There are only minor differences between them, and I play both interchangeably.
More about game:
2. Twilight Struggle: Red Sea by GMT Games
Twilight Struggle: Red Sea – Conflict in the Horn of Africa allows players to continue their journey in the Twilight Struggle world. This stand-alone spinoff of its renowned predecessor features a more limited scope and shorter playtime, making it an ideal introduction to the Twilight Struggle system for new players. Despite its condensed format, it retains all the tension, decision-making, and thematic elements of the original classic
At the same time, it makes this game also perfect as a travel-friendly position! Remember, leave the box at home and use a zip-lock / Cube4Me set to minimize its footprint and you have a great game – taking up to 30 minutes to play – for your travels. It is also very solitaire friendly (bot) so you can spend quality time with it in the hotel during a Business Trip!
More about game:
3. SCOPE by Draco Ideas
SCOPE is in essence set of three card games, where each depicts different conflict:
- In SCOPE Stalingrad two to four players take on the role of sniper teams on both sides. The objective of the game is to eliminate the enemy snipers or enemy troops for a total value of points depending on the scenario being played.
- In SCOPE U-boot two players recreate the tension of the Battle of the Atlantic. The German player will try to sink the merchant ships crossing the sector while performing a deadly dance of stealth and death with the escorts trying to sink his subs.
- In SCOPE Panzer one player leads a squad of American tanks, which faces a squad of German tanks commanded by the other player, in a battle of ambush tactics and close-range encounters.
All three games have a small footprint, consisting of just a deck of cards and some counters. They use minimal space and are quick to play, with some smaller scenarios taking as little as 10 minutes. This makes them perfect for travel, while the significant number of modes and scenarios offers great replayability.
More about game:
4. Hispania by Draco Ideas
Let me now present and propose another great creation from Miguel Marqués, namely recently published Hispania from Draco Ideas. This is a cooperative game in which 1 to 3 players take the role of all the praetors and consuls that Rome sent to Hispania for almost 200 years, until the first emperor Caesar Augustus culminated the conquest with the final defeat of the Cantabrians and the incorporation of Hispania to his brand new Empire.
If you played Tetrarchia – and I did and had a lot of fun with it – the game will be familiar to you as the core engine is similar. However, there are several important changes (like Roman coins and roads) but a similar difficulty matrix that leads in this game to 243 different levels! On top of that, the game includes several modular expansions, historical scenarios, and a competitive mode that allows 1 additional player to lead the Hispanic resistance against Rome. All of this in small. neat box which can easily be taken on the trip!
More about game:
5. La Resistance by Flying Pig Games
Designed by Mark H. Walker, La Résistance is a simple yet engaging dice and card game set during the German occupation of France in World War II. During this period, brave French men and women fought against the Nazi conquerors, disrupting their communications, destroying supply warehouses, and ambushing German patrols. La Résistance allows players to lead a band of resistance fighters, striving to keep their team alive while aiming to become the most famous resistance leader
That is definitely a special title in my list as it allows for play of three to five people – and at the same time it is compact, quick and very engaging – with some very-much welcome negative interaction! Thus, it is great proposition for larger groups, travelling together! Highly recommended!
More about game:
6. Shores of Tripoli by Fort Circle
The Shores of Tripoli brings to life an exciting episode of early American military history – the First Barbary War – which I was previously unaware of! As the United States, one player will pressure Tripolitania to allow the free movement of American merchant vessels or face the consequences. As the leader of Tripoli, the other player will continue the lucrative piracy of the fearsome corsairs while countering the American threat on land and sea.
When I first heard about the game in 2019, I was intrigued by a completely new historical subject to me. To be honest, I never knew that the US was fighting in the Mediterranean to repel pirates, and they were supported by the Swedes – all this happening during the Napoleonic Wars! What drew me to the game was also the asymmetry and the great Card Driven Game concept, where you have access to all of the cards throughout the game, but it’s a question of when and how to use them.
I can definitely recommend it as a travel-friendly wargame. It is compact, allows for two-player and solo mode, can be easily finished in less than an hour, and is highly replayable.
More about game:
7. Table Battles by Hollandspiele
I appreciate games from smaller publishers, and Hollandspiele is one of my favorites. While browsing their webpage one day, I found an interesting, small, and quick game called Table Battles. I fell in love with it immediately! When I saw that there was an expansion about my favorite historical period – Table Battles: The Age of Alexander – I knew I had to get it.
So, what is this game about? Players roll and allocate dice to Formation cards, with each card accepting specific die results or dice combinations. On a later turn, those dice are removed to activate the formation, attacking a specific enemy unit, with hits resolved by removing wooden pieces assigned to each formation.
I really like how the game plays – it is fast-paced, with much tension, and the luck factor is not very significant. It also takes up only a small amount of space and can be easily played in 30-60 minutes. It’s really great for when you travel!
More about game:
8. General Orders by Osprey Games
In General Orders: World War II, David Thompson & Trevor Benjamin take us on another intriguing journey. This wargame incorporates a worker placement mechanic, and essentially offers two distinct games: Alpine Map and Pacific Map. These maps differ significantly in setup, asymmetry, and rules. The game includes various elements that enhance replayability, such as area bonuses, and can be completed in a maximum of 45 minutes
The game is minimalistic in size, yet surprisingly packed with elements in a small box. I’ve already used it for various trips, and it has proven to be a perfect title for such situations. If you haven’t tried it yet, make sure you do!
More about game:
9. Iron, Blood, Snow & Mud by PHALANX
Iron, Blood, Snow & Mud (love how the title rhymes!) is a quick and easy-to-learn two-player hex and counter strategic wargame that simulates the Eastern Front of World War II. With Poland and France fallen, Greece and Norway surrendered, and Yugoslavia no more, it is now time for the German attack on the Soviet Union
In this game, you will either lead the combat-hardened forces of the Wehrmacht through mud and snow across unimaginably vast enemy territories, all while trying to protect your overstretched supply lines, which is a critical aspect of the game. Alternatively, you will take control of the initially outnumbered but gradually strengthening Soviet Red Army, hampering the lightning-quick panzer attacks, harassing the enemy’s supply lines with your partisans, and biding your time for a bloody and devastating counteroffensive.
While browsing through my games collection for this article, this title suddenly caught my eye, and the idea immediately struck me that it would be fitting for this material. It is small, relatively quick to set up and play. Although I haven’t tested it during any trips yet, I definitely plan to do so soon.
More about game:
10. Caesar! Seize Rome in 20 Minutes! by PSC Games
Caesar! Seize Rome in 20 Minutes is a fast-paced and replayable game in the ’20-minutes series.’ You might be familiar with Blitzkrieg! World War II in 20 minutes! This game is from the same series and designed by Paolo Mori. However, the rules are entirely different, although some mechanics might seem familiar. There is hidden information regarding your influence tokens, and the goal is to vie for control of provinces. The player who uses up all their control tokens first wins!
This design was fresh for me as I hadn’t played earlier titles in the series. It fit perfectly whenever we had some spare time between larger games. It’s also very compact, making it an ideal travel wargame, which my colleagues and I have already tested!
More about game:
11. Battles of Normandy by Mike Lambo (self-published)
Positions from this series of solitaire bookgames could not be omitted in article like this. Mike Lambo’s Solitaire Wargames are simply addictive. When you start to play one of them, you want to try more – and having over 30 titles to choose from, there is a lot of opportunities. You have probably seen my material about The Fields of Normandy and US Troops fights during the Operation Overlord. Today I am presenting game also depicting that battle but from the British perspective!
As part of the D-Day landings in Normandy in 1944, the British 6th Airborne Division took part in Operation Tonga, to capture and destroy several bridges on the Orne River and Caen Canal and to secure important villages in the area. In Battles of Normandy, you will be commanding whatever British units happen to be available in order to take strategic positions on the map. German forces may not act with the full efficiency that the German army was known for, but they will nonetheless put up a fight.
As this is bookgame, that virtually takes no space to carry and can be very easily packed for holiday trip. Just take set of dice, several counters needed to play and enjoy enormous variability those titles bring.
More about game:
12. Pacific War 1942 by Worthington Publishing
I took the Pacific War 1942: Solitaire Travel Game as and add-on to the main title I was interested in, namely, Iwo Jima 1945. To my great surprise that proved to be an interesting, quick solo game, which was delivering exactly what it promised – a short, brief, violent and dice dependent Pacific War experience, to be played in 20 minutes.
The box is very small and compact, play time short, replayability high – what else one needs as a travel wargame! Definitely consider this as one of the titles for holiday trip.
More about game:
13. Berestechko 1651 from SNAFU Design
Berestechko 1651 is a two-player game that simulates the third day of the Battle of Berestechko, which took place on June 30, 1651. This battle was fought between the Zaporozhian Cossacks, led by Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky and supported by their Crimean Tatar allies, and the Polish-Lithuanian army under King John II Casimir, near the Styr River in Volhynia. It was one of the largest land battles in 17th-century Europe, involving approximately 300,000 combatants on both sides.
The game is a small-footprint simulation intended to give a quick and easy representation of the battle, focusing on good preparation of attacks and on when and where to withhold, retreat, rally and reorganize. All components, including the map, player aids, and counters, fit into a small zip-lock bag. All you need to add are dice, and voilà, you have the perfect two-player wargame for vacation travels!
More about game:
14. The Longest Trench from UGG
I was eyeing that game for quite some time – and even had a chance to observe my colleagues playing it on some of the conventions. The Longest Trench is a two-player card game about the First World War from the strategic viewpoint. The game recreates World War I in a historical series of land and sea battles. The Central Powers (Germany and her allies) are opposed to the Entente (Great Britain, France, Russia and their allies).
It is a bit larger in size than regular travel-friendly game but if you leave the main box at home and only take its content in the ziplock it will fit into your backpack nicely. It provides good replayability, some bluffing and maneuvering options and is simply fun.
More about game:
15. Rome: Fate of an Empire from Best With 1 Games
The Rome: Fate of an Empire was a pretty positive surprise for me. A small, slick game, which you can pack in VHS-size box. A solitaire challenge of various difficulty levels. A journey in which you pick your leader, adjust your strategy to his strengths and weaknesses, and try to accomplish the goals which the fate have chosen for you!
Perfect for vacations as takes almost no space in luggage (a bit moer on the table) and can be set-up everywhere. Very replayable, very engaging and really great experience.
More about game:
16. Port Arthur from Nuts! Publishing
Nuts! Publishing creates astonishingly beautiful games playing which is a pure aesthetical joy. This holds true also for Port Arthur – a vibrant, fast-moving and incredibly nice-looking two-player naval strategy game that recreates the 1905 Russo-Japanese war at sea.
Gameplay is quick and tense, with players using their naval forces to mount sorties against the enemy and dominate the naval zones surrounding Japan. Each turn presents a rich array of tough decisions, with success in combat depending on the amount of risk a player is willing to take, factoring in the variable speed and gunnery skills of the ships involved.
You store the game in small box although you can leave this at home and put everything in zip-lock. Take small amount of pace (in transport and during the play) and has reasonable length of main scenario. Definitely consider it for your holidays!
More about game:
Summary
Ok, time to stop – this list has a tendency to grow with each year 🙂 New titles arrive while some of the classics still hold high positions and simply – accompany me on my journeys! What is important and worth stressing, is the fact that I actually tested those titles – some titles even in very rudimentary conditions or on bicycle trips. They all fulfill the size / time requirements which are essential to match when you think about playing wargames during travels. Some of them even have Digital Versions but of course, nothing compares to a nicely published “analog” version of the game to be brought to the table during your free time!
Feel free to share your ideas for travel-friendly wargames!
The Boardgames Chronicle 
Great selection! I don’t take wargames on trips very often, but here are some alternatives which take only a deck of cards and maybe a small bag of tokens:
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Love Letter is pretty often our choice too – good for play both with adults and kids! (as you very well know 🙂 )
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