Tarawa 1943 Solitaire travel game

Tarawa 1943 Solitaire (Travel Game) is a solitaire wargame depicting the Battle of Tarawa, fought from 20–23 November 1943 during Operation Galvanic, the first major U.S. offensive in the Gilbert Islands. Players command the 2nd Marine Division as it assaults Betio Island against the heavily fortified Japanese garrison under Rear Admiral Keiji Shibazaki.

The game recreates the historical challenges of the invasion: coral reefs blocking landing craft, reinforced bunkers, interlocking fields of fire, Japanese counterattacks, and the gradual exhaustion of Marine battalions.

Game system

The game is designed exclusively for solitaire play and uses a card-driven system featuring an automated Japanese BOT.

Each turn, the player activates one of eight Marine battalions. During its activation, the battalion may move, attack, or regroup, but its cohesion is gradually reduced to represent fatigue and combat losses.

The player maintains a three-card hand providing support assets such as naval gunfire, air strikes, engineers, tanks, and reinforcements. One support card may be played during both the U.S. and Japanese turns.

After each Marine activation, a Japanese BOT card is revealed, generating enemy reactions including defensive fire, infiltration, bunker activation, crossfires, and banzai attacks, ensuring every game develops differently.

Included scenarios

Historical Landing

November 20, 1943

The historical assault on Betio by the 2nd Marine Division.

South Beach Alternate Landing

An alternative scenario in which the Marines land on Betio's southern beaches, where Japanese defenses had anticipated an invasion.

Objective

Capture the entire island by eliminating Japanese strongpoints while preserving Marine cohesion and minimizing casualties. Victory depends on both the speed of the assault and the condition of U.S. forces at the end of the battle.

Players

1 player

Playing time

30–60 minutes

Complexity

Low to Medium

Straightforward rules with meaningful tactical decisions centered on cohesion management and combat timing.

Game scale

Period: November 20–23, 1943

Level: Tactical

Units: Marine battalions and Japanese fortified positions

Replayability

Card-driven Japanese BOT

Two landing options

Variable battalion activation

Cohesion management

Wide variety of Japanese events

Excellent travel-game format

Components (indicative)

Compact game board

U.S. card deck

Japanese BOT card deck

Counters

Dice

Rulebook