Operation Mercury

Two-player Simulation of the German Airborne Assault on Crete, 1941
Designed by Vance von Borries & Gene Billingsley
Published by GMT Games (1992)


I played Operation Mercury for the first time back in 1993. At the time it struck me as an okay game that I would be happy to play again. The components seemed fine. The rules seemed fine. Everything about the game seemed fine. I found it to be an interesting company/battalion level game where a single turn represents 8 hours of real time.

And now, 15 years later I have returned to Crete and, again, have played Operation Mercury.

Something has happened to me over the last 15 years to create a quite different reaction to the game second time around. It is still fine – but nowhere near as fine as it was 15 years ago.

While reading my review of this game, please remember it is I who has changed – not Operation Mercury – and no criticism is intended of the game. I really am making personal observations.


Physical Quality


I now have mixed feelings about the physical quality of the game. The 480 ½” counters are colourful but they really are very thin. I hadn’t noticed the first time I played how thin they really are. It is only in the last three years that I have really started to enjoy playing games with 5/8” counters – since my eye-sight has started to deteriorate larger counters are just so much easier to read and they do increase the enjoyment of the game when you are not struggling to read the counters.


The map (which measures close to 22” by 72”) really is excellent – very large, but excellent. It is very colourful, but functional and user friendly. Many charts are printed on the map which is a good idea as it makes use of space that was unnecessary for playing the game.

The rules are clearly written and well laid out.

The Set-up Charts leave a lot to be desired. It takes a long time to sort out the counters and place them on the set-up chart. The main problem is that the chart is simply black-and-white and the counters have a plethora of colours on them. I acknowledge that the centre colour of each counter does make it easier – but after having become used to colour set-up charts it is a chore to set up this game.


The Game Sub-systems

My goodness you roll a lot of dice in Operation Mercury. I hadn’t noticed when I first played the game how tired your wrist becomes – but then, I was younger and fitter then.

As the paratroops drop you roll a die for each one to see if they land in one piece or become dispersed or even lose a step of strength. After that there is a chance that you will roll again to see if where they actually land.

After combat has been announced, the defender has a chance to withdraw before combat – this means rolling a die for each unit that wishes to refuse to fight. Then the defender has a chance to react – this means rolling a die for each unit that may react to see if it passes its efficiency rating and is allowed to move.

Then the attacker rolls a die for each attack to check on the level of attack coordination – to attack effectively units must be within range of a headquarters unit and the headquarters unit needs to roll lower than its efficiency rating – this will make the attack fully coordinated and with support. If you roll equal to the efficiency rating then the attack will only be coordinated but without support. If you roll one higher than the headquarters’ efficiency the attack will be uncoordinated. Should you be so foolish as to roll two or more higher than the efficiency rating of the headquarters the attack will become an uncoordinated frontal assault.

All these dice need to be rolled before you even start to roll dice to resolve the attacks.

There are two types of combat – Manoeuvre and Assault. Manoeuvre requires a single die roll and can result in combat losses and retreats. Assault Combat requires multiple die rolls by both the attacker and the defender.

The above comments are not intended as criticisms – simply an observation that there are a lot of dice to be rolled in this game.


The Game In Its Various Permutations

The designers have put a lot of careful thought into the construction of the scenarios which appear in the rule book. The first three scenarios are quite small and are fine for learning the game systems and/or for playing the game when you have only a limited amount of time.

Scenario #1: The Sturm Regiment, May 20-21
It uses only a limited area of the western map and runs for six game turns. This is quite a small scenario which focuses exclusively on the fighting around Maleme.

Scenario #2: Retimo/Heraklion, May 20-22
This is fought exclusively on the eastern map and runs for eight game turns.

Scenario #3: Maleme/Suda, May 20-23
The game returns to the western map but uses most of the map area this time. The game runs for twelve game turns.

These scenarios use rules relating to movement, combat, headquarters, paratroop landing, artillery bombardment, air missions and special units (armoured, engineers, mortar, Greek militia and anti-aircraft).

The campaign scenarios add rules for supply and a complete naval system (there is a Naval Operations map in the north-eastern corner of the eastern map) including naval transport and evacuation of Allied units.


The campaign scenarios have been well conceived.

Scenario #4: The Luftwaffe Strikes, May 22nd
This scenario is an introduction to the air-naval game and is exclusively played on the Operational Naval map.

Scenario #5:Malme/Suda
Action takes place on the western map and on the Operational Naval map. The scenario runs for 21 game turns.

Scenario #6: Historical Campaign
The Big Game – both maps and runs for 36 game turns.


The Jury Is Out!

Why is it that the game leaves me luke-warm now, when I hold fond memories from 15 years ago? I guess that I have changed and my tastes have changed. The ‘state-of-the-art’ of wargame production has come a long way in the last 15 years.

The game appears to be well researched, as is usually the case with Vance von Borries designs. It almost certainly does replicate much of the situation on Crete. There are severe limitations placed upon the Allied Commander – he is, after all, expecting an amphibious invasion and does not want to waste his reserves reacting to an airborne assault which is, clearly, just a diversion. The Axis commander has the situation of forces arriving piecemeal and not being able to mutally support. Also, the paratroops will tend to disperse as they approach ground level. The combat system and its confusion and lack of control almost certainly does replicate the confused fighting that took place on Crete in 1941.

Setting up the game is laborious.

Playing the game feels, to me, fiddly and cumbersome.

If you are looking for a well-researched and historically accurate simulation of an interesting military situation you will think highly of Operation Mercury. If, on the other hand, you are looking for a simple, flowing, fast-moving wargame that plays quickly and has smooth and integrated sub-systems you probably will not think highly of the game.

If someone asks me to play the game I will say yes – of that there is no doubt. I will probably even offer to come over and help set the game up before hand.

Will I suggest to someone else that we play it? Probably not.

Am I going to sell the game? I doubt it – it is on a topic with few other titles and the research is more than adequate enough to make me want to keep it. I might even get it out on a cold and lonely night just to fondle, before I put it back on the shelf.

My goodness I have changed over the last 15 years.


“Dead Men Tell No Tales!”