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."