Game the English Civil Wars with John Welch’s Cruel Necessity

Victory Point Games (and my personal pal John Welch) have the latest States of Siege game available for order and its title is Cruel Necessity. This solitaire game puts the player in the role of leading the English Parliament in a struggle to survive the enemies of the state who are hell bent on dissolving the government. Cruel Necessity is available right now for an MSRP of $33.99.

I have to say with John at the helm of this title, it’ll be a good one. ‘Nuff said.

From VPG:

Cruel Necessity, from designer John Welch, is a solitaire game simulating the military, political, and religious struggles of the English Civil Wars (1640-53). You attempt to stop the advance of four armies bent on destroying Parliament and Puritanism, whom you represent; simply holding on to London is not enough!

There are civil wars going on not just in England, but in Scotland and Ireland too; and each will have varying impact on the play of the game at different times. You can also play Cruel Necessity cooperatively with a team of players working together and deciding how best to preserve and propagate the principles of the Enlightenment and Reformation.

The title comes from the purported response to the beheading of King Charles by his implacable foe, Oliver Cromwell, who remarked that this act of regicide was a “Cruel Necessity.”

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Jeff McAleer

Founder/Editor-in-chief of The Gaming Gang website and host of The Gaming Gang Dispatch and other TGG media, Jeff tackles any and all sorts of games but has a special fondness for strategy, conflict sims, and roleplaying games. Plus, he's certainly never at a loss for an opinion...

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