Desert Storm: The Mother of All Battles (1991)

About this game

Desert Storm: The Mother of All Battles is a one- or two-player operational simulation of the Gulf War. It focuses almost exclusively on the Coalition ground war that liberated Kuwait and shattered the occupying Iraqi army. The game includes a 22" x 34" hex map of the significant terrain in the Kuwaiti Theatre of Operations, 192 counters, and 20 pages of rules, charts, and tables. Rules are split into both a basic and an advanced game. There are separate rules for solitaire play. The U.S./Coalition player must completely liberate Kuwait to have a chance to win. If Kuwait is liberated within 12 game turns, the player who has gained the most 'points' in inflicting losses on their opponent, wins. The Coalition player must be aggressive in order to completely clear Iraqi units from all Kuwaiti cities, towns, oilfields, and airfields, otherwise the Iraqi player will win.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 1 to 2. It has a designed solo mode.
• Rules load. At 2.4/5 this is a mid-weight game — expect a proper rules explanation before you start.
• Age. The publisher suggests 13 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.